Reply to Driving to Cincinnati from NW DC this summer...

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[quote=Anonymous]My spouse has a specialist in Cincinnati.  We have driven there 2-6 times a year since 2003 when we started going to that specialist.  I know the trip very well.  The trip was much easier pre-kids, but our twins have made the trip with us regularly since they were 3 months old.  We used to drive all in one day but after kids that was impossible.   We are long-time Marriott rewards members with lots of points and so we typically stay in Marriott properties because we like to have 2 BR suites with one bedroom for the kids and one for us.  Here are some options:

1.  Our new favorite is a new Residence Inn in St. Clairsville, OH, which is suburban Wheeling WV.  The hotel is nice and clean, very modern in decor and inexpensive.  We typically get a 2-BR suite and this hotel has several and we haven't had a problem getting one yet.  This is nice because it is about 60% of the way to Cincinnati and divides the trip pretty evenly over 2 days.  It is just off the access loop around the Ohio Valley Mall.  The Mall has a food court and a play area which is great for the kids.  Just pay attention to the closing times.  We stopped by once on a Sunday and I forgot that the mall closes at 7pm so we went to dinner and had almost no time for the kids to play in the play area before it closed.  They were not happy with me.  :-(

2. I'm originally from the Pittsburgh area, so we sometimes go and stay in the Pittsburgh area.  The Residence Inn in Coraopolis, PA (near the Pittsburgh airport) is one of the cheaper RI's out there.  Most of the time, you can get a really great deal on 2-BR suites there and it's only slightly out of the way.  Plus if we want spend a little time either the first day or second day in the Pittsburgh area, it gives us 2-3 hours that we can do something there if we want.

3. If you choose to go the southern route, there is a Residence Inn in Charleston, WV that is about 70% of the way there.  You have a longer first day, but a shorter second day traveling to Cincinnati this direction.  We did this a couple of times when we wanted to make short stops in Louisville, KY.  Once we took the kids for a "kids hike" in the arboretum near Louisville, KY.

Sometime more important is that over the years, I've mapped out and we've been to most of the McDonald's and Chick-Fil-A's that have indoor playrooms plus some outdoor play areas between DC and Cincinnati.  It's a must have list for us because our kids can take at most about 2 hours (usually 1 hour) before they need to get out and at a minimum run for 5 minutes.  Just a few highlights (we usually go up and across the PA turnpike, so these are along that route):

A. South Mountain rest area - rest area halfway between Frederick and Hagerstown (both eastbound and westbound) that has been renovated with big clean bathrooms and a good outdoor play area
B. Hagerstown Premium Outlet mall has a food court, bathrooms and outdoor play area.
C. Breezewood, MD - no play area, but my kids enjoy stopping at "The Gateway" and going up and down the stairs, walking around the facility, going upstairs to see the flags and gameroom.  And free bathrooms.
D. Rest areas on the PA turnpike.  One of the best reasons to take the PA turnpike.  Regular rest stops for bathroom breaks and run around breaks.
      Milemarker 162 - Breezewood exit

Milemarker 147 - Midway Service plaza
      Milemarker 112 - Somerset service plaza
      Milemarker 77 - New Stanton service plaza

Milemarker 76 - New Stanton exit

Unfortunately between New Stanton, PA and St Clairsville, OH (about 90 miles) there really aren't any play areas.  But about 30 miles across is the Flying J Travel Stop and the Pilot Travel center in Bentleyville another 30 miles across.

E. Eastbound only - Pennsylvania Welcome Center just west of Washington PA.

F. McDonald's Wheeling WV - just on the east side of Wheeling before you get to the split of I-70 and I-470 in Wheeling, just off the I-70 highway is a McDonald's with a renovated indoor play space.

G. Ohio Valley mall on the west side of Wheeling, WV (see above)

H. Zanesville, OH- big new renovated McDonald's with play area, right off the highway

I. Raynoldsburg, OH - Broad St about 3 miles north of I-70 or just off of I-270 (depending on which way you are coming from)  There is both a Chick-Fil-A with an indoor play space and McDonald's with an indoor play space.  My recollection is that the Chick-Fil-A is smaller and better for younger kids and the McDonald's is bigger and better for bigger kids, but it's been a while since we've been to them.

J. Jeffersonville, OH, exit 65 on I-71 about halfway between Columbus and Cincinnati (near the outlet malls), McDonald's with indoor play space

There's also a big fancy new rest area (both north and south bound) about 20-30 minutes before you get to Cincinnati.  It's huge and the halls are very wide, like 20' wide.  When our kids were toddlers we actually had times that we would stop there, head to one end (furthest from the vending machines) and lay out a blanket and put out a picnic of fruits, crackers and rolls of lunch meat.  The kids could run around and climb on the benches and come and snack.  They loved it.  And there aren't that many people that use the facilities, so it was relatively quiet there.

Enjoy![/quote]

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