Ohio to South Dakota Road Trip Itinerary I-90 through the Midwest is a fun route on a western road trip. It will take you through all the northern states as you make your way across the US. Road trips are a great option for a cheap family vacation. Those road trip itinerary includes many free activities and also shows you how you can cover your hotel with points to help make this a budget road trip.
2 Day itinerary Ohio to South Dakota Road Trip Itinerary I-90 through the Midwest
Cleveland, OH to Madison, Wi
Head northwest from Cleveland to Ann Arbor. While it’s off the route a bit this gives you a chance to visit Michigan before heading west.
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is about 2 hours 45 minutes from Cleveland. Head out early and make a quick stop in the city. We were looking for something to do early in the morning with the kids and they really enjoyed the Ann Arbor Fairy Doors scavenger hunt. We also stopped at the Rocket Fizz a fun candy store to pick up some road trip treats.
Next, drive about 3 hours to Indiana Dunes National Park
Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana
Indiana Dunes National Park wasn’t exactly what we expected it to be. You can’t play on the dunes here which was a disappointment to the kids. There is a large boardwalk path up over and through some of the dunes that leads to the beach. There’s also a short path to the beach as well. The kids really enjoyed the beach. we didn’t expect to swim but our plans are always flexible and they had a great time. If we could do it again we would plan some more time at this beach with all our beach stuff.
After the Park, it’s about a 3 hour’s drive to Madison, Wisconsin.
Dinner near Chicago, Illinois
As you drive through Illinois, order Giordano’s pizza deep dish pizza to go. These pizzas are so thick that while the pie is only 10″ 1 is really more than enough for a family of 4. We ordered 2 thinking for sure we couldn’t all eat 1 10″ pie and ended up with more than half of each pie left. Thankfully the guys loved the pizza as leftovers which made for easy lunches for the next couple of days.
Madison, Wi to Sioux Falls, SD
Hit the road early after grabbing breakfast and head to Sioux Falls. You will be stopping in stopping in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota so it’s a busy day.
Carr Valley Cheese, Wisconsin
It’s about a 1 hour and 20-minute drive to Carr Valley Cheese. There are 2 factory locations within that distance. We drove to La Valle because we had confirmed they have a factory window to watch the product. The one in Fennimore is more on route but we couldn’t confirm they have a factory window.
Enjoy watching the Carr Valley Cheese making process through the factor window, watching a video about the production, and sample cheese. They stop making cheese early so try to arrive before 9 am if possible. You can enjoy watching them make cheese through the viewing window. There is also a video showing the process. There are tons of cheeses to sample. We love sampling food together and spent about 30 minutes sampling the variety of cheeses available while we discussed which ones were our favorite. Don’t forget to grab your favorites to have road trip snacks. The soft blue cheese was one of our favorites that we can’t find locally. A few Carr Valley kinds of cheeses can be found at Aldi around the country.
Effigy Mounds National Monument, Indiana
Next Drive 45min to Effigy Mounds National Monument located at151 IA-76, Harpers Ferry, IA. There’s a hiking trail that will take you up around the mounds and also has some nice views of the river. Inside the visitors center, there’s a small museum. They offer the Junior Rangers program, so stop in to grab a book before you start your hike. Plan about an hour to 1.5 hours to do the hike and visit the museum, along with completing the Junior Rangers program and earning your badge.
Dinner
We stopped and ordered some South Dakota Chislic as a late lunch/early dinner. I can’t even remember the name of the place but the Chislic was very good. I ordered a local Trout Almondine and the sauce that came with it was terrible. Thankfully I could just push it to the side and enjoy the trout but the Chislic was the clear winner and I highly recommend you add something to try on your trip. My husband thought it reminded him of Spiedies which is a good thing. If you are from NY you know what I am talking about.
Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota
After your visit to Effigy Mounts National Monument, you will drive approximately 5 hours to Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota. You likely will arrive after the Visitor Center closes but if you arrive in time stop by there first. Then head out to the Circle Trail which is 3/4 miles. It’s a really fun hike to do with kids like it as a variety of things that you pass. Red rock walls, a waterfall, and steps going up the rocky hill. As we ended the hike through tall grass we saw deer. While short this is a really great hike and I highly recommend you do not skip this.
Hotels on a Ohio to South Dakota Road Trip Itinerary I-90 through the Midwest
- Hyatt Place Cleveland 5,000 Hyatt Points
- Madison Wisconsin Hyatt Place 8,000 Hyatt Points
- Hyatt Place Sioux Falls 8,000 Hyatt Points
The Chase Sapphire Credit Card sign on bonus points could be transferred to Hyatt to cover these hotels for free night stays.
Ohio to South Dakota Road Trip Itinerary I-90 through the Midwest Summary
Driving Ohio to South Dakota Road Trip Itinerary I-90 through the Midwest Summary is a fun road trip with kids. Make sure you grab the America the beautiful national parks pass for around $80 to cover all your National Parks stops. Don’t forget 4th graders get a free National Parks pass through the Every Kid in a Park Program. Check out other fun Road Trips with Kids.
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