Planning my summer '06 vacation. I’m a Type A, I know.
Background: We live in southeast Ohio. Most years the family vacations at Hilton Head Island, SC, mainly because Mr. Pundit’s uncle owns a villa which he allows us to use for free. It’s a great place to vacation, don’t get me wrong. Trouble is, I’m getting a little bored with the same old same old. So I’m looking for recommendations.
There’s me, my husband, and 2 daughters, who will be 14 and 12. They are old enough to enjoy museums, etc., but are also young enough to enjoy the hotel pool and amusement parks. One day I’d love to take them to Europe for a grand tour, but that’s not in the cards yet because we’ll only have a 8 nights (Friday to the following Saturday).
My ideal vacation would include a mixture of physical activities (e.g. biking, hiking, kayaking) interspersed with interesting side trips (museums, amusement parks, historical tours) and down time (beach, pool). We can drive or fly, but I don’t want to blow the entire budget on transportation.
Mr. Pundit and I are planning to return to Hawaii in 2007 (sans kids) so that’s out as well.
So, what say you? Anyone know some great family friendly places in the U.S. that you’d recommend?
Taos, New Mexico has always been one of our favorites. While it’s short on beach, it does provide for abundant hiking, biking, rafting on the Rio Grande in Taos Box, lots of historical significance, art galleries wonderful restaurants and you’re close enough to Santa Fe and other towns and parks to make a few enjoyable day trips.
It’s a gorgeous city, with plenty to do. There are a couple of amusement parks within the area (an hour or so from the city? maybe less.) But there’s so much to see and do in the city itself.
There are museums, the wharf, the cablecars, all kinds of great stuff to see and do.
You can rent bicycles and ride across the Golden Gate. You can check out Alcatrez and Angel Island for some good hiking and breathtaking views of the city and the bay.
Great restaurants and plenty of history.
As for pool, it all depends on when you plan your trip. I’d say your best bet to get some pool time in SF would be very late August. There are beaches, but the water is too damn cold as far as I’m concerned.
I mean no disrespect psy90, but, S.F. is a VERY dirty, expensive and overrated dump with lots and lots and lots of bums and criminals. Do yourself a favor and stay clear of that place!
I used to live there, in the downtown section of supposedly “exclusive” Nob Hill.
I don’t know where to recommend you vacation. Why not just stay home and enjoy that instead of stressing out with traveling somewhere?
Have you considered the Adirondacks? Lots of trails, opportunities for rafting, etc. There’s also a six flags park and some mini golf/laser tag/go kart places and a beach. As for museums, there’s Fort William Henry. I was there earlier this summer with a 12 year old who really enjoyed the Lake George area. There was someone on the boards from around this area who gave me some good recommendations.
There’s hotels/b&bs at every price point, some with pools, there’s hiking and mountain biking out the wazoo, unbelievable scenery, Arches National Park just up the road, Canyonlands National Park up the road and down the road, the La Sal mountains, the Colorado River where you can raft, etc. If you want a beach, you can find one along the river. Your kids can get a taste of the wild west, and it’s probably just a couple days drive from Ohio. I can’t say there’s much in the way of amusement parks. You really don’t need them out there. It’s really a unique part of the country. It’ll be hot, too.
If you do go, I’d say go as late in the summer as you can get away with. That way the snow will be gone from the high country except for the permanent snow fields/glaciers.
Quite frankly, because I’m not confident enough yet. I envy Europeans who skip off to other countries as routinely as I cross state borders here. I planned on using a tour company (I hear you groaning!) when we do go to Europe because the thought of renting a villa halfway around the world is just too daunting for me.
Or Ottawa for that matter. It’s very walk able, the Gatineau hills are nearby for hikes, and Montreal (or Quebec City) for that matter are only a few hours away.
Be brave Pundint Lisa. We took our first out of country tour when our kids were 15 and 13. We went on a 30 day tour of asia: Hong Kong, Singapore, Java, Bali. Mr. Sin and 13 year old daughter had never been out of the USA, I had been to Mexico a couple of times, 15 year old son spent 3 weeks in Germany on a school exchange. It was one of the highlights of our lives. We did not go thru a tour group and had no bad experiences.
But, you don’t have to go that exotic. England is awesome, and Ireland from the US is incredibly cheap these days. I was never a big history buff, and always thought “why go to England?” but I had a great time when I went for an industry conference and have gone back twice with my kids. The museums are incredible and getting around is amazingly simple. And we almost speak the same language.
We have since gone to Spain and Greece. You don’t need a tour. Read a couple of guide books and kind of know what you want to see. We met incredibly nice people everywhere taking public transportation and staying in really inexpensive places.
How about Los Angeles/Orange County/San Diego? Plenty of outdoor activities, all the theme parks you could ask for, a world class zoo in San Diego, great museums, and of course the beach.
I’d say spend a couple of days in LA proper, head down to Orange County area (either a beach area or near Disney/Knotts if that is part of the trip) and then a few days in San Diego.
The desert areas are also close if you want some more variety.
Along the lines of mack’s suggestion, the “Grand Circle” of the Southwest has something for just about everyone.
Another great place for family vacations is western South Dakota: there’s Badlands National Park, Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, Wind Cave and Jewel Cave, Deadwood, Wall Drug, Sturgis, and lots of other touristy things all within an hour or so of Rapid City.
I think that you should just pick a place in Europe and go. I don’t know what you feel scared of. They have the same basic stuff there that we’ve got here (only its a little different). Almost everyone except for some old people speaks English too. People say “Its so far. I can’t because I only have a week”. You probably won’t be sailing over on the QE2. The flight would be about 8 hours one-way for you. You can’t even drive to Disney Land that fast. I have been to Europe several times on weekend trips and I only speak English. It isn’t that hard.
Vacations are about memories and I can promise you that you and your family will remember that more than most others.
Gosh, these all sound good.* England, Ireland, Italy, Los Angeles … they all sound so terribly interesting, yet daunting. Okay, I have a friend who’s a travel agent. I’ll ask her about a week in GB or Ireland. Italy will have to wait until I go to an English speaking place first. Baby steps, people!
(biting nails). If I get lost, I’m blaming all of you!
Thanks for the suggestions.
*We actually are tentatively planning to do the BadLand tour with my family (parents, siblings, cousins) in 2008, after my mother retires. I’ve heard it’s incredible. Hope the gas prices go down by then!
