USA: Heartland, Secret Family Vacation Places - Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, and Missouri. 
Looking for a new spot or a new family vacation idea? Imagine riding a magic train in Ohio; singing with the peacocks in Wisconsin; celebrating with a fish boil in Door County; hunting for agates along Lake Superior or petting a bearded lizard in Missouri. This is the fun stuff but it's a secret.
Ohio: Warren County, Fossil Hunts, a Princess Party and a Mystery Train. Southwest Ohio is loaded with one-of-a- kind experiences. In Lebanon at the Christmas & Enchanted Village arrange for a “Real Princess Party” (very girly) in a white magic room, then the princess adventure continues through four more themed rooms and upstairs for dress-up and fashion playtime, magic wands, craft activities, and tea time. Ride the Tea Party Mystery Train on the Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad and experience an old fashioned train ride through the countryside or hop on the Magic Train and be surprised with your kids. Learn about 15,000 years of Native American Indian heritage in the Ohio Valley with a visit to Fort Ancient State Memorial, North America’s largest prehistoric hilltop enclosure. Each summer, hundreds of Native Americans from many tribes, come together near Lebanon for a grand event “Celebration: a Gathering in Four Directions”. Try fossil hunting at Caesar Creek State Park. The area that is now Ohio was not always dry land as it is today. Approximately 510 million years ago, Ohio was south of the Equator and seas covered the land. These conditions make finding fossils both fun and easy. Bonus points: Not just for fossils, the park has 2,830 acres of water for boating, swimming, and great fishing. Forty-three miles of trails are perfect for hiking, mountain biking, bird watching, and enjoying nature plus more than 30 miles are available for horseback riding. Pillow spots: A variety of sleeping choices are available in the area. In Lebanon, consider a unique riverside flat with a loft or sleep in a cedar cabin at Caesar Creek. (View the full menu of choices at
www.ohioslargestplayground.com or call toll-free 1-800-433-1073.)
Wisconsin: Princeton, Peacocks, Miniature Horses and a Grand Flea Market. Three sister cities, Montello, Princeton, and Green Lake have oodles to offer families. Hike in John Muir State park; bike along old railway routes; jaunt to the circus; see McHugh’s Miniature Horse Ranch, ride horse at King’s Ranch; shop Princeton’s flea market; try canoeing; go antiquing; attend the theatre; enjoy open-air concerts by the lake; play a game of golf or fish for blue gill and crappies. Pillow spot: Appropriately named "Home of the Peacocks” in honor of the regal feathered residents, Scharenberg’s Resort on White Lake is comfy and family friendly. It is an old sneakers kind of place. Nestled along the edge of the lake, shaded by pines and guarded by peacocks, the Resort has been providing families with vacations for more than six decades. Sleeping choices include motel-like rooms, 17 cottages, six chalets and several vacation homes. The accommodations have a home spun comfortable feeling that supports the stress free atmosphere. Rustic on the outside but delightful on the inside, most of the housekeeping cottages have lake views. Bonus points: Each cottage has a picnic table and space for grilling. The vacation homes are adjacent to the golf course and only a short walk to the main resort area and the lake. The resort is pet friendly. (Scharenberg’s Resort on White Lake. N4785 19th Avenue, Montello, WI 53949. 1(608) 297-2278 or
www.wisvacations.com/scharenbergs/)
Wisconsin: Egg Harbor/Fish Creek, Cherry Picking, Summer Theatre and a Fish Boil. 
Door County is amazing. The area offers near perfect summer nights, natural beauty and an artistic energy which is contagious. Imagine days filled with sailing, fishing, biking, horseback riding, golfing, browsing art galleries or picking luscious cherries. Evenings include music concerts, Door Shakespeare, Peninsula Players, and American Folk Theatre under the stars. Glorious sunsets prelude summer nights filled with music. Experience an authentic fish boil at where else but Fish Creek. Pillow spot: The Shallows Resort is definitely a delightful secret. Hidden in the woods and anchored along 375 feet of shoreline at the absolute edge of Green Bay you will find friendly people, nice atmosphere and a chubby cat. There are a variety of sleeping options including motel rooms, townhouse units, lake cottages and several vacation homes nearby. One quite special home, The Hermitage, is available as a holiday base. The house has history which is part of the charm. Built by the Oscar Meyer family in the early 1900s, today it is possible to enjoy the ambiance of the vintage retreat and the amenities of a contemporary vacation home amid 17 private acres. Bonus points: All Shallows guests may enjoy complimentary kayaks, bike, bonfires, swing sets, fishing poles, tennis court, summer flowers and a series of one-of-a-kind sunsets. (The Shallows 7353 Horseshoe Bay Road (Hwy G) P.O. Box 20 Egg Harbor, WI 54209. (920) 868-3458, toll-free 1-800-257-1560 or
www.shallows.com)
Michigan: Houghton/Hancock, Living History, Precious Agates and a Canoe Trail. The Upper Peninsula (a.k.a. the U.P.) area fits solidly on the secret places list. The fact is the rugged piney woods region offers plenty for families. Enjoy cool air, plenty of hiking trails, countless waterfalls, uncrowded beaches, and night skies covered with a lacework of stars. What kid doesn’t love finding the perfect smooth round stone and Lake Superior will not disappoint. Even better there is an appropriately named Agate Beach is just west of Toivola. Summertime activities include fishing, mountain biking, boating, golfing, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, agate hunting and hiking. The headwaters of the Sturgeon River begin not far from South Range and the Keweenaw Water Trail offers wonderful canoeing and kayaking throughout the region. Bonus points: During the summer months costumed interpreters recreate 1870 and provide a glimpse of the daily life of men and women stationed at Fort Wilkins and the copper Harbor Lighthouse nearby. Pillow spot: Long kept a secret by snowmobiling folks the Wildlife Refuge is a four-season spot with six fully furnished open style cabins each with a gas fireplace. Each unit has a living area with futon, a dining area, and a kitchenette with a mini refrigerator, small cook top, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and cooking utensils. Two cabins are "Bunkhouse" style which means there is room to 10 guests. The office has a coffee bar serving coffee, cappuccino and hot chocolate. (Wildlife Refuge Cabins 101 Wildlife Lane South Range, MI 49963. Toll-free 1-888-510-1001 or (906) 482-1001 or
www.wildliferefugecabins.com)
Missouri: Joplin, Route 66, Bearded Dragons and a Bison Herd.
The place where the American prairie and Ozark mountain hospitality meet, Joplin sits snuggly on the western edge of the Ozark Plateau. Safe, easy-paced and family-friendly, Joplin offers visitors of all ages a chance to chill out and simply have fun enjoying the good stuff and making family vacation memories. It is an excellent family vacation target just about midpoint along historic U.S. HWY Route 66 – “The Mother Road.” Watch (and taste) chocolate dipping; hold a sand snake or pet a bearded dragon; visit a federal fish hatchery; try your luck at fishing with the kids. Within 3700-acre Prairie State Park you may hike along marked trails stretching more than 11 miles and see herds of elk and bison grazing. Bonus points: The Ozark Chinquapin Nature Center at Roaring River has interpretive displays that showcase the park’s unique natural history. Park naturalists conduct nature programs everyday during the summer months. Pillow spot: Roaring River State Park has an ideal set up for families. In addition to a vintage stone and timber lodge the have 26 secluded rustic cabins each with a fully equipped kitchen. Each unit is furnished with cooking utensils, pots, pans, dishes, toaster, coffee maker, linens, heating and air conditioning. (Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau. 602 Main Street Joplin, 64801. Toll-free 1-800-657-2534, 1(417) 625-4789 or
www.visitjoplinmo.com)
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USA: Mountains West, Secret Family Vacation Places – Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. The geographic vastness of the American West makes pinpointing excellent family vacation spots slightly challenging. The horizons are broad and the adventure authentic. Follow the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes; visit the ghost town of Bannock in Montana; try fly-fishing with your kids; dig for dinosaurs in Wyoming. Variety is at your finger tips.
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USA: Northeast Secret Family Vacation Places – New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and New York’s Catskills. When family schedules are hectic getting away means everything and we have outlined a few secret spots to consider. Rock scramble in the Catskills of New York State; board a cog railway at Mount Washington; visit Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock; enjoy music under the stars in the Berkshires or try a few days on a farm in Pennsylvania.
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USA: Southeast, Secret Family Vacation Places – Louisiana, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee. Enjoy the beach along North Carolina’s Atlantic Coast; tap your feet to Cajun tunes in Louisiana; navigate secret caverns in Alabama; sing-a-long at a cowboy bonfire in Tennessee; walk across a swinging at Grand Father Mountain in North Carolina. Make the fun happen with your kids.
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Content researched and complied by Travel Communications. Images provided by Warren County Tourism and FTF staff files. Copyright 2008.