Need vacation ideas

[NCDisneyMom]

My dh is getting tired of going to Disney (blasphemy, I know! ). He finally has 3 weeks of vacation this year, so while we will probably still do a trip to Disney, we want to go somewhere else, as well. But, we can't think of a good place to go, with kids. We are in the Charlotte, NC area, and we will need to drive (we just don't have the $$ for 4 to fly), so no more than 8 or 9 hours away. We have two kids... ds (6), and dd (2). In recent years, we've gone to Myrtle Beach (many times), and Gatlinburg. With family in Ohio, we've been Cincinnati, also (although not really a vacation). We're considering Hilton Head (Disney resort there!), but we're not sold on it. Would like to find something completely non-Disney for dh. Any ideas out there???

 

[clarabelle]

Hmm Lets see.
Charleston SC-
Amelia Island Florida is nice -but pricey
Asheville
Virginia-Monticello
Washington DC

 

[hiwaygal]

Virginia - Williamsburg/Virginia Beach

 

[Cyndirella]

Charleston, SC. There is so much to do! You can go to the beach as well as all of the historical places. Only downside is if you're there in the summer it is HOT!

 

[clh2]

I was going to suggest Washington DC also.


And, as a plug for the Smithsonian, it is an awesome set of musuems with something to interest everyone.

 

[clarabelle]

Williamsburg has a new Great Wolf Lodge

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

We live in piedmont NC as well. Our family has had a couple of nice vacations to Atlanta. We visited there in October -Coke museum, MLK historic site (done very well IMO), Underground Atlanta, zoo (we did not do this one), shopping.

Also, try Asheville, NC. Biltmore house is worth the time and money; easy access to many mountain detsinations ie. Cherokee, Gatlinburg

Either of these could be a shorter vacation or longer depending on time and $ available

 

[clarabelle]

Atlanta Zoo is not such a great zoo. Especially Compared to NC or SC's.
I really want to like Zoo Atlanta -but it is not so hot

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Atlanta Zoo is not such a great zoo. Especially Compared to NC or SC's.
I really want to like Zoo Atlanta -but it is not so hot

ITA We live in the same county as the NC zoo, so we skipped ATL zoo. But it does seem to be an attraction for some visitors.

 

[allshookup]

Have you considered a cruise? Carnival & NCL go right out of Charleston. Of course I would highly recommend a Disney cruise but you did say something non-Disney. We did an NCL cruise out of NY & it was awesome. Haven't heard great things about Carnival though.

 

[allie&mattsmom]

Someone said Amelia Island in a post earlier and I'd have to second that. We love it there but it is on the pricey side. We go to Destin Florida (in the panhandle) every year and it's very nice and not pricey like Amelia. The Destin beaches are beatiful.

 

[Nevergrow'nup]

It may be stretching the drive time but if you are looking to go in the summer, there is Sesame Place, Crayola Factory, or Hershey Park, Dutch Wonderland and the Amish Country. Lots to do and see. We went many times when Our kids were that age. ...Just my 2cents

 

[crazelion]

How about Chattanooga. You could do Ruby Falls, Rock City, IMAX theater, TN Aquium and a minor league baseball game to and Creative Discovery Musuem.

Most of our attractions is right Downtown and easy to get to.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

i would look into cruises--ive always gone on royal caribbean cruises and have seen kids having a ball...

 

[Tiggerlover91]

I just have 3 simple words: STONE MOUNTAIN PARK!

 

[EthansMom]

I second the idea of a cruise. Norwegian Cruise Lines has a 7 day Caribbean cruise that leaves out of Charleston, SC. The children's program would take both kids for a little down time for you and DH.

We are taking our kids on their first cruise (Norwegian Dawn out of NYC) in April. We were able to get a sale price where the kids could stay in our room for only the price of their taxes and fees -- $107 each. for the kids for a 10 night cruise and that includes their food and the children's program.

 

[NCDisneyMom]

THanks for all of the great ideas so far! I guess I forgot about some of the places I've been, because I have family in those areas. Asheville...been there, done that with relatives close by...as well as Cherokee and Gatlinburg. I have lots of family in Atlanta, and dh's brother is probably moving there, so we will probably save that for when they move there and see it all with them when we go to visit. The cruise idea sounds interesting (although I would prefer the Disney cruise! ). I will look into Chatanooga, and the Pennsylvania stuff sounds good, too. I used to live in NJ, and went to school in York, PA, but forgot all that stuff was there (heck, I was a college kid...didn't pay attention to all that "kids" stuff). I'd have to check the drive times for that, though. Please keep the ideas coming...I'm open to any and all suggestions!!!!

 

[NCDisneyMom]

Williamsburg has a new Great Wolf Lodge

I've seen something about this...it looks cool! I haven't been to Williamsburg in YEARS! And, while I know dh and I would really enjoy it, is there enough there to keep the interest of two little kids? What about Busch Gardens? Is it good for little kids, or more like a Six Flags with just a small kiddie area? Again, it's been years, and there were no small kids to think about.

 

[hiwaygal]

Busch Gardens has an area for kids too (can't remember what it's called...I think it's a Dragon theme)...but there are other things to do there too. While they can't ride the "big" rides, BG is simply beautiful anyway...and lots of restaurants and shows.

If you are in Williamsburg, you are about 1.5 hours drive from Virginia Beach...kids always like the beach and the sand...

Aside from Busch Gardens there is Water Country (huge water park) but I've never been there so I don't know much about it.

There are also the historic areas of Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown. There is lots of activity at Jamestown as they prepare for their 400th "anniversary".

You'll find more info here: http://www.visitwilliamsburg.com/

 

[Disney Doll]

Washington DC??? Lots of history there, plus plenty to do.

I would also recommend a driving tour of Florida. You know, go here and stop for 2-3 days and see the sights, move on a couple of hours south and stay for 2-3 days. We did this when I was a kid, and it was a great vacation!!!!

Now, memory may be a bit fuzzy as far as the order based on geography, but I think we started in Daytona Beach, then on to St.Augustine, then down to the Space Coast, then down to Miami, through the Everglades down to Key West, then up to the Port Charlotte/Ft.Meyers area (we had relatives there that we visited), then to Weeki Wachee/Tampa (mermaids and Busch Gardens) then over to Disney, then home. It was a 2 or 3 week trip, driving the whole way, but my Dad figured it out so that the driving days (once we got to Florida) were not more than about 4-5 hours, we always left early in the AM so we'd get to the next place with plenty of time to see the sights and not "waste" the whole day driving.

My memories of that trip are wonderful...it was probably the best trip of my childhood, and we took a vacation every year. Of course, life was ismpler then, kids were easily entertained by swimming in the Howard Johnsons pool in the evening ( a big treat for my brother & I!!!!). But I have very fond memories of that trip.

A couple of years ago, DH & I did a similar, although more abbreviated version of that trip. We flew to Orlando, rented a car, drove to visit his sister near Vero Beach for 3 days, drove across the state to visits with friends near Tampa for 3 days, and then stayed at Disney for 4 days, then flew home. I am a fan of driving through this country of ours. There's an awful lot to see.