michellewk

i'm looking for family summer vacation--there are 4 of us, 2 adults a 5 year old and a 2 year old, any suggestions, NOT Disney!

J_Correa

With little kids, I would think that a vacation near a swimmable beach on the ocean or a lake would be ideal - rent a cottage, small house, condo, or cabin close to the beach. You can cook in or eat out as you choose, relax by the water, maybe do a little exploring, and so on.

Wynn

If you are interested in a beach vacation I think Hilton Head is ideal, especially with little ones. I know people complain that it has gotten too built up, but it also has a lot to offer. Several things I like about it are that the water is calm and you can walk out a ways before it gets deep. I felt like I could sit back and relax, keeping a close eye on the kids while not having to hover over them while they played. Another nice thing is that the sand is really hard packed, enough that you can ride bikes on it. With kids this also means they're not always getting it in their eyes, mouth, etc. What you do have to be careful of is jellyfish. We were there in July and talked to some people that said we had picked a great time to come as the jellyfish either weren't out yet or had passed (can't remember which). Other plusses to Hilton Head are the biking/walking trails in many of the complexes, if you shop--outlet malls, good restaurants, within an hour of both Charleston and Savannah which are great day trips, and the absence of the boardwalk-type atmosphere that other beach resorts have. I know some people like this, but to me it's not relaxing at all. Hilton Head still has lots to do with the kids--mini golf, renting bikes, searching for alligators!! My kids still talk about our trip there so I know it was a hit with them.

alise

what part of the country?

I always enjoyed my NC mountain trips...
water (rivers and lakes), trains, indian reservation, biltmore estate, chimney rock, blowing rock (tweetsie railroad), boone, linville caverns...gatlinburg has tons of tacky tourist stuff and is kid friendly

cruise line that offers daycare?

Niagara Falls area (great Butterfly conservatory)


depends upon your interest, location, willingness to travel, time, $

utahtea

I found that our children at any age loved being with their parents.

We always did national park/outside type of trips and our kids loved them.

Utahtea

Ann41

If you want a really old-time family vacation spot, there's a tiny town in NW PA called Conneaut Lake. It's on the largest natural lake in PA, and you can rent jet skis, etc. from a couple of local marinas. There's also a small amusement park. You can rent beach front cottages for a fraction of what you'd spend on the ocean. Conneaut Lake is about 90 miles north of Pittsburgh, and about 90 miles east of Cleveland.

Or you could try Preque Isle on Lake Erie. Waldemeer is a nice amusement park. Bigger than Conneaut Lake Park, but not huge like Cedar Point, etc.