Where can I go on a $300 budget?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so touched by your post OP. Something sincere, sweet and humbling about it.

OP Here! I just saw this post and it made me cry because I think you are so sweet. So tomorrow is our big day. I am so excited to spend some time with my little guy and to be able to stay in a hotel. Someone asked if he likes hotels and yes he loves hotels. It really is his favorite thing. We don't stay in hotels often but when we do we make it the best time. We lay on the bed and play, stay up late and take bubble baths together with our swim suits on I did not tell him about this trip. its going to be a huge surprise and to see his reaction will be priceless. I hope everyone has a great weekend and that you are all able to do something really fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:5 days- staycation

Day 1 all day at MD Science Center in Baltimore arrive 10:00 - leave at 3:00, get tickets to one of the IMAX movies to watch there. Spend time in the kids room on the third floor. In fact start out in the kids room. (You can bring lunch and eat at the brown bag area.)

Day 2
Movie from Red Box to watch together, lunch picnic at home, afternoon, head on over to the Rollingcrest-Chillum Splash Park, he will love it.

Day 3
A Day at the National Zoo, bring lunch or get lunch at the Panda Cafe. Buy some souvenirs and special snack at the zoo. Find out when different feeding happens and schedule those in.

Day 4
Back to Baltimore, but this time visit the Aquarium all day

Day 5
One more day in Baltimore, go to the B&O Museum. There is no place to eat in the area. Maybe do that in the morning and then head over to the Inner Harbor in the afternoon and have lunch at Noodles and Company and then take a water taxi around the Inner Harbor. Get on and off or stay on the whole time.

Sorry I didn't price it out, but I'm pretty sure it is less than $300.

Op here: I love this. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a car?

Trip 1: Baltimore

Drive to B'more -- day 1, Port Discovery ($14.50 per person = $29)

Stay overnight near BWI (La Quinta Inn is $105 plus tax, includes breakfast and has a pool = S119)

day 2: Maryland Science Center ($18.95 + $15.95 = $34.95)

Budget $50 for gas, parking tolls; you'll have about $70 left over for meals/incidentals.

You can do this on the commuter train too. If you go on a weekend it's pretty cheap to ride up to Baltimore, and very exciting for kids.

Sorry, I posted this backwards. I meant to say "If you don't go on the weekend it's cheap". The train is very expensive on the weekend, because you have to take Amtrak. It's cheap during the week because it's commuter rail. The commuter rail trains are doubledecker, plus there's a trolley thing from the train station to the harbor, so lots of "novel" transportation, which is always fun.

Not OP, but this sounds really great. What is the commuter rail called? If you don't take a car, is it easy to do both the Science Center and the Aquarium?

also, for the poster who suggested Richmond, we spent a long weekend there with 2 kids and the museums were really fun. There was also a kids museum (but much smaller) near the stadium but I don't recall the name. Stayed at a clean but lower end hotel with a pool and it turned out to be trip the kids remembered.

You can easily walk from the Science Center to the Aquarium. The walk takes you along the waterfront, and there are often street performers there to watch and boats to look at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I'm so touched by your post OP. Something sincere, sweet and humbling about it.


OP Here! I just saw this post and it made me cry because I think you are so sweet. So tomorrow is our big day. I am so excited to spend some time with my little guy and to be able to stay in a hotel. Someone asked if he likes hotels and yes he loves hotels. It really is his favorite thing. We don't stay in hotels often but when we do we make it the best time. We lay on the bed and play, stay up late and take bubble baths together with our swim suits on I did not tell him about this trip. its going to be a huge surprise and to see his reaction will be priceless. I hope everyone has a great weekend and that you are all able to do something really fun.

[Anonymous]

Have fun, OP!

[Anonymous]

This is a great thread and probably the most earnest one I've read on DCUM in a while.

[Anonymous]

OP, please come back and tell us how it goes!

One of my favorite trips we have taken as a family was an overnight in Baltimore. So much fun. I hope you have a great time!

[Anonymous]

This is a really helpful post. I hope to do a similar vacation soon. Thanks for asking OP!

[Anonymous]

Great thread. Maybe someone will do one for every season, as the year goes on.
And different age groups...

A giant google spreadsheet of $300 vacations.

[Anonymous]

OP how was your trip? Where did you end up? We are looking at a budget 3 day vacation & will probably end up in Baltimore or PA, but wanted to bump this for more ideas & to see how things went.