Next Best to Disney???

[ChrisAlli]

So what vacation spot do you think would be the next best for a family vacation??

We've done Disney two years in a row now with our now 2 and 4 year old. What are some ideas besides Disney for young kids.

 

[whogirl'smom]

My friend and her family took her boys to Hershey, PA and did Sesame Place (is that the name of it?) for vacation one year. I haven't been, but it sounds good for little kids like yours. Maybe combine that and then a few days elsewhere close that would have more adult things, too?

 

[Desnik]

We absolutely love Hershey Park!!! We go there every other year. It has so much for everyone in the family. Chocolate world, a 3D show, trolley tour, the park. So much to do and it would be not too far from you? Hershey park is so clean and family friendly. It's our 2nd favorite place to take our kids who are 8 and 3.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

There is a place called Storyland in Glen NH that is a really wonderful amusement park for small children. Santa's Village is near there too and would also be great for your children. Those 2 places are the second best thing to Disney that we have visited. We went when the girls were 6 mos. and 4 and again when they were 4 and 8 years.

 

[emma'smom]

We went to San Diego....to Legoland and the the Wildlife Park. DD1 and DD4 had a great time!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

I travel about 5 times a year for business and always insist on taking my husband and sons. You can find fun places for kids anywhere you go. Granted not every place (okay no place) has the impact of Disney, but if there is somewhere you have wanted to go consider it and look at tourist info for the kids. (Zoos, Children's Museums, Parks...) Having said that, some of the places we liked surprisingly well were Seattle and Chicago. We really liked a Caribbean cruise we took even though it wasn't Disney. And a beach vacation is always great--maybe Mexico or Atlantis in the Bahamas. You could also consider other theme parks. We're taking our little ones to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Sea World in a few months--not because they're are the best parks for little ones but because we want to go and I know they'll have fun too. Another favorite is Knott's Berry Farm in California and there is plenty of other stuff in that area to keep you busy including Disneyland and California Adventure of course! Ahhh, too many places and not enough time!!

 

[720L]

subscribing

 

[jnordan]

We go camping with our daughters each summer (usually in New Hampshire), and I can't even tell you how much they love it. . . How about a national park? Or a family-style resort on a lake or in the mountains?

Otherwise, for warm and sunny, there are all of the family resorts in the islands -- Beaches is one, but there's one called JFK something or other in Jamaica that is more affordable and looks neat. There are others, too, but I just don't know them off the top of my head . . .

Pretty soon, though, I'd say when our youngest is 4, we plan to resume more "exotic" travel. We LOVE to travel, and I look forward to going abroad with our girls. Of the trips we've taken (without kids), I'd feel comfortable bringing my kids age 4+ to just about anywhere. I think they'd love Costa Rica ("tame" volcanoes, beautiful beaches, great wildlife viewing, rain forests), Africa (we saw TONS of families with YOUNG kids -- even babies -- when we visited Tanzania)(great wildlife viewing, beautiful beaches), Thailand (wildlife, forests, beaches, culture, great city life, they love children), and even Europe -- though I'd do a more nature-oriented trip with kids, preferably, unless I had a lot of time to take the culture slowly. . .

 

[Kuffam]

We did a Hawaian cruise with NCL America. But I'd wait until your 2yo is 3, then both your kids can be in the Kids Club. The nice thing about Hawaii is you are in port every day and it's easy to rent a car and go exploring at your own pace. Good amount of activies to do also: beaches, water sports, golf hikes, whale watching, museums, Volcanos National Parks, horseback riding, zip line, etc. Then it's back to the ship at night and the next day your on a differnt island.

A good web site to check out is: www.cruisecritic.com

 

[stephbillalec]

I'll vote for Hershey, PA. We've been the past four summers and just went for a Halloween weekend as well. My kids love it there. We always stay at the Hershey Lodge and they have many activities for the kids!

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

I live not far from Hershey and it is definitely a fun place for everyone. Now, It's no Disney . . . but nothing is! We go several times a year.

Lots of lovely hotels near by, too. Hotel Hershey has a chocolate spa for those who need to relax!

Holidays are fun. Halloween at Hershey and Christmas CandyLane.

On top of Hershey, you're not far from Amish country in Lancaster (about 45 min) and the battlefieds of Gettysburg (45 min the other way).

 

[anty30]

How about the Great Wolf Lodge in PA? We went and had a ball.

If you are looking to fly somewhere, go to San Diego. It is so beautiful and there are a ton of things to do. San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, Legoland, etc.

 

[FrenchSnowWhite]

I'll vote for Hershey, PA. We've been the past four summers and just went for a Halloween weekend as well. My kids love it there. We always stay at the Hershey Lodge and they have many activities for the kids!

tell me, I've just checked the web site, is it always that low price to enter the park? Because I think that 10$ is not expensive at all for all of that!!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

The Beach, of course. Any good beach where they can splash, build sand castles, poke at things in tide pools and just generally fall in love with the ocean.

We live in the midwest. When DS was in preschool, the teacher asked where you would find sand. DS said the beach, every other child in the class said "a sandbox". Now he's in 4th grade, and they were discussing dolphins in science class. He told his classmates that last September he had fun with a dolphin while fishing at the Ft. de Soto pier near St. Pete -- the dolphin kept stealing his baitfish and sort of popping up to "laugh" about it. No one in the class believed him, because they all thought that only dolphins in aquarium shows would interact with people. (We were not deliberately feeding a wild bottlenose dolphin, you understand; it was literally snatching bait off our fishing lines -- and scaring off most of the catch, too!)

Give your kids the ocean, you'll never regret it.

 

[jillyjoey]

Wow -- Hershey Park -- last time I was there PACMAN ruled!! That is really cool -- and what kid wouldn't love going there!!!

You are close enough to go to Niagara Falls. Other cool family places:

Outer Banks
Colonial Williamsburg/Busch Gardens/ VA Beach (rather be above)/ Yorktown etc
Gatlinburg/Smoky Mountains

I recently saw a travel channel special on Hawaii -- wow -- that is next on my list -- absolutely amazing.

 

[Our2Girls&Disney]

My first thought would be to recommend a Disney Cruise, but we have never done one, so can't comment on how good they are.

I would also like to vote for Hershey. It is no Disney World, but it is very nice. We camped in Hershey Campground, it was very affordable. The bus system was wonderful too.

Camping is a great family vacation. It is cheap and fun! We go on a week trip each year and have more more fun every year. Of course we camp in luxury, my parents let us borrow their class A motorhome for our annual camping trip.

 

[maddi]

My friend and her family took her boys to Hershey, PA and did Sesame Place (is that the name of it?) for vacation one year. I haven't been, but it sounds good for little kids like yours. Maybe combine that and then a few days elsewhere close that would have more adult things, too?

We've been there many times and our children love it. Yours are the right age group and theres so much to do. Even a trip though Hershey is worth the sights for the entire family, the Zoo is so so but my youngest enjoyed it very much

 

[sweetinmaine]

There is a place called Storyland in Glen NH that is a really wonderful amusement park for small children. Santa's Village is near there too and would also be great for your children. Those 2 places are the second best thing to Disney that we have visited. We went when the girls were 6 mos. and 4 and again when they were 4 and 8 years.

We love both of these places. We take our grandsons to Storyland every year just like we took their mom and uncle when they were growing up. What a wonderful place...So peaceful...Santa's Village has grown so much over the years. I have pictures of when I was there when I was 2 years old (just a little bit ago ). And now to those same pictures I have added my children and grandchildren's pictures...

Both places are nestled in the White Mtns...It really couldn't be more beautiful!

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Vacations our kids have loved included Tampa/St. Petersburg; Monterey, CA; Denver/Rocky Mountains. Like someone above said, they love camping.

With Tampa, they really liked the beach. Warm water to swim in, sand to dig in, museums, and Busch Gardens.

We take them to Monterey almost every year and they never tire of it. They can play at the beach, climb the rocks, hike through the Redwoods, go to the aquarium, explore the tide pools, go whale watching, etc. It's an amazingly beautiful place.

Rocky Mountain National Park has always been fun for us, but part of that is because we have family nearby. There are a lot of pretty hikes, but if your kids aren't into wandering around lakes and forests, it's probably not the right place.

One thing our kids really love is camping. It can be anywhere. They love the sense of adventure. They love sleeping all together in one tent. They love exploring. They've camped at sand dunes, on an island in a swamp, in the mountains, at the Grand Canyon, and even in the backyard.

 

[mouseketeer_mom]

I'll vote for Hershey. We've been several times and loved it.

Camping is about the only way we travel to anywhere except the beach. The kids love camping and some of them have great activities. (We found one this past summer with some great waterslides and a splash park for little ones)

The Beach! We are truly beach people and we love love love the Outer Banks. However, after having taken the kids to the Outer Banks several years in a row, we "accidently" found another beach this year. The surf on the Outer Banks is rough. Since we had been so many years in a row, I sort of forgot that not every beach was like that. We found Sunset Beach in NC this year. Very family friendly. The surf is calmer, the water more shallow for a greater distance from the shore, wider, flatter beach. My first love will always be Hatteras Island, but for little ones, Sunset Beach is much easier and a whole let less worry for mom and dad.