Kids Destinations from Litchfield, CT to St. Louis, MO via Niagara Falls

[emscam]

I am planning a short (4-day) road trip from Litchfield, CT to St. Louis, MO via Niagara Falls in July with a five-year-old. I am having difficulty creating the best route to keep everyone happy and sane while covering a long distance during a few days. I am eager (and anxious!) for suggestions regarding a potential route with fun destinations. Any suggestions will be enthusiastically received. Thanks in advance!

[travelingman]

Dayton, Ohio has the National Museum of the United States Air Force. It's FREE, and spectacular. You can see American aircraft as well as Russian and others, up close. They even have an SR-71 Blackhawk. It's a gigantic place, with plenty of room to roam. If your 5 year old loves planes as much as my 3 year old grandson, it might be worth a stop.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s1EwLYhq5Y

I don't know if this might be of interest to your five year old, but there are a collection of small parks Southeast of Columbus, collectively known as Hocking Hills State Park. The area is especially scenic during and after rainstorms, when all the waterfalls are active. One warning though, is that depending on the park and the trail, it can be an extremely dangerous place with cliffs just off the walkways, even at the "Old Man's Cave" visitors center! Stay on the ground level trails, away from the rim trails. I've been here several times and always enjoy it.

http://www.hockinghills.com/parks.html

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

If your five year old is a little boy, he might enjoy a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and even though it's not as exciting as the Air Force Museum, your youngster might also be intrigued by the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse. Also not as famous as its western cousins, nevertheless, there is a National Park just outside Cleveland complete with scenic train ride. And of course, in St. Louis, there's the Arch and Museum of Westward Expansion. But keep in mind that such fancy destinations aren't really needed for someone as young as your child, and that there are plenty of enjoyable stops all along the highway(s).

AZBuck