Are you making summer vacation plans for you and your family? Whether you are interested in heading to the beach, the mountains or prefer a road trip where you can see lots of fun destinations, I’ve got some great Summer Vacation Ideas for 2018 to help you make memories and not break your budget! Check out this list of museums, destinations, and attractions to fill your summer days!

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101 Summer Vacation Ideas for Families

Whether you are staying close to home this summer or looking for something a little farther away, I’ve got some great ideas for you divided by states. And ALL of these ideas are great for families and let you make memories together!

Just click on the links and discover some amazing destinations to fit into your summer vacation plans.

Arkansas

• Bentonville – Walmart Museum
• Bentonville – Crystal Bridges Art Museum

California

• Free and Cheap things to do in San Fransisco
• Inverness:  Point Reyes Light Station

Florida

• Sanibel Island Lighthouse Beach Park
• Pensacola: National Naval Aviation Museum 
• Pensacola: Another perspective of the Naval Aviation Museum
• Little Talbot: Hunting Island

Georgia

• Atlanta – Martin Luther King Jr Historic Site

Illinois

• Chicago: Millenium Park (Cloud Gate Sculpture)
• 20 Things to do in Chicago in 24 hours
• Tampico: Ronald Reagan Birthplace Museum

Indiana

• Charleston: Indiana Dunes State Park
• Clifty Falls State Park

Iowa

• Des Moines – PappaJohn Sculpture Park
• LeClaire: Antique Archaeology Store
• Winterset:  John Wayne Birthplace Museum

Kentucky

• Bardstown: My Old KY Home(FREE/$)
• Berea:  Anglin Falls
• Corbin: Colonel Sanders First KFC
• Corbin: Cumberland Falls
• Danville, KY: Central KY Wildlife Refuge
• Fleming County, KY: Covered Bridge Capitol of KY
• Frankfort, KY: Free Things to Do in Frankfort
• Harrodsburg, KY:  Osage Orange Tree
• Land Between the Lakes (FREE & $)
• Jamestown: Wolf Creek Fish Hatchery
• Russell County: Rock House Natural Arch
• Lexington: McConnell Springs
• McCreary County: Yahoo Falls
• McCreary County: Princess Falls

• Springfield: Mt Zion Covered Bridge
• Whitley City, KY: Natural Arch
• Paducah:  Paducah FloodWall Murals
• Paducah: National Quilt Museum

• Stearns:  Blue Heron Mining Camp
• Somerset – Mill Springs Battlefield Mill
• Mill Springs Battlefield Driving Tour
• High Bridge Park
• Knob Creek: Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home 
• Louisville:Speed Art Museum (FREE on Sundays)
• Louisville: Big Four Pedestrian Bridge
• Louisville: Fairmount Falls
• Kentucky Waterfall Hikes
• Winchester: Ale-8-One Bottling Company
• Shallowfee:  Switzer Bridge

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have to travel long distances for Spring Break to make it amazing.  One year we did an experiment with a holiday staycation where each day we woke up in our own beds, ate breakfast in our own kitchen and then drove to a new place for a day of fun!  We discovered that with a little creativity and planning, you can find something amazing to do right in your own local state!

Massachusetts

• Boston: Freedom Trail

• Springfield Armory
• Springfield: Dr. Seuss Memorial Sculpture Garden
• Plymouth Rock

Michigan

• South Haven Beach

Minnesota

• Austin – The SPAM Museum
• Minneapolis – Minnehaha Falls
• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
• Bloomington  – Mall of America

New  Hampshire

• Lyme: Hike to Holt’s Ledge
• Portsmouth:  Waterfront and city walking tour

New York

• Buffalo: Niagara Falls
• New York City:
  • New York City Public Library
  • Staten Island Ferry
  • Brooklyn Heights Promenade
  • Brooklyn Bridge
  • Free Things to do in New York City

• Rochester: Lake Ontario Chimney Bluffs State Park
• Rochester:  Susan B Anthony Memorial Park

Ohio

• Cincinnati:
  • William H Taft Presidential Home
  • Cincinnati Art Museum
• Dayton: National Museum of the Airforce
• Cleveland:  President Grover Cleveland’s Gravesite

Pennsylvania

• Erie: Presque Isle State Park
• Roadside Giants – Lincoln Highway
• Gettysburg National Park
• Mercerburg:  President James Buchanan’s Birthplace
• Philadelphia:
  • Independence National Park
  • Valley Forge
  • Reading Terminal Market

South Carolina

• Free Things to do in Hilton Head
• Yemassee:  Old Sheldon Ruins
• Patriots Point: USS Yorktown

Tennessee

• Knoxville: Ijams Nature Center
• Knoxville: Sunsphere & World’s Fair Park
• Nashville: Antique Archaeology Store

• Monterey: Muddy Pond Community
• Pikeville:  Fall Creek Falls
• Sparta: Burgess Falls
• Rugby: Visiting Historic Rugby & RM Brooks Store

Virginia

• Fairfax:  Firearm Museum
• Roanoke: Historic Star
  • Black Dog Salvage
  • Free Things to do in Roanoke, VA

Washington DC

• National Museum of American History
• Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
• National Gallery of Art
• Ford’s Theatre
• Washington DC Monuments
• Arlington Cemetary
• Museum of Natural History

Vermont

• Quechee: Vermont Toy Museum

Wisconsin

• Pleasant View: Jelly Belly Visitors Center
• DeForest: Roadside Attraction – Pink Elephant

Look for LOVE Sculptures

What free things when you will and your family do on Spring Break?  I’d love to have more Spring Break ideas to put on our bucket list!