Moving vacation up North from the Gulf...need input. (Milwaukee: rent, condo)

[southern_redhead]

My family is from TN but we are spending the summer in St Louis, MO. We had booked our regular vacation in the Gulf for next week but the oil spill took care of that. Now we are thinking that since we are this far North we might as well take the opportunity to try a new spot for summer vacation. We are looking at Lake Michigan and my husband had pointed me towards a Michigan website that had some nice places. However, my dad is from Appleton and we spent a week or two in Wisconsin every year. If we are going to do a Northern vacation then I think I'd like to try Wisconsin and show my kids how I spent some of our vacations. I was actually looking at staying in the Kenosha area because we want to be on a beach as much as possible and the information for this area was favorable as far as cleanliness and swimming and "beach-like" atmosphere. I did notice something about twice a week testing for contamination and possible shut downs - does that happen much or is it more of a worst case scenario type thing? The other attraction to this location was that it is roughly 6 hours from St Louis and we don't want to drive over the 9 to 10 that we were going to use going to the Gulf from our home in TN. The husband is just like that As a child I spent time every summer at Bay Beach with my Dad and I REALLY want to take my kids there to see it if we are going to be close by. Google Maps approximated 2.5 hours to get to that area from Kenosha. Is that fairly on target? I don't know if we will come back up North for vacation again (although with the treatment we've recieved from our condo in the Gulf while cancelling this year we might if the experience here is good enough) and I want to seize the opportunity to explore an old haunt. What info on Kenosha can you give me? Our requirements are: able to swim IN the lake (pools are okay but we belong to one here in STL and one in TN so we can swim in a pool anytime) and have some sand to play in (I know it isn't sugar sand like the Gulf but as long as it isn't red dirt I'll be okay.) We'd also like to stay "as close" to the lake as possible. We always stay on the beach in the Gulf and apparently there aren't "on the beach" places to stay at Lake Michigan (or so I am assuming from what my searches turned up) but something that isn't more than a few minutes by car would be acceptable. I want something along the lines of Holiday Inn or Marriott in terms of quality/standards. We had a 2 bedroom in the Gulf so I guess we would get two rooms at a hotel and be about as comfortable. Unless, of course, there is a condo with 2 or 3 bedroom units on Lake Michigan then point me there LOL My tentative idea was to do beach activities in Simmons Island and make a day trip one day to Bay Beach. We'll be staying a minimum of four days but hopefully five or six if my husband can get the extra days off work. Anyone familiar with the area please respond, I REALLY appreciate the time you'll take and any information we can get is great. Thanks in advance!

Oh - and if you visit the Michigan board I *did* post over there. I got great information and really appreciate the time everyone over there took to answer it. I wasn't put off about going to Michigan but since half my family is from WI I wanted to explore that possibility too.

[AMC Man Dan King O' Keno]

Hey there southern redhead! There is a Best Western right by Simmons Isl. It used to be a Holiday Inn, and would be perfect for what you need. It's right on the water and you could walk to Simmons Island if you wanted to as it is only a couple blocks away.

Enjoy your time in WI! My folks used to take me up to Bay Beach. It's a cool place for sure. The rides there are so cheap!

If you get a chance, you may want to check out some things in Milwaukee on your way to GB. There's all kinds of things to check out, especially in the summer. From Summerfest and all the other festivals on the Maier grounds, to brewery tours and some AWESOME places to eat!

Also, Milwaukee has a VERY nice lakefront and some nice beaches. The downtown area is cool as well. The art museum building is really something to see.

Some things to think about anyways. Like I said, enjoy your time in WI! I'm sure some others will chime in with some great ideas.

[Coldwake]

Hi Southern Redhead!

Something else to consider, lake Michigan is very cold compared to the Gulf. Bay Beach, since the bay is shallow and sheltered, is much warmer then the rest of the Lake. If you want to go swimming, consider doing what Wisconsinites do... go to an inland lake! We have more lakes then any other state (including Minnesota!) and each one is unique. There are a lot of great beaches, the water is warm, you can rent boats, kayaks, canoes, water toys, jet ski's, whatever!

If you want to stay in southern Wisconsin you could do what the flatlanders (our friends from IL) do and head to the Lake Geneva area. There are a lot of hotels and many small town things to do there.

Like AMC said, Milwaukee is also a great choice. There is a LOT to do there and there are great beaches. Just keep in mind the water temp will be the same there.

Hope that helps!

[southern_redhead]

Thank you both for your input! I was aware that we were going to be looking at cooler temps than the Gulf but hadn't considered inland lakes vs. Lake Michigan. That has given us something to think about and I've looked up some information. I did look at the Best Western and if we go the Lake Michigan route that certainly looks like the way to go. Thank you, also, for the advice about sight seeing and for mentioning the art museum. My 8 year old has been wanting to go to an art museum this summer so we may try to tie that in. I had forgotten about brewery tours, I remember touring one with Dad but can't remember if it was Milwaukee or when we went somewhere else. It was fascinating though.
I did google weather for that area and was wondering what "typically" goes on there this time of year? Do you get a lot of rain? I think we always went end of July so it was fairly warm and I don't remember much rain (then again that was 20 years ago and climates change!) I know in TN we are getting an unseasonable amount of rain and they are getting plenty of rain in St Louis too so it may just be everywhere

[rayfra]

looking to move up north for vacation this year, did you do it last year. trying to choose between Ogden Dunes and St. Joseph. coming from Memphis. Any thoughts