With Winter Break ended, the countdown to Spring and Summer is on.  Have you thought about where you might be vacation over the summer?  Do you need some last minute Spring Break plans?  Start nagging your parents and booking reservations to get the best deals. Also make sure to get all your travel documents ready such as your visa which can be expedited through the help of consulates like the Italian Consulate New York.  While it might be nice to go somewhere tropical and popular, think about what else you can do or what kind of difference you could make on your time off.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy while Clarion takes you on a tour through multiple choices for your next vacation destination.

Destination #1:  Stay close to home in Springfield, IL

Why not stay close and travel just a little to enjoy our own state on a “staycation” this year?  Experience what Illinois has to offer and let’s travel to our capitol.  We are going to Springfield, Illinois.  This is a fun destination if you and your family want to get some history and enjoy our state.  Go and learn about our history and President at Lincoln’s house, Abraham Lincoln presidential library and museum, the old state capitol, Lincoln’s tomb, the Vietnam and Korean War memorials, and the Governor’s mansion.  Stay at the Hilton Springfield, which is around $150 a night for a family of four, so you are close to all the history and what our capitol has to offer.  This is a close, educational, and fairly reasonable vacation idea to go on this summer and experience what are state has to offer.

Destination #2:  Just one state over at the Wisconsin Dells

Next let’s go to America’s water capitol.  So get those bathing suits out because we are going to Wisconsin Dells.  Coming up on the right you will see the sign welcoming us to Wisconsin.  In Wisconsin Dells there are so many enormous and different water parks and resorts to checkout.  There is the Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari, Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park, Noah’s Ark, Chula Vista Resort, the Polynesian Water Park Resort, but the Wilderness Water park and Resort is where we are going to check out and get the inside look so it can become your next getaway trip.  The Wilderness is a great destination for a shorter and closer vacation at any time.  The Wilderness is the perfect spot for everyone in your family.  There are over twelve football fields of water to explore with four indoor water parks and four outdoor water parks.  There are also so many attractions to explore both indoor and outdoor including a sky ropes course, zip lining, bumper boats, mini-golf, glow in the dark mini golf, lazer tag, a haunted house and mirror maze, and go-carts.  Also for the adults there is the Wild Rock golf course, which is a stunning championship golf course for all.  While the kids are swimming and the dads are golfing, the moms can relax at the  Sundara Spa for the day getting a massage or having their nails done.

Overall, the Wilderness has it all: your water parks, entertainment, golf, spa, food options, and fun! When staying at the Wilderness there are many options, which all range in prices.  If you want to make it a big family or friend vacation then there are condos, cabins, and lodges that are all wooden to stay in, also you can camp and stay at Wilderness on the Lake, or stay in a traditional hotel room.  The prices for a hotel room are reasonable and they offer many specials and packages, such as a two night stay in a double queen bed with a sofa for four people for only $225.  If this is a destination for a future vacation that you enjoyed hearing about then start to book now to get low rates on rooms and make a fun splash in your summer vacation.

Destination #3:  Going for it all at Disneyland

Want to travel a little further from home?  Go to the happiest place on Earth.  Put on your Mickey or Minnie ears and head to Disneyland in Anaheim, California.  Everyone always goes to Disney World in Florida, but everyone should go the original destination where the magic first started.  Disney knows how to plan a memorable vacation for you and your family in an easy and reasonable way.  Stay at one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels and then you can just walk over to go to one of the two parks either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure Park along with Downtown Disney for shopping and eating.  The two parks offer rides, shows, and entertainment for the whole family and all ages.  Make sure to go on classic rides like It’s a Small World and the spinning tea cups along with the more frightening ones like Tower of Terror.  There are many Disneyland Hotels, but if you choose the Disney Grand California Hotel and Spa you are sure to have the ultimate experience.  Prices do vary on the number of people, type of room, and the time you vacation.  As an estimate, four nights and five days with “hopper” tickets for both Disney parks for four people is around $3,000.   Still, if you can afford the expense, this can be a magical vacation for you and your family.  You will never get bored at Disneyland.

Hope these travel destinations that we went through together got you excited and starting to think about where you want to go this summer or if you still need a last minute vacation idea for your Spring break.  Make this year a memorable one with your family because even if you vacation in Illinois or Wisconsin or decide to go and adventure out to California it is about making memories and having fun together.  Hope you enjoyed the ride!  Be sure to check out these vacation destinations in the slideshow!