OT - "Outdoor-focused" vacation for family with teens??

[indimom]

We're a family of four with a sophomore boy and senior girl.
We haven't taken a vacation in a couple years because I was in nursing school.
We'd like to have one last Big Trip before our daughter heads off to college next fall.

We normally tent camp, but I'm hoping to rent a cabin or condo for this trip, but keep it within about $150/night so we can splurge a bit on activities. We're fine with cooking for ourselves on vacation, but enjoy the occasional meal at a fun or unique location.

We'd like to have an outdoor-focused trip with activities that teens will enjoy like:
Rafting?
Boating?
Go Carts?
Quad Runners or Mountain Biking?
Zip Lining?
We also enjoy water parks and theme parks, museums, historical sites; but, our focus will be the outdoor activities...

We live in Southern Indiana and I'd like to keep it within a days drive.

Does anyone have suggestions on locations, activities, campgrounds or rental cabins to help me narrow down my search??

Thanks so much for any help you can provide...

 

[nene0182]

Not sure how far it is from Indiana, but what about the Smokies? You should definitely be able to find a cabin in your price range there. We just booked one that sleeps 10 for next summer for $270/night so I'm sure one that sleeps 4 should be around your price range. And of course there are tons of outdoor activities there.

 

[indimom]

Have you been there in the past? Any recommendations on activities or good camping locations? That was one of the locations that came to mind, but I haven't been there since I was a preteen.

 

[KristinU]

Not sure how far it is from Indiana, but what about the Smokies? You should definitely be able to find a cabin in your price range there. We just booked one that sleeps 10 for next summer for $270/night so I'm sure one that sleeps 4 should be around your price range. And of course there are tons of outdoor activities there.

I was going to suggest the smokies as well. We went to Pigeon Forge last spring. A very stark dichotomy between the packed touristy attractions of the strip and the spectacular national park. It was a nice compromise for all of us since DH and I tend toward the outdoors and DS is a tween who loves his technology and contrived excitement. If you click on my blog in my signature you can navigate to my blog entry on that trip.

 

[indimom]

Thanks so much, I found your blog post. Looks like our type of trip. What were Theo's favorites?

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Smokey Mountains TN.

 

[indimom]

I wish we could make a fall trip, but I doubt it will work since it isn't likely the high school and college schedules will have the same fall break. So, summer it is. I'll check into the cabins you suggested. There are soooo many options on the internet, it's hard to narrow down all the options. lol.

 

[bjschil]

We're a family of four with a sophomore boy and senior girl.
We haven't taken a vacation in a couple years because I was in nursing school.
We'd like to have one last Big Trip before our daughter heads off to college next fall.

We normally tent camp, but I'm hoping to rent a cabin or condo for this trip, but keep it within about $150/night so we can splurge a bit on activities. We're fine with cooking for ourselves on vacation, but enjoy the occasional meal at a fun or unique location.

We'd like to have an outdoor-focused trip with activities that teens will enjoy like:
Rafting?
Boating?
Go Carts?
Quad Runners or Mountain Biking?
Zip Lining?
We also enjoy water parks and theme parks, museums, historical sites; but, our focus will be the outdoor activities...

We live in Southern Indiana and I'd like to keep it within a days drive.

Does anyone have suggestions on locations, activities, campgrounds or rental cabins to help me narrow down my search??

Thanks so much for any help you can provide...

Hayward Wisconsin, Chippewa Flowage. They have quads, that seat four for rent. Jet skiing on the humongous Flowage, trails, lots to do. Numerous resorts.

 

[KristinU]

Thanks so much, I found your blog post. Looks like our type of trip. What were Theo's favorites?

Go karts, go karts, and go karts...he's dying to be old enough to drive in real life so go karting is the next best thing. We tried just about every go kart track on the strip. The 40 MPH cars were expensive and not really as fun as they seemed like they should have been. My personal favorite was a smaller one with a slick track. We weren't there long enough to try rafting or ziplining. We do love a good ropes course, though, so I think we'll seek one out next time. Oh, and he was totally not wowed by the mountain coaster, but I really liked it!

We all had fun at the Hatfield and McCoy dinner show - cheesy and not as good as HDDR, but still lots of fun. We also hit a magic show that was a $10 or $20 add on to the dinner show and that was just OK for the three of us, not spectacular and I'd skip it next time.

We also didn't have time to hit Cades Cove, so that's on the definite to do list for next time.

 

[indimom]

Thanks, bjschil. Hmmm, Wisconson. We've never even crossed the state. That might be interesting, I'll have to check it out. Looks like some good fishing. And I know both kids would love quads and jet skiing.

THanks, KristinU, for the extra information. It does look like there are lots of options there. I'm gonna have to start researching...

 

[nene0182]

Have you been there in the past? Any recommendations on activities or good camping locations? That was one of the locations that came to mind, but I haven't been there since I was a preteen.

We haven't yet, but your criteria (minus the distance since we are from ND) was exactly what we wanted for our next summer trip and everyone recommended the Smokies to me. We are going with a group of 7 that range in age from 12-67 so we wanted something relaxing and outdoorsy that had something for everyone.

 

[bjschil]

Thanks, bjschil. Hmmm, Wisconson. We've never even crossed the state. That might be interesting, I'll have to check it out. Looks like some good fishing. And I know both kids would love quads and jet skiing.

THanks, KristinU, for the extra information. It does look like there are lots of options there. I'm gonna have to start researching...

We rented jet skis, a quad, thousands of miles of ATV and UTV trails, wooded, lumberjack shows, fishing, boat rentals, plus, Wisconsin Cheese! The Smokies would also be a fun trip.

 

[iheartpeterpan]

I have taken my children to the Smokies every year since they were born. We camp in Elkmont Campground in the GSMNP for at least a week every summer. My children are now 20 and 16, and they now bring all their friends with them (my oldest on his own campsite now) and love it just as much as when they were 2. I was insistent on doing this with them when they were in their early to mid-teens because it was a way to unplug them. There is no cell service, no power, no TV, etc. And like I say, my kiddos LOVE it there and can't wait to go every year.

My Dad started this tradition with me when I was a little girl. I still go back every year.

There is SOOOOO much to do there. Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are a short trolley ride down from the campground. The parks are LOADED with trails to hike, things to see, stuff to do. The river is there for swimming and tubing. You can fly fish. Etc.

Great choice for teens.

 

[indimom]

Thanks, iheartpeterpan, this sounds like a great option for us. (Although I'm going to look into Wisconson also, a pp reminded me that my sis and bil had a nice trip there a couple years ago and it did sound like the type of trip we would enjoy also...)

It sounds like you've got lots of years of experience with the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge the area.
Any "must dos" or "avoid at all costs" or "not worth the $$" activities from your experience?

Any better companies for the outdoor activities, at least from your experience?
It looks like there are several zip line groups, from what I've seen. And several go cart tracks based on a previous post here. I haven't looked into the tubing/boating option yet, but I'm sure there are several of those also.

Thanks so much for your recommendations and post!!

 

[2goofycampers]

Pigeon Forge sounds like a place for you. Riveredge RV Park and they have cabins.

 

[indimom]

2goofycampers, that looks like a really great option. The one-bedroom cabins are exactly what I was looking for, and well within budget. I love that they have access to transportation to the tourist areas. If we decide on Tennessee, this looks like a real contender. Thanks much!

 

[elaine amj]

I thought the Smokies was an awesome, affordable vacation.

There's the Pigeon Forge side with all the tacky tourist trap fun, the awesome Smokies in the middle, and then quieter, backwoods-type North Carolina side. All have their awesome attractions. I did want to travel with my dog so I had a few extra criteria when looking for "base camp".

Pigeon Forge - if you like tacky tourist traps (we do), it was awesomely fun. An endless strip FULL of go-kart places and mini-golf. Who knew there were so many varieties of go-karting tracks? And pancake houses galore (unfortunately, NONE are open for dinner - boo). Also Dollywood is here. I was SO tempted to go but it didn't fit in our plans. We ended up spending a day at Wonderworks. Got a coupon in one of those booklets ($2 off $25 admission). They had enough stuff in there to keep us occupied all day including rock climbing and a really awesome indoor ropes course. Considering ropes courses typically cost $30-$60, I personally felt it was great value for money. Wish we had time to do the go-karts too.

Smokies - an awesome National Park. And did I mention admission is free? Considering many NPs charge about $20 to enter, we thought this was a bargain. Unfortunately, our one day set aside for hiking in the park...it rained all day. So we only managed to drive through it.

North Carolina side - we stayed in the more remote Fontana Lake area. We spent a week here so I have the most recommendations for this area. The accommodations/activities on this side of the Smokies is even cheaper than in Pigeon Forge (which is pretty cheap already).

I had my heart set on a secluded cabin and decided not to go with one of the numerous time share-type cabins in a resort (there were tons surrounding Pigeon Forge). I looked at numerous areas and ended up deciding on Fontana Lake. I found a cabin that slept 12 (there were 8 of us) on VRBO that ended up being just $90 a night. It was GORGEOUS! One of the friends we traveled with rides a motorcycle and a must-do was to ride the Tail of the Dragon (most famous motorcycle road). He ended up renting a sports bike for a few hours for $90 and took all of us one by one on short rides while we trailed behind in a minivan. The kids LOVED it.

The Fontana Lake area ended up suiting us perfectly. We were almost completely isolated with a gorgeous view of the lake. We could barely see the roof of our neighbor's house in the distance and the kids could scream and play as much as they wanted without worrying about disturbing anybody else. We would have a dance party around the bonfire at nights. And the cabin had a gigantic bonfire pit - it was awesome building the craziest giant bonfires we could

Other activities were also within a 1 hour drive and were very affordable. Including gas, all groceries/meals, and activities, we spent $1000 for our family of 4 for an entire week filled with activities that normally cost a bundle. Everything I listed below is the total for 4 people.

White Water Rafting - 65
Tubing - 12
Gem mining - 20 (we paid for 2 ppl and the kids were allowed to "help" for free)
Horseback riding - 90+20 tip (1 hr trail ride)
Fishing - 6 (we only paid for my son. My daughter and I went for a walk instead)
Hiking (free)
Swimming in the lake + rope swing (free)

We were also going to rent a pontoon boat ($150/4hrs/8ppl), but got rained out.

I would totally go back.

 

[iheartpeterpan]

It sounds like you've got lots of years of experience with the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge the area.
Any "must dos" or "avoid at all costs" or "not worth the $$" activities from your experience?

Any better companies for the outdoor activities, at least from your experience?
It looks like there are several zip line groups, from what I've seen. And several go cart tracks based on a previous post here. I haven't looked into the tubing/boating option yet, but I'm sure there are several of those also.

Thanks so much for your recommendations and post!!

I'm not sure I'm the best person to help you here, as my goal when I go up there is to AVOID all of that at all costs. I hate going into Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, and spend as much time as I can in the national park itself. There is so much to do there, and all for free.
Cades Cove is fun although crowded, and certain days a week they close the loop to bike riders and run a hay ride.
The tubing on the Little River is free in the park. Bring a $5.00 River Rat tube from Wal-Mart.
There are so many hiking trails that I couldn't name them all.
There's a horse riding stable inside the park just outside the visitor center.
If you go in early June, there is the 100% coolest thing I've ever seen in the synchronous fireflies in the mountains. Google it, it's amazing. If you want to do that, get your reservations 6 months to the day from your trip, as the campgound will be a very early sellout.

If you've gotta go to Gatlinburg, I really appreciate the sky lift (expensive, but cool views) and Ripley's Aquarium. I'd avoid anything else with Ripley's in the name. There are more go-karts and amusement type things on the Pigeon Forge side if that's your thing.

Like I said, I prefer to set up camp and hang out at Elkmont. There are some old abandoned cabins behind the campground and the old Appalachian Club that is so cool. There's the Little River trail and Jake's Creek trail right out of the campground. There's an old family cemetery right there within walking distance. Laurel Falls is a short drive up, crowded but easy hike. My favorite hikes are Mt. LeConte via Alum Cave, Grotto Falls off the Roaring Fork Nature Trail out of Gatlinburg, Ramsey Cascade, Abrams Falls out of Cades Cover, and Andrews Bald out of Newfound Gap.

You can go and literally spend $20 a day (camping) plus food. If you are over 60 and have a Sr. pass it is half that. Best bargain ever.

 

[5stljayhawks]

My point of reference is St. Louis - you are within striking distance of wisconson - Dels , along the east coast Boston, Philly ,Washington DC, or even outer banks, Hilton head south Carolina or gulf shores Alabama -look into state park right across from breach ( they have cabins) you also may want to look at VRBO - and the alike, or you maybe able to find a rustic hotel that serves breakfast.

Took my family(5,7,9) to gulf shores over 4th of july, it was a blast, very laid back. about 20 miles for Penascola/ blue angles. there are all kind of tourist traps!!!!

 

[indimom]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and advice. DH and I were talking it over last night. We considered Wisconson (Dells, etc), St Louis Missouri, and the Smokies.

I think we've settled on the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Great Smoky Mts National Park area.

Now we just have to settle on all the activities we want to include and where specifically we want to stay. Looks like I'll have plenty of fun research to do this winter.

Feel free to share any of your favorites, must dos or avoid at all costs. And thanks again for all the suggestions!