UpTake blogger Tiffany Joyce recently wrote about great road trip destinations from Arizona and Maine. She’s a genius. And she’s inspired me to share a few of my favorite road trip destinations from my own homes. First up – all the places I could (have) traveled to by car when I lived in Iowa!

Iowa may be known for it’s butter cows and corn fields, but it’s just a short car ride away from a few very exciting cities.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Des Moines, Iowa to Minneapolis, Minnesota – 245 miles, 4 hours

Minneapolis is a great Midwestern city with a thriving music scene (it is the home of Prince, after all) and a lot of cultural activities. You can also take in a professional sporting event during football, baseball or basketball season and participate in the champion shopping event known as Mall of America. Save a little money on hotels by staying in nearby Bloomington instead of downtown.

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County Line Orchard

Grab some fall family fun with a day of apple picking at County Line Orchard in Hobart, Indiana. Apple picking is a Midwest fall tradition, with orchards offering sweet delights in Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana. For Chicago families like mine, County Line Orchard in charming Hobart, Indiana, supplies the closest orchard, at about a 40 minute drive from the city. What I love most about County Line is that it’s located in a small farming community that draws families from both Indiana and Illinois. Pick up trucks, corn fields and livestock surround the area for a quick country escape for city slickers.

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If you’ve never had a reason to visit the shores of Lake Erie in the fall, now just might be the time. While the Lake is typically thought of as a summer spot, in Sandusky, OH, there are quite a few fall happenings as well. I, for one, am pinching pennies right now and can honestly say that a family trip to Hawaii is not in my near future. Fret not, however—Midwesterners still have options! Sandusky is on its way to becoming the Indoor Water Park Capital of the World. So I suggest booking a weekend in one of the area water park facilities as a way to extend the use of this season’s swimwear.

While you are there, be sure to plan an evening at Cedar Point. Their Halloweekends are running through that last weekend of October and they are a spooky smash! And stop on your way out of town for some good old-fashioned pumpkin and apple picking in nearby Berlin Heights!

The first big waterpark in Sandusky was the Great Wolf Lodge, full-service, year-round family destination resort designed to capture the atmosphere and adventure of the northwoods. Great Wolf Lodge’s amenities include 271 family-sized suites; a 41,000 square-foot indoor entertainment area, featuring a grand scale waterpark, spacious outdoor pool, arcade with ticket redemption, children’s craft and activity room, fitness room, two family restaurants, meeting space, a gift emporium and a performing Great Clock Tower.

The next large structure built was Kalahari, which is now America’s largest indoor waterpark. Surf indoors? Yes! An uphill water roller coaster? Yes! Kalahari offers the following, all under one roof: Indoor Waterpark, Spa Kalahari, Kahunaville Restaurant and Bar, Pottery Pizzazz, Candy Hut, Ivory Coast Lounge, Great Karoo Marketplace Restaurant, Zakanaka Imports, Madagascar Indoor Mini Golf and more. No worries about fall weather, you can spend all day long indoors at Kalahari and never get bored.

Cedar Point then converted one of their hotel structures into Castaway Bay. With its tropical theme, Castaway Bay feels like an island paradise upon entering this lush indoor waterpark resort. The complex features a 38,000-square-foot indoor waterpark loaded with water activities for all ages, a day spa, fitness center, state-of-the-art arcade, restaurants, retail shops, adjacent marina and space for meetings, group events and birthday parties. The indoor waterpark includes Rendezvous Run water coaster, a 100,000-gallon wave pool, three 35-foot-tall body slides, Lookout Lagoon Family Funhouse, Toddler’s Tide Pool and an 80,000-gallon activity pool.

About a year ago, the Quality Inn built Rain, an indoor waterpark that offers a smaller setting with thrill slides and water play, featuring a 50 foot tower with two giant slides, 275 foot and 251 foot in length, and a play structure with additional slides and water activities. As its name insinuates, guests of the waterpark are frequently showered with rain. The Rain complex also includes a 32-lane state-of-the-art bowling center, laser tag, an arcade and great eats and gambling in the exciting atmosphere of off-track horse racing. In all, Rain offers over 35,000 square feet of affordable family fun – all under one roof.

Most recently opened is Maui Sands, which is now Ohio’s second largest indoor waterpark. This Hawaiian-themed resort connects three distinct lodging properties, and features a fun and relaxing island paradise all year round. The 55,000-square-foot indoor waterpark includes 70 cabanas and tons of splish-splashing waterpark attractions including SurfRider®, the country’s first real, deep-water surf simulator. Enjoy an authentic Hawaiian luau every evening in Ono Poi, play arcade and redemption games in the 6,000-square-foot Ohana Center, or just kick back and relax in the full service spa and salon called Lokahi.

You can spend your days splashing away at the waterparks, but be sure to reserve your evenings for Cedar Point’s Halloweekends which have become the Midwest’s premiere family-friendly Halloween event!

Kids will find not-so-scary fun like their own fun house, shows that will induce smiles, the Monster Midway Invasion Celebration Parade and more.

Adults will get the in-your-face scares they crave in three haunted houses and four haunted outdoor walk-through attractions.

More than just spooky chills, Cedar Point offers more rides and roller coasters than any other park on the planet, and has been voted “Best Amusement Park in the World” for ten years in a row by Amusement Today readers. Besides exhilarating rides, Cedar Point provides quality family entertainment including live shows, PEANUTS^TM characters on ice and numerous games of skill.

Finally, no family can leave Ohio in the fall without stopping by Burnham Orchards for every tasty treat imaginable. Not only can you pick your own apples and pumkins here, but they have a bakery, homemae cider, and lots of other goodies. Your family can make a scarecrow or go on a hayride, pitch pumpkins, see the antique tractors, or even try their hand at that giant corn maze!

For those of us in the Midwest who can’t afford to jet off to exotic locations once the weather gets cooler, it’s good to know that we still have family getaway options. Make your travel arrangements today before Sandusky get buried under snow. It won’t be long, so enjoy these crisp fall days with your family while you can!

Just because money is tight does not mean that you have to sit at home and stare at the walls. There are plenty of free activities to keep you and your family busy. Why not challenge yourself to find the most interesting free activity? Here are some suggestions to get you started on your path of Free and Exciting Things to Do in the Midwest.

In Kansas, try the Fashion Museum, a museum that covers 100 years of style, from 1870-1970. Or visit one of the many free activities in Amelia Earhart’s birthplace of Atchison. Click on the Other Attractions option on Amelia’s Birthplace Museum for a listing of free and/or inexpensive activities.

In Omaha, visit a replica garden of Mt. Vernon Gardens, that half-size replica of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. The estate sits on top a bluff overlooking the Missouri River and is said to be reminiscent of the view from the original Mount Vernon of the Potomac. Or visit the Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters, a museum and visitor’s center that showcases the Mormon Trail from Illinois to Salt Lake City, with a Mormon temple and cemetery adjacent to the Center.

In Illinois, you can see a cube made from 1 million dollars and learn how to properly identify fake bills at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Money Museum. Of course, there are plenty of opportunities for history buffs in Illinois, as it is the birthplace of Abe Lincoln. For a list of free Abraham Lincoln sites, visit the Springfield Visitors Center web site. If a more rural take on Midwestern history interests you, then check out the Deere and Company World Headquarters.

In Michigan, honor those who fought, lived, and died during the Holocaust by visiting the Holocaust Memorial Center. For more history specific to the state, try the Michigan Historical Museum, where you can get a sample of arts and culture, research your family’s history, and discover much about Michigan’s past.

In North Dakota, the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site features exhibits, trails and a film that explore the culture and history of the villages where Sacagawea once lived. Or stop by the North Dakota Heritage Center, where a giant marine lizard greets visitors at this kid-friendly history museum.

Clearly there are plenty of options for those of us who are trying to tighten the belt and watch our budget. If you want to continue entertaining yourself and your family, you can pinch pennies at the same time by enjoying so much of what the beautiful Midwest has to offer. So load up the kids and head on out!