Best Spring Break 2015 Destinations Near Chicago For Families

Chicago itself can be a spring break destination so leaving town for some family getaway time has to mean finding something new or different. Flying somewhere warm is an option but to avoid crowded beaches and take advantage of low gas prices, look for places within a day's drive. The terrific destinations suggested here meet different age interests and can be reached in less than eight hours.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum
212 N. Sixth St.
Springfield, IL 62701
(217) 558-8934
www.visitspringfieldillinois.com

Lincoln's New Salem
15588 History Lane
Petersburg, IL 62675
(217) 632-4000
www.lincolnsnewsalem.com

Springfield is the heart of Abraham Lincoln country from his home with Mary Todd Lincoln and his tomb to his law office, the Old Courthouse where he spoke and his Presidential Museum. It is also Illinois' capital with a stunning State Capitol building that visitors can tour. Best of all, most of its sights are in easy walking distance. But plan to spend a few days because the Presidential Museum alone is worth half a day. There is a special effects show with ghosts that present what is in the Presidential Library and a show in the museum's Union Theater that tells how Lincoln saw the country's Civil War. The Presidential Museum is a good Springfield starting point because it is near all the downtown sights. Be sure to go over to Lincoln's home on a preserved historical street operated by the National Parks. But save some time to go back to the 1830s at Lincoln's New Salem. About 18 minutes northwest of Springfield on Illinois Highway 97. The village has been restored to what it was like when Lincoln lived and worked there from 1831 to 1837. Chat over a fence or inside a house or working mill with costumed docents who make visitors feel as if they really stepped back about 180 years. Springfield is an easy drive of 201 miles south on Interstate 55 from Chicago.

Children's Museum Of Indianapolis
3000 N. Meridian St.
Indianapolis, IN 46208
(317) 334-4000
www.childrensmuseum.org

Indianapolis Zoo
1200 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46208
(317) 630-2001
www.indianapoliszoo.com

Look up. Orangutans are moving along cables and poles above visitors. Stretch an arm to pet a dogfish shark. Travel abroad to go deep into an Egyptian tomb or to fly over to China. Such wow happenings are some of the experiences families will find about three hours from Chicago at the Indianapolis Zoo and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. A huge, non-scary dinosaur pokes through the front of the four-story Children's Museum where an antique carousel rotates on the top floor and an elevator descends into an Egyptian tomb from the first level. In between, a simulated flight carries visitors over the Great Wall of China to real art, tea and cultural experiences. The largest children's museum in the country, it also has a science lab, a mummified dinosaur, planetarium and a Playscape for preschoolers. New traveling exhibits are just as good. "You're on the Set: Inside Hollywood Film & TV," on display January 31 to July 26, 2015, takes families onto replicated show sets and has props and costumes from "Annie," "Hook," "Men in Black" and other shows. "Transformers: Robots in Disguise," a Hasbro franchise, features Autobots, Grimlock, Decepticons and other characters changed from robots to animals and vehicles, on display March 7 to July 26, 2015. The Children's Museum is a few minutes from downtown but look for accommodations downtown to be close to the zoo and museums in White River State Park. The park has Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, The Indiana State Museum and the NCAA Hall of Champions and abuts the zoo. Indianapolis Zoo is a must-see destination for its science fiction-looking Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center that opened May 2014. Inside, visitors watch orangutans using a computer in a learning lab. Outside, orangutans swing along a high track parallel to a visitor's ride. Save time to see the zoo's water show, pet a dogfish shark and visit its Botanic Gardens. Indianapolis is 183 miles , slightly over a three-hour drive, from Chicago on Interstate 65.

Kalahari Water Park Resort
1305 Kalahari Drive
Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965
(608) 254-5466
www.KALAHARIRESORTS.com

Circus World
550 Water St.
Baraboo, WI 53913
(608) 356-8341
www.circusworldbaraboo.org

Spring vacation weather can be chancy but it doesn't matter if going to the Kalahari Water Park Resort, an African-themed, stay-and-play destination in the Wisconsin Dells. Rates are lower before the Dells season gets going in May but the resort's FlowRider, wave pool, uphill water roller coaster slide and raft ride keep youngsters happily splashing inside when it's cool outside. Kalahari also has a 100,000-square-foot amusement park with a Ferris wheel and carousel. Other activities include a game arcade, bowling alley, movie theater and golf simulator. When ready to go exploring, check out Tommy Bartlett's Exploratory: Interactive Science Center and the Dells' popular, amphibious Ducks ride that restarts in the beginning of April. In addition, the Rick Wilcox Magic and Comedy Show is a top attraction and the recently reopened Palace Theatre will be doing "Pinkalicious" from March 14 through April 12, 2015. Click here for other Dells accommodations and activities. If into hiking, do a trail at Devil's Lake State Park. The asphalt Tumbled Rocks Trail is easy. Older youngsters might like the scenic West Bluff Trail above Tumbled Rocks. Click here for Devil's Lake State Park. Rates will also be lower at Circus World before its Big Top opens in May. However, Circus World is open year round with other shows and a section where youngsters can dress up and pretend to be in the circus. The Wisconsin Dells are 193 miles from Chicago north of Madison, WI.

The Center of Science And Industry
333 W. Broad St.
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 228-2674
www.cosi.org

Columbus Zoo And Aquarium
4850 Powell Road
Powell, OH 43065
(614) 645-3400
www.columbuszoo.org

Columbus, OH is full of surprises. Although football fans know it as the home of Ohio State and Ohioans know it as their state capital, metropolitan Columbus is also home to the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), rated the country's number one science center by Parents Magazine. It is also home to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, rated number one by USA Travel Guide. At COSI, ride a space capsule and move a rover on Mars or explore underwater with a remote-operated vehicle. Visit a working TV and radio studio and try to be a weather person in front of a green screen. Go back in time to 1898 which has turn-of-the-last-century gadgets and furniture, then, go around the corner to see how everything changed in 1962. Young children also have an area where they can drive an ambulance or play in a tree. At the zoo, share space with kangaroos moving freely in their Australian habitat and feed giraffes in Heart of Africa. Young children can explore Habitat Hollow with its barn and house. Columbus is also home to the American Whistle Corporation, the country's only metal whistle manufacturer. The company has guided factory tours and guests are given a whistle to take home. Downtown is the amazing Topiary Park that Chicagoans would appreciate. It is populated with figures from artist George Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte," a popular painting that hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. However, no Columbus visit would be complete without a stop at Katzinger's Delicatessen. At the edge of the city's German Village neighborhood, Katzinger's has huge corned beef and brisket sandwiches and an old fashioned pickle barrel. Columbus is six hours (356 miles) from Chicago taking Interstate 65 to Indianapolis and then Interstate 70 to Columbus.

Related: Best Weekend Getaways In The Chicago Area

Jodie Jacobs is a veteran journalist who loves writing about Chicago, art, theater, museums and travel. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.