Father/son overnight trip, driving distance from Louisville. Where?
January 13, 2011 1:03 PM Subscribe
Midwest travel recommendation: Looking for a fun overnight trip for me and my eight-year-old boy, within a three-hour drive of Louisville.
Want to take the man out for a father/son overnight trip, with a little bit of a drive. The destination would need to include enough age-appropriate stuff to see/do.
My first thought was Newport on the Levee near Cincinnati, because that has an aquarium and a Gameworks and a movie theater. But wanted to see if maybe there's something better that I'm not thinking of.
This is as much about the trip and the time away just the two of us, but there does need to be fun stuff to do because I don't want him getting bored or wishing he was at home with his buddies. (He came up with the idea - "Hey dad, can me and you go to a hotel soon, just me and you?" - but he also has a relatively short attention span and I don't want the trip to become a drag.)
Want to take the man out for a father/son overnight trip, with a little bit of a drive. The destination would need to include enough age-appropriate stuff to see/do.
My first thought was Newport on the Levee near Cincinnati, because that has an aquarium and a Gameworks and a movie theater. But wanted to see if maybe there's something better that I'm not thinking of.
This is as much about the trip and the time away just the two of us, but there does need to be fun stuff to do because I don't want him getting bored or wishing he was at home with his buddies. (He came up with the idea - "Hey dad, can me and you go to a hotel soon, just me and you?" - but he also has a relatively short attention span and I don't want the trip to become a drag.)
Having been to Mammoth Cave as a cowboy boots wearing seven year old girl, I concur.
Other things nearby which are awesome, all of which I first encountered and enjoyed around that age: Columbus, Indiana (architecture!), New Harmony, Indiana (nifty old town with a neat museum about a utopian society!), Cave-in-Rock, Illinois and the Garden of the Gods (nature at its finest, plus river pirate history!).
You'll find other good suggestions in this previous thread about Southern Indiana.
posted by ocherdraco at 1:21 PM on January 13, 2011
Other things nearby which are awesome, all of which I first encountered and enjoyed around that age: Columbus, Indiana (architecture!), New Harmony, Indiana (nifty old town with a neat museum about a utopian society!), Cave-in-Rock, Illinois and the Garden of the Gods (nature at its finest, plus river pirate history!).
You'll find other good suggestions in this previous thread about Southern Indiana.
posted by ocherdraco at 1:21 PM on January 13, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the great suggestions so far, folks ... definitely bookmarking those. I realize that I didn't specify, though, that we want to do it this month, so it should be something primarily indoors.
posted by jbickers at 1:26 PM on January 13, 2011
posted by jbickers at 1:26 PM on January 13, 2011
I came in to say Cincinnati, not just for the Levee, but also: Kings Island, the Great Wolf Lodge (so much fun - look online for good deals), the Museum Center, Cyclones Hockey, the Reds (depending on the time of year, obviously), East Fork State Park, fountain square has ice skating for a while longer in the winter, Cincinnati Fire Museum, the Zoo, the unMuseum at the Contemporary Arts Center, etc etc etc.
posted by dpx.mfx at 1:32 PM on January 13, 2011
posted by dpx.mfx at 1:32 PM on January 13, 2011
Mammoth cave. Boys love caves. Hell, we went to Mammoth Cave for one friend's bachelor party. From St. Louis.
posted by notsnot at 3:08 PM on January 13, 2011
posted by notsnot at 3:08 PM on January 13, 2011
If you're willing to go 4.5 hours, St. Louis's City Museum is an amazing wonderland for all ages. There's a ton to do inside, but I have no idea what the outside part is like in winter.
posted by advicepig at 3:24 PM on January 13, 2011
posted by advicepig at 3:24 PM on January 13, 2011
Another vote for Mammoth Cave. I know that you want something inside, but once you're actually in the caves, it's a pretty constant temperature no matter what season it is (around 50 degrees, I believe), and it's only a short walk to the entrance of the cave.
There's also a cave museum that has some nifty stuff, and a lot of tacky tourist things in the area that my parents always refused to take us to, much to my dismay. (For instance: Dinosaur World.)
posted by geegollygosh at 3:25 PM on January 13, 2011
There's also a cave museum that has some nifty stuff, and a lot of tacky tourist things in the area that my parents always refused to take us to, much to my dismay. (For instance: Dinosaur World.)
posted by geegollygosh at 3:25 PM on January 13, 2011
If you like hiking, come down to Land Between the Lakes, plenty of pretty parts of Kentucky on the way down, 4 different places to stay as far as lodges, you get to roam around, fish, there's a cemetery somewhere in there, and bunches of other stuff.
posted by deezil at 5:51 PM on January 13, 2011
posted by deezil at 5:51 PM on January 13, 2011
Don't forget to make sure there is an indoor pool at the Hotel and make sure it's not going to be down for maintenance while you're there. My Dad used to sit by the pool and throw pennies in the water for me to dive for when I was about that age. Most kids seem to just love hotel pools.
posted by BoscosMom at 7:54 PM on January 13, 2011
posted by BoscosMom at 7:54 PM on January 13, 2011
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posted by Dee Xtrovert at 1:09 PM on January 13, 2011