lisabees

And if any of them included small children, all the better for me! I want ideas that expose my kids to something different and special and unique. The problem is my kids are ages 1, 5, 8, 11. It's a big gap but that 11 year old doesn't have many "family vacation" years left - hee hee. He'll be out of the house before I know it!

Money is not an issue, but b/c of the baby I'd like to keep it in North America or the islands.

Thanks.

easytraveler

Try a cruise.

Activities are arranged by age group (including yours!) and you can just drop off each kid at each age group facility. If the kids like the activities enough, they wouldn't want to come back to your cabin early! Check out the cruise group carefully. Not all cruises offer the same level of attention and fun things for kids to do.

There are also land-based resorts that offer all ages activities. Arghhh! Can't remember the name of the most famous one! Fodorites! Please help!

GoTravel

About as off the beaten track as I would go with your family would be a Disney cruise.

Tandoori_Girl

When my son was 8 we rode the train in Mexico along the Copper Canyon. We flew into El Paso, TX, took a cab to the bus station, got a luxury bus into Chihuahua. We stayed a couple of days in Chihuahua (which was a great town with good food) then boarded the train at 6A. After about 6 hrs. of riding the rails (I think) we got to the town of Creel where we stayed for a few days, visiting the places where the indigenous peoples lived. Then we got back onto the train and went to Los Mochis, where we stayed in a colonial town in a terrific hotel with a pool, restaurant, and a disco. Then we got back onto the train and went back to Chihuahua (I can't recall where we stayed on the way back) and took a bus back to El Paso.

My son is 14 but still remembers the trip. We all enjoyed it immensely.

Mary2Go

We used to go tent camping in the Sierras when my kids were little. It was not too relaxing for me getting ready and coming home with all of the gear but my kids loved it. They could get dirty, be loud, sleep in a tent, fish, ride horses, play with the campfire, pee behind a bush...all the things that would never happen at home!

questionmotives

I have never been to one myself, but my former boss told me that he once took a week long family vacation to a dude ranch in the Four Corners area and the kids (two girls) loved it and still talk about it even though they are now adults.

I would imagine they have similar places anywhere in the West or Northwestern U.S.

Retired_teacher

One of our favorite vacations with kids was spent at a YMCA camp in Colorado. They have daily activity options that will involve your kids and some 'field trips' for the grown ups too. If you're not a member, you can purchase a temporary membership for a nominal fee. We were located at Snow Mountain Ranch with is on the SW side of RMNP near Grandby but there is a larger camp on the eastern side of RMNP at Estes Park too. For a list of all online Y-Camps check out the following website: www.stwmd.com/y-camps.php

Meesthare

I'm not so sure that you need to restrict yourself to destinations that offer activities for kids. I travelled a lot with my four, as a single mom. We went to Europe and travelled for a month in a minivan, when they were ages 5, 8, 9, and 10. We did lots of car trips within Canada, where we live, and also flew to California and drove up the Pacific Coast Highway. Is there anywhere in particular the kids would like to go? Sometimes, in particular with the 11-year-old, you can maintain their interest better if they've been involved in the planning. My son and daughter-in-law just came back from a European trip with their 3 kids (3, 5, and 10) and had a great time.

placeu2

Does off the beaten track mean where no one else goes in big numbers (rural US), or does it mean get me into the country regardless of popularity (Yellowstone)?

We have had great family vacations in the Banff/Jasper area, Southern Utah, Northern Wisconsin and others.

Do you like lakes, woods, mountains, history or something else? Do you want to rough it, hotel it, drive it?

dwoodliff

Another idea might be a driving trip through New Mexico, with a stop at White Sands National Monument. I don't know why they call it a "monument"; actually, it's a park consisting of huge, soft mountains of white, snowy (beach-type) sand. Everyone from kids to middle-aged adults (me) was sliding down the mountains on their behinds, when we were there. You can even camp out there overnight, but I wouldn't dress the kids in white, lest they blend in with the scenery!

Also in New Mexico is the town of Ruidoso. There is lots of "neat" stuff there; look up "Ruidoso for kids" on Yahoo for ideas.

Your older son might be interested in the alien stuff in Roswell, but I found it to be kind of fake.

We also took a tour of a pistachio farm while we were there, which was pretty good.

I know these aren't what most people think of as vacation spots, but you did say "unique".

Rosemary1

My husband and I don't have kids but are kids at heart (around 39) and absolutlely loved Ucluelet, BC on Vancouver Island, near Tofino, but not nearly as crowded. Stayed at "The Cabins". Simply incredible hiking, wildlife, crashing waves, rainforest. Probably the most beautiful place we have seen yet. Were there last October and nobody was there except the wildlife, it was incredible and much cheaper as it was off-season. If I remember correctly check out www.thecabins.com or do a search for Ucluelet, BC. Good luck!

LN

We rented a cabin on a lake and it was one of our greatest vacations. Every day we swam, fished, took the canoe or little boat out, cooked outdoors, and took long walks. There was nothing spectacular happening but each and every kid (4) talked about how much they enjoyed it. We've done that three more times and they still love "heading up to the lake".