Need help from Badlands to Chicago

[Glennkr]

Hi.

Me, my wife and 3 kids will be traveling from Seattle to NY and back over 7 weeks this summer, spending one week with family in NY. To start, I have planned:
Seattle to Glacier NP
Glacier to yellowstone
Yellowstone to Mt Rushmore/Badlands
I hope to hit Chicago, Niagara Falls, Boston, Mystic and then NY, but I'm looking for things between rushmore/badlands and Chicago. Kids are 7,7, and 11.

Any suggestions?

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

A while ago a listed off some of my favorite stops along this route. If your kids are water fans at all, I'd recommend at least spending one day in the Wisconsin Dells, stopping at Noah's Ark or one of the several other huge waterparks in town.

Of course, also make sure to check out the RTA Map Center, which has lots of other stop ideas to consider.

[Lifemagician]

... the children are bound to love WallDrug, especially if you go right through to the back of the store, where the dinosaur is fed every 10 or 15 mins (or something like that). They can pan for gold, and while they are doing that, there are walls full of newspapers and other historical documents you can peruse. Well worth visiting.

Also, just north of Belle Fourche SD is the 'Center of the Nation' monument. There is a monument at the visitor centre, but if you go 20 miles up the road, you will come to the actual location. Great photo opportunity.

Lifey