Curious: unique overnight stays for kids in your area?

[Alicia64]

Some moms are talking about taking kids to Charleston, SC to stay overnight on the Yorktown -- an aircraft carrier.

 

Someone else was talking about taking kids to an overnight in a castle.

 

I'm curious about these types of stays throughout the country for a trip we're thinking about doing.

 

Is there anything in your state or nearby? If you have something really unusual, can you share your state?

 

Thanks!

 

Alley

Edited March 11, 2016 by Alicia64

[SKL]

We have a variety of overnights in our zoo, all year round.

[Caroline]

We have done the GA Aquarium and Zoo Atlanta.

[Lady Florida.]

Some moms are talking about taking kids to Charleston, SC to stay overnight on the Yorktown -- an aircraft carrier.

 

 

 

Dh and ds stayed on the Yorktown when ds was in Cub Scouts. They really enjoyed it.

 

The only thing I can think of is the Nickolodeon Hotel in Orlando. Ds was invited with a friend (the friend was allowed to bring 2 friends for his birthday) and had a blast. He even got slimed. :D

[Spryte]

Museums and zoos here.  :)

[Laura Corin]

Lots of wild camping.  By law you can camp on private land so long as you don't light a fire, damage crops or stay too close to a house.

[catz]

I know our big local science museum and zoo does overnights like that.  I have a ZERO desire to ever do them.  ;)

[foxbridgeacademy]

Overnight in a haunted sanitarium in Louisville KY.  They also have a couple haunted houses in Southern Indiana (one is the Historical society in a small town) that occasionally does overnights.  We went to an overnight at Ripley's Aquarium in TN years ago.

[Beebug123]

My oldest stayed overnight on the Star of India (tall sailing ship) and had a blast. There are lots of them here- museums, USS Midway, Zoo, Safari Park, Sea World.

[Jan in SC]

You can stay in a lighthouse in Fernandina Beach.

[Denisemomof4]

In MA There are overnight stays at the Museum of Science and on an aircraft carrier. There is also a place you can camp in a yurt.

 

In NH there is supposedly a place in Raymond, NH where you can camp in tree houses.

[lynn]

Not in my area but we did a sleepover at the Tennessee aquarium. With the girl scouts.

[Momling]

We stayed once at the Laura ingalls homestead in De smet SD in a covered wagon. My girls loved it!

[EndOfOrdinary]

We just got back from staying at an indoor waterpark. The weather is so terrible here you can't really have outdoor ones.

[Pink and Green Mom]

The Tampa zoo here.  My son's school always has an overnight at the Tampa Zoo for the 3rd grade class.  The boys/dads sleep in the reptile house and the girls/moms sleep in the manatee house.  The kids get to see the animals at night (zoo not normally open at night) and get to see a lot of behind the scenes feeding.  I believe Busch Gardens (also in Tampa) does the same.

[umsami]

My daughter's Girl Scout troop did an overnight at SeaWorld. It was actually super cool, Blackfish aside.  They slept out in front of the Beluga whale exhibit....and then had a behind the scenes tour.  It was far more affordable than the Disney sleepover. 

 

The zoos all do sleepovers and the science museum sometimes does a sleepover.  I want to say it's at the planetarium. 

[wendy not in HI]

I just got an email from the Smithsonian and they are offering overnight in the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of American History.  It costs about $130 per person, and a parent needs to buy a pass along with the child.

[Rachel]

Chatanooga, TN and Indianapolis both have a train hotel, you can stay in a train car. Cave City, Ky has a Wig Wam hotel, it's very 1960's. There is a castle in Versailles, KY too. It's pretty expensive to stay there though.

[J-rap]

I know a Girl Scout group that stayed overnight at the Science Museum.

 

The most unique places we've stayed at in our state was a pioneer's sod house and a lighthouse.  (The sod house was in Laura Ingalls Wilder country;  it was supposed to be representative of her family's sod house.)  It was really a remarkable experience!  When you first arrive, they encourage you to pick out "pioneer clothes" for the day/night, from a whole roomful that they had.  (Some of my kids were a little older and thought that part was kind of silly, but my younger girls loved it  :))

 

We also stayed overnight in a lighthouse.  Very fun experience!

[Alicia64]

I know a Girl Scout group that stayed overnight at the Science Museum.

 

The most unique places we've stayed at in our state was a pioneer's sod house and a lighthouse.  (The sod house was in Laura Ingalls Wilder country;  it was supposed to be representative of her family's sod house.)  It was really a remarkable experience!  When you first arrive, they encourage you to pick out "pioneer clothes" for the day/night, from a whole roomful that they had.  (Some of my kids were a little older and thought that part was kind of silly, but my younger girls loved it   :))

 

We also stayed overnight in a lighthouse.  Very fun experience!

 

Thanks! Where is the sod house and light house experience? Sounds neat!

 

A lot of these ideas are awesome -- thank you all so much!

 

Alley

[Carol in Cal.]

I've heard very good things about this program at the gold discovery site near Sacramento, CA:

http://www.suttersfort.org/explore-and-learn/environmental-living-program-elp

 

 

[MrsBasil]

We can rent yurts and tepees at some state park campgrounds. I know some museums, the zoo, and I think the aquarium do themed overnights every so often.

[J-rap]

Thanks! Where is the sod house and light house experience? Sounds neat!

 

A lot of these ideas are awesome -- thank you all so much!

 

Alley

 

They are both in Minnesota.  :)

[KarenNC]

My daughter's GS troop has stayed overnight at the Georgia Aquarium and underground at the Lost Sea caves in TN http://thelostsea.com/wild-cave-tour/The Lost Sea requires a group.