From Beaches to Canyons, the Whole Family Will Love These Kid-Friendly Road Trip Ideas

Road trips with little kids can be difficult. Planning your drive around meals, naps, and potty breaks is challenging for kids and adults alike, but if you find destinations that bring joy to every member of the family, you can create a successful road trip for everyone involved! A great road trip should be part of every family's summer bucket list.

I'm based in Chicago, and we have visited lots of other Midwestern cities with our 8- and 10-year-olds. We have decided eight to nine hours is about the longest we're willing to drive, but we have found lots of destinations within that radius that provide unique and enjoyable experiences. You can start a road trip from wherever you are, or fly into one of these destinations and rent a car to make the trip!

Chicago-Cleveland-Niagara Falls-Detroit

This is one of our favorite multi-stop roadtrips ever. Chicago has a full campus of museums with fun things to do with kids. In one day, you could take in all or part of the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium, and the Shedd Aquarium. Save another day for the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. And if you like super tall buildings, check out the SkyDeck at Willis Tower. For free options, the best things to do are Lincoln Park Zoo and Millennium Park, complete with its spitting Crown Fountain splash pad.

It's a six-hour drive from Chicago to Cleveland. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is open late, so it's a good first stop. We also liked the Great Lakes Science Center, seeing a Cleveland Guardians game, and visiting 8-Bit, a free-play arcade/bar where both kids and grown-ups can have fun.

After a few days in Cleveland, take the kids to see a nature-based attraction at Niagara Falls. The drive from Cleveland is just over three hours, so it's easy to make with a mid-morning departure. You also get to set foot in Pennsylvania and New York, in case your kids are counting how many states they have been to. Jump on the Maid of the Mist and take a trip through the falls.

From Niagara, you can swing through Ontario, Canada, to get back to Detroit, Michigan. The very best thing to do in Detroit with kids is visit the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. These connected attractions take about a day each and provide an amazing dose of American history, with the museum focused mainly on innovations in the 20th century and the village on business and technologies of the late 1800s. Belle Isle also has lots of attractions for families looking to save money, such as a beach, a free aquarium, and a nature center.

Indianapolis-Louisville-Nashville

If you're still looking for cool trips in the Midwest, these are three cities you can hit in the same week that each has different vibes. The Indianapolis Children's Museum is a must-visit attraction. It boasts four floors of fun, plus an outdoor sports exhibit, with attractions that appeal to kids of all ages. Other big attractions include the Indianapolis Zoo and Newfields, an art and history museum.

On the way out of town, swing through Columbus, Indiana, to see the World's Largest Toilet at KidWorks Children's Museum. Then drive two and a half hours to Louisville. Kids love the Louisville Slugger Museum, where they can learn about how baseball bats are made and even get one made with their own signature. Horse-loving families may love the Kentucky Derby Museum, or you can enjoy the Louisville Zoo.

Nashville is the country music capital of the country, so music-loving families can find lots to do, from concerts to dance lessons to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Also check out Soundwaves at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel — it's a music-themed water park and hotel that's fun for all ages!

New York City-Boston-Acadia National Park

This trip has a little bit longer driving legs at about five hours each, but it is still manageable over a week to ten days. Start in New York City with an amazing array of museums, plus the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Central Park. Then, explore all of the historic sites with a few days in Boston. The Freedom Trail is best for kids in late elementary school and beyond, but you can pick a couple of interesting pieces to share with littler kids. See a game at Fenway or take a swan boat ride in Boston Public Garden.

Finish up your road trip by traveling north another five hours to Acadia National Park. There are lots of trails for hiking and biking, plus several ponds with beaches for kids to relax or swim. Check out Thunder Hole, a sea cave that creates thundering echoes close to high tide, and take a boat ride or rent a canoe or kayak.

Wilmington, NC- Myrtle Beach- Charleston

The coastal Carolinas have a lot to offer families, with a shorter drive between destination cities. There are only about two hours between them, and both Wilmington and Charleston have airports in case you want to start in one spot and drive to the other. Wilmington has beaches, as well as Battleship North Carolina, a World War II battleship converted into a military history museum. You can also visit the city's boardwalk and enjoy its children's museum.

Less than two hours away is Myrtle Beach, which is inexpensive for a beach town and bursting with family-friendly activities. Check out the Hollywood Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Broadway on the Beach, Myrtle Waves water park, and numerous mini golf courses, in addition to the beach itself.

Finish up your trip in Charleston, which is only about two hours and twenty minutes away. The city has historic sites, like Fort Sumter, where the Civil War started, and Charles Towne Landing, with interactive exhibits throughout the historic village. Charleston's beaches and city market complete the fun.

Los Angeles- Anaheim – San Diego

Start your trip in Los Angeles by visiting the Hollywood sign, hiking up to Griffith Park observatory, and taking a studio tour! Kids will love checking out stars along the Walk of Fame. Then, you can drive about an hour away for a couple of days at Disney Land and Universal Studios Hollywood.

Another two hours of driving will get you to San Diego, where kids can experience the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, LEGOLAND, and the floating city of the USS Midway. You'll find plenty of beaches along the way on this trip, so pick one to stop at for a day or half a day.

Grand Canyon-Zion National Park- Bryce Canyon National Park

Although it's a fun one, this is not a stroller-friendly trip. Families with bigger kids may enjoy checking out the Grand Canyon, one of the most amazing natural features I've seen in the U.S., even if they can't hike all the way to the bottom. The Grand Canyon Visitors Center has lots of interesting exhibits about Native American history in the area. Kids can also hike around the rim of the canyon or take a jeep ride for great views. Check out the Skywalk in Grand Canyon West to walk across a clear bridge 70 feet over the canyon rim.

From the Grand Canyon, it's about three and a half hours' drive to Zion National Park in Utah. Not all of the trails here are kid-friendly, but some are paved or semi-paved and under five miles. Check out the Par'us Trail along the Virgin River, the Riverside Walk leading to The Narrows, or Emerald Pool Trails with lots of pools and waterfalls along the way.

Another three hours of driving gets you to Bryce Canyon National Park. Kids might like the three-mile Navajo Loop or the Mossy Cave trail. This route will take you to two of Utah's “Mighty Five” National Parks and can be done in a week, if you're ambitious!

Orlando- Cocoa Beach-Miami

Get your theme park and your beach fix in one great road trip through the state of Florida! Start with a few days in Disney World — if you're making this a short trip, just do Magic Kingdom, or if you have more time, add on another park based on your kids' interests. You might also want to leave a day for hotel fun or water park time in the Orlando area.

From Orlando, it's about an hour drive to both the Kennedy Space Center and Cocoa Beach. For kids who love space, science, technology, and adventure, the Space Center is a great stop, and a good way to add some education to a fun trip. And a day at Cocoa Beach is relaxing and gets you off your feet for part of the trip.

After that, you can take a four-hour car ride to the artsy scene in Miami! Beaches have a few more waves here, and you'll find an abundance of fun in the sun for kids, like the Miami Zoo, strawberry picking, alligator encounters, and fun restaurants and shopping.

Philadelphia- Washington, DC

For little history buffs, this is a fun and educational trip! Start in our nation's first capital in Philadelphia, which is known for a couple of great kids' attractions: The Please Touch Museum and Sesame Place. The Please Touch Museum is often rated among the top five children's museums in the country and has two floors of fun featuring exhibits on everything from money to gardening to space.

Sesame Place is a theme park and water park featuring everyone's favorite characters from Sesame Street. Bigger kids might enjoy historic sites like Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed, the Liberty Bell, or the Museum of the American Revolution.

Then, you're only a four-hour drive from our nation's current capital in Washington, DC. In addition to seeing the three branches of government in action at the White House, the Capitol Building, and the Supreme Court, families will want to visit the Washington Mall to see the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Memorials. They'll also want to pick one or two of their favorite topics to check out at the Smithsonian Museum. From Air and Space to the Zoo, there's something for everyone, and they're all free!

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