As much as it pains me to say it, I’m not going back to Disney any time soon. Just can’t convince the wife that we NEED to go back. She says that it just isn’t as magical with trips being so close together. In a way, she is right. But I would still love to go back. Would do it today if I could.
That being said, where are some family friendly places each of you have bee other than Disney? My daughters are 9 years old, if that helps.
What part of the country are you in?
We just took a weekend trip to San Antonio and it was fabulous. So much to do–we could have spent a week there easily.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Dollywood, the Dreammore resort pool was awesome, and Pigeon Forge had a LOT to do… I know it can get terribly crowded in summer, traffic is no joke, but we went in mid July and had a wonderful time.
We did Ocean City MD and DC last year. Next year we are doing Williamsburg and Outer Banks, NC. We also plan to do Tennessee, road trip through Arizona with the Grand Canyon, Boston, Universal/Sea World/Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Maybe California as well.
We also plan on taking a longer Disney break after our May trip. Between the costs and the other places we want to see, it just makes sense.
I really enjoy the National Parks - Acadia was our favorite so far (but we haven’t gone west yet). We’ve also enjoyed St Louis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston.
I know that doesn’t narrow it down much. I really enjoy a variety of vacations, though. Each style (Parks, beaches, cities, amusement parks) have positives and negatives.
Is that possible?
lol… we do branson, gaitlinburg, beaches, major cities.
Silver Dollar City/Branson, MO.
I live in the south east. We are open to going any where in continental US though.
We do Disney every other year, which seems to be a good balance for our family.
Our best vacation to date as going to London with the kids for two weeks. . We stayed in a VRBO, did a major thing a day, and came back to the flat. I was surprised how kid-friendly London was. Most museums had a discount for families and kids activities. My kids LOVED the Tower of London because it had an iphone app that was similar to a scavenger hunt and they got buttons to wear for each activity they completed. Even Buckingham Palace had an audio tour for kids! We went when my kids were 10 and 7.
Last year, we went to Hawaii. We went to the Big Island and did Volcano National park and visited some beaches. Then we went to Oahu and stayed at the Disney resort, Aulani. The resort was expensive, but very nicely done and we got some Disney magic throughout our stay.
My wife and I did that before we had kids. Saw the Jim Stafford show. Man, he was talented and his kids are some amazing musicians.
I should expound on this. Actually I already did in this post:
https://forum.touringplans.com/t/silver-dollar-city-a-comparison/49032
Hawaii is also one my wife and I did without the kids. We did Hanauma Bay, the Polynesian Cultural center, Pearl Harbor, the Dole Plant. It was fantastic.
When my kids were 6 and 8 years old, we went to Hawaii for 19 days, 4 islands. There is so much to see and do. We paid for our flights with miles and at the time, United gave you hotel vouchers for half off hotel rooms and discounted car rentals.
When they were 8 and 10, we spent some time around Colorado Springs, a lot to do there as well.
We have just begun exploring all that there is to do in the PNW.
What are some things to do there or at least what would you suggest?
Here’s another vote for our National Parks. So much to do, so many to see. So glad I took my kids when they were younger. I think they now have a better appreciation for them.
I went to Yellowstone in summer of '88. Which other ones would you suggest? I haven’t been to any others.
We stayed at the TradeWinds in St Pete Beach when I was 10 or 11 as a result of my dad saying we “didn’t need to do Disney again” and I thought it was one of the coolest places ever.
Williamsburg, VA
Pigeon Forge, TN
Any road trip. They are so affordable and there are so many wonderful things in USA.
Normally I’d push cruising.
Kinda not trending right now…