Lake Garda/Northern Italy - Family Suggestions

I don't know if it's worth the trek from Desenzano but Malcesine has a cable car to the top of the Mount Baldo which might be an interesting adventure. A ferry would probably be the most interesting way to get there but that might make a long day. The drive is probably 1.25 hours plus June lake traffic.

I quite enjoyed Brescia as a day trip, but most of the interests are kind of adult - remarkable Roman ruins extending into the museum and an interesting series of connected grand piazzas. But there is a large castle on top of the hill that the kids might enjoy.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

You will be very close to the beautiful province of Trentino- lots of lovely little towns to visit across the Dolemites, and I particularly love Val di Non and Val di Sole. Rovereto and Trento are also nice towns to visit and if you are up for driving all the way up to Bolzano (about two hours) you can visit the ice man, Otzi (a mummy who lived in 3,000 BC who was preserved in the ice).

I know you’re not staying in Verona, but since you will be close by, this list of day trips from Verona might give you some ideas.

https://rossiwrites.com/italy/verona/day-trips-from-verona-italy/

I'd spend a lot of time visiting the other towns on the Lake via steamer - there are regular services between all the towns on the lake.
It's also quite fun to drive all the way round the lake - the tunnels feature is a couple of James Bond films and the mountainous scenery in the north of the lake is wonderful. You can also take the car ferry from Dezenzano to Riva in the north and drive back. (I like boats!)
Gardone and Salo have a lot of associations with the third republic, if you're into history.

Prösels Castle is not far from Castelrotto and would be a fun family stop. It offers magnificent views of the Alpe di Siusi region. You can tie in visit with a hike on the Oachner Höfeweg, which is an ancient farm trail running through the foothills of the Dolomites: https://throneandvine.com/vols-am-schlern-hiking/. A wonderful place to eat along the trail is Fronthof. It is the oldest farmhouse still standing in South Tyrol. Have a wonderful time in Italy with your family!