Need vacation ideas it's our off year

[needtoplan]

Ok, so we go to WDW- every other year. It's our off year, looking for family vacation ideas ( not the beach- we will do a mini vacation there) Looking To spend no more than about $3200 ( that's roughly our weekly Disney budget). Background- live near RDU NC, it would be me, DH, DS11, DD6- I've been checking out NYC or Las Vegas/ Grand Canyon everything seems so outrageous. Makes me think Disney prices are not so bad. Any ideas folks??

 

[barkley]

we got allot of bang for our buck traveling to canada last year-the exchange rate is def. in our favor. did some great zip lining and cave exploring. vegas just does'nt hold much appeal to me and while i know they've marketed it as a family destination for years i still don't see the appeal for kids.

 

[kymom99]

National parks are actually reasonable. You can buy an annual pass for $80 and get your whole family in unlimited times. We stayed inside the Grand Canyon for less than $200 a night but you probably won’t find anything available for this year. You have to reserve pretty far out. There is a town right outside though where you would find availability. Flights into Vegas are reasonable. Hotels are not.

 

[MillauFr]

Hotels midweek in Las Vegas are very cheap. You can stay at fancy hotel for less that $100 per night. If you play My Vegas on Facebook you can get free rooms.

 

[katmatry]

Pigeon forge,Tennesse
Rent a cabin close to Dollywood.
Explore the Smokey mountain's.

 

[OhMari]

Wisconsin Dells, they have at least two huge water parks and almost every resort have water parks. My sons friend has zip lining, rock climbing, kayaking.

 

[Southernmiss]

We are going to St. Louis, Mo. this year. Renting a KOA cabin. Looks like plenty to keep our group of between 6 and 8 of us ages 17 and older busy.

 

[disny_luvr]

We are going to St. Louis this summer, too. I’ve been reading up on St. Louis and there seems to be plenty to do there. That maybe an option for your family.

 

[PracticallyPerfectLOL]

We are going to St. Louis, Mo. this year. Renting a KOA cabin. Looks like plenty to keep our group of between 6 and 8 of us ages 17 and older busy.

Check out City Museum. It is my favorite place outside of Disney.

 

[hsmamato2]

We are going to St. Louis, Mo. this year. Renting a KOA cabin. Looks like plenty to keep our group of between 6 and 8 of us ages 17 and older busy.

what activities? I go thru STL yearly ....looking for ideas

 

[hsmamato2]

Check out City Museum. It is my favorite place outside of Disney.

yeah I love it there too my kids said it was better than disney !!!

 

[Darcy03231]

San Diego or Toronto. We've done both inexpensively by renting a house/condo on VRBO and getting a City Pass. We were able to drive to Toronto which helped to cut the costs. For San Diego we flew, but went Tuesday to Tuesday as it was a lot less expensive to fly during the week than on the weekends.

 

[Andrea1975]

We're doing the Finger Lakes in NY this summer for our non-beach vacation. Renting an air bnb outside Ithaca for a few days to go hiking/swimming. We'll do a glassblowing project at the Corning Museum. A day in Rochester at the Play Museum (my kids are younger than yours) and then to Niagara Falls.

 

[PracticallyPerfectLOL]

San Diego or Toronto. We've done both inexpensively by renting a house/condo on VRBO and getting a City Pass. We were able to drive to Toronto which helped to cut the costs. For San Diego we flew, but went Tuesday to Tuesday as it was a lot less expensive to fly during the week than on the weekends.

San Diego is such a fun city. I only had 4 days there and it is definitely on my list to go back.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Ok, so we go to WDW- every other year. It's our off year, looking for family vacation ideas ( not the beach- we will do a mini vacation there) Looking To spend no more than about $3200 ( that's roughly our weekly Disney budget). Background- live near RDU NC, it would be me, DH, DS11, DD6- I've been checking out NYC or Las Vegas/ Grand Canyon everything seems so outrageous. Makes me think Disney prices are not so bad. Any ideas folks??

To get the best "bang for your buck", you'll want to drive, just like you do to Disney. And you'll probably want a 1 day trip...so that leaves the best 3 places in my mind (in no order) of Williamsburg VA (if you like theme park meets old history), Washington, DC (if you like history and culture with a city vibe), and Pigeon Forge TN (if you like nature meets amusement park meets tourist trap activities).

At any of these places, you should be able to get a hotel cost for a week for a family of 4 for under $200/night, you can count travel costs/meals/tolls/gas for another $100, and have $1700 left to plan for activities/meals/parking (or metro) - and that money will go far in each of those places, but it will require being selective.

I'll be in Williamsburg in the summer for 6 nights - I got season passes for 6 for $420 on Black Friday for both parks - right now, you can get them for both parks for $90/each + tax or about $100. Add a week of parking for $45. So, you're at $445 for the 2 parks. There is also Yorktown/Jamestown/Colonial Williamsburg - these can be toured in all different ways at all different costs. Only you would know what you want. I've bought a CW night ghost tour for $42 for my family of 6 (thanks Groupon deal + Groupon select), since we've done CW before, and my kids want a different take on history. So, I'm gonna spend more time and money at the other 2 sites (which we haven't seen yet), although I have a 4th grader, so with the National Parks pass, I'm expecting some cheaper stuff there. And the area also has some tourist trappy things, some outlet shopping things, and VA Beach for a day trip in "easy possibilities".

So, as you can see, that area can easily be a $3K vacation for you...but you have to decide if you'd be happy enough there...

 

[Eeyore daily]

My family went on vacations twice to Las Vegas and as a kid it’s not very fun. However I second the Washington D.C idea. There’s so much you can do for free it’s amazing and the food is so good. We stayed next to the National Archives and the Air and Space museum for only $140 a night which is pretty great in my opinion. The public transportation is so cheap too.

 

[Kae]

Pigeon forge,Tennesse
Rent a cabin close to Dollywood.
Explore the Smokey mountain's.

I agree so much fun, lots of fun stuff and the beauty of the mountains and the National Parks. The Aquarium is awesome.

I have to say that I'm not a kids in Vegas Person at all.

 

[SaintsManiac]

LOVE Gatlinburg area. My kid loves caves and they have them! Smoky Mountains are gorgeous.

We'll be doing D.C. next year. With so many free things to do it's a good "budget" trip.

 

[pebblesjns]

We have enjoyed San Diego, Washington DC, Williamsburg, Gatlinburg, and last year did a 12 day roadtrip to North and South Dakota. All but maybe San Diego were well under your price for our family of 5 (2 adults, 3 kids). They also all had things which both the adults and kids have enjoyed. We aren't beach people, so we like to go somewhere we can be active and do things on vacation. We are doing Disney this year, but were also planning a road trip to Niagara Falls and up through Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine for this year. My husband switched jobs and doesn't have the vacation time for both trips, so Maine will wait until next year. If you are willing to drive, there are a lot of options. Flying a family of 4 limits your options as it eats up a decent portion of your budget.

 

[katyjeka]

We've been to St. Louis twice and we love it. The ride to the top of the Arch is so much fun.Fitz 's is my families favorite place to eat. The zoo and museum are some of the best in the U S A. My other suggestion is White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns. Inexpensive and to this day our kids favorite vacation.