Michigan winters can be so cloudy and gloomy, that usually by mid-February my family is begging to go on a cheap weekend getaway. This year our kids didn’t get their typical mid-winter break from school but they did have a Friday off which gave us a few days to get away. We opted to go to one of our favorite destinations- St. Louis, Missouri. It’s warmer than Michigan, not too far away, and there is so much to do. Best of all, it’s affordable.
We have always wanted to check out Starved Rock State Park and figured this would be the perfect time to explore it, especially because it was about halfway between Michigan and St. Louis.
Starved Rock State Park in Illinois is about an hour outside of Chicago and on the Illinois River. The park has 13 miles of trails with sandstone canyons and waterfalls. It’s absolutely breathtaking. We spent roughly 5 hours there and didn’t even see half of the park! The park is incredibly huge.
In St. Louis, we first visited Lone Elk Park. It’s a drive-through park where you can see wild bison, elk, deer, birds, and other animals roaming free. These animals are not in cages, so don’t get too close! We got to the park as soon as they opened on Saturday morning. There was only one car there when we arrived. We saw elk drinking from the pond and a herd of bison eating next to the road. We also saw many deer and woodpeckers. In Michigan we don’t see elk or bison, so to be up close to them without any cages was incredible and maybe a little scary.
Once we were finished with Lone Elk Park we took a 20 min drive to the St. Louis Science Center. I’ve been to a few science centers in my life and this one was pretty impressive. They had a lot of hands-on learning exhibits that I had never seen before.
After the science center, we had to end our day with a trip to the Gateway Arch. We have seen it many times before, yet, every time I see it, I am amazed by its size. We did not go to the top of the arch. This time we just explored the grounds, which are under a major renovation right now. But it’s still very cool.
How’d we do all this for $210?
- Starved Rock– FREE
- 2 nights at a hotel- FREE* (10,000 Hilton honors points/night)pet fee- $50
- Lone Elk Park– FREE
- St. Louis Science Center– FREE ($10 parking fee)
- Gateway Arch grounds- $7 parking fee
- Food- $43**Gas- $100
- TOTAL- $210
Please keep in mind that while I regularly update my articles as information changes, the cost of our trip will always stay the same. Unfortunately, inflation happens, but the only way I can update my trip cost is if I retake the exact same trip. Please use this as a guide on where and how to save money on this vacation.
*We use a Hilton American Express credit card to pay for all our monthly bills and expenses. We don’t ever put more than we can afford on it and make sure we pay it off every month. If you are not disciplined with credit cards, I do not recommend you do this. On the other hand, if you are disciplined the points add up fairly quickly. I must also note that my husband does do some travel for work and he acquires some Hilton points too.
**We packed our own food and made sure to book a hotel with free breakfast.
Helpful Resources We Can’t Live Without
Accommodations- We love and swear by HiltonHonors, but when we want to stay someplace different, we use Hotels.com. You can search for deals on hotels, cabins, houses & more.
Getting There- Roadtripping with our car is how we prefer to travel. That being said, Skyscanner has great deals on flights and RVShare has deals on RV rentals.
Other Favorites-
Save money on gas- Upside
Find pit stops on your route- RoadTrippers
Deals on local food & attractions- Living Social
Explore top city attractions at a fraction of the price- CityPASS
Looking for gear? See the best deals on clothing & gear here, & best travel essentials here.
Looking for road trip food ideas? Check out food for road trips you’ll love.
Learn how to travel on a budget.
See the best hiking apps
There you have it. A perfect cheap weekend getaway that is perfect for a family. Have you been to any of these places before? Let us know in the comments.
Related articles you might also enjoy are:
4 Amazing Spring Break Destinations
Natural Bridge in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge
Exploring Michigan’s Upper Penninisula’s Ice Caves
Pin for Later: Cheap Weekend Getaway St. Louis/Starved Rock
