Where should we go for our family trip?

[bw52]

A trip we were really looking forward to got postponed indefinitely so I’m looking for new ideas. We want to visit somewhere new, so not CA, NV, AZ, UT, ID, or Florida. We have kids between 5 and 12 years old. Thinking of going spring or summer. I want explore some new cities, but in a kid friendly way, I guess. And seeing nature, but no long hikes or camping. And ideas? Thanks

[StantonHyde]

San Juan Islands
Have you done all of CA? We have been several times and there are still a couple of trips I want to do. Our visit to Central CA was a lot of fun. Also love the Monterey area.
New Orleans as a spring trip
What about just some major city visits? Chicago, Boston, Phillly, DC
Yellowstone and Grand Teton as a summer trip
Glacier NP as a late summer trip
New Mexico--Albuquerque, Santa Fe. Pueblos, etc.

[SnuggleBuggles]

We did a great Seattle-Olympic National Park circle once. Should have added Portland, OR but otherwise it was great! We did a few days in Seattle and then did a few nights at various points in Olympic National Park. We like to do our trips that way- a few busy city days followed by nature and more relaxation.
I absolutely love the Traverse City area of Michigan. Rent a house anywhere on that peninsula (Suttons Bay is one of our favorite towns) and just relax and explore this cute area and gorgeous scenery. I think it is a great spot for kids your ages.

[candaceb]

You could do Boston and then head up the coast to Acadia for a combination of city and nature. Or Chicago and something along Lake Michigan.

[carolinamama]

How about the Northeast? We did Maine and Boston last summer and we all loved it. We started in Bar Harbor and Acadia but there are so many towns along the coast. Acadia is beautiful and very easy to do short hikes as your family likes. Bar Harbor has cute shops and restaurants. And lobster pounds! Portland is worth a day. We then drove up to northern Maine to do white water rafting and ATV riding. Off the beaten path but the rustic adventure resort had everything we needed and my kids love experiencing something different. After we had our fill of the Maine woods, we drove to Boston and spent 4 days there, hitting all the city highlights. It's so kid-friendly and easy to navigate. We are like SnuggleBuggles and tend to split our trips between nature and the city.

[Percycat]

I live in St. Louis and it is an easy city to visit with fun things for young families. The Zoo is consistently ranked #1. The Magic House is an nationally ranked children's museum (although 12 is nearing the top age). City Museum is a completly unique museum filled with slides and tunnels, a circus, art centers --- hard to describe, you have to see it. You could visit the Arch and ride to the top of nation's tallest monument and visit the Gateway Museum below (check out ranger led tours). You could catch at MLB Cardinal's game at Busch Stadium. You could enjoy outdoor musical theater at the Muny Theater in Forest Park. Not far from St. Louis, you could visit St. Charles and rent bikes to ride the Katy Trail or visit the states First Capital to learn more about what life was like during the time of Lewis and Clark. Or you could head further south in St. Charles county and visit the Historic Daniel Boone home (a living history museum). You could head 40 minutes south of St. Louis and visit Six Flags over Mid-America, which includes admission to Huricaine Harbor Water Park. Or you could head 1 to 2 hours from St. Louis and take float trip (canoe, raft, inter-tube) on one of several Missouri rivers. Blue Springs Ranch is a popular outfitter that provides day float trips and accomodations if you want to stay longer.

https://www.stlzoo.org/
https://www.magichouse.org/
https://www.citymuseum.org/
https://www.gatewayarch.com/
https://www.mlb.com/cardinals
https://muny.org/
https://www.discoverstcharles.com/
https://www.sccmo.org/1701/The-Histo...iel-Boone-Home
https://www.sixflags.com/stlouis
https://vacationbsr.com/

[Kindra178]

Maine
Vermont
Cape Cod and Boston or the MA mountains

Nashville (will be hot in the summer)

[MSWR0319]

How about the Northeast? We did Maine and Boston last summer and we all loved it. We started in Bar Harbor and Acadia but there are so many towns along the coast. Acadia is beautiful and very easy to do short hikes as your family likes. Bar Harbor has cute shops and restaurants. And lobster pounds! Portland is worth a day. We then drove up to northern Maine to do white water rafting and ATV riding. Off the beaten path but the rustic adventure resort had everything we needed and my kids love experiencing something different. After we had our fill of the Maine woods, we drove to Boston and spent 4 days there, hitting all the city highlights. It's so kid-friendly and easy to navigate. We are like SnuggleBuggles and tend to split our trips between nature and the city.

Would you mind sharing what resort you stayed at in Northern Maine?

[AnnieW625]

If you can swing Grand Tetons and Yellowstone in late August that is a great time to visit vs. June or July when more kids are out of school. Flying into a Jackson Hole though can be a little cost prohibitive so you may need to figure out how much time you want to spend in a car getting there. We always come from my in laws who live 90 minutes south of the entrance to Grand Tetons (but as an example the nearest large airport is Salt Lake City and we save a ton a money by flying in to SLC vs. JH so the drive is just standard for us; so plan on at least 3-4 hours of driving from there).

We have also visited Zion NP and Bryce NP the third week in August and had a great visit. It will be warm in Zion but the hikes we chose (because our kids were 6 and 10) were still pretty easy. I think it is pretty equi distant between Vegas and Salt Lake City for a large airport.

Also plan a day to adjust to the altitude. Most of Zion isn’t as bad as Grand Tetons/Yellowstone which I believe the base is at least 6000 ft. The Dixie National Forest near where we stayed in Brian Head was at least 7500 ft. though. Where my in laws are it is 7500 and the last time we visited we lived at sea level so we always know we need a day or two to adjust to the altitude.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[carolinamama]

Would you mind sharing what resort you stayed at in Northern Maine?

Sure - it was Northern Outdoors in The Forks. Resort is really stretching it but it had everything we needed for our time there. Like I said, it was rustic but our cabin was clean and spacious, the restaurant food was very casual but decent and the activities were perfect for active kids. We picked up groceries outside Bar Harbor before we drove up for breakfasts and snacks.

https://www.northernoutdoors.com/maine/