Need Vacation Ideas

[worm761]

i haven't been but really want to take my son. when we were moving down to florida last year i saw a place in kentucky called cave city. it is where mammoth cave is. when we lived in new york we werent too far from howe cavern's and my DS loved to go there. check out the link. it looks fun.

http://www.cavecity.com/

 

[Mjasp]

Originally posted by mbw12
We went to Rocking Horse Ranch for the first time this summer. It is in the Catskill mountains and is an all-inclusive resort with a dude ranch theme. Our kids loved it.....and so did we!

I always get their brochures, they are quite pricey, but it is ALL inclusive, so I guess you really have to do your math. Glad to hear people enjoy it there, in case we ever go.

 

[Lizzydoll73]

My family always used to go to Woodloch Pines Resort in the Poconos. They have lots of activities for children. It is a little pricey, especially in the summer but includes meals(they have the BEST food). I have not been there since my wedding in 2000 but I know it is still great as my parents were just there this summer. Here is the link to their website.
http://www.woodloch.com/resort/index.php

Enjoy whatever vacation you choose!

 

[ksjayhawks]

What about
*Estes Park, Denver, Colorado Springs in Colorado
*Glacier Park and surrounding area in Montana
*Badlands, Black Hills, Hot Springs, Deadwood in South Dakota
*Duluth, Minnesota
*Grand Canyon and Arizona/New Mexico
*San Antonio, Texas
*Branson, Missouri--Silver Dollar City, Shepherd of the Hills, the lake, the shows, etc.
*Galveston and Houston, Texas
*New Orleans
*Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead
*San Diego
*The Wisconsin Dells
*St. Louis and Hannibal (Mark Twain), Missouri

 

[ksjayhawks]

What about
*Estes Park, Denver, Colorado Springs in Colorado
*Glacier Park and surrounding area in Montana
*Badlands, Black Hills, Hot Springs, Deadwood in South Dakota
*Duluth, Minnesota
*Grand Canyon and Arizona/New Mexico
*San Antonio, Texas
*Branson, Missouri--Silver Dollar City, Shepherd of the Hills, the lake, the shows, etc.
*Galveston and Houston, Texas
*New Orleans
*Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead
*San Diego
*The Wisconsin Dells
*St. Louis and Hannibal (Mark Twain), Missouri

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

My two Texas ideas:

1. The Hyatt Hill Country Resort in San Antonio---a superb family destination!!! Great pools and lazy river, family movies on the lawn every evening, kids activities, golf, spa, you name it. And the Riverwalk in San Antonio is so cool---great food, shopping, scenery, etc. You can visit the Alamo, the zoo, Sea World, Fiesta Texas (although I am NOT a six flags fan--we skip this one), the children's museum, etc etc.

2. The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. See a Texas Ranger Game. Go to Six Flags. Go to the Ft. Worth Zoo---wonderful!!! Ride the miniature train by the zoo. See Log Cabin Village (my kids love this----they see how life was for kids long ago---get to make soap, candles, grind corn, etc. Amon Carter Art Museum. Museum of Science and History and the children's museum. See an Imax movie. Shop. Eat out. We could spend a month here and not run out of things to do.

Good luck with whatever you decide!!!!

 

[missypie]

While we've had great spring break trips to Arizona and Williamsburg, but I woudn't want to visit those place in the heat. San Diego is nice, as is Chicago. We had a nice trip to Seattle, the Olympic Penn. and Victoria, BC also.

 

[KimR]

Your girls are the perfect age for a trip to Washington DC. That is on our list of 'must-do' places to visit for when our girls get a bit older. Also, someone else mentioned San Francisco - another great choice; there is so much to do and see there. Have fun planning!

 

[justhat]

One thing we've wanted to do when my daughter is older is go to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. If you go to the Grand Canyon, it's about a 2 hour drive from there. It's a huge shelter for unwanted pets, unadoptable animals, etc. They have free tours and you can also volunteer there for a day. It's right in red-rock country so there's plenty of natural wonders to see there too (it's in Angel Canyon). Their website is Best Friends Animal Sanctuary if you want to check it out. It would certainly add a different spin to the vacation.

We went to Disneyland in late August with my then 6 month old and we loved southern California. I know you said no Disneyland, but aside from that there are so many other things to see in there area which is why I mentioned it. When I was younger, we went to the San Diego area a few times and we had a great time there. They have that great zoo, really nice resorts, plus there are so many amusement parks in the area for your kids. It wasn't that hot when we were there this August, mid to high 80s during the day and 60s at night, so you could tour all day and didn't feel like collapsing (not the case home in DC).

A note about visiting DC. I live in DC and I think it's a great place to vacation, just be prepared for the heat and humidity about a million times worse than the NYC area. I am from NJ and my mom still lives there and I used to think it was humid there in the summer. Nj now feels like a desert to me in comparison to DC. No, not as bad as Orlando was in June, but close to it.

 

[Mjasp]

Justhat...I have to tell you, your baby Madison is beautiful. Enjoy her

 

[Mjasp]

Anne...Is that resort in Lake George a haunted resort? Unless I pulled the wrong website, that is what it said.

 

[justhat]

Thanks Mjasp. She's a joy to have around (well, except during the night ).

 

[MUFFYCAT]

We've been going to Lake George every year for about 10 years now. MY kids like it more than my husband and I. It's very nice, but run down a bit. I use to go with my family in 70's and some hotels haven't changed at all. It's good for a long weekend (like Hershey Park).
How about California? We plan on visiting Washington D.C. for Easter break next year when it won't be as hot.
Whatever you decide, have fun!

 

[crazelion]

How about Gatlinburg TN and Smokey Mountains. It's Dollywood, outlet malls and many siteseeing place to see.

Atlanta GA There's Six Flags, White Water and the outlet malls and more.

Tybee Island Beach which is awesome laidback to see Riverboats and good history places.

Panama City Beach Fl.

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by Mjasp
Anne...Is that resort in Lake George a haunted resort? Unless I pulled the wrong website, that is what it said.

http://www.thesagamore.com/

Not haunted that I know of.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by MUFFYCAT
We've been going to Lake George every year for about 10 years now. MY kids like it more than my husband and I. It's very nice, but run down a bit. I use to go with my family in 70's and some hotels haven't changed at all. It's good for a long weekend (like Hershey Park).
How about California? We plan on visiting Washington D.C. for Easter break next year when it won't be as hot.
Whatever you decide, have fun!

I agree that most of the little dumps are just that. But the Sagamore is a beautiful four star resort with lots of activities.

Anne

 

[VAN]

A lot of good suggestions ... Trips we've taken with our kids over the years besides WDW (note, we are campers):

Great Smokey Mountains
Mammoth Cave
St Louis, MO
Washington DC/Virginia Beach
Badlands/Black Hills/Deadwood/Cody, WY/Yellowstone
Ohio: Toledo/Cleveland/Cincinnati zoos, Sea World, Cedar Point, etc.

Our all time favorite for chillin' and cheap to boot .... 45 minutes west of our home is Van Buren State Park on Lake Michigan (near South Haven) .... we camp, walk on the beach, sun on the beach, go to movies in the town's old theatre, watch the boats come in and out of the marina, visit the local restaurants and shops, day trip to Saugatuck for their art fair, etc. Very relaxing - and if it rains or gets cold, we can always run home for the day.

To really come up with a good vacation idea, I think you need to narrow down whether or not you want something relaxing or if you want to do a lot of site-seeing. If a particular state interests you, contact their Tourism Council for lots of brochures and coupons!