Seattle to Cleveland and Back summer trip-3 kids, 3 weeks, help us choose a route

I'm going to take my family (me, DH, DD15, DD11 and DS2) to Eastern Ohio to visit relatives. We took this trip once before, in 2007, and really loved it. Turns out the kids don't remember much from that trip--Mount Rushmore is the boldest of their road memories--and so we will drive it again.

I'd love some tips on picking our route and choosing what to see. I've got books, maps and have been searching the forums for ideas, but it's frankly overwhelming. Some thoughts from experienced cross-country travelers on what's worth the detour and what isn't would help. And of course, it is all subjective, but here are some of the things we like:

Mount Rushmore--loved it, want to see it again
ghost towns and well-preserved turn of the century towns
pie
roadside kitsch
caves
microbreweries
places made famous on screen, big or small
water (lakes, rivers)

We're going to give ourselves three weeks or so to get there, visit our family, and drive home. I don't like to drive at night and with the little guy, we can't do any huge mileage days, so we have to break it up.

thanks for any and all input!

If you did not stop there last time, Wall Drug and the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD would be memorable for the children.

With three weeks you may even be able to manage a few days in Yellowstone NP. Another NP along the route is Badlands and the associated attractions in that area, Custer SP, Wind Cave and Jewel Cave. You could take a detour along I-94 for some of the way and take in Teddy Roosevelt NP.

Are the children doing any of the research for you. The older two would no doubt be confident at researching places which they fancy on the maps. See what attractions there are in all the towns and surrounding areas along any given route.

One way to have the children remember a trip for a long time, is to get them to keep a journal. Get them to write down at the end of the day what the most memorable activities and places were. This can include stubs of entry tickets, drawings, photos, pictures cut from brochures, even something picked up along the way. It works best if you keep a journal as well.

My grandchildren have been doing this for many years - even the 2 1/2 year old (now four) has his journal of a trip to Britain. In his own childish way, with his parents' help (but no coaching), he was able to keep his own journal. Things in his journal include a photo of the front fence of the RV park in which they stayed which reminds him of the swimming pool right behind that fence, and all the fun they had there. Another is a circle drawn, with a stick figure inside, which to him depicts the London Eye and the memories of that ride..

Great for all of you to look back on. Have fun planning and have a great trip.

Lifey

I chuckled at the mention of "pie". This past summer, we stayed in Custer City (really a small town) while visiting the Black Hills area. In that town was the Purple Pie Palace (or Place?), which the owner of the motel we stayed at, recommended. We never went there, because neither of us needed dessert, but it looked really cute.

Places made memorable on screen: if you or your children ever saw CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, you will want to go to Devil's Tower National Monument. Look for it in the NE corner of Wyoming, on a map. It's about 30 miles off of I-90, but you cannot see it from the interstate. If you've seen the movie, you'll be humming that 5-note ditty as you drive up. Your children will love the Prairie Dog Village that you have to drive through to get to DTNM. There is also a 1-1/4 mile trail that goes all the way around the Tower. Some of it is paved for a stroller, but if you have a "Kiddie backpack" to carry the two year old, the older kids will like it. You may see climbers on the Tower except in June, where folks don't climb because of Native American culture.

Caves -- above, someone suggested Wind Cave. We enjoyed our tour through that cave.

Water and lakes -- if you go through Minnesota either direction, you will see lots of those!


Donna

The big question is - how many days do you want to spend with your family in Cleveland - and how many days in transit each way? Seattle to Cleveland via fastest Interstate routes is 4 hard days of just driving each day.

We need at least 4-5 days with family, in the Cleveland area (Chardon specifically). The 2 year old won't tolerate 4 hard days of driving...it would be 4 hard days of crying to get out of the car seat:-(. If we just wanted to see the family, we'd fly straight to Cleveland--the road trip lets us see the sights.

Love the idea about travel journals! I sort of kept one on our last trip by sending email dispatches, but I neglected to keep copies and no longer have the email account I used.

I very much want the big kids involved in planning; my teenager says she hates road trips (although she always ends up enjoying them once we're on the road). I'd like to be able to present options to them, like, if we go route X we can see attractions A, B, C. versus route Y where we see attractions D, E, F.

I spent about an hour staring at the U.S. map last night, trying to figure out which way we should go on the way back. I'm pretty sure the way out will include your suggestions of Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, Devil's Tower, Custer (will have to check out the pie). I'd like to see Yellowstone.

But which way to go after we go through the Badlands? Last time we went through Iowa and saw a lot of corn, then up through Chicago (didn't stop), and into Indiana before passing into Ohio. That part of the trip was mostly just driving; we didn't really know what to see and were getting ready to be there. This time, with older kids, there must be some sights to see between SD and OH.

thanks everyone!

From Rushmore, you can head out I-90 and see the Badlands and the Corn Palace. Then you can head down I-29 to Kansas City and across I-70 to St. Louis and visit the Gateway Arch. Stay on I-70 to Columbus and take I-71 to Cleveland. This also has the benefit of avoiding the Chicago traffic and the toll roads.

Note that you should spend multiple days in Yellowstone in order to actually see it - it's a HUGE park. Plan your days accordingly. Lodging around Yellowstone is very expensive in season. If you go to Yellowstone, either enter or leave the park via the northeast entrance and drive the Beartooth Highway (US-212).

You didn't specify exactly when you are taking this trip, but I'd avoid taking it around the time of the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally if you are going to Rushmore and anywhere near it.

glc, on our last trip, around partway through Idaho, we started seeing a lot of motorcycles. And more each day until finally while trying (and failing) to find a hotel room near Mt Rushmore, we learned about Sturgis. We actually drove through the town to see the rally, since we were there.

This trip will be in June, so no Sturgis for us this time.

Is it really not realistic to see Yellowstone's highlights in a day? I have never been so do not know.

One full day would be very rushed. It takes that long just to drive the roads, much less stop and see things. You need 2 full days.

The closest thing to "budget" lodging near Yellowstone that I can personally recommend is the Evergreen Motel in West Yellowstone. Rates in June start at $125 per room per night.

There's just no way to see Yellowstone's highlights in a day - there's just too many of them, and the area is just too big. You've also got things like Geysers that don't work around your schedule and can require you to wait if you want to see them. Even 2 full days would require you to do a bit of picking and choosing just to see the most popular areas.

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Originally Posted by Tiki

Is it really not realistic to see Yellowstone's highlights in a day? I have never been so do not know.

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Seeing the highlights in a day is nigh near impossible, it is a big place.

However, my first visit ever to Yellowstone was a 'drive thru'. I did not have time, nor the knowledge required as to what Yellowstone deserves. But I did see a lot. It whet my appetite for future visits, none of which have been more than two days, but all up is probably getting close to a week, seeing a different area each time.

If you were to 'drive thru' Yellowstone and stop at Old Faithful (however long it takes), you will no doubt see lots of wildlife and the amazing landscape. Maybe it will whet your appetite to plan a trip there.

I'd still drive through it - and see a little, rather than past it - and see nothing.

Lifey

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Originally Posted by Tiki

Love the idea about travel journals! I sort of kept one on our last trip by sending email dispatches, but I neglected to keep copies and no longer have the email account I used.

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Maybe this time, you could start a thread in our RoadTrip Field Report forum. Many here love to see how relevant their advice was. It also helps future travellers when planning their trips. You could send the link to all your email recipients. You'll find it is great to read back over later.

And we love to see travel pictures.

Lifey

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And we love to see travel pictures.

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Yup. We're the friends that don't moan and groan when you dig out the vacation pictures.

Also, what I did during our 2012 and 2014 trips: I kept a handwritten journal, and one online in the RoadTrip Field Report forum. When I got home, I put the handwritten and the printed-out Field Report journals in the same envelope. The handwritten journal kept track of expenses, fuel mileage, and some commentary, while the Field Report was more of a public record.

I have travel journals going back to the early 90s. My mom has me beat, though. She even has a travel journal for her's and my dad's honeymoon.

Donna

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Originally Posted by DonnaR57

Yup. We're the friends that don't moan and groan when you dig out the vacation pictures.

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Couldn't have said it better myself!

Lifey

Great idea about starting a thread in the trips forum. I will do that for our upcoming spring break trip to Gold Country in California. I'm still working on getting all my photos from LAST spring break's trip through Oregon on the Journey Through Time Byway (highly recommended!).

Thanks for the feedback on Yellowstone. I just don't think we'll have time for more than a drivethrough with all the miles we need to cover, but it sounds like a drive through is better than skipping it altogether.

Here's another thought regarding Yellowstone: From Seattle to West Yellowstone, MT, is about 740 miles - a day and a half's drive. This would make a great one-week trip in the summer, perhaps another year? I'd suggest it for a spring break or fall break, but unfortunately, Yellowstone is pretty-well shut down to vehicular traffic between late Sept and mid-May. If I lived in Seattle, I'd save this one for a trip when I didn't have a lot of time (or money) in a given summer.

Donna

Great idea, Donna. And since I just checked Yellowstone lodging to find everything for the day I would need in June sold out, it'll be a better option to really see the park. I am still going to pitch the idea of driving through though. I visited Glacier NP many years ago as a drive through and still have memories of the mountains and moose and bear we encountered.

I think I've got plenty for us to see on the western end of the trip with sights of SD, Yellowstone, ghost town near Philipsburg, MT, but still trying to find what to see between the SD border and Cleveland. Thoughts? I remember that area as being a sea of corn...there must be something a bit off the beaten track?

Yellowstone fills up early, that's for sure. I got our reservations last January for our July trip, and the park was already fully booked. So we stayed in West Yellowstone. (Even Evergreen Motel, suggested by glc, was booked. We did One Horse Motel which was tiny, very cramped.)

Between the SD border and Cleveland -- someone suggested I-29 to I-70, which would take you past a couple of Lewis & Clark sites, the St Louis Arch, through Indianapolis to Columbus OH where you catch I-71 up to Cleveland. Someone suggested Wall Drug and Corn Palace in SD. If your girls were ever fans of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, you could go north from the Corn Palace on SD-37 , turn east on US-14 at Huron and head for DeSmet, where Laura lived. There is a museum and a lot of other things there. Then head east again to I-29 and drop south from there. Yes, it's a bit out of the way, but your daughters might enjoy it if they loved the books. (If not, ignore this idea.)

As for the 2-year-old, I have a grandchild that age, and raised my kids on road trips from a very young age. Get them out of that torturous device when you stop, let him run in some grass somewhere like at a rest area or (if you find one) a city park. He doesn't need anything fancy, just a place to run. He'll turn into a great traveler! (My girls BOTH still love road trips, though they aren't at a stage in their lives when they have a lot of time or $ to do so.)


Donna

I think the little guy will be ok. He's been on trips to California and Eastern Oregon and handled them pretty well. We'll get him out of the car whenever possible--the hard part is always getting him back into the car seat:-(.

Just spent an hour with the DH poring over the map. We've got one way pretty much nailed down now, but have to decide if it is coming or going. Steps include: Seattle to Missoula (with stops for the ghost town near Philipsburg), MT to SD via Devil's tower, and the Rapid City area (Rushmore, Jewel Cave, Wind Cave, Crazy Horse, Badlands), stay a day in the SD area so we can see all the big sights, then east via I-90 through Minnesota & Wisconsin, stop a day in Chicago to see the big city, then hug the lake to Cleveland.

Return trip? Debating between going up into Canada and seeing Banff and Lake Louise or going via Yellowstone, Denver, Utah, Eastern Oregon.

More poring over the map to help decide!

Through Canada, be sure to allow a little more time. Speeds are slower north of the border. I take it you all have passports.

I'm not going to suggest either route. Having been to both, each has amazing attracations.

Lifey

If you go via Chicago, you will have significant tolls and terrible rush hour traffic. Just saying.

Don't forget Wall Drug and the Corn Palace.

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Originally Posted by glc

If you go via Chicago, you will have significant tolls and terrible rush hour traffic. Just saying.

Don't forget Wall Drug and the Corn Palace.

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Wall Drug and Corn Palace are on the list!

On our previous trip, we encountered one toll, near Chicago (we had to go that way to get to Fort Wayne, IN, to visit friends). It was about $.50! It was so novel to pay a toll that we took pictures at the toll booth--and got yelled at by the toll taker, who insisted we delete the pictures.

So....are the tolls in the $5-10 range total or are we talking more like $50? Also, Chicago got on the list because the DH saw how close it was to our route on the map and said he'd never been there and would like to see it. Should I try to talk him out of that?

If you take I-90 into Chicago from Wisconsin, cash toll is $7.90.

Leaving Chicago, if you take I-294, the toll will be $6.00 from O'Hare to I-80, $4.50 from I-290 to I-80, or $3.00 from I-55 to I-80. If you take the Chicago Skyway (I-90) instead from downtown, it will be $4.50 to the Indiana state line.

Through Indiana, it's $8.10, add another $1.90 if you take the Skyway instead of I-294/I-80.

Through Ohio, it's $10.25 to the I-90 exit west of Cleveland.

I lived in the Chicago area for 35 years, and believe me, the rush hour traffic is impossible. Also, I-90 and/or I-94 south of the Loop (downtown) is not a safe area to be in, especially after dark. Hotels downtown are very expensive, the ones that aren't are dumps. If you want to spend a night in the area, the area around O'Hare is safe and somewhat less expensive than downtown. Consider leaving the car at the hotel, or parking at the Cumberland CTA station, and riding the "EL" downtown.

Checking in again here, since our trip is coming up in a couple of weeks. We're now thinking of heading north from De Smet, SD, and getting to Cleveland via Wisconsin & Michigan. Avoids the tolls and doesn't look much longer if longer at all. HAven't yet run the numbers in the AAA trip calculator though.

And, coming back, it's looking like Canada is the winner, with us heading North from Cleveland and then West from there. None of us have been to any province other than BC, so we would love to see more of Canada.

Thoughts on these routes? Am I missing something big through lack of knowledge?

thanks!

Are your passports in order, as they would need to be in order to travel into and out of Canada?

If you aren't tired of Laura Ingalls Wilder stuff after your visit to DeSmet, then you could check out Walnut Grove, MN, which is east of DeSmet on US-14. More LIW there, with a lot about the TV show (the way I understand it). Then in Pepin, WI, is the Little House in the Big Woods. Pepin is along the Mississippi River just southwest of Eau Claire.


Donna

Four of is have passports; one kid's has expired but a certified birth cert is ok as she is under 16.

Thx for the LIW! Did not know about those sites.

Thanks for all the tips and info. We are back from our trip and it was great! FYI, the purple pie place in Custer City has AMAZING good pie. I'll put a trip report together soon.

We did end up braving Chicago and the trip through that crazy city of crazy traffic was a highlight. Plus we snagged some Garrett popcorn:-).

So glad your trip went well, and especially that the Purple Pie Place was amazing! We would LOVE to read more details about your trip....and we LOVE pictures here!

Yeah, Chicago can be crazy, that's for sure. Except when in the suburbs to visit family, I always avoid it, though. Garrett popcorn? How about pizza?



Donna

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Originally Posted by Tiki

I'll put a trip report together soon.

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Each time I read a trip report it adds more places to the endless list I already have of places I want to see and experience.

Thanks in advance.

Lifey