Where would you vacation in 2009?

[KCmike]

We are a family of five that have done Disneyworld many times, Disneyland/Southern California last two years, Chicago, Branson, and alot of points of interest in the middle of the country (near KC).

So does anyone have any thoughts about the following:

Washington DC (we have three kids 14,11,11) and it looks like the Smithsonian, monuments, white house are all free for the most part.

Yosemite National Park - we've always wanted to see the giant redwoods and this park.

Grand Canyon - would it be too boring after a day of it? Wife and kids think so.

Myrtle Beach - seems like everyone has been there but all the videos and pictures I see seem to look dirty and white trash...am I wrong?

Hershey PA - we all like chocolate.

Please help me decide....give me your input on all or any you have been to or taken your family to.

Thanks.

 

[mamacatnv]

We took the kids 17 & 8 at the time to the original Schlitterbahn Water Park in New Braunfels, TX. We stayed 10 days and wandered to San Antonio and Austin and many points in between. We loved it, we all agree, best family vacation ever, yes, better than the trips to WDW.

 

[KCmike]

we get our own schlitterbahn opening in 2009 up here in KC but great idea!

 

[wvdisluv2]

We are a family of five that have done Disneyworld many times, Disneyland/Southern California last two years, Chicago, Branson, and alot of points of interest in the middle of the country (near KC).

So does anyone have any thoughts about the following:

Washington DC (we have three kids 14,11,11) and it looks like the Smithsonian, monuments, white house are all free for the most part.

Yosemite National Park - we've always wanted to see the giant redwoods and this park.

Grand Canyon - would it be too boring after a day of it? Wife and kids think so.

Myrtle Beach - seems like everyone has been there but all the videos and pictures I see seem to look dirty and white trash...am I wrong?

Hershey PA - we all like chocolate.

Please help me decide....give me your input on all or any you have been to or taken your family to.

Thanks.

I've been to several of these places~here's my 2 cents

I liked DC, the Smithsonian ect. are really something to see~more educational, but still fun

My son has been to Yosemite and says it is just incredible

Myrtle Beach is nice, but I'm a MUCH bigger fan of the Outer Banks in NC

Hershey PA~you can't go wrong with chocolate

Have a Great Family Vacation, no matter where you choose!

 

[eliza61]

I love Washington DC. First we always stay downtown and literally walk to so many museums and monuments.
Check out the Spy musuems and the crime & punishment one. They're not free but my kids loved them, very interactive.
Not a big fan of Myrtle beach, I think I would do the Maryland shore instead if I wanted a beach vacation.

I'm trying to get my family out west to yellowstone or Grand canyon also.

 

[CowboyCO]

We are a family of five that have done Disneyworld many times, Disneyland/Southern California last two years, Chicago, Branson, and alot of points of interest in the middle of the country (near KC).

So does anyone have any thoughts about the following:

Washington DC (we have three kids 14,11,11) and it looks like the Smithsonian, monuments, white house are all free for the most part.

Yosemite National Park - we've always wanted to see the giant redwoods and this park.

Grand Canyon - would it be too boring after a day of it? Wife and kids think so.

Myrtle Beach - seems like everyone has been there but all the videos and pictures I see seem to look dirty and white trash...am I wrong?

Hershey PA - we all like chocolate.

Please help me decide....give me your input on all or any you have been to or taken your family to.

Thanks.

I'd recommend adding this to your list. Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park

 

[All American]

I'd pick the beach.

If not Myrtle Beach, how about the Outer Banks? I've heard lots of good things about that place.

ETA: D.C. would be fun too, and the kids are a great age for it.

 

[suzanna1066@comcast.]

We are a family of five that have done Disneyworld many times, Disneyland/Southern California last two years, Chicago, Branson, and alot of points of interest in the middle of the country (near KC).

So does anyone have any thoughts about the following:

Washington DC (we have three kids 14,11,11) and it looks like the Smithsonian, monuments, white house are all free for the most part.

Yosemite National Park - we've always wanted to see the giant redwoods and this park.

Grand Canyon - would it be too boring after a day of it? Wife and kids think so.

Myrtle Beach - seems like everyone has been there but all the videos and pictures I see seem to look dirty and white trash...am I wrong?

Hershey PA - we all like chocolate.

Please help me decide....give me your input on all or any you have been to or taken your family to.

Thanks.

Instead of Myrtle Beach, try Hilton Head. Great beach, golf and biking plus Charleston and Savannah are easy drives.

 

[legalsea]

I'd recommend adding this to your list. Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park

I second that! Stay at the Old Faithful Inn.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

How about a Disney cruise during value season?

 

[disney1990]

We are a family of five that have done Disneyworld many times, Disneyland/Southern California last two years, Chicago, Branson, and alot of points of interest in the middle of the country (near KC).

So does anyone have any thoughts about the following:

Washington DC (we have three kids 14,11,11) and it looks like the Smithsonian, monuments, white house are all free for the most part.

Yosemite National Park - we've always wanted to see the giant redwoods and this park.

Grand Canyon - would it be too boring after a day of it? Wife and kids think so.

Myrtle Beach - seems like everyone has been there but all the videos and pictures I see seem to look dirty and white trash...am I wrong?

Hershey PA - we all like chocolate.

Please help me decide....give me your input on all or any you have been to or taken your family to.

Thanks.

I highly recommend Washington, DC and if you have a little extra time, Baltimore. Like you said there is so much to see and 99% of it is free.

 

[adkkev]

How many days are you planning for your vacation?

Grand Canyon has lots of possibilities, especially if your family is outdoorsy.
Close to GC is Havasu, where you can see turquoise blue waters and waterfalls. A short drive to the Flagstaff area gets you into the mountains, or out to Sunset Crater NM (ancient volcano) and Waputki NM (Anazasi ruins and more). If the family is adventurous, take the pack mule ride into the canyon (at GC).

Visit Yellowstone/Grand Teton. Lots to do in both parks.

Skip everything on your list and head for Alaska. (we LOVE Alaska) Don't take a cruise, but instead fly to Anchorage, rent a car, and start exploring. You could go up to Denali for a few days or head south to the Kenai, visiting a glacier (Exit), wildlife watching cruises (Seward or Whittier), hiking, biking, etc. There's so much to do up there ... PM me if you'd like more info.

DC is pretty awesome, especially if your family is into history and cultural stuff. Most everything is free ... visit the museums, the zoo, Arlington (and the Lee Mansion), all of the memorials (you'll be moved by the Vietnam memorial and the Korean War memorial), take a drive and visit Mount Vernon.

enjoy whatever you and wherever you go!!

 

[Christine]

Did I really just read that you think Myrtle Beach has "white trash" there?

 

[Colleen27]

DC is great. We all really like the Air & Space museum, and DS loves the national history museum. And it is a great place for all sorts of international cuisine (we're vacation foodies because at home we don't have a nice restaurant within 30 miles LOL).

I don't think Myrtle Beach is white trash, but it is really touristy and if we're going to do Atlantic Coast touristy, we prefer Virginia Beach. Nice dolphin watching excursions, a great marine science museum, a fun state park on the Chesapeake and not quite as commercial or as busy as Myrtle Beach IME.

Hershey is a bit overrated, IMO. It was fun to do once (when I was a kid), but I've never felt any desire to take my kids there. The amusement park isn't that great (we're sort of snobs about that, tho, because we're used to Cedar Point and Disney) and Hershey doesn't do the factory tours any more.

 

[georgina]

My family never took vacations other than camping fairly close to home when I was a kid, so I have been taking my kids to places I have not seen. Disney World was one, also Washington, DC is somewhere everyone should go. We did a big driving trip to Yellowstone/Grand Teton/Mt Rushmore one summer.

We also did a trip to the Grand Canyon - flew into Vegas, did Hoover Dam, drove to Zion canyon (beautiful) then did a float trip from Page Arizona, drove to the GC spent 2 nights, did some hiking, saw some more historic sites and ruins, and then Flagstaff Arizona and Lowell Observatory. Could have stayed longer but had to get back for a wedding. I would love to go back and see New Mexico, but this summer we are doing Maine.

We have done the beach a couple of times, and just aren't hang-out-on-a-beach type family. We had a run-in with a nasty state trooper in South Carolina and I will never spend any money in that state again. Hershey to me is a day trip, and Yosemite is someplace I would love to see someday.

 

[crz4mm2]

We did Yellowstone and Grand Canyon a few years ago. We LOVED it. It was very interesting and we saw lots of things.
I would do it again in a heartbeat!!

 

[amyup]

Yosemite is fabulous! One of my favorite places. We've went 4 times this year and have so much to explore still.

We did a road trip this summer to DL/Sedona/Grand Canyon/Zion. My kids (6 and 8)were completely bored with the Grand Canyon but loved Zion and Sedona.


Amy

 

[Violet Crayon]

Skip everything on your list and head for Alaska. (we LOVE Alaska) Don't take a cruise, but instead fly to Anchorage, rent a car, and start exploring. You could go up to Denali for a few days or head south to the Kenai, visiting a glacier (Exit), wildlife watching cruises (Seward or Whittier), hiking, biking, etc. There's so much to do up there ... PM me if you'd like more info.

If this is a possibility I second that! The wildlife viewing is phenomenal in Denali and on the cruises. I spent four months up there working and every day off I was in Denali National Park on the buses and hiking up mountain ridges. Exit Glacier has a strenuous, but worth it, trail up to the Harding Icefield. I passed quite a few families on their way up.

Some of the animal encounters from my summer are here (lots of photo thumbnails if you are interested): Flickr photos: Alaska

 

[KCmike]

Great replies. Sorry I shouldn't have said "W.T." its just a youtubed some video of myrtle beach and let's just say it didn't look Disney.

Keep those ideas coming! Especially if you have had any experience with any of the above ideas.

 

[tazdev3225]

The DC area is very good for the cost and offers a lot with the historical value.
Hershey is another good choice. The amusment park is not Disney but it's fun. My DGS is 10 and he loves it there. Hershey is also very close to the Lancaster area which also offers a lot to see and do. Another favorite spot for DGS. It's also about an 1 1/2 from the Philadelphia area and all the sights there.
Wherever you choose have fun.