Somewhere different to go for April vacation?

[ruadisneyfan2]

I am always planning different trips for "one day," and after reading this thread I also decided, just last week, to go to Sedona and GC! April seems like the best weather to go. The trip advisor forums have been a wealth of information, and there's another one here on the budget board that's been very helpful. All of the main lodges in GCNP are booked, but there are still openings at Yavapai. It is also in the park, but not right at the rim. We are going to spend two, maybe three nights in Page, one night (1 1/2 days) in GCNP, and the rest in Sedona... From there we will also do a day trip to Holbrook/Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. I wanted to go to Zion also, since we will be so close, but I don't want to rush the other stops. Have fun planning!

Oh save it for another trip! We did Sedona & GC in 200& and this past summer we spent 4 nts in UT, halfway between Bryce Canyon & Zion NP. Gorgeous!
Then 2 nts in Page, AZ to do some canyon rafting and a slot canyon tour. We loved it!
When I get home tonight I can look up the companies we used. They were awesome!

 

[Alexle2007]

I am always planning different trips for "one day," and after reading this thread I also decided, just last week, to go to Sedona and GC! April seems like the best weather to go. The trip advisor forums have been a wealth of information, and there's another one here on the budget board that's been very helpful. All of the main lodges in GCNP are booked, but there are still openings at Yavapai. It is also in the park, but not right at the rim. We are going to spend two, maybe three nights in Page, one night (1 1/2 days) in GCNP, and the rest in Sedona... From there we will also do a day trip to Holbrook/Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. I wanted to go to Zion also, since we will be so close, but I don't want to rush the other stops. Have fun planning!

I actually prefer Sedona more in the summer months. The weather is much milder than Phoenix and you can do Slide Rock which is awesome!

 

[rizzo0904]

We are from New England too. This April vacation we are visiting Dallas and san antonio. Two years ago we did san Diego. The Utah national parks are great. Pheonix and sedona are lovely. So many choices!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I am always planning different trips for "one day," and after reading this thread I also decided, just last week, to go to Sedona and GC! April seems like the best weather to go. The trip advisor forums have been a wealth of information, and there's another one here on the budget board that's been very helpful. All of the main lodges in GCNP are booked, but there are still openings at Yavapai. It is also in the park, but not right at the rim. We are going to spend two, maybe three nights in Page, one night (1 1/2 days) in GCNP, and the rest in Sedona... From there we will also do a day trip to Holbrook/Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. I wanted to go to Zion also, since we will be so close, but I don't want to rush the other stops. Have fun planning!

This is what we did in Page, AZ.
https://raftthecanyon.com/raft-the-river/slot-canyon-raft-tour/ The slot canyon they take you through is Secret Canyon, not the overcrowded, popular Antelope Canyon. We shared our ride with 2 other families so it felt like we practically had it to ourselves. Not rushed at all. The next day we drove to the look out point of Horseshoe Bend so we could look down from the top. That was neat to see but if you do, bring plenty of water. It was crazy hot and it's about a 1 mile walk from the parking lot.

Also for your "some day" trip to Zion, this cabin was about halfway between Bryce & Zion.
http://www.vrbo.com/359078
With 2 teen boys, this was great to have a lot of space to spread out. I had originally booked 2 nights each at NP lodges close to Bryce & Zion but with the Page stay and needing an airport hotel the last night near LAS, we didn't want to end up moving through 4 hotel rooms. So we ended up spending 4 nights at the cabin, 2 nts in Page & 1 nt near LAS.

Our boys still say this was the highlight of the trip.
http://brycecanyonatvadventures.com/
We did the 3 hr Casto Canyon ride and luckily kids only need to be 14 to drive their own. This was a blast.

 

[rnorwo1]

I actually prefer Sedona more in the summer months. The weather is much milder than Phoenix and you can do Slide Rock which is awesome!

Slide rock looks like so much fun! We did one similar in NC (well, the boys did, water was way too cold for me!), so I am disappointed that they won't be able to do that here. I have a feeling we will be back!

This is what we did in Page, AZ.
https://raftthecanyon.com/raft-the-river/slot-canyon-raft-tour/ The slot canyon they take you through is Secret Canyon, not the overcrowded, popular Antelope Canyon. We shared our ride with 2 other families so it felt like we practically had it to ourselves. Not rushed at all. The next day we drove to the look out point of Horseshoe Bend so we could look down from the top. That was neat to see but if you do, bring plenty of water. It was crazy hot and it's about a 1 mile walk from the parking lot.

Also for your "some day" trip to Zion, this cabin was about halfway between Bryce & Zion.
http://www.vrbo.com/359078
With 2 teen boys, this was great to have a lot of space to spread out. I had originally booked 2 nights each at NP lodges close to Bryce & Zion but with the Page stay and needing an airport hotel the last night near LAS, we didn't want to end up moving through 4 hotel rooms. So we ended up spending 4 nights at the cabin, 2 nts in Page & 1 nt near LAS.

Our boys still say this was the highlight of the trip.
http://brycecanyonatvadventures.com/
We did the 3 hr Casto Canyon ride and luckily kids only need to be 14 to drive their own. This was a blast.

Thanks so much for all of the websites, we will love the raft ride! I will save that cabin for the some-day trip, which may be next summer. I found some condos in Sedona, we also avoid hotels when we can, since there are five of us. But, looks like we will have to be in one in Page, the homes are very pricey there!

 

[wlake]

Late to the party as usual but we're flying from PVD ourselves for an April vacation trip and heading to Atlanta. My two are 9 and 12, and we're looking at staying right in the city -- Braves game, CNN tour, Atlanta zoo, World of Coca-Cola, Atlanta Aquarium, the Olympic park (can't remember the name). There's tons to do outside the city if you want to rent a car and drive a bit, but I like staying in the city since I live on the edge of the state forest here at home. I'll also second the San Francisco idea -- tons to do there too -- more than we could do with the boys last summer!

 

[katie111]

OP here! Just wanted to say thanks for all your replies. We finally decided to do a Phoenix, Sedona, GC trip. 2 nights at GC, 3 nights in Sedona, and 3 nights in Phoenix at a hotel with a waterpark. Seems like it will be busy enough to keep everyone entertained. Also got reservations at Yavapai. So excited to stay in the Grand Canyon Park! Looked into Page but decided against it as DH wants to have a little R & R on this trip and not spend all of our time driving & switching hotels.

 

[bigmamimia]

Crater of Diamonds state park in Arkansas.

 

[kydisneyfans]

We're also doing a quick Phoenix/Sedona/Grand Canyon trip over spring break. We cancelled Disney as we wanted something different. Direct flights from Louisville helped in the decision. We will hit a couple of spring training games, then 2 days of Sedona/Grand Canyon. We are beyond excited.

 

[HopperFan]

First thought with your post was Arizona. My sister took her three kids about that age on spring break there. There are two beautiful Marriotts, one is a vacation club, in Sedona or Tempe. LOTS of activities and sites to do all around there. They loved the peace and beauty of the area and the resort time.