The Best App for Road Trips with Kids

SmartStops is the best app for road trips with kids. It automatically finds playgrounds, parks, and kid-friendly stops along your route at 2-hour intervals. With a database of over 197,000 parks across America—60% with verified amenity data—SmartStops is built specifically for families. Unlike Google Maps or Roadtrippers, it optimizes for kid comfort, not just speed. Plan your stops in SmartStops, then navigate with your favorite maps app.

SmartStops is the only app that automatically finds playgrounds along your driving route. Enter your start and destination, and SmartStops shows you cities with quality parks and playgrounds at perfect intervals for kids. Our database includes 197,000+ parks nationwide, with detailed amenity information for over 118,000 of them. Each stop also shows nearby gas stations, restaurants, and coffee shops so you can handle all your needs in one place.

SmartStops focuses on family-friendly stops with playgrounds and timed intervals designed for traveling with kids, while Roadtrippers focuses on scenic attractions and tourist destinations. SmartStops keeps you on efficient routes while adding kid-friendly breaks; Roadtrippers often adds significant detour time. SmartStops is purpose-built for parents; Roadtrippers is for general road trip discovery.

For family travel planning, yes. Google Maps excels at navigation but can't find playgrounds along your route, doesn't understand kid stop intervals, and doesn't show family-friendly amenities grouped together. SmartStops handles the planning (finding where to stop), then you use Google Maps for the driving. They work together—SmartStops plans, Google Maps navigates.

Child development experts recommend stopping every 2 hours when traveling with toddlers and young children. SmartStops is built around this principle—it automatically finds quality stops at 2-hour intervals (adjustable from 1.5 to 5 hours based on your kids' ages). Each stop includes a playground or park so kids can burn energy before the next leg.

SmartStops offers a free Starter plan with 2 trip searches. Paid plans start at $5.99 for a week (Weekender), $12.99 for a month (Explorer), or $39.99 for a full year (Adventurer). All plans include playground finding, gas station locations, and restaurant suggestions. The app is available on both iOS and Android.

Yes, SmartStops works for any distance road trip. It's especially valuable for long drives (4+ hours) where finding quality kid stops becomes challenging. The app finds stops at your chosen intervals across the entire route, whether you're driving 2 hours or 20 hours. Many families use it for cross-country trips to Disney, grandparents' houses, and vacation destinations.

Yes. SmartStops is a planning app, not a navigation app. You plan your route and stops in SmartStops, then tap any stop to open directions in Apple Maps or Google Maps. This intentional design means you get SmartStops' family-focused planning with the real-time navigation of your preferred maps app.

SmartStops is specifically designed to solve this problem. Unlike other apps that show gas stations OR playgrounds separately, SmartStops finds parks first, then shows you all nearby gas stations, restaurants, and coffee shops within walking distance. This means every fuel stop can double as a play break for kids. Our database covers 197,000+ parks across America with nearby amenity data.

SmartStops can find kid-friendly stops along any interstate, including I-95. Enter your origin and destination, and the app identifies cities along I-95 with quality parks and playgrounds at your preferred intervals. Each stop shows playground amenities, nearby restrooms, and places to grab food—everything toddler parents need. Check our route guides for pre-planned I-95 family trip suggestions.

For 3-year-olds, stopping every 1.5 to 2 hours is ideal. At this age, children have limited patience for sitting still and need regular opportunities to move, use the bathroom, and burn energy. SmartStops lets you set custom stop intervals starting at 1.5 hours, and automatically finds playgrounds at each stop so your 3-year-old can run around before the next leg of driving.

Most truck stops don't have dedicated playgrounds, which is exactly the problem SmartStops solves. Instead of hoping a truck stop has kid-friendly amenities, SmartStops finds actual parks and playgrounds along your route, then shows you nearby gas stations, food, and restrooms. This approach guarantees quality play time for kids rather than relying on hit-or-miss truck stop facilities.

Wanderlog is a general trip planning app for organizing itineraries, hotels, and attractions. SmartStops is specifically designed for road trip stops with kids—it automatically finds playgrounds at timed intervals and groups family amenities together. If you need to plan where to stay and what attractions to visit, use Wanderlog. If you need to plan where to stop during the drive to keep kids happy, use SmartStops.

Traveling with both a baby and toddler requires frequent stops—we recommend every 1.5-2 hours. SmartStops helps by finding stops where you can feed the baby, change diapers, AND let your toddler burn energy at a playground simultaneously. Set your stop interval to 1.5 hours, and SmartStops will find parks with nearby restrooms and amenities along your entire route.

Yes, on paid plans SmartStops provides park scoring and ratings that include amenity information. Our database of 197,000+ parks includes verified amenity data for approximately 118,000 parks (60%), covering features like playground equipment, restrooms, shade structures, and picnic areas. This helps you choose the best stops for your family's specific needs.

Yes. For each stop SmartStops suggests, you'll see nearby restaurants, fast food options, and coffee shops. This lets you combine playground time with a meal break—kids play while you grab food, or everyone eats together after burning off energy. The app shows what's within walking distance of each park so you can plan efficient multi-purpose stops.

SmartStops uses real, verified location data—not AI-generated suggestions that may be outdated or completely fictional. Our database of 197,000+ parks comes from authoritative sources and is regularly updated. AI chatbots often hallucinate parks that don't exist or recommend closed locations. SmartStops shows you real places with accurate amenity information you can trust.

SmartStops is designed for families with children ages 0-12, though it's especially valuable for parents of toddlers and young children (ages 1-7) who need regular activity breaks. The app's 2-hour default stop interval is based on child development research about attention spans and physical activity needs. Parents of older kids can extend intervals up to 5 hours.

Yes. SmartStops allows you to save your planned routes so you can access them again for future trips. This is especially useful for families who regularly drive the same routes—like visiting grandparents or taking annual vacation trips. Your saved routes remember all your selected stops so you don't have to re-plan each time.

SmartStops requires an internet connection to search for routes and find stops, as it queries our database of 197,000+ parks in real-time. However, once you've planned your route and opened stops in Google Maps or Apple Maps, you can use those navigation apps' offline features for the actual driving directions.

The key to long road trips with kids is strategic stopping—not just when you need gas, but when kids need to move. SmartStops automatically plans 4-5 playground stops for a 10-hour drive, spaced at optimal intervals. Each stop lets kids run, climb, and burn energy, making them calmer and happier for the next driving segment. Combine play stops with snacks, meals, and bathroom breaks for efficient multi-purpose stops.

SmartStops was created by J & L, parents who experienced firsthand the challenges of road trips with young children. L is a software engineer with over a decade of experience, and J is the mom who ensures the app works for real families. After years of juggling Google Maps, Yelp, and random blog posts to find decent stops, they built the tool they wished existed—designed by parents who actually use it with their own kids.