My Road Less Traveled By

Bill and I have been struggling this whole summer so far trying to decide where to take the kids on vacation this year.  With my kids only being 4 and 1, it is a hard call.  I do not want to be spending a ton of money on a trip they are not going to remember.  That being said and with gas prices being so high, we have decided to stay home and vacation.  We live right next to Chicago, and never have any time to enjoy it!  Being that Bill hates to drive downtown more than he has to, we are looking at staying maybe one night (maybe even two) with the kids downtown.  There is a ton of stuff to do in Chicago like Navy Pier, Children’s Museum, The Museum of Science and Industry, The Aquarium, and The Field Museum.  This is just a few things that are just a few blocks away from one another.  On top of there being a ton of things to do, there area also a ton of hotels to pick from.  I personally think we need one with a pool and continental breakfast if we have the kids with.  I love that Hotels Combined has the ability to search on the very parameters that I want.  It makes it so easy to find exactly what I want.  Our plan is to become a tourist in our very own town and visit all the places we never have time for!

Where are you going on vacation this summer?

Bill and I have been struggling this whole summer so far trying to decide where to take the kids on vacation this year.  With my kids only being 4 and 1, it is a hard call.  I do not want to be spending a ton of money on a trip they are not going to remember.  That being said and with gas prices being so high, we have decided to stay home and vacation.  We live right next to Chicago, and never have any time to enjoy it!  Being that Bill hates to drive downtown more than he has to, we are looking at staying maybe one night (maybe even two) with the kids downtown.  There is a ton of stuff to do in Chicago like Navy Pier, Children’s Museum, The Museum of Science and Industry, The Aquarium, and The Field Museum.  This is just a few things that are just a few blocks away from one another.  On top of there being a ton of things to do, there area also a ton of hotels to pick from.  I personally think we need one with a pool and continental breakfast if we have the kids with.  I love that Hotels Combined has the ability to search on the very parameters that I want.  It makes it so easy to find exactly what I want.  Our plan is to become a tourist in our very own town and visit all the places we never have time for!

Where are you going on vacation this summer?

Since my inlaws have a Hilton Timeshare that we have used many times, I can with confidence say that the Hilton Head South Carolina would be a great place to visit. Hilton is known for their quality, and I am sure that Hilton Head meets those expectations. Hilton Head SC has a little something for everything here. Outdoor activities include boating tours, parasailing, tennis, golf, kayaking and even surfing. There are soccer fields, picnic tables, and even a roller skating/skate board park. They even have golf packages if you enjoy that sport. For someone with little children, I was happy to see that there are ice cream shops and family-friendly restaurants all over. For those of us who like to shop while the boys play, they have 3 malls. Two of them are outlet malls too! There is also a variety of family owned businesses, boutiques, and unique gift shops.

The units come with a lot of things that are great to have. They include washer/dryer, linens, bath towels, start-up supplies of dishwasher and laundry detergent, toilet paper and paper towels, fully equipped kitchen, iron and ironing board, and trash pickup and receptacles. I personally love having a washer/dryer unit. I get to pack less. When you are in your room at night, you are able to do laundry. I also don’t have to come home and have to do a zillion loads either! The other thing I love is the full kitchen. You can save a ton of money by heading to the grocery store and eating out of your room!

Since my inlaws have a Hilton Timeshare that we have used many times, I can with confidence say that the Hilton Head South Carolina would be a great place to visit. Hilton is known for their quality, and I am sure that Hilton Head meets those expectations. Hilton Head SC has a little something for everything here. Outdoor activities include boating tours, parasailing, tennis, golf, kayaking and even surfing. There are soccer fields, picnic tables, and even a roller skating/skate board park. They even have golf packages if you enjoy that sport. For someone with little children, I was happy to see that there are ice cream shops and family-friendly restaurants all over. For those of us who like to shop while the boys play, they have 3 malls. Two of them are outlet malls too! There is also a variety of family owned businesses, boutiques, and unique gift shops.

The units come with a lot of things that are great to have. They include washer/dryer, linens, bath towels, start-up supplies of dishwasher and laundry detergent, toilet paper and paper towels, fully equipped kitchen, iron and ironing board, and trash pickup and receptacles. I personally love having a washer/dryer unit. I get to pack less. When you are in your room at night, you are able to do laundry. I also don’t have to come home and have to do a zillion loads either! The other thing I love is the full kitchen. You can save a ton of money by heading to the grocery store and eating out of your room!

On vacation, you can always use a bike to get places. It saves on the environment (if I learned anything from Arizona, it is that we can take so many lessons from the west about saving our planet. There are just so many little things that the rest of us should be doing to help preserve the Earth). You can enjoy the scenery so much more when you are in it. As you can see in the post before this one, we enjoy Red Rock Crossing State Park so much more, because we got to emerge ourselves into it. As you are enjoying the scenery, you also are helping yourself by exercising. I know in Arizona, our car was about $250 to rent (and that was the cheap one). I would have much rather used some cruiser bikes to get around. Cheaper, better for the environment, and better for you — this almost seems like a no brainer, doesn’t it?

If you want to be styling, you can even get bikes like this from Cruiser Style:

I love how it looks like a chopper! That being said, there is style for everyone. You can get more styles than just this one. They have cruisers for men, women, and even children. Find one you like and enjoy!

On vacation, you can always use a bike to get places. It saves on the environment (if I learned anything from Arizona, it is that we can take so many lessons from the west about saving our planet. There are just so many little things that the rest of us should be doing to help preserve the Earth). You can enjoy the scenery so much more when you are in it. As you can see in the post before this one, we enjoy Red Rock Crossing State Park so much more, because we got to emerge ourselves into it. As you are enjoying the scenery, you also are helping yourself by exercising. I know in Arizona, our car was about $250 to rent (and that was the cheap one). I would have much rather used some cruiser bikes to get around. Cheaper, better for the environment, and better for you — this almost seems like a no brainer, doesn’t it?

If you want to be styling, you can even get bikes like this from Cruiser Style:

I love how it looks like a chopper! That being said, there is style for everyone. You can get more styles than just this one. They have cruisers for men, women, and even children. Find one you like and enjoy!

Madison loved The Children’s Museum In Oak Lawn, Illinois.  Mom, on the other hand, not so impressed.  I found that admission price was a bit high for what we found there.  Adults are $4 and kids are $3.50.  They toys and things to do were considerably old.  There wasn’t a lot of room and the place easily got trashed.  When we went, they were busy, and you felt like you were on top of everyone else.  Currently, it is located in a very small building.  They are in the process of raising money to move the museum and get newer projects for the kids to do.  Once this happens, it will be a great place to take your kids.  However, until that happens, I would pass on going here.

Madison loved The Children’s Museum In Oak Lawn, Illinois.  Mom, on the other hand, not so impressed.  I found that admission price was a bit high for what we found there.  Adults are $4 and kids are $3.50.  They toys and things to do were considerably old.  There wasn’t a lot of room and the place easily got trashed.  When we went, they were busy, and you felt like you were on top of everyone else.  Currently, it is located in a very small building.  They are in the process of raising money to move the museum and get newer projects for the kids to do.  Once this happens, it will be a great place to take your kids.  However, until that happens, I would pass on going here.