Free stuff to do within a 10 hour drive of mid-Michigan?

[BridgeRunner]

My family may be going camping/road tripping next week.  We'll probably head south-ish rather than north to try to grab some warmer weather.  The budget is simple: One tank of gas or less per day for three to four days, $10 or less/night campsite fees for two to three nights. 

So, what cool and amazing and fun things should we work in that will be entertaining for the kids (ages 4 and 1, obviously we're more concerned about entertaining the 4 yo, the one year old is still in that stage where a stick, and a bottle of milk are enough to keep her busy for hours)?  We are, of course, trying to avoid cities; they tend to cost money, and have a shortage of place to camp. 

We can drive about 300 miles on a tank of gas, longer if it's highway rather than freeway. 

[TechMan]

Mid-MI - Nearest City?

[charby]

Climb Sleepy Bear Dune then head to Glen Arbor, walk around town piss off the rich people. Check out the view from Pyramid Point, then go tour Fishtown at Leland. Make sure to stop at the Stone House Bakery there, eat some free samples then refuse to buy anything.

[BridgeRunner]

Mid-MI - Nearest City?

We're in Lansing, halfway between Detroit and Grand Rapids.  Norther is likely to be chillier, Chicago is expensive.  We'd like to travel a bit, not do something very close to home. 

[TechMan]

If you can stand the Buckeye state and are going South then the US Airforce Museum is good and free. Located east of Dayton OH.  http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/


ETA: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

[Tuco]

Street art show in Grand Rapids is happ-nin for the next 10 days. 
I dispise it's improbable name - "ArtPrize" , but it's a free walk around with eye candy.

http://www.artprize.org/

[grampster]

Bridgy,

We spent 7 hours at Art Prize yesterday and didn't see half of it.  The best part is that you can go to the Public museum, Gerald Ford museum, the Art Museum, all places you normally have to pay to see, for free.

Lots of good places to eat, both in restaurants and sidewalk vendors.  Call Grand Rogue Campground at the confluence of the Rogue River and the Grand River.  About 10 minutes from downtown GR.  616-361-1053.  Friday is supposed to be sunny and cool.  Maybe cloudy and a possibility of rain Sat. and Sunday is sunny and clear.

[Sergeant Bob]

If you can stand the Buckeye state and are going South then the US Airforce Museum is good and free. Located east of Dayton OH.  http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/


ETA: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

I'll second the AF Museum, it's pretty darned awesome.

That Roadside link is pretty far out!

[drewtam]

Lansing is exactly 10hrs away from the Great Smoky Mts. So that is a pretty large radius to choose from. I don't know about camping in Appalachia, but the area is absolutely beautiful. Their weather should still be in the late summer phase in a couple weeks, while being on the downside of tourist season (all the kids are in school).

Mammoth Cave, KY is a less well known, but interesting spot to visit.

Finally, you are within 10hrs of Centralia, Pa. Bring your zombie gun. 

[BridgeRunner]

Lansing is exactly 10hrs away from the Great Smoky Mts. So that is a pretty large radius to choose from. I don't know about camping in Appalachia, but the area is absolutely beautiful. Their weather should still be in the late summer phase in a couple weeks, while being on the downside of tourist season (all the kids are in school).

Mammoth Cave, KY is a less well known, but interesting spot to visit.

Finally, you are within 10hrs of Centralia, Pa. Bring your zombie gun. 

Mammoth Caves is actually my first choice of where to go, trouble is they only let you in the caves as part of a tour, and those start about $12/person.  Centralia, eh?  I think we ought to stick to relatively legal/safe things, but damn that sounds like fun...

[Tuco]

Mammoth Cave NP was my first thought, too, but it didn't meet the $$$$ criteria.
Most activities there, short of day hikes through really cool trails, cost.
HOWEVER, the cave tours are well worth it.  I'd recommend a kid being at least 5 or 6 however, for full enjoyment.

And if I was driving that far for day hikes, I'd do Great Smoky, or stay in MI for Pictured Rocks or this little gem - Whitefish Point Bird Observatory.

http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/publications/pdfs/wildlife/viewingguide/up/33whitefish/index.htm#wildlife

Monacle and Spectacle Lake campgrounds are nearby, as are Lake Superior lakefront state campgrounds.

[charby]

Porcupine Mountains in the UP?

Door County, WI

[Antibubba]

The Air Force Museum is astounding--the best in the country!  And to get there you'll pass through a lot of Ohio's farm country--which is also Amish and Mennonite territory, so shopping opportunities abound. 

And, it's apple season...

[BridgeRunner]

WAY too cold in the porkies this time of year for kid camping.  If they haven't had their first frost yet, they will very soon.  Now, I enjoy winter camping, but the last time I took a kid in the winter--eastern UP, late October/early November, and a foot of snow--she was five months old, and I could still keep her tied to me most of the time.  Hard to keep the toddler/preschooler set warm.  They're always damp, and it's quite hard to find bargains on wool/tech warm fabrics. 

Looks like we're not doing a trip after all.  I was hoping to raise some cash today at a mom-to-mom sale--basically a kid and baby clothes/accessories flea market--but it was freakishly slow.  We about broke even.