Yosemite, sequoia, Zion, Bryce canyon. I could go on
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Have you been to Acadia National Park? We did some ranger led programs like exploring a tide pool. Went on a sunset carriage ride. We were there about 3 days. Our grandson and granddaughter (cousins) were about 9 and 11 maybe. I’m pretty sure not 10 and 12 because we did Junior Ranger programs as well.
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The Alamo of course but we enjoyed visiting the other Missions.
The Riverwalk.
We loved the Japanese tea garden (which is by the zoo).
El Mercado (Mexican marketplace).
Awesome nighttime light show on San Fernando Cathedral.
We didn’t go but Sea World and Six Flags are there.
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We did a cruise in summer of '18. Since we aren’t doing Disney, that’s what I wanted, but she said we could do it next time. Cruising is (IMO) the best value for your vacation dollar.
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She actually said San Antonio could be a possibility. I;ll have to look into it.
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We went to Washington DC in the summer for a week. Apart from the heat we loved it.
It was based around the Apollo 50th celebrations, but we visited all the Monuments on the Mall, loved that the bus around it was free. Also did the Air & Space and Natural History Smithsonian museums, Capitol tour, the Spy Museum (a lot of fun), Mount Vernon, Udvar Hazy.
I’d go back again, although I’d go back to Boston first because that was a looooong time ago, before kids that we were there.
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It was so fun–I wish we had more than 3 days there.
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Alaska! Alaska is gorgeous.
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We would do DC and plan to a little later, but want to wait until they could enjoy it a little more and understand more about it.
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Chicago has fantastic museums, great shopping, delicious food, fun parks (millennium park), and if you go in the summer, even a good beach for swimming! If you can take a date night without the kids, there is Second City for some comedy. Although beware, you may find yourself spending WAY too much at the American Girl store though if you’re not careful!
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I went to visit my friend in Chicago last summer. We did second city and I told him when I come back, we are definitely doing that again. Hilarious!
I took my daughters to Nashville for their birthday a year or so ago. We went to American Girl Doll store there and I will not have hurt feelings if I never go back there again. Too expensive!
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I have DD12 and DD9 and here are some of the things we’ve done in the last few years:
- Olympic National Park – cabins at Kalaloch are great, and kids can climb all over rocks to explore the tide pools
- Amsterdam, Ghent, Paris: We went to visit friends and did some site-seeing. Despite not having much European History yet, they both loved it. Paris in particular was full of kid-friendly stuff to do.
- St. Lucia: Family-friendly all-inclusive resort (Coconut Bay)
- Alaskan cruise + Denali: So much to see and do I can’t even list it all
- Washington D.C.: The Smithsonian is very kid-friendly, so even without a lot of American History knowledge, they saw lots of great stuff. Having said that, we only went on this trip to visit friends. I may have waited otherwise.
Some of these things they might have had a better appreciation for if they were older, but kids have less and less free time as they get older, and I didn’t want to pass on the opportunity to do these things with them. Also, I wanted them to have a sense that the world is bigger than they realize right now. Living in the middle of America, kids don’t necessarily see that.
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So many choices…
Do you like beaches, food, adventure? I think the destination will depend a lot on what you and your family enjoy. We love to travel so going to fun cities and immersing ourselves is always fun. Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, etc… We love Hilton Head for a beach because there are so many great restaurants there and we have gone for years. I don’t really know where to direct you. Too many choices. I will also put in a vote for Acadia as long as you spend some time at the Trenton Bridge Lobster Pound. That area of Maine is very pretty!
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That is on my bucket list, but unfortunately, it won’t be for the wife and kids. That is just not for them.
That being said, it’ll likely be something I never get to do either. Would love to, but I also hear it is really intense.
True, but I don’t want to pick something that they can’t/won’t be interested in or do. That limits the choices considerably. For example, I said I saw a show at the Second City in Chicago. Hilarious! But definitely NOT kid friendly.
At the risk of being heckled off the stage, there are some family friendly sites and activities in and around Las Vegas. And if you’ve ever ponied up the cost of admission to a Disney hotel, Vegas lodging rates will be a pleasant surprise. Just make sure you don’t book during a major convention like CES.
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That would be a solo trip for me. That would be this guy’s paradise.
I don’t understand the question 
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Fair warning…WHEN you choose to visit Vegas can have a much greater impact on your bottom line than peak-season Disney. The entire city goes into surge pricing on steroids during major conventions. A single night’s lodging during CES can cost you as much or more than a week during other periods. And even some hotel shops have stopped putting prices on convenience items so they can adjust for demand pricing on the fly. There are bargains to be had, but you have to put a little effort into planning. Fortunately, there are a lot of resources available and it’s not that difficult.
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It took me a while to understand it too. I had to go get those engineering textbooks and all… :)
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