Help us pick a non-Disney spring break destination!

[GEM]

Hi everyone!

We are looking for somewhere new and different to go this year for spring break. We could leave March 19th after school and would have to be home on March 28th. We want to do something....but we're having trouble coming up with what. We are doing Disney in December and will be there again in May, so we need "non-Disney" ideas! I know there are lots of creative, well traveled people out there. So, any help is apppreciated!

Here are some things that might help you help us:

-We have a six year old son. He's a great traveler. We'd like someplace that will appeal to him, but that we can also enjoy as a family...so not a total "kid oriented" destination.

-We live in central Arkansas. We would be fine flying somewhere and renting a car if need be, but we also don't mind road trips! In fact, we like them. For the particular amount of time we have for this trip, we would be willing to drive as far as 15 hours or so. Anything farther and we'd probably fly.

-We like all different kinds of travel and vacations....beaches, cities with interesting museums and activities, National Parks, historical stuff, cultural stuff....We're open to almost anything. Ideally, someplace that offers a little bit of relaxation and a little bit of excitement....kind of a balance. We don't want someplace that's a total tourist trap, though. For instance, Branson is NOT our cup of tea. Don't get me wrong....we love tacky souvenir shops and mini-golf, but we do lots of that in Orlando and we're looking for something different this time. No theme parks! (And we aren't interested in ski trips...see note below!) And, we really aren't "cruise" people. We've tried that, and it was ok...but not my favorite vacation. We have done Colonial Williamsburg and LOVED that, but we aren't ready to go back there yet. So....we're lost. We've also been considering Mexico or the Bahamas...but we don't want to be in the middle of the spring break throngs. Any suggestions for places in either of those destinations that are a little more "off the beaten path"?

-We don't want to go somewhere it's going to be really cold. We'd like somewhere that's likely to have nice-ish weather the last week in March. It doesn't have to be really, really warm or anything...but we don't want to freeze. (In fact, we had been seriously considering NYC, but we're uncertain about the weather that time of year. If it's cold and nasty....it doesn't sound so appealing. We've been to New York many, many times before our son was born, but it's always been in really late spring or early summer.)

-We don't want someplace that's going to be swarming with college-age spring breakers.

-We are on a budget...but not an extreme budget.


So....we'd love to hear your thoughts! Savannah is one idea we've been kicking around. We could drive there. They have beaches, but also some interesting looking museums, history, etc. Any thoughts about that area? Not sure if there's enough to do there to fill up a week.

Thanks in advance to anyone actually dedicated to read all this and respond!
-

[LukenDC]

If you are open to an international trip, I suggest Belize. It is an English speaking country and easily accessible from the US. It has beaches, resorts, and jungles plus the highest concentration of Mayan archeological sites of any country in Central/North America. Perfect destination for a relaxing vacation spiced with some adventure. When I was there in 2008 I saw many traveling families with young children.

[Darcy03231]

We live in Southern NH and our families favorite spring break destination is a cruise! Lots to see/do for the whole family. There are some really amazing cruise deals out there right now.

[momof1princess]

i'm with you, OP! we've been considering washington dc during late march, but temperatures are in the 50's usually, and that's a bit too nippy for me to be wandering the city checking out monuments and museums.

[Minnie824]

I know its still florida, but what about Naples or Marco Island? We've done both, and plenty for the kids to do, as well as great beaches.

[luvmarypoppins]

We have done San Antonio around that time frame, I know you said no theme parks and don't really know if Fiesta Texas or Sea World would be open then, but they have the Alamo, Riverwalk, you could walk it or take a cruise, El Mercado, Mission tour, a cave we took our 3 ds to, also there is the San Antonio Zoo, Breckenridge Park etc. Lots to do and pretty nice weather.

[GEM]

Hmmm.....some good ideas. Thanks, everyone! You've given me some new places to research!

Up until this point, the front-runner idea has been Savannah/Hilton Head....maybe a few days each place. Anybody have thoughts about that?

[eliza61]

How about New York?

Tons of stuff for the kiddies and the adults and because it's still considered winter you can get so fabulous deals on hotels. Getting around NYC doesn't require a car, in fact I advise not to drive and if you want there is lots of stuff to visit in the surrounding area.

[ead79]

Originally Posted by GEM

Hmmm.....some good ideas. Thanks, everyone! You've given me some new places to research!

Up until this point, the front-runner idea has been Savannah/Hilton Head....maybe a few days each place. Anybody have thoughts about that?

I'm embarrassed to admit that despite having lived in GA my entire life, I've never been to Savannah. However, I have been to Hilton Head several times and really enjoyed it.

Disney Vacation Club actually owns a resort in Hilton Head, and it's really great. If you travel during the off season, you can get some really affordable rates there for very spacious villas. Do be aware that it isn't on the beach, but Disney does also own beachfront property where they have built a large beach house for guests to use.