When you aren't going to Disney...

[mama4]

We love Disney and usually go once a year since we live two hours away, but we also enjoy Tampa's Busch Gardens, Gatlinburg, TN, and renting a condo on St Augustine Beach Fl. In Gatlinburg and St Augustine we find many ways to get away from crowds and back to nature with the shore in St Augustine and the mountains in TN, but there are exciting things to do near by so the kids won't get too bored. We love walking around Gatlinburg (very touristy but a lot of fun, especially in autumn and winter mths) and in St. Augustine we stay in a condo on the beach but just over a bridge in town there are many tourist attractions- St George Street, Alligator Farm, Ripleys, Lightners and wax museums, Old Fort, scenic carriage rides, local art galleries and also some decent restaurants (Raintree, A1A Alehouse andSaltwater Cowboys near the beach is the best!)

 

[freckles and boo]

Because I hate crowds, hunkering down in Sanibel is my idea of a great vacation. Our girls (now 4 and 6) just gathered shells and played in the sand for hours. We thrive on boredom, but there are plenty of options for excitement - dolphin cruises, sports fishing, Everglades safaris, Naples Zoo, etc.

We also drive up to Wisconsin Dells for the indoor waterparks in the winter - very cheap entertainment!