As a homeschool family, we like to take day trips year round. Whether you homeschool, or your kids attend public or private school, summertime is a great time for taking a day trip to explore new places!
What is a day trip? It’s just what it sounds like, somewhere fun you can go that is farther away than local attractions, but still a comfortable distance for traveling to and from in a single day, while still being able to have enough time to enjoy the destination. Each family should gauge the distance they can travel based on the ages of their children, car behavior, and personal preference.
Our family has six children, ages 1-12, so an 1.5 to 2 hours away is the farthest I’m willing to travel one way, in a day, right now. Like a true Michigander I measure my distance in time!
After a quick web search to find attractions within that distance, I discovered the Sanilac Petroglyphs Historic State Park, and away we went!
The park is a great piece of Michigan History, and a fun and intriguing experience. There is a guided tour to view the Petroglyphs with knowledgeable staff, and a 1 mile hiking trail which is a great length for kids {it is not stroller friendly}. Petroglyphs are similar to Hieroglyphics in that they are symbols. The Michigan Petroglyphs are carved into soft sandstone, and are believed to be 300-1000 years old and carved by Native Americans.
For information on tour hours and location check out the Michigan DNR website here. A Michigan state parks passport is required.
Do you take day trips with your children? Where is your favorite place to visit? Let us know in the comments!
