Budget summer vacation from Chicago – road trip to Santa Claus, Indiana

by Scott Carmichael on

Chicago is in the unfortunate position of being surrounded by a whole lot of nothing. It doesn’t matter which direction you are heading, you’ll need to drive several hours till you finally reach something that isn’t in the Chicagoland metro area, or anything remotely fun (Sorry Milwaukee, but I don’t consider you to be that cool a destination, unless it is during Summerfest).

If you are looking for a fun weekend away (way, way away) from it all, but still within driving range, head down south to Santa Claus Indiana. This quaint little village is home to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.
Holiday World is where you’ll find 4 roller coasters, including the #1 rated wooden coaster in the world, but you’ll also find loads of family friendly rides, plus some just for toddlers.

In addition to the rides, Holiday World also offers one of the largest water parks in the Midwest with 16 different rides and attractions.

Admission to Holiday World is $40 for adults and $30 for guests under 54 inches. The admission price includes free soft drinks all day long.

When you are in Santa Claus, the most appropriate place to stay is of course at Santa’s Lodge.

This Christmas themed hotel is decorated for the Holiday season year-round. Rooms start at just $79.95 a night.

The hotel offers several indoor and outdoor pools, 2 restaurants and a mini-golf course.

Planning this trip wouldn’t be fun if you didn’t take advantage of some of the great other attractions on the way to Santa Claus. Your halfway point is Indianapolis, home to the largest children’s museum in the world.

Admission to the museum is $14.50 for adults and $9.50 for kids. Be sure to leave enough time in your schedule to see this place, as your kids will need several hours to visit all the exhibits.

With a little bit of luck, younger kids will be so tired from their visit, that they’ll sleep for the rest of your drive.

If you don’t have any kids (or you left them back home), then you can schedule your halfway stop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in (where else) Speedway, IN. Just be sure to stay far, far away from this area on race days. The Speedway is home to a museum and “behind the scenes tour”, but only on select dates, so be sure to check their schedule.

Finally, adults will be happy to know that the last part of the drive to Santa Claus passes through Louisville, home to the recently renovated Louisville Slugger museum. For $10 ($5 for kids), you get to see where this world famous baseball bat it made, plus you’ll be able to visit their factory outlet for some discounted Slugger gear.

Baseball not your thing? The Louisville Museum Row has 8 other attractions all within walking distance.

It would be considered a crime to drive to Louisville without stopping for some authentic Kentucky barbecue! A lineup of some of the best meat in the city can be found here.

So, there you have it – an affordable roadtrip from Chicago to Santa Claus, with 2 awesome stops on the way. Total distance from Chicago to Santa Claus is 360 miles.

Be sure to check out more budget summer vacations here!

Millions of Brits are camping, world confused

by Tom Johansmeyer on

When I saw the headline in The Sun – the tabbiest of the British tabloids – I half dismissed it as nonsense and half looked out my window for four horsemen with a hell of a lot of attitude. Brits are flocking to the forests, it seems, thanks to a brutal drop in the British pound relative to the Euro. Camping is what they can afford.

This does seem like a just punishment for a nation that thought putting money in Icelandic savings accounts was a good idea.

According to a survey by travelsupermarket.com, more than 4.5 million Brits are going to be cracking out their tents this year. Apparently, however, camping has changed. Bob Atkinson from travelsupermarket.com says, “The humble holiday camp has come a long way since its invention in the 1950s. The entertainment has been updated to reflect today’s needs.” He cites examples such as indoor water parks and spa activities.

For a change, youth is not wasted on the young. Several travelers from this demographic are skipping the campsites and heading out for Spain. For younger British travelers, trips to this country are up – despite being down 23.4 percent for Brits as a whole.

Spring deals for indoor waterpark lodges

by Jamie Rhein on

With warm weather barely hovering, the idea of finding a place where temperatures feel more tropical is appealing. You don’t have to head south to find it. Several indoor waterpark resorts are offering spring deals to entice travelers. I’m heading to one of them myself.

Cherry Valley Lodge in Ohio is a deal-making expert. Tomorrow, for example, by ordering two adult entrees at the lodge’s Sunflower Restaurant you get a one-day admission for four to the CoCo Key Waterpark. The way I see it, this takes care of what to do for Easter dinner as well as getting out of town for a mini getaway. From everything I’ve ever read or heard about the restaurant, it’s superb. I envision the waterpark before we eat, and then a walk through the lodge’s garden afterward.

Cherry Valley Lodge is offering several other package deals this spring that include a stay at the lodge. The Going Green with CoCo is connected to Earth Day and includes an Earth Day craft, a tote bag and more. There’s also a Wild Waterpark Works package that includes passes to The Wilds, an outdoor wild game preserve, and passes for The Works, a discovery center museum. Check out the lodge’s seasonal package page for the deals and the promotional codes.

Here’s a round-up of more packages at other indoor waterpark resorts.

If you’re looking for something to do with a group of friends, consider these as an option.

A few years ago, my husband’s family including four of his five siblings and most of their kids met for the day at Kalahari in Sandusky, Ohio. We did the birthday party package even though it wasn’t anyone’s birthday. At the time, the package was cheaper than if we all bought individual day passes, plus it included ice-cream, pizza and a drink. One of my sister in-laws set it up under one name and we each paid for our own family when we arrived.

Other resort and waterpark deals:

Great Wolf Lodge, a chain located in various states, is offering a variety of package deals. The deals vary depending upon the lodge. Splash into Spring is available at the Kansas City location, for example. If you go to the Great Wolf Lodge website, you can find packages that include water park passes and lodging once you click on the particular water park in which you are interested.

CoCo Key waterparks are connected to various hotels such as the one at Cherry Valley Lodge. Like Great Wolf Lodge, the deals depend upon the location. Click here for options.

Country Springs Hotel, Water Park and Conference Center, Waukesha, Wisconsin. There are a few spring packages from which to choose depending on your budget and what you’d like to include. Food vouchers, birthday party fixin’s and game tokens are some of the options. Click here for details.

Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark, Dubuque, Iowa. There’s a Lil’ Squirt Package that includes waterpark tickets for four, $25 voucher for the Riverwalk Restaurant, 40 arcade tokens and 10% off the gift shop.

White Water Bay Great Escape Lodge and Indoor Waterpark, Queensbury, New York–There’s a package to celebrate Earth Day, one that includes breakfast, another that includes dinner and one for birthdays. All come with lodging and waterpark passes.

King’s Point Waterpark Resort, Storm Lake, Iowa. The resort’s website has coupons for discounts. You can get one night for free if you pay for two, for example. There are coupons for free food and other goodies as well.

Watiki Indoor Waterpark Resort, Grand Rapids, Rapid City, South Dakota. Through April 30th day passes are at a discount. During the week, a pass is $5.95. On the weekends it’s $11.95. Stay at the Fairfield Inn or La Quinta which are less expensive than many resort hotels. In May, the admission goes up by $5, which for an indoor waterpark, is not a bad deal.

New energy efficient waterpark with retractable glass roof just opened

by Jamie Rhein on

Back in 2007 the West Baden Springs Hotel reopened in French Lick, Indiana as part of a casino resort complex. Today French Lick has a new addition, this one something kids will also like. Big Splash Adventure Water Park.

Just like the spectacular atrium of the hotel makes it unique, the water park has a feature that most indoor water parks don’t. The glass ceiling is retractable making the year round status more year round. For adults who want to relax away from kids who are careening down water slides with voices up a few notches, there’s a section called the Palm Cove. It’s adults only.

Big Splash Adventure is part of the Valley of the Springs Resort that opened on February 20. The various room combinations at Big Splash come with admission to the water park. Weekdays are $30 or so cheaper. For those of you interested in staying and playing “green,” the resort has received notice as because of its energy efficient design.

For one thing, that retractable water park ceiling that is perfect for warmer weather, also adds ventilation and improved airflow which adds to its energy efficiency. There are more energy efficient design elements. The ceiling is just the most noticeable.

Six Flags New England: A Day Out

by Jamie Rhein on

Here are a few things I discovered about Six Flags New England in Springfield, Massachusetts. If you leave 13 towels and assorted other belongings piled together on two chairs in Hurricaine Harbor water park and forget that the water park closes at 7:00 PM, the park people collect all belongings and bring them to the Lost and Found near the park’s main gate. But, what ends up at Lost and Found is a bit different that what was left behind. Thirteen towels becomes four and a tan pair of child’s sandals possibly walked off with the missing towels. Somehow, an extra pair of sunglasses did end up with all the stuff that was recovered.

Despite the water park snafu, which I have to say has something to do with the thunder and lightening storm that sent us to take shelter under the thatched umbrellas in the water park in the first place, Six Flags is a great day activity for a multi-aged crowd. While the five-year-old went on the kiddie rides in the The Wiggles section, the older kids headed off to the roller coasters. Not just the older kids, but the kids at heart as well. I talked my best friend to go on the Superman: Ride of Steel roller coaster with me even though she swore up and down that under no circumstances would she ever get on it. Two hours after her declaration, there we were, our hands gripping the lap bar, heading towards the sky.

The Superman: Ride of Steel roller coaster is a massive steel thing that’s been named the “Number One Coaster in the World.” For the biggest thrill, sit on the left. That’s the side without the catwalk railing. I can vouch that it feels like being on the edge of the world without any barrier to falling off. I had the brief thought, “Ya, know, I don’t really like this all that much” as I took in the unobstructed view of the Connecticut River. That thought flew out as we flew down the first incline. At the end of the ride that lifted us slightly out of our seats on a couple dips, my friend opened her eyes and said, “That was fun. I’m glad I did it, but never again.”

The Batman: The Dark Night ride coaster that made upside down loops suited both of us more and I’d have gone on it again if we didn’t have to go retrieve our stuff, or what was left of it. [The photo is from The Coaster Critic who blogs about rollercoasters.)

* As a note, the park had nothing to do with the missing stuff. It was totally our fault since we left it for hours on end. Moral of the story: Lock up belongings, or at least remember the water park closes before the rest of the park does.