NH to Chicago and Back

Hello! We're taking a family driving trip this summer from NH to Chicago and back, camping along the way. We have four kids ages 2-11 and hope to limit driving to about 4 hours each day. We also would like to avoid major highways. I am looking for any advice regarding family-friendly places to stop and sights to see along the way. Our schedule is flexible so we could stay in one area for a day or two. While we're in Chicago we'll be staying with family and we don't need any advice for that part of the trip, but just for places to see between NH and Chicago. We like the outdoors, ice cream, kid-friendly museums, small cities/towns, coffee, outdoor events, animals (farms/zoos). Thanks for any recommendations!

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Originally Posted by Stcurry

Thanks for any recommendations!

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Welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum, I like the intended pace for this trip. What is the total length of your trip?

Sounds like you've done family road trips in the past(?) But for a refresher, here are some tips articles -- some I've penned & some by other RTA contributors:

Keeping it fun

Road Trip Games

Just about all of the RTA RoadTrip Attractions are family-friendly. If you use with the Map Wizard or the more advanced trip planning tool -- RTA Map Center and then put in starting and ending destinations for any leg of the trip -- you can see our recommendations.

More specific ideas to follow.

Mark

I've made similar runs in the past on the way from my former home in Portsmouth to see my extended family in Wisconsin and there are some great roads that don't cost a fortune or go through major cities. Chief among these are the Mohawk Trail (MA-2) through Massachusetts, US-6 across northern Pennsylvania, and US-224/US-30 through Ohio and Indiana. You will, of course, have to string them together with various connecting roads, but I think they are the basic types of highways you're looking for. But, while they are pleasant enough drives with lots of smaller venue sights, nowhere really stands out as a place to spend a day or so with the possible exceptions of the area around Albany with some waterfalls, the old Erie Canal, the Hudson River, and the New York state capitol building; and Cuyahoga Valley National Park south of Cleveland.

AZBuck

Whereas not a designated scenic route, I enjoyed US20 from Toledo to Chicago. It goes through a variety of smaller towns and through Amish country between Angola and Elkhart. I was told, but did not have time to check it out, that the University in South Bend is something to see.

Lifey

Thanks, all! This is really great. I appreciate your thoughts and will look into these options, and check out the resources Mark mentioned!

The total length of the trip will be 2 to 3 weeks, including several days in Chicago. We took a drive last year to Florida and back, but we were on a tighter schedule so didn't get to visit many attractions along the way, and I didn't know about this website last summer!

With the kind of time you have, you might consider going up over the top of the Great Lakes. Head up along Lake Michigan - either the Wisconsin or Michigan side - crossing into Canada at Sault Ste. Marie. Check out some of the parks and sites along the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron and the rest of Northern Ontario, before making your way towards Ottawa and Montreal before heading back down into NH. I've always found that to be a great drive.

Of course, if you go via Canada, the adults will need passports and the kids will need birth certificates.