<p>"He complained under his breath the whole time we did the campus tours and I wanted to pinch his head off, but it wouldn't have been a family vacation without him."</p>
<p>LMAO. Parents are underappreciated. Rotten job but somebody has to pay my social security. Thanks for all your hard work under often no-win circumstances.</p>
<p>Carolyn-
I am a big proponent of the "divide and conquer" approach (within reason). We did the one week NE college tour when our younger one was 12. We found that having something that was special for each of them really worked out well. They didn't mind the car rides (though laptop computer definitely helped) when the younger one knew that he was going to get to go skiing with dad when older s. and I did the college tour thing at 2 schools. The day we hit Amherst, all 4 of us went to see it in the morning, and in the afternoon, H and younger s. were going to check out the Basketball hall of fame in Springfield. He changed his mind and decided to just hit the swimming pool at the hotel instead, and they picked us up at the end of the day. I think older s. was a bit jealous at times, of the things that younger s. got to do, but it let each of them feel special, that there was something of interest for each of them. We spent one evening with a friend of mine from college and his family. His kids were closer in age to my younger s., so younger s. had a great time with them. All in all, it really worked out well. It helps that younger s. really isn't a complainer anyway.</p>
<p>I did a little checking for you. I don't know what your s's areas of interest are, but (depending on the weather) he and your h. could go horseback riding at the "Giddy up & Go" stables in Beloit (love the name!), or check out the Beckman Mill <a href="http://www.beckmanmill.org%5B/url%5D">www.beckmanmill.org</a> , a fully restored grist mill. I doubt he'd be interested in the Angel Museum.....</p>
<p>In Galesburg, in addition to seeing the site of the Lincoln-Douglas debates at Knox, there is the Galesburg Railroad Museum and the Citizen Soldier Museum (from the War of 1812 up to the Gulf War). Would these interest him??</p>
<p>We also found that there are oftentimes fun things to check out on campus. We found one of those dance revolution games (that light up as you jump on the squares) in one of the student centers at Brown, and most college student centers had pool tables as well. Some even had a bowling alley. Duke scored points with my younger s. because it had a McDonalds in the Student Center (we won't mention that he chose to wear a UNC Tarheels basketball outfit the day we were there-- wiseguy). Beloit has a museum of Anthropology. That might have some cool stuff in it.</p>
<p>Bottom line-- we never had a moment's whining or complaining when we found things for the younger s. to do to break up the time. He was finally a bit bored at the end of the trip, as we sat around at Harvard waiting for older s. to sit through a Physics class. To be honest, by then we were all a bit oversaturated.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Oops-- just saw that the Beckman Mill doesnt open for the season until May. Will there be some snow to play in in Wisconsin when you are there?? Any cheese factories nearby?? Maybe thats' worth a look-see, as they say.</p>
<p>Here's another "find" "The national headquarters of the Brown Swiss Cattle Breeders' Association of the USA is in Beloit, Wisconsin. The association purchased their building at 800 Pleasant Street in Beloit in December of 1936, and moved there in 1937."</p>
<p>I found this when I searched for cheese places in Beloit :)</p>
<p>I had a fascinating visit to the Kohler bathroom museum once, somewhere in Wisconsin.</p>
<p>When I took my D last summer we took her sister, I told her that we would stop at the Polo Outlet and get her something. It became a running joke, there are a lot of Polo outlets out there, and we stopped at all of them.</p>
<p>Seriously, there are some interesting museums near where you are going. You could deposit them and pick them up later. Have him bring a swimsuit if your hotel has an indoor pool. </p>
<p>Also I suggest that you stop at Culver's each time you see it. Find out what the FLOD is. (Flavor of the Day, frozen custard, yummmmmm.)</p>
<p>The Kohler headquarters is in... ta daa - Kohler, Wisconsin, outside of Sheboygan. Sheboygan is best known for bratwursts and steak sandwiches from Schultzies.</p>
<p>I don't know how close you will be to the House on the Rock. Frank Llyod Wright in Wisconsin. There is that house and one more. Can't remember the name.</p>
<p>I will think about it.</p>
<p>There are also some small ski places in Wisconsin. The hills aren't very big, but could be fun for a day.</p>
<p>We had a lovely 3-week college tour visit relatives trip with rising senior daughter and 14-year-old son. It was our family vacation, and we had a blast. Son got no bribes, but we've traveled as a tight-knit nuclear family always, and that is the expectation - we all go. The fun is in the hanging out together, seeing a new part of the country, eating at different places. The colleges were exciting, too, because we knew that this MIGHT be where DD would go to school, and we knew we wouldn't be able to afford to go back and visit again, even if DD enrolled. Honestly, it helped us all to envision, "this is where your sister/daughter might get her mail, this is where she might live." If your son doesn't go on the trip, he will not have a visual image of this next year when your older kid is enrolled. I know that when I talk with DD on the phone, I have an image in my head of where she is - because I've seen the campus, and her dorm room. (She ended up only 3-hours from home; if she had chosen one of the far away schools, the college visit would have been the only time for me to see the school.)</p>
<p>Ahahh-- yet more to do in Beloit!! Visit the chicken broaster distributor :) :</p>
<p>[ Jim's deli has become an outstanding example of what a store can do with the addition of a Broaster pressure fryer. He is very deserving of his "Golden Chicken Award."</p>
<p>Schultz's Market Place is serviced by Sumpter Sales, Inc., the authorized Broaster distributor in Beloit, Wisconsin. ]</p>
<p>I for one would have LOVED to go on my sisters visits. I am more interested in colleges than she is!!!</p>
<p>When I was in seventh grade, I bought a college guide that she used for her college search two years later! I even have my list, with Amherst at the top (this was before I knew the Amherst is one of the most prestigious LACS :)).</p>
<p>I'm the only one in the family that can read in the car, so a DVD player can be a lifesaver during 12 hour days in the car. It might cost a little more, but I'm sure you can rent a car with a video or DVD player (and headphones). Blockbuster doesn't charge a late fee anymore, so rent some movies and enjoy.</p>
<p>One of the big problems is that most tourist stuff in the midwest will be closed in March - no mini golf, no amusement parks, no corn mazes, no drive-ins. There are a few museums and such worth seeing, but your schedule is too tight for detours. The weather is generally so bad in March - wet and chilly. And kids that age want to be with their friends, not their parents. I think you're going to have a tough time.</p>
<p>I'll have to go with the bribe factor and recommend offering a day or two in Chicago at the end of the trip (hope I remembered your schedule correctly.) ESPN Zone, lunch on the 95th floor of the Hancock Building, the Field Museum, riding the El train - it's a great finish to a trip.</p>
<p>You are flying into Dayton, aren't you? The Air Force Museum at Wright-Pat is usually a big hit. You could stop there before going over to Earlham.</p>
<p>Well I had to jump back in. I highly recommend one day of fun if there is any way you can work it in. Consider skipping info sessions, do you really learn anything new? or alternate parents at the info sessions. The schools you are going to are in small safe towns, right - the cell might be a good option as he is a little older (my son was not quite 13). Son did learn some things on the trip, it wasn't a total waste, even as a rising 8th grader, but we did almost twice as many schools. Is he any good with the camera? Put him in charge of photography on the tours.
This was the only long family road trip we will ever take, just not our thing - the experience of my husband driving up the NJ Turnpike at 80 mph with tears rolling down his cheeks because my son is reading Dave Barry out loud to him, wil live with us forever. The time Daddy almost killed us all laughing.</p>
<p>Carolyn,
How was the dinner table meeting? If you were near me, I'd offer my house as a drop off son spot. I'm used to teenage boys sleeping until noon and playing computer games. Sounds like there are some great planners on this board though, I never knew the midwest could be so interesting!</p>
<p>Since mine are so close together (age-wise and relationship-wise) I thought lets go look at some schools together. Mistake. And not for the reasons I thought. They wanted to go together, they wanted to look at them together and then they found something wrong with each and every school TOGETHER. They are all about a year apart except for youngest, 2 years younger (and I left him with my sis). The other 4 (sometimes took the middle 3) have that twin-thingy with communication, they finish each others sentences and know what makes the other tick. They only have to say one or two words of a family-inside joke and it sets them all off, howling. They point out things I never would have picked up on and it was so hard getting them to look at a particular school if one of them didn't like it for whatever reason.</p>
<p>I was going to wring their necks!! They still don't get what went wrong. If one of them had a favorite before we arrived, it wasn't a favorite after we left. They are all so close that they value what the other thinks tremendously. So the oldest one ended up at big state U as soon as we moved here (she transfered) and we hadn't seen the campus yet. Second oldest, DS#1, went out-of-state to a school he never visisted, heck he had never been to the state either. And next DD applied to schools she never saw.</p>
<p>If I take any of them ever again, I will be taking just that particular child. And I won't be telling the other ones which SPECIFIC schools ahead of time, so as to give them time to influence the one making the decision. Granted, when they are together they can make you laugh til you cry and everything is a hoot all the time, but every college is eliminated off the lists!!</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>Well, we decided that son is going to stay home with my husband. Son is game, but not enthusiastic and our travel schedule is such that there will not be time for side trips to such delightful sights as the Kohler faucet factory (both daughter and son had a good laugh over that). I think it will work out ok. My husband will go on two shorter college tours on the west coast with daughter later on so he is happy. I'm still not thrilled about all the driving but we will make it work (just please let there be no blizzards as I traverse Indiana and Illinois!). One capper for us was that when son found out daughter would be doing two overnight visits during the trip, he decided he wouldn't have much fun without her in the hotels. Who wants to be stuck with JUST the parents?</p>
<p>Well, I'm late to this thread. The problems that parents of singletons don't have....</p>
<p>Good luck, Carolyn, and have a good trip. Are you sure you don't want to wind up "accidentally" in Massachusetts if you know what I mean and I think you do? "Gosh, honey, it's amazing the mistakes the airlines make...we were supposed to fly into Hartford, Indiana and here we are in Hartford, Connnecticut, isn't that funny?"</p>
<p>I lugged my 6 year old with us on ALL of the college visits. Of course, what pleases a 6 yr old girl will not please a 14 year old boy. But, she was kept busy with Game Boy, Leap Frog (with earphones) and a sketch pad. She actually enjoyed the tours....but the info sessions were a challenge.</p>
<p>One capper for us was that when son found out daughter would be doing two overnight visits during the trip, he decided he wouldn't have much fun without her in the hotels</p>
<p>Carolyn, hope you're choosing hotels with nice spa services. While she's on those overnights, maybe you can get a massage or spend some time soaking in a hot tub somehwere.</p>