Vacation ideas for families with teens

[Iott Family]

We are thinking about a summer trip with our tween/teen age kids and are wondering what other families do for vacations with kids in this age group.
Besides Disney, that is

 

[Magic Mom]

I don't know if overseas is something you would want to do, but last summer we went to Garmisch in Germany with DD. She loved it. There was shopping and sightseeing, we went swimming in a lake, hiking, high ropes course, great food, castles. It's a beautiful area with lots to do.

 

[Iott Family]

We need to stay in the USA and it needs to be accessible by car. We are in the midwest. Central Indiana. We are going to DC for spring break and with DH's work we are going to be traveling to the Northern East Coast area and mix business with pleasure over the summer but are tossing up a trip to mammoth cave or sandusky, ohio. Just really curious what other families are doing that their teens really enjoyed! Thanks!

 

[Rora]

Having been a teen not too long ago, I can tell you what family trips I enjoyed!:
1. Yellow Stone National Park- I was 17 when we went and was not a happy camper, to begin with. We stayed in a cabin and things were very rugged- no TV, no cell phones, etc. BUT, I loved seeing all the animals, the gorgeous mountains, going horseback riding, etc. I think National Parks are a great place to take kids.

2. Savannah, GA- I LOVE Savannah. I'm a big history buff and loved this quaint town. There tons of fun shops, amazing food (I'm Southern, gotta love my region's cooking!), a beach nearby, ghost tours, beautiful old houses, horse and buggy rides, etc.

3. Clearwater, FL- We lived in FL so taking FL trips was easy. We swam with the manatees and it was such a different vacation because nothing was scheduled, we just went with the flow (nice change for us!).

4. St. Augustine, FL- See description of Savannah

5. The Florida Keys- Because who doesn't love the beach?!

6. NYC- Broadway, shopping, Central Park!

7. Conneticut- GOREGOUS. Quaint, wonderful shops.

8. Virginia- so much history, so much to see. Love love loved it.

Hope this helps a little bit!

 

[Magic Mom]

We need to stay in the USA and it needs to be accessible by car. We are in the midwest. Central Indiana. We are going to DC for spring break and with DH's work we are going to be traveling to the Northern East Coast area and mix business with pleasure over the summer but are tossing up a trip to mammoth cave or sandusky, ohio. Just really curious what other families are doing that their teens really enjoyed! Thanks!

Mammoth cave is great, but I don't know if it would be enough to fill a whole vacation. Other than the caves, there isn't much around the park to do. What about Mammoth cave and then Nashville? Or how about a houseboat rental at Land Between the Lakes. DS's girlfriend's family did that a few years ago, and they loved it.

 

[acejka]

I second Savannah!

And Clearwater, Tampa. Just came back from Ft. Walton/Destin, LOVED it!

I also loved Tennesse last summer, we went to Nashville and Memphis (though I found Memphis a tad scary) We were on our way to Hot Springs Arkansas to see the in-laws, I really liked Hot Springs, there was a ton of cute shops, and the springs were super cool to learn about.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

We went to Chicago in August and DS13 had a great time. Museums, Aquariums, skyscrapers (especially the Sears Tower Skydeck with the new window box things you can stand out on), awesome food, and shows. We had so much fun!!

 

[Lucky'sMom]

All of my kids LOVE trips to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, TN. We stay in a "luxurious" cabin (alpinemountainvillage.com). There is so much to do there.

 

[njprincess601]

We live right outside of New York City and that is definitely something I would do with teens! It's fun for everyone! Shows, great food, sightseeing, shopping, etc...

Another place we really enjoy is the Outer Banks in NC but it might be a far drive for you. There are a lot of beach towns that are catered to families and I feel they are safe enough for teens to go off on their own if they want to. There's a lot of great beaches and cute little shops and restaurants.

 

[xApril]

I think Universal's pretty fun. If you went in the summertime, you'd catch Harry Potter opening/being open.

 

[mom2travel]

our kids love the OBX (we usually go with a few other families). The Caribbean is a big hit; they love all-inclusives. Cruises are great too. They love cities - Chicago and New York are hits. We are heading to the West Coast in a few months - Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, LA; the only part teen DS isn't excited about is staying at Disneyland (we're doing day trips from there and hitting the parks at night). Hawaii was great too - tons to do, or not, depending on your mood

Other trip ideas the kids have expressed interest in are: various locations in Europe, Alaska, Vancouver/Victoria Island/Banff, Costa Rica. We will be doing Ashville at some point and/or Gatlinburg, TN. I think our kids would pretty much enjoy any city, or hitting different cities for baseball games

Why don't you ask your children for ideas? Every once in a while we do a travel wish list. The kids come up with some great ideas!

 

[Iott Family]

our kids love the OBX (we usually go with a few other families). The Caribbean is a big hit; they love all-inclusives. Cruises are great too. They love cities - Chicago and New York are hits. We are heading to the West Coast in a few months - Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, LA; the only part teen DS isn't excited about is staying at Disneyland (we're doing day trips from there and hitting the parks at night). Hawaii was great too - tons to do, or not, depending on your mood

Other trip ideas the kids have expressed interest in are: various locations in Europe, Alaska, Vancouver/Victoria Island/Banff, Costa Rica. We will be doing Ashville at some point and/or Gatlinburg, TN. I think our kids would pretty much enjoy any city, or hitting different cities for baseball games

Why don't you ask your children for ideas? Every once in a while we do a travel wish list. The kids come up with some great ideas!

We tried that route but what one child likes the other turns their nose in the air at........so I thought Id find what other families enjoyed and go from there!

 

[golfgal]

My first suggestion was going to be DC but you have that covered.

I would suggest a trip west to the Black Hills. There is plenty to do and see there. My kids want to go there this summer-not happening with school/band schedules this summer, but maybe next summer.

You could also go to St. Louis. St. Louis is a great family vacation place. The zoo is really nice as well as Grant's Farm and the ARCH. You also MUST go to the City Museum-which really isn't a museum at all but a huge indoor playground. Our kids LOVE going there.

Another fun place would be the UP of Michigan, Mackinac Island (but if you don't stay ON the island it is a lot less expensive).

Come to Minnesota. You could spend a couple days in the Twin Cities visiting the zoo, various museums, Fort Snelling, Mall of America, then head up north to one of the resorts for a more relaxing stay with nice swimming beaches, etc.

 

[monkeybug]

We are going to Massanutten this summer, after a family we know recommended it. They have teens and go each year. The resort itself has lots to do, and the Shenandoah valley has a lot too. The Lurray caverns are amazing!

What about Smugglers notch? We love that they have activity's for the kids, and mom and dad get some alone time too, or you can all hang out as a family. It can be expensive (we used armed forces vacaction club) but they offer lots of activities.

My kids love Lancaster and staying on working farms there (crazy affordable, some are only $100 a night and include breakfast) but your kids are probably too old to enjoy feeding chickens and milking cows. It's not too far from Gettysburg either.

Williamburg Va area is awesome!

Sandusky looks awesome too though! We thought of going to Kalahari this year, but are going to stick with Great Wolf until my son is a bit taller.

 

[Ilivetogo]

CRUISE TO ALASKA!!! My kids LOVED it = every minute!!!
.

 

[bord1niowa]

You can go to an area that you could ghost hunt.... if everyone is ok with that.

 

[mom2boys]

National Parks - Yellowstone is amazing.

Williamsburg is fun. Took my kids when they were about 12 & 13. Youngest is now 14.5 & asking to go back. We did the ghost tour & they loved it.

Busch Gardens is right there & Virginia Beach is only about an hour away.