Non-disney vacation suggestions

[acwaters]

Niagara Falls! Stay fallsview on the Canadian side but visit the falls on the american side it is so beautiful

 

[smraynor]

Is Europe out?

 

[Random Ninja]

How about Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Phoenix? We lived right outside Vegas when I was that age and absolutely loved weekend trips to the GC and Sedona. You could visit the Hoover Dam and Slide Rock. There are nice hotels at the GC that have canyon views so you wouldn't have to camp.

 

[Ladcassidy]

Niagara Falls! Stay fallsview on the Canadian side but visit the falls on the american side it is so beautiful

Yes. Niagara Falls.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Orlando without Disney. There are some fantastic deals for Sea World right now. We are doing the Nick Resort with Sea World and Aquatica package from the Sea World website and it was a STEAL! Really so darn cheap I keep rubbing my eyes.

Is it thru the end of the year? We are meeting the in laws in Ft Myers in Dec and are looking to do one of the "other type" parks on the way. I can't imagine I will ever use a Disney day to go to one.

 

[dminnie]

They will remember!

Boston. Washington DC. Chicago. Minneapolis. National parks: Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Acadia all have pretty reasonably priced hotels nearby. You could stay near Denver and it's just an hour drive to the park. Then you can enjoy all the city has to offer also. Pretty reasonable hotels in the burbs there(halfway between the city and park). At the national parks, check out the Jr. Ranger program for the kids. It's free at most places and the kids really have fun learning more and usually earn a badge or patch depending on the park. BTW, Boston and DC also have Jr. Ranger programs associated with the "national parks" that are in those cities.

 

[d1gitman]

Atlantis
Turks & Caicos
Busch Gardens VA
Disney Land? (Knotts Berry, Giant Redwoods/Seqouias, SF, SoCal) Tons & Tons of fun stuff in Cali
White Mtns NH - lots of nice resorts & tons of day trip things to do
Universal/Islands of Adventure

My vote would be west coast...do Disneyland & California Adventure and line up lots of day trip stuff - SD Zoo (they also have wildlife reserve that we like better than zoo), Legoland (if not theme parked out), surfing lessons, knotts berry farms (again, if not theme parked out), museums, LA, SF, see the giant redwoods & Sequoias, etc...so much stuff in California to see and do.

 

[GadgetTheInventor]

At 5, they might remember bits of the vacation...but a visit to the local park or museum isn't really any different than visiting the Grand Canyon or Smithsonian at that age.

I'd suggest going where YOU want to go and just make it kid-friendly. If you go at your kid's pace and are excited and sharing the experience with your kid, they will be thrilled and want to continue going on vacations with you as they get older.

I'd definitely suggest doing national parks and historically significant sights in the 8-14 y.o. range when they are still open-minded and impressionable. I absolutely loved taking a walking tour of Boston with Ben Franklin and visiting Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown/Plymouth Plantation with all their costumed interpreters. I can't say I was thrilled about standing in line at the National Archives or Mint when i was 10, but I am glad to have had the experience now as an adult.

 

[luvmy3]

If you aren't far from NYC, then you aren't too far from:

http://www.rockinghorseranch.com/

 

[mickeyboat]

Lake George is our yearly summer vacation spot. We stay at an all-inclusive resort, and have been going the same week for the past 8 years. Almost 80%of the people there are returning guests.

We don't usually feel the need to leave the resort for the entire week, but lots of people do. They like to go mini-golfing, para-sailing, to an adventure park, to Six Flags, on lake cruises, to see fireworks, to the arcades, to the outlet malls, etc. We prefer to stay at the resort to swim, fish, sail, take boat rides and just sit by the beautiful lake and relax.

 

[trinchick]

Some places we've gone with dd8 - and all have been successful for different reasons:

Amish Country/Philadelphia (we do this every year)
Berkshires
Williamsburg
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (though that is blissful beach-sitting, which you say you don't enjoy)
Cruise (any one will do; most islands are pretty similar - ducking)
White Mountains, New Hampshire

In a couple of weeks, we're driving up to Prince Edward Island, where we've rented a cottage for the week. Along the way, we're stopping for a couple of nights to see the Bay of Fundy. We're really looking forward to this vacation.

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

Some of our very favorite vacations have been:

1. Top vacation ever... Alaska! Glacier tour, halibut fishing, watching the bears & the scenery is awesome!!

2. California, Washington, Oregan coastline area. This is so pretty! We've done this 3 times & love it. Each time we saw something new.

Tops are Sea Lion cave, Red Wood forest, the Paul Bunyan stop in the redwoods, lighthouses & seeing the tidal pools! The Tidal pools are so so neat! I loved getting to see the starfish & sea urkins in them.

We also saw Crater Lake on one of these trips & the ranger boat ride on Crater Lake is excellant! That is a beautiful spot!

3. Mackinac Island is neat! You have no vehicles there & ride bikes or horses. Interesting but slow paced.

4. Our biggest repeat vacation spot for our kids was Cloudcroft New Mexico. We went here every winter break for years for a week. It is a tiny town in the mountains & beautiful with the snow.

We would sled on the roadside & drink hot cocoa. We'd get breakfast at the little bakery & eat at small cafes. Then we would go to Rudisco to eat at their pizza place & shop in the tourist shops.

This is fairly close to carlsbad Cave & White sands too.

This is one of my kids favorites all time trips!

4. Colorado is great too. Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, & little towns like Silverton.

 

[brekin67]

We love the Windswept home at North Captiva.

http://windsweptnorthcaptiva.com/windsweptnorthcaptiva2.jpg

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We had an awesome time at Wisconsin Dells in 2010. I would return there again in a heartbeat.

Niagara Falls is also a great spot for a family getaway. Stay at one of their waterpark hotels (Great Wolf Lodge is fabulous, but there are other more cost effective options) and take in all the family fun attractions on both sides of the border.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Toronto/Niagara Falls - very close to New York.

Or Montreal/Quebec City.

 

[msmama]

Thanks for all the great vacations! I think you've planned our trips for the next several years,lol!,

The age is stumping me because so many things I'd like to do when he is a little older. I imagine national parks and places like Philidelphia/Williamsburg/etc will be a little more exciting once he starts learning history (though he did enjoy Boston last summer).

Unfortunately, he found out that Legoland California has its own hotel and now that's the only place he wants to go,lol. I guess we'll hit Disneyland, too. Family in San Deigo so we'll even have a place to stay so maybe I can keep it cheap!

 

[mommyto3girls]

We have taken our girls on two cruises-one caribbean and one out of Boston to Canada. all three of them loved both cruises! They like the one to Mexico better because of the swimming, but they loved the camp on the ship and dressing up for dinner. The oldest especially-11- said she would pick a cruise over Disney because she likes making new friends at the camp. We did not do a disney cruise because we have 5 in our family and we would have to upgrade to a suite which we cannot justify the expense for. Both trips were on Carnival and very affordable Whatever you decide-have fun!

 

[Safari Queen]

We had a great time in Williamsburg. We loved the village and found lots for all members of the family. Busch Gardens was also wonderful.

 

[lovegrumpy]

What's the name of the all-exclusive hotel at lake George?

 

[doombuggygal]

We rented a mountain cabin in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee a few years ago. It was one of the best vacations we have ever taken. Perfect mix of relaxation and plenty of fun things to do in the area.