atGeist.com

Last summer, our family didn’t take one, big “family vacation.” Instead, we opted for several, smaller trips sprinkled throughout the summer and on into the fall. All those weekend getaways ended up being more enjoyable than just one big week of fun. And with the price of gas continuing to rise, you might want to consider staying closer to home.

Head out in any direction from Geist, and you’re sure to find a great vacation destination in less than four hours driving time.

North: Lake Michigan
Just three hours north of Geist, you can take in the big city sights of Chicago or relax in a resort town along the southeastern shores of Lake Michigan.

Chicago is not only home to Oprah and the Sears Tower, the Windy City is full of wondrous sights and family entertainment. Navy Pier is the No. 1 tourist destination in the Midwest, attracting more than 8 million visitors a year. It features a 150-foot-high ferris wheel, plus other rides, performances, boat tours, shopping and dining.

Throughout the summer months, free trolleys will take you from Navy Pier to many popular Chicago attractions, making the headache of driving in Chicago traffic vanish. Be sure to stop at Millennium Park for visually stunning sculptures and architecture, an interactive fountain and al fresco dining. A trip to the Magnificent Mile is also a must-do. This eight-block stretch of 460 stores offers everything from luxury furs and jewelry to eclectic bargains. And if you have a young girl in your family, don’t forget to take her to the American Girl store in downtown Chicago, where she can have tea and get a make-over with her favorite doll!

Free attractions include the Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago Cultural Center, Garfield Park and Lincoln Park Conservatories and a free tour of the city through the “Chicago Greeter” service. Visit www.choosechicago.com to plan your trip!

Just 90 minutes from Chicago, St. Joseph, Mich., is nestled on the southern tip of what is known as “The Riviera of the Midwest.” Its postcard-perfect beaches are peppered with sand dunes, and further inland, you’ll find a lush countryside ripe with orchards and vineyards.

St. Joseph is a favorite summer getaway spot for the Ziemba family of the Highlands at Geist. They especially enjoy the breathtaking Fourth of July fireworks display, reflected in the tranquil waters of Lake Michigan.

“St. Joe has a great fireworks display right on the beach,” says Cindy Ziemba, who vacations with her husband, Richard, and their two college-age sons. “Locals, as well as vacationers, come for the show. It is right over the lake and a spectacular display.”

Another big event in St. Joseph is the Venetian Festival July 17-20 at Silver Beach. This annual festival features music and kids activities, a sand sculpture contest and a lighted boat parade.

The Ziembas love that St. Joseph is close enough to steal away to the beach for even just a weekend. “St. Joe is a resort-type town with lots of shops and restaurants for people to take advantage of,” Cindy says.

Visit the nearby Deer Forest Fun Park to mingle with more than 100 tame deer or the Chocolate Cafe and Museum for those obsessed with all things chocolate! To find more information on St. Joseph and other beach towns in southwestern Michigan, visit www.swmichigan.org.

South: Southern Indiana and ‘Kentuckiana’
Unlike Central Indiana, Southern Indiana is rich in rolling hills and other interesting topography and boasts numerous attractions, from cave exploration to wineries and amusement parks.

Spring Mill State Park is just two hours from Geist and offers 1,319 acres of outdoor fun, including hiking trails, campgrounds, guided boat tours into Twin Caves, a restored pioneer village and a saddle barn with trail rides.

Head an hour south from Spring Mill for another cave adventure in Wyandotte Caves, nestled in the hills of the Harrison-Crawford State Forest. Be prepared to crawl through some parts of these awe-inspiring caves with magnificent crystal formations and huge caverns. Tours are available with varying degrees of difficulty.

After a day of pleasant exhaustion from cave exploration, you may want to rest in a floating cabin on Patoka Lake. Yes, I said floating! These unique cabins are actually more like houseboats that stay docked in one location! Patoka Lake Marina rents their floating cabins for $199-$279 a night, complete with a private boat slip next to your cabin for convenient early morning fishing or skiing.

Head due east from Patoka Lake or the Wyandotte Caves, and you can round out your trip to the south with some fun in Louisville, Ky. Although the Derby has just passed, there is still plenty to do in “Kentuckiana.”

Regional highlights include Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, the Kentucky Derby Museum and Dinosaur World, featuring over 100 life-sized dinosaurs in an outdoor museum setting. And don’t forget a stop at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, featuring the world’s largest baseball bat and personalized bats for your little slugger. For more on Southern Indiana and Louisville, visit www.gotolouisville.com or www.ExploreSouthernIndiana.com.

East: Cincinnati
Just two hours away, Cincinnati boasts a diverse roundup of amusement options sure to please everyone in the family! We all know that Cincinnati is home to Kings Island amusement park, but stick around for a few days, and you’re sure to find more fun lurking at Coney Island, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Great American Ball Park and Newport Aquarium — just to name a few hotspots.

Cincinnati is home to the Cincinnati Reds — baseball’s first professional franchise — and Coney Island, which features classic rides and the world’s largest recirculating swimming pool. If your family likes water, you should also check out The Beach Waterpark and the new CoCo Key Water Resort, a $30-million facility with a “dip-in” theatre and a 300-gallon bucket of water that spills every few minutes.

Just across the Ohio River in Newport, Ky., is one of the most unique and engaging aquariums around. The Newport Aquarium showcases more than 7,000 aquatic creatures in its state-of-the art facility, featuring underwater tunnels and see-through floors. It has more than 200 feet of seamless, acrylic tunnels for an unmarred view. My family visited Newport Aquarium several years ago, and the memory of walking right through a shark feeding ground is forever fixed in my brain. It was thrilling, fascinating and even a bit unnerving to see sharks swimming over our heads, around both sides and beneath our feet!

There are also two new destinations to add to your Cincinnati trip. Designed by a former Universal Studios exhibit director, Creation Museum opened last year in nearby Petersburg, Ky., and brings the pages of the Bible to life. The museum features realistic scenery, computer-generated visual effects, more than 50 exotic animals, dinosaur animatronics and a special-effects theater.

And no vacation is complete without a little shopping! Swiss-furniture store IKEA West Chester opened in March just north of Cincinnati. Reserve at least three hours (and a few hundred dollars) for this three-story shopping experience that doubles as a play park for the kids!

To plan your Cincinnati vacation, visit www.cincinnatiusa.com.

West: St. Louis
In a little over four hours of easy driving time on I-70, you can get to St. Louis and enjoy some one-of-a-kind experiences, as well as several free attractions. The site of the 1904 World’s Fair, St. Louis includes many historical landmarks like the homesteads of Ulysses S. Grant and Daniel Boone. The city is also home to the world’s largest brewery, Anheuser-Busch, and the St. Louis Cardinals baseball franchise.

But the sight this city is famous for is, of course, the 630-foot-tall Gateway Arch. This breathtaking steel landmark is twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty and offers a spectacular view of the city from its top-of-the-arch observational area. When my family visited last fall, the kids loved riding to the top in the small, egg-shaped tram cars.

Not far from the Arch, you’ll find one of the most unique museums around. Designed by creative artists and built in a former warehouse, City Museum is a three-story, indoor/outdoor playground for all ages made mainly from recycled construction materials. Think: old school bus, jet airplane, concrete and steel! It’s many secret passageways, cubbyholes and climbing portals make it outrageous fun for the whole family. It can be a bit nerve-wracking for parents, as children may “disappear” easily and then reappear two stories up! My 8-year-old daughter called this wacky urban amusement park “a kid’s dream!”

Another kid-friendly attraction is The Magic House, a children’s museum built into a three-story Victorian home that has been ranked as the nation’s top children’s attraction by Family Fun Magazine and the Zagat Survey’s U.S. Family Travel Guide. The St. Louis Science Center also features hands-on, kid-friendly exhibits sure to educate and amaze the whole family. And the best part is that Science Center admission is free!

Forest Park — the nation’s seventh largest urban park — boasts a bounty of free entertainment options. In addition to the Science Center, you’ll find the Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis Art Museum and Missouri History Museum — all with free admission. Created to accommodate the 1904 World’s Fair, Forest Park also offers ample space to play, hike, bike, dine or take in a Muny Opera concert.

Other free-admission attractions in the St. Louis area include Purina Farms, an animal education facility operated by Nestle Purina Pet Care Company, and Grant’s Farm, a 281-acre wildlife preserve which is home to more than 1,000 animals from six continents and the Budweiser Clydesdale breeding and training facilities. To plan a St. Louis adventure, visit www.explorestlouis.com.

Save on gas this summer and explore these close-to-home destinations for loads of family fun. Happy summer vacation!