So my family and I were having a debate. Would it count as a summer vacation if we only traveled an hour away to get there? Hmmm.
I have complained ad nauseam on this blog about how wiped out I was after our spring festivities. It wasn’t long after our graduations were in the books that we were feeling the pressure to plan our family vacation. One look at the calendar showed us that the only week that would work for us all to be gone would be over 4th of July.
Then the question became…where do we go?
We’ve been a road-tripping summer family for most our kids’ childhoods. We’ve seen Yellowstone Park, Mount Rushmore, Niagra Falls, Montreal, Boston, Washington D.C., New Orleans, Atlanta, Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Asheville, Williamsburg, Mackinaw, White Sulphur Springs, Vero Beach, Orlando….so where to this year?
When we started to break down what the kids love best about vacation (boating, tubing, swimming, fishing, eating out), it seemed like we could do this any where. We didn’t need to travel across the country to do the things we love. We decided to gamble on Lake Geneva, one hour and one minute door-to-door, and it was the best decision we could have made.
The Sunday we left…we woke up, went to church, did laundry, paid our bills, cleaned the refrigerator, and got to Lake Geneva in time for dinner. This was the most stress-free vacation departure ever!
Then over the next week with picture-perfect weather, we ate well (loved Simple Cafe, Cafe Calamari, Sprecher’s, Joni’s Diner, OakFire, Tuscan Tavern & Grill, and Popeyes’s just to name a few…), toured the rich history of Lake Geneva (where all of my kids were genuinely interested in the Chicago magnates that built most of Lake Geneva), rented boats, and basically lived the lake life. It. Was. The. Best! Who knew???
For those who are keeping score, I won the debate. You can travel close to home and still have it count as vacation. The only thing we would do differently if we return to Lake Geneva next year is try to rent a house instead of staying in a hotel. We learned quickly that our crew likes to be together…just them…not with lots of other tourists. I kind of love this.
Let me know if I can answer any questions but I am most definitely Lake Geneva’s newest, biggest fan!
xo
