2 kids (ages 4 & 6) a small dog & 3 turtles (in h2o) Seattle to Milwaukee 9 days....

[sunfairy3]

We are moving from Seattle to Milwaukee. Closing on the Seattle home is June 20th & closing on the Wisconsin home is June 29th but we'd be happy to get there a little early & relax in a hotel ;-)
Would love to make a family vacation out of getting there without adding too many extra miles. We are going to need to make stops since we are traveling with children & pets.
Any advice would be appreciated!

[Charlie H]

If you pick up I-90 at Billings, it will take you through the Black Hills of South Dakota and Badlands National Park. In the Black Hills, the kids would enjoy a drive through Custer State Park where they would see some wild burros begging food and with a little luck, a buffalo herd. It's reached by taking the Iron Mountain Highway (US 16A) from Keystone. Keystone is very close to Mount Rushmore which the kids would also enjoy. In the Badlands, the kids would love climbing around on the rocks.

No trip to South Dakota is complete without a stop at Wall Drug in Wall which is just outside of Badlands. Here's a little info on Wall Drug:

Wall is the northern gateway to the Badlands National Park, and the home of the block-long Wall Drug Store. In 1936 the owners of this small-town pharmacy, Ted and Dorothy Hustead, came up with an ingenious marketing campaign. Realizing travelers going through the hot, dusty prairie would be thirsty, they put up signs along the highway offering free ice water. Tourists have been stopping there ever since.
Having had success with small roadside signs, the Husteads began investing in billboards. Wall Drug roadside advertisements appeared across the country. While the 1965 Highway Beautification Act forced the removal of most of these famous billboards, there are still Wall Drug signs beside South Dakota's highways and in many countries overseas. The store is now the principle industry in Wall, employing almost a third of the town's residents.

This is a great area for kids. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of trips to the Black Hills in the early 1950's - moreso than either Colorado or Yellowstone.

Another place along this route the kids would enjoy is Devil's Tower National Monument. It's about 32 miles north of Moorcroft, Wyoming via US 14.

Have A Great Trip!!

[sunfairy3]

Thank you so much for your quick reply & great advice :-)

[Midwest Michael]

You've got a great amount of time for this trip.

In addition to the suggestions about South Dakota, you certainly could consider taking a detour through Glacier or Yellowstone National Parks. If you did Yellowstone, leave via the Beartooth Highway, and Little Bighorn Battlefield would be right along the way too.

The only warning is that National Parks often aren't very pet friendly. There will be some restrictions on where you can go with your dog, as they typically are not allowed on the trails.

[sunfairy3]

That sounds wonderful! Would love to take them to Yellowstone :-)
Thank you!

[Charlie H]

If you take I-90, after the long drive across eastern South Dakota and Minnesota, the kids are probably going to be ready for a stop. I would suggest a stop at Wisconsin Dells. Although it has become overly commercialized with every kind of entertainment you can imagine, it's still a great place for kids. You name it, they have it. The original attraction, boat trips through the Dells Of The Wisconsin River is still there. I would suggest the Upper Dells Trip because the boat makes a couple of stops and you get to walk through some very deep ravines that run in to the river. There are a couple of high-dollar hotels that have their own huge, indoor waterparks. We prefer a little less hustle and bustle and usually stay at a nice place on Lake Delton called Sunset Bay Resort. It's in a wooded, secluded area but still very close to the activity of Wisconsin Dells. They have a little sand beach and you can rent canoes and peddle boats.

A great place to eat in Wisconsin Dells is Ishnala. It's on the pricey side but the food is wonderful and the kids would enjoy the Native American decor. http://www.ishnala.com/

Just south of Wisconsin Dells at Baraboo is The Circus World Museum. They have some circus acts, animals and a wonderful display of old circus wagons. When we took our daughter there when she was 5 or 6, she got to take a ride on an elephant and she still remembers it fondly 26 years later.

If you happen to have some time when you're in the Sioux Falls, SD area, there's a very nice city park called Falls Park where the falls that gave the city it's name are located. The kids would get a kick out it.

Another stop the kids might get a kick out of is the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. It's a castle-like structure which is decorated with colored ears of corn. They redo it each year and this has been going on for over a hundred years. It too is one of the things I've always remebered from a visit to South Dakota more than 60 years ago. It would only take a hour or less.

[sunfairy3]

Thanks Charlie :-) Those all sound great!

[Charlie H]

You're more than welcome. Have A Great Trip and welcome to the midwest.