Ideas/Must sees along I 90

[Roy_Lynne]

Next summer going to get the grandchildren ages 11 and 8 and bring them cross country, New York to Seattle We have plenty of time, but just need some ideas on stops that young boys would enjoy. Niagara Fall is on our list, Presque Isles, Badlands and Wind Caves, and Yellowstone. Any suggestions that might be fun along the Mississippi? Also I'd like them to experience some Old West activities. We are planning on taking I 90 but zig zagging a 100 or so miles in any direction would be find. Thanks in advance.

[mikim]

Three Forks, MT to see where the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin Rivers converge to form the Missouri River. Also, a side trip up to Great Falls, MT to see the Lewis & Clark interpretive center....well worth the visit. Also in Great Falls is the Charley Russell museum featuring his western art. In Missoula, MT is the Smokejumpers center that offers tours. Their is the silver dollar saloon right before entering Idaho for a quick break and right next door is a forest service nursery. Exit 62 & 61 is the town of Wallace, Idaho that you might enjoy just driving through.

[ThomBoles]

I'm sure YOU and the young's would enjoy the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland and a short trip south from there to Canton, OH gets you to the Football HOF.

[WNYBob]

2x on Henry Ford museum and Greenfield Villiage.
3x on Letchworth SP, a great place to stretch young legs, plenty of hiking, (don't miss the dam tour)
3x on Watkins Glen SP and Corning Glass Works is great for kids.
Cedar Point is good if you like amusement parks, they have many many roller coasters.

All are well documented on the web, so do you home work, the kids will love planning "their trip"

[DrewE]

Frankly I-90 is not my favorite route; it's generally quick and direct, but not always the most interesting. I might consider a more northerly route (at least in part), perhaps going across Ontario from Niagara Falls to Sarnia and then across the lower peninsula of Michigan to the SS Badger--which is unfortunately not inexpensive--and find my way to route 2. But that's just my own preference, nothing more.

If you do go along route 2, Havre, MO has a fascinating underground tour.

Some ideas that haven't been mentioned yet, in no particular order:

The Henry Ford (aka Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village) in Dearborn, MI. Two full days would not be too much there in my opinion.

Seabreeze amusement park (near Rochester, NY) is a neat little traditional family-owned amusement park.

Letchworth state park is fabulous. Watkin's Glen is also a lot of fun but a little more out of the way from I-90. Not super far from Watkin's Glen is the Corning Museum of Glass (in Corning, of course), which is a good it better than it sounds at first.

Chicago has many great museums, etc., though getting to them while traveling by RV can be rather a challenge. Among them, the Art Institute should not be immediately discarded; there are things there that appeal to kids as well as adults.

The House on the Rock in Spring Green, WI sounds...well, unique, to say the least. I have not been there myself. I would like to experience it at least once at some point, but quite possibly once would be plenty.

I did very much enjoy the badlands a lot when I visited with my mom as a 10 year old (I think--I might be off by a year). Theodore Roosevelt NP has similar terrain, too, and great (nearly guaranteed) viewing of prairie dogs and bison, among other wildlife.

Paul Bunyan Land, in Brainerd, MN sounds nice to me. I haven't been there myself, however.

(It's very much out of the way, but the St Louis City Museum is amazing, particularly for children and children at heart. It's more a playground mashed together with an art installation than a normal museum. There are a number of other great things to do in St Louis, as well, such as their zoo and the arch.)

[coolmom42]

gold panning in the Black Hills

Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD

wind cave national park

Union Pacific Steam shop tours--cheyenn

UP museum in Council Bluff Iowa

Porter Sculpture Park, Montrose, SD

Hiawatha Bike Trail in Idaho

Yellowstone NP

waterparks at Wisconsin Dells

Devil's Gulch Park Garretson SD

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

Little Big Horn

Garnet Ghost Town

Devil's Tower--where ET the movie was filmed

All of these are interesting, just make sure you plan plenty of things for energetic kids. If they read up on the historical background, etc it will be a lot more interesting to them.

Look for some recommended books or movies about the region and at the very least read up on yourself.

[esyers]

They might be interested in the Minuteman Missle National Historic Site where they take you down into the launch control room. It's in Phillip, SD. Only a couple hundred feet off I-90.

[Roy_Lynne]

Wow, I knew you guys would come through

[pfidahospud]

Silverwood Theme Park (and RV park) near Coeur d'Alene Idaho. CDA is a touristy town itself.

[Dick_B]

Cedar Point in Ohio

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

1880’s Town, Exit 170 in South Dakota

Wall Drug in Wall SD, worth a stop for a little while. Exit 110

Exit I-90 at Exit 131 and a short detour through Badlands NP is a nice scenic drive, rejoining I-90 at the town of Wall

Devils Tower. Exit 185 in Wyoming and a little North. Great dry NPS campground. A good near 1 mile walk around the base of the tower. Grandkids will enjoy the prairie dog town. Avoid the vastly overpriced KOA just outside the Natl Monument.

Just before you get to Gillette, WY have the kids watch out the right side to see a working strip coal mine. They can actually see the vein of coal.

We found Missoula, MT a nice interesting town. Jim & Mary’s RV was nice and reasonably priced.

[JoeGood988]

Jolly Green Giant, Blue Earth, MN....Corn Palace, Mitchell,SD..Mount Rushmore, Rapid City, SD...Custer State Park, Rapid City, SD..Salt Lake City, Utah