from WI-looking for vacation ideas

[pixxi]

We are from WI and are venturing away from DW this year. We have 4 kids so 6 of us to plan for. I was thinking maybe ocean stay (relax on beach, light house, collecting shells) but where?

Maybe planation house and civil war sites vacation but what route? I just have no idea where to start for what I am exactly look for! Any of you have any suggestions on where to start looking? Kids are 4,8,12,15.

I even though maybe renting an RV might save some money for hotels and food, if we were not staying in one spot.

I'm googleing all kinds of site but too many people want our business! ha ha

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We're fans of the Holiday Inn Panama City Beach, and they recently added bunk bed rooms that will hold 4 kids, with Mom & Dad in a queen IIRC. There's a boat you can take to shell island, but we found plenty on the beach out front too. The accommodations are not cheap for what they are, but there are a lot of activities on site and great food options nearby. We usually park the car for several days and just don't leave

The best shell destination "from what I hear" is Sanibel Island, but I've never been.

 

[MarthaJr.]

Fellow Wisconsinite here--hello! Just wondering what time of year you want to travel as that may help people to make recommendations. If you're looking to get away during spring break in WI, you will pay a lot of money no matter where you go if you're looking for warm weather. For what it's worth, I looked into renting an RV one year and found it to be just as costly as driving our van and getting hotels due to the poor gas mileage those things get.

My kids loved the Florida beaches and were kept pretty busy with beach activities. However, once they hit the teenage years it got to be more difficult to keep them happy. They like to be going, going, going---like Disney. Therefore, I would recommend a resort with planned activities for all ages. If you choose to go to either Cocoa Beach area (ocean side) or Clearwater area (gulf side) in Florida you are still within 90 min. of Disney. So perhaps to break up the trip you do a day trip to WDW or start or finish your trip at WDW. We've done this many times. Or you could try Busch Gardens in Tampa if you stay near Clearwater. We've stayed in Ft. Myers Beach and took day trips to Sanibel for shelling and that was nice, but very quiet. Not much activity for the teens aside from shelling.

We rented a house with extended family in Door County about 10 years ago through VRBO one year. The house was a short walk down to the beach in Whitefish Dunes State Park. All the kids still talk about that trip as their favorite time together!

Personally, I'd like to do a big family trip to a national park in California in the early summer. But my kids are 26 and almost 20 now...so I doubt that will happen. lol! However, when they were home at Christmas both had said they wished we were at Disney for Christmas and asked if we could go there this summer. Go figure!

Have fun planning! It's my favorite thing to do during January & February in Wisconsin!

 

[McKelly]

We rented a condo in Williamsburg two summers ago. Made the drive in one day, but it was a long day.

Anyway, lots to do in the area. Lots of activities your kids would enjoy at CW. There is also Jamestown, Yorktown, Busch Gardens, Water Country.

We also went to Virginia Beach for the day and we visited Norfolk where we toured the Navy Museum (Nauticus) and toured the USS Wisconsin, which is included in the admission to the museum. Then we took a boat tour to see all the Navy ships and submarines and the container barges, which I found interesting. I guess I knew they shipped things overseas, but I never gave a thought about how they did it!

There is plenty to do in the area and because it's such a big tourist area, you should be able to find condos for pretty cheap. We stayed at Kingsgate? Kings Creek?, something like that. There were lots of activities right at the condo complex as well - pools, mini-golf, crafts, movies, etc.

There was a seven day pass that included CW, WC, BG, Yorktown and Jamestown to save some money.

 

[kacaju]

Would you be driving? I know you said a possible RV..how long will you be gone for? What other places have you kids been too? Have you asked the older kids where they may like to go?

 

[hollypoast]

Hello neighbor! (I'm also in Wisconsin.) For spring break we are flying to Phoenix and renting an RV and driving up to Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon then back down through Sedona.

Not sure where is WI you are but there is a direct flight on South West from Milwaukee to Phoenix.

Whatever you decide I hope you have a great time!

 

[1000HappyWishes]

We take weekend trips to Chicago often. A lot to do there. The Dells are also a ton of fun and closeby. As for vacations, I love Washington, D.C. I also really like hot and dry climates, so Phoenix is a fun spot to go to as well.