When Andy calls me from work, it usually means one of two things.
I’m looking at our Dish bill, and who ordered an Adam Sandler movie on pay per view four days in a row?
Did you pay that one bill that was due and super important to pay or everyone would die blah *snooorrrrreeeee*… (I’m paraphrasing, the real life statement is way more boring than that.)
But when he called me yesterday, and I answered sounding all breathless so he thinks I was just doing something super manual, like vacuuming or milking a cow, it was to tell me he had accumulated 23 vacation days left to use this year, and he had to turn in the dates by Monday.
Ok great, except um…what?
We love traveling with our kids, and as they get older, it becomes way easier and less suicidal.
But where do we go? It be great if it would be drivable, OBVIOUSLY, because it’s hard to travel with kids while I’m partially high and mostly unconscious.
So, aside from Disney, which we are doing in the fall…because we’re experts as masochism, where is your favorite place to vacation with your family within the continental US?
Hershey Pennsylvania. Great theme park, and the whole town smells like cocoa.
I was going to put some of my favorite places in the mid west but saw Lisa’s suggestion and all I could think of “cool, how to talk the BF into that for our vacation”
If you are up for an excusion, I highly recommend the Oregon Coast. Start in Portland and then drive to Astoria (where Goonies was filmed!) then crawl down the coast towards California (but no need to go any farther than Florence in my opinion). It’s beautiful in the Summer and there is a ton of shit for kids to do, especially in Seaside. you can make camping reservations or stay in area motel/hotels, or both. Book in advance.
I was going to say the same thing. I live in Seattle and we go down every year to the Oregon coast. Its just beautiful. And if you’re looking for an apathetic city where everyone is high/drunk on something…Seattle is the place to be!
Agreed.
I was gonna say Europe (I’m living in Germany)m but then I read the line about continental US. Oh well.
Then I got a better idea. Leave Andy at home with the kids, make him do all the things that you’re usually in charge of, and go somewhere (far enough) away, like a luxus spa fun holiday trip. =))
Toronto is one of my favorite cities but don’t forget all of you would need a passport (kids included). I didn’t read all the comments so not sure if that was mentioned before.
Since you are in Ohio, how about Traverse City Michigan. I know a reasonable, nice hotel that has it’s own little beach which is perfect for kids. The hotel is also with in walking distance of the very quaint main drag full of places to eat and shop. If I recall there is a park also just down the road along the water. A catamaran also docks at the hotel for rides. There is a light house you can go visit.
I’m not sure where you are in Ohio but we are in central Ohio and it was only a six hour drive and a real easy drive. Plus it’s cherry season right now…..yum. The hotel was the Holiday Inn on West Grand Traverse Bay. Older hotel, great staff, perfect locale and clean.
If you’re looking at going to the beach, Hilton Head Island is a favorite.
Door County, Wisconsin
I traveled your great country when I was 19, and my favorite places were The Painted Desert, Mammoth Caves, Yellowstone Park, and the Grand Canyon. Happy traveling!
Hawaii! and then as Karen mentioned above those are some amazing sights to see.
Boston is lovely, and bizarrely quiet (but I lived in NYC); Tybee Island next to Savannah, GA are our two favourite cities in the US of A; however, Surfside, SC is tiny, small, quiet, not-too-expensive, EXTREMELY close to one of the best strips of local seafare you can possibly eat (Murrells Inlet) and not anywhere near as snobby as it’s neighbour Hilton Head, family beach vacations ever; Richmond, VA is also super family-friendly and there’s tons of mountain/Stars Hollow-esque things to do too.
-K
South Bass Island? You get to take a ferry boat, and camp on an island! Super fun.
Outer Banks, NC, best place to vacation – there’s the beach, sand dunes to climb at Jockey’s Ridge State Park, the Wright Brothers Memorial, the beach, Roanoke Island, the Lost Colony, the beach; oh, and miles and miles of beautiful beaches.
We had an AWESOME vacation in Pittsburgh last summer. There is an awesome kids museum, good food, the double decker bus tour was great, we saw a baseball game and rode the weird thing up the side of the mountain. Kids & adults were all happy. Hershey is also a good time and w 23 days you could do both. Minneapolis is also pretty neat provided the gov reopens there before you vacation.
I am completely biased, because I live a dozen miles away, but D.C. is simply an incredible place to hang with the kiddies. The Smithsonian is FREE every day (including the National Zoo). And my boys are still absolutely in awe of the monuments every time we go.
I was going to suggest the same thing! When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do was go into the city and tour the museums. Hell, it’s still one of my favorite things to do. And I bet Gigi would love the butterfly house in the Natural History Museum. Plus there are all the smaller museums – the Spy Museum etc. And you could drive up to Baltimore for a day and go to the Inner Harbor. The aquarium isn’t cheap, but it’s so much fun.
This is definitely a Sept/Oct trip though. Too hot for all the walking right now.
Yellowstone National Park! It’s beautiful, there are Animals, and you can stay in anything from a tent to a five star hotel in the surrounding towns. West Yellowstone Montana has some good hotels and such that aren’t as expensive as staying in the park, but it’s right there at the entrance. You have control over what you see and do, because the majority of the park you drive through yourself. There are tours with guides and maps to do it yourself. It’s awesome.
You live close to Michigan, so I would suggest Grand Haven, MI or anything on the west side of the state. My sister has three boys under 10, and water and sand seems to be something endlessly entertaining to them. There are also lots of places to explore outdoors, and it’s usually pretty ideal as far as temperature is concerned. It’s also cheaper to stay in Grand Haven or Benton Harbor than staying further north in Traverse City or Petoskey.
Kennywood and Idlewild park in PA. Its so much fun and the kids will have tons of fun. It takes us about 2 hours to get there but you’re further west in Ohio than I am so I’m guessing 4ish hours for you guys (I’m using toledo as a guide, I don’t know where anything west of huron county is) also Giant Eagle as coupons!
Maybe it’s because my kids are 13 and 17. Maybe it is because they can’t go 4 seconds without fighting or making a total mess. Or maybe it’s because I am a reallllly boring homebody but I love to ship my family out and just spend the time alone in my house basking in the silence!! Do you need a break? Maybe Andy can stay home with the kids while you treat yourself to a mani, pedi, massage….
I love NYC but I know you have probably had your fill! Niagra Falls is nice too.
Crap…you did say “drivable.” Sorry…I had a brain fart. I live in NY so my ideas are drivable for me. My bad.
Chicago – Definitely driveable. Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum. Navy Pier!
DC – A little longer (OK, a LOT longer) drive, but like someone said up above, almost every attraction is free! I’ve taken my son twice. We’ve had a blast each time.
Northern Michigan – I don’t know if you’ve ever been, but it’s gorgeous up there. Growing up in Toledo, my parents and I went up to Traverse City many times. Mackinac Island and the UP are really fun, too.
I love Ludington State Park in Michigan. The campgrounds are amazing. There are paved bike paths, clean and beautiful lake Michigan beaches within walking/biking distance, a smaller inland lake that have a wonderful warm sandy beach. The inland lake has close bathrooms and is shallow and clear. There is a nature center, a Lighthouse, playgrounds, a clear and slow moving lazy river you can float out into the big lake to. There’s fishing and a dam. It’s beautiful! (and the bathrooms are clean and well lit) Ludington is a mere 45 minutes from Muskegon and Michigan’s Adventure. Michigan’s Adventure is smallish and great for families with small children. You can do the whole thing in a day. The water park is included in the entrance fee to the park.
Take a map of the US. Divide it in half lengthwise, then in in thirds by height. Pick one of the 6 squares and do a loop. It’s a lot of fun and covers a lot of ground with shortish drives between destinations. For example, you could go to the upper midwest: Visit Shedds Aquarium in Chicago, maybe see the Blue Man group; Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota; the Soudan underground mine in northern Minnesota and the Mall of America in Minneapolis; a cheese factory in Wisconsin, etc. We usually do 5 or 6 states in 9 or 10 days. Mix up rural and urban activities, visit national parks, museums, zoos, historic houses… all that touristy stuff. Make sure you put in a day for Mom at a nicer hotel with room service, a spa, that kind of thing. :)
If you like the outdoors/camping/hiking, I would recommend many of the national parks: Zion, Mesa Verde, Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon (my fave!), Arcadia, etc. There are some gorgeous places out there. I wish I had 23 days to go see them! :)
We love Myrtle Beach. If you don’t want to go that far, you might think about either Gatlinburg, TN or NC (Blue Ridge or Smokey Mtns.). I have a BIL that lives in the northwest part of NC and there are tons of things to do around there….Blowing Rock, Grandfather Mountain (with a small zoo), an area where you can mine for gems (the boys would probably like that), waterfalls, etc. And it’s beautiful there. We live in Columbus and it’s about an 8 hour drive from here.
I second ideas of Michigan. It’s beautiful and there are many choices, all within easy driving distance. To add to what the others have mentioned, you could check out Frankenmuth, MI and do a Christmas in July vacation! Holland, MI is also a possibility. With your affinity for dutch sounding words you might like it there. :)
I would suggest Williamsburg, VA but the kids may be a bit too young to appreciate that yet.
I’ve always wanted to visit Chicago and my husband and I are talking about going there for St. Patrick’s Day sometime in the next couple of years. If you go there, post pics please! :)
My family and I really enjoy Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. I know what you’re thinking about Branson……old men and country music. I can assure you that, while there is some of that, Branson is a PERFECT family destination! There is so much to see and so much to do in the city….but my all time favorite is Silver Dollar City. So much so I have been going since I was a baby. Aside from that there is the Hollywood Wax Museum, Dixie Stampede, Titanic Museum, Butterfly Palace, Shepherd of the Hills, all the mini golf one person can stand, Ride the Ducks, go-karts, bumper boats, White Water, shows, etc, etc, etc!!
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. The kids will love it!
MN State Parks! Oh nevermind, they are all closed because of the stupid Government Shut Down.
I am partial to Cape Cod and Maine for summer vacation spots.
Wisconsin Dells?
There is a Lego Land Discovery Center in Chicago…the Choo Choo Barn and Trains in Strasburg PA…you can get a place in Myrtle Beach a sip drinks with silly straws….your kids are still young so I won’t even suggest anything involving history.
Come to Canada – it would be SO fun – I would make you lychee martinis!!
Blue Moon is brewed in Montreal QC (it’s Rickard’s White in Canada)… decision made!