Staycation with kids
There are many things you can do with kids even when they are small. When was the last time you have visited the zoo? The zoo would make a great one day getaway. When you plan it at the end of June you might be able to spend the evening at the 4th of July fireworks. This would make a great finale to a great day. For the day you might just plan a picnic and when you go to a more reasonably priced grocery store like ALDI you wouldn’t need to spend a lot of money for food. During the summer, and any vacation time, I was a regular at ALDIS because we fed 4 growing boys during that time.
When you have an interactive history park close you could spend a day at the park and the kids can learn about history at the same time without even realizing that they are learning. The same goes for the Children’s museum. When you have one close and it is within comfortable driving distance consider a day trip for a visit.
How does a visit to your local farm sound? There are many farmers who open their farms to visitors and hold tours specially for kids. A farm visit is not only for the fall when you pick apples, pumpkins, or when you want to get lost in the corn maze for hours.
Some of us are too far from the ocean and a sandy beach but you might live close to a park that has a large lake that offers a sandy beach to play on. You might have a public pool in your area that you could visit.