Best family vaca AFTER Disney?

[jtopp]

Is there another vacation destination other then Disney? DW complains that I only want to go there. I counter with the facts: she enjoys it, the kids enjoy it, there is always something to do, how bored would she be if we went somewhere without the variety of options we have there. When we have gone elsewhere, everyone compared and complained it wasn't Disney. So that's where we go

 

[Mousemommy1]

We like to go to an AI every-other-year to relax. We've gone to Beaches in Negril twice. Our girls LOVE it, and so do we It's hands down th ebest beach we've ever been to.

We had priced out trips to Beaches Turks and Caicos so many times when we were a family of four. I have since priced it out as a family of five and the price is so much more!! I wonder if Negril is cheaper. I'll have to look into that!!

 

[North of Mouse]

Disney is fast fading for us after many years going there because of the continual price hikes and changes - mostly for the worse in our opinion.

We love going to the Smoky Mountains TN/NC, and Acadia National Park on the Atlantic Ocean in Maine - starting to be our favorites.

 

[5stljayhawks]

BWT - would like to have a little more info on the fam to guide, as well as length of trip and where you are located at.

But from a fam of 5 with a travel dog that makes six...

Best historic trip Gettysburgs and DC area.
Get an official tour guide from National park service. If you can do over 4th of july, you can walk the battles the day it happened some 152/153 years ago. we did 150th anv and it was so cool. Also the reenactment outside of town is worth the time, effort and money. If camping Artillery campground in gettysburg.

Just hanging, living and being an american.
Gulf shores AL, 4th of July. Catch the Blue Angles in Pensacola FL. Great beaches, kid friendly, lots of things to do, houses to rent, places to camp..... You can make it as much go go go or laid back as you want. A must stop is the Hang Out. Also I recommend ordering food/dinner from the bar and finding place to sit and eat at most local places. Beat long wait for table in summer. They also have some big festivals/weekends.

Yellowstone/Tetons & the surrounding WY/MT.
There are three places to stage for this inside yellowstone. Then west yellowstone and Cody, WY. I would HIGHLY recommend Cody, not only that my inlaws are from there, they also have one of the best small town 4th of july padres and weeks in all of the USA. There is a summer long rodeo, which is a must do, the museum that has a the Remington gun collection that is out of this world. And a small town just SW called mettessee. I would try to get into the Irma hotel so you are right in the action of the 3pm gun fight on main street. There are also some dinsour activities down the road towards the middle of the state. You can also go the other direction and trip over to Glacier MT. The skiing is also pretty good as well. Red lodge, bridger bowl and big sky(if you have the $$$$)

SW Missouri during the fall. This includes fall foliage along hgwy 44 Ozarks , branson, silver dollar city(amusement park) as well as fishing. Lake Tanneycomo/bull shouls. Captain Steve Dickey(?) took the wife here and after 3 hours we caught so many fish our shoulder hurt. You may even be able to reach STL for playoff baseball game or hockey game.

Seattle/Vancouver
Best done in summer, but also could include alaska trip either by water/plane or car. Buchart Gardens Vancouver BC, Baniff and seattle/Western WA has tons of stuff. including rain forest, deserts, mountains, oceans and fault lines.

PM me with any questions

Oh Yah.... How could I forget. Memphis and Graceland!!!!!! Unnnn Hunnnnnnn. Its a once in lifetime experience!!!

 

[100AcreWood]

Great suggestions so far. A Disney cruise may be a great compromise. Also, if you haven't DC it's definitely a full vacation. There is so much to do!

 

[Minnesota!]

We loved San Diego...a lot to do, and it can be as isolated or city-loving as you want.

 

[BLAZEY]

BWT - would like to have a little more info on the fam to guide, as well as length of trip and where you are located at.

But from a fam of 5 with a travel dog that makes six...

Best historic trip Gettysburgs and DC area.
Get an official tour guide from National park service. If you can do over 4th of july, you can walk the battles the day it happened some 152/153 years ago. we did 150th anv and it was so cool. Also the reenactment outside of town is worth the time, effort and money. If camping Artillery campground in gettysburg.

Just hanging, living and being an american.
Gulf shores AL, 4th of July. Catch the Blue Angles in Pensacola FL. Great beaches, kid friendly, lots of things to do, houses to rent, places to camp..... You can make it as much go go go or laid back as you want. A must stop is the Hang Out. Also I recommend ordering food/dinner from the bar and finding place to sit and eat at most local places. Beat long wait for table in summer. They also have some big festivals/weekends.

Yellowstone/Tetons & the surrounding WY/MT.
There are three places to stage for this inside yellowstone. Then west yellowstone and Cody, WY. I would HIGHLY recommend Cody, not only that my inlaws are from there, they also have one of the best small town 4th of july padres and weeks in all of the USA. There is a summer long rodeo, which is a must do, the museum that has a the Remington gun collection that is out of this world. And a small town just SW called mettessee. I would try to get into the Irma hotel so you are right in the action of the 3pm gun fight on main street. There are also some dinsour activities down the road towards the middle of the state. You can also go the other direction and trip over to Glacier MT. The skiing is also pretty good as well. Red lodge, bridger bowl and big sky(if you have the $$$$)

SW Missouri during the fall. This includes fall foliage along hgwy 44 Ozarks , branson, silver dollar city(amusement park) as well as fishing. Lake Tanneycomo/bull shouls. Captain Steve Dickey(?) took the wife here and after 3 hours we caught so many fish our shoulder hurt. You may even be able to reach STL for playoff baseball game or hockey game.

Seattle/Vancouver
Best done in summer, but also could include alaska trip either by water/plane or car. Buchart Gardens Vancouver BC, Baniff and seattle/Western WA has tons of stuff. including rain forest, deserts, mountains, oceans and fault lines.

PM me with any questions

Oh Yah.... How could I forget. Memphis and Graceland!!!!!! Unnnn Hunnnnnnn. Its a once in lifetime experience!!!

Buchart Gardens are in Victoria BC, on Vancouver Island, you need to take the ferry boat from Tsawwessen BC, to Swartz Bay BC to get there. You are right they are beautiful. They also supplied the plants and seeds for the Garden at the Canadian pavillion in the World Showcase at Epcot!

 

[MomTo3PrincessesInNJ]

We had priced out trips to Beaches Turks and Caicos so many times when we were a family of four. I have since priced it out as a family of five and the price is so much more!! I wonder if Negril is cheaper. I'll have to look into that!!

Negril was MUCH cheaper, both for lodging AND the flights, which were a big chunk of the cost since we're also a family of 5. Beaches has rooms that sleep 5 that aren't suites, which I appreciate. It's hard for us to find an AI that will let us all stay in 1 room. All we do is sleep there, I don't need 2 rooms!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Negril was MUCH cheaper, both for lodging AND the flights, which were a big chunk of the cost since we're also a family of 5. Beaches has rooms that sleep 5 that aren't suites, which I appreciate. It's hard for us to find an AI that will let us all stay in 1 room. All we do is sleep there, I don't need 2 rooms!

I will have to check into that again! When I priced out Turks and Caicos, all it was bringing up was Suites.