University of Akron (Akron, OH)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🦓 Akron Zoo — Akron, OH

🌳 Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens — Akron, OH

🎨 Akron Children’s Museum — Akron, OH

🚂 Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad — Peninsula

🎢 Lock 3 Park — Akron, OH

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍔 Swensons Drive-In — Akron

🍕 Luigi’s Restaurant — Akron

🥞 The Blue Door Café — Cuyahoga Falls

🌮 Cilantro Thai & Sushi Restaurant — Akron

🍦 Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream — Akron

Ball State University (Muncie, IN)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🧠 Muncie Children’s Museum — Muncie, IN

🌳 Minnetrista Cultural Center & Gardens — Muncie, IN

🎢 Escapades Family Fun Center — Muncie, IN

🎨 Cardinal Greenway Trail — Muncie, IN

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍔 Amazing Joe’s Grill — Muncie, IN

🍕 Greek’s Pizzeria — Muncie, IN

🍦 The Barking Cow — Gaston, IN

Concannons Bakery — Muncie, IN

Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🌳 Simpson Garden Park — Bowling Green, OH

🎨 Wood County Historical Center & Museum — Bowling Green, OH

🎢 Carter Park Playground — Bowling Green, OH

🧠 Imagination Station — Toledo, OH

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍔 SamB’s Restaurant — Bowling Green, OH

🍕 Myles Pizza Pub — Bowling Green, OH

🍦 Mr. Spots — Bowling Green, OH

Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant, MI)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🌳 Island Park — Mount Pleasant, MI

🎢 Soaring Eagle Waterpark — Mount Pleasant, MI

🎨 Ziibiwing Cultural Center — Mount Pleasant, MI

🧠 Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum — Mount Pleasant, MI

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍔 Dog Central — Mount Pleasant, MI

🍕 Freddie’s Tavern — Mount Pleasant, MI

🍦 Doozie’s Ice Cream Place — Mount Pleasant, MI

Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilanti, MI)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🌳 Riverside Park — Ypsilanti, MI

🎢 Rolling Hills Water Park — Ypsilanti, MI

🎨 Hands-On Museum — Ann Arbor, MI

🧠 Yankee Air Museum — Belleville, MI

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍔 Sidetrack Bar & Grill — Ypsilanti, MI

🍕 Aubree’s Pizzeria & Grill — Ypsilanti, MI

🍦 Go! Ice Cream — Ypsilanti, MI

Kent State University (Kent, OH)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🎨 Kent State University Museum — Kent, OH

🌳 Fred Fuller Park — Kent, OH

🎢 Fun ‘n’ Stuff Family Fun Center — Macedonia, OH

🧠 Cuyahoga Valley National Park — Peninsula, OH

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍔 Mike’s Place — Kent, OH

🍕 Lucci’s Place — Kent, OH

🍦 Handel’s Ice Cream — Stow, OH

Miami University (Oxford, OH)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🌳 Hueston Woods State Park — College Corner, OH

🎨 Hefner Zoology Museum — Oxford, OH

🎢 Skating on the Bricks — Oxford, OH

🧠 Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park — Hamilton, OH

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍔 Skipper’s Pub — Oxford, OH

🍕 Bruno’s Pizza — Oxford, OH

🍦 Spring Street Treats — Oxford, OH

Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🌳 Hopkins Park — DeKalb, IL

🎢 Jonamac Orchard (seasonal fun) — Malta, IL

🎨 Ellwood House Museum — DeKalb, IL

🧠 Discovery Center Museum — Rockford, IL

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍔 Fatty’s Pub & Grill — DeKalb, IL

🍕 Pizza Villa — DeKalb, IL

🍦 Dairy Joy Drive-In — Hinckley, IL

Ohio University (Athens, OH)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🌳 Strouds Run State Park — Athens, OH

🎨 Kennedy Museum of Art — Athens, OH

🎢 Fun Barn Movie Theater — Nelsonville, OH

🧠 Hocking Woods Nature Center — Logan, OH

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍔 Jackie O’s Brewery & Public House — Athens, OH

🍕 Avalanche Pizza — Athens, OH

🍦 Whit’s Frozen Custard — Athens, OH

University of Massachusetts Amherst (Amherst, MA)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🌿 Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art — Amherst

🦖 Beneski Museum of Natural History — Amherst

🎨 Yankee Candle Village — South Deerfield

🌳 Look Park — Northampton

🚂 The Children’s Museum at Holyoke — Holyoke

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍕 Antonio’s Pizza — Amherst

🍔 The Hangar Pub & Grill — Amherst

🥞 The Lone Wolf — Amherst

🌮 Bueno y Sano — Amherst

🍦 Flayvors of Cook Farm — Hadley

Toledo (University of Toledo – Toledo, OH)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🧠 Imagination Station — Toledo, OH

🐾 Toledo Zoo — Toledo, OH

🎨 Toledo Museum of Art — Toledo, OH

🌳 Wildwood Preserve Metropark — Toledo, OH

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍔 Schmucker’s Restaurant — Toledo, OH

🍕 Home Slice Pizza — Toledo, OH

🍦 Mr. Freeze — Perrysburg, OH

Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🎢 Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Center — Portage, MI

🎨 Kalamazoo Valley Museum — Kalamazoo, MI

🌳 Milham Park — Kalamazoo, MI

🧠 Binder Park Zoo — Battle Creek, MI

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍔 Crow’s Nest — Kalamazoo, MI

🍕 Bilbo’s Pizza — Kalamazoo, MI

🍦 Plainwell Ice Cream — Plainwell, MI

Buffalo (University at Buffalo – Buffalo, NY)

Kid-Friendly Activities:

🐾 Buffalo Zoo — Buffalo, NY

🎨 Explore & More Children’s Museum — Buffalo, NY

🌳 Delaware Park — Buffalo, NY

🎢 Niagara Falls State Park — Niagara Falls, NY

Family-Friendly Eats:

🍔 Anchor Bar — Buffalo, NY

🍕 Bocce Club Pizza — Buffalo, NY

🍦 Anderson’s Frozen Custard — Buffalo, NY