I have four kids (ages 1, 5, 8, 10) and am from Philly. Looking for a relaxing, but unique getaway. This is difficult when a one year old is involved, so it has to be sort of laid back! I try to expose my older boys to differenct places/people each vacation. We have never been to Canada. If we could only make several visits in our lifetime (with kids) where would you suggest? Any special resorts during the summer? Please excuse my ignorance.

Lisa

Lisa, Number one. Don't ask to be excused for supposed ignorance. Canadians do a perfectly wonderful job of quizing Americans about Canadian history and geography. Never answer their quiz questions. Ask them why they are quizing you. Take it from someone who knows.

I think that you should visit Vancouver Island. Unbelievable beauty and relaxation.

Have fun!

Lisa, since you are from philly, I think it woud be important for you to define how far you want to travel, Canada is a large country from coast to coast.
There are resorts in the mountains in Quebec and Ontario which would be closer for you than Vancouver.....

Thank you so much! Honestly, we're planning to take a plane weherever we go, but I don't want a trip too long - no longer than three-four hours. Where can that get me? LOL!

Lisa

Hi Lisa,

You cannot get to Vancouver by plane in 3 hours. You can get to the Maritimes: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and very pretty and touristy Prince Edward Island. All of these provinces have tourism sites, just do a search. The beaches are mostly on the Atlantic and the water was pretty cold when I was in PEI and New Brunswick.
Beaches in Ontario are on lakes and the water is warmer. There are a lot of great resorts in Central Ontario. You would probably fly in to Toronto and rent a car. You could do a combination holiday, all the city stuff in Toronto like the CN tower, Wonderland, the zoo and then some time at a cottage country resort. Good luck!

This somehow reminds me of a teenager down the street who knew nothing about anything. She wrote a paper on the population of Canada that went something like this.

Canada is a big country that has a lot of population. Most of the population is in the south. This is because of the United States. The northern part of Canada is too cold to have much population, so the people do without.

Her nerdy, younger brother who reminds me of Jason in Foxtrot, got into the act. He convinced his older sister that the word copulation would give her paper a more erudite tone. So he talked her into changing it on the word processor. A few keystrokes and one word replaced the other in a second or two. And that was the way this masterpiece went to school.

So to give a slightly more erudite answer, please realize that geographically Canada is larger than the 48 contiguous states, and from east to west is even wider than the USA.

If you want something really different, try Vancouver. It has many varieties of many cultures from Europe and Asia. There are several flight connections per day from Philly.

If flying is out of it, Quebec City is interesting. I wonder how not speaking French would affect the boys?
Might try Montreal, it is a little more English speaking.

Hah! Thanks for the laugh, Bob.

Lisa: We're from Lancaster County and travel often to Canada. It is quite different from the states, which makes it a great nearby place to have a wonderful time. The natives are (mostly) friendly, and have a pleasantly quirky sense of humor, and we've made many friends over the years.
Not unimportantly the exchange rate is favorable for US citizens, though not quite as good as in the recent past.
We've been from east to west and many places inbetween. As Bob says, it's a huge country with many dimensions, so getting bored should not be of much concern. My kids are typical and have enjoyed themselves.
You know your kids best, so getting a general consensus from them is desirable in narrowing down the choices. If a 3-4 hour plane ride is of paramount importance, you can pretty much rule out anyplace from mid-country to the west. But like other reviewers noted, Vancouver is great, as is Whistler, Jasper, and Victoria.
To the east are the Maritimes, and if a nautical theme fits, then they are a great choice. Directly to your north, and within a days drive, is Ontario and Quebec, both good choices. Algonquin Provincial Park is an absolutely wonderful park about a 3 hour drive north of Toronto. If your kids like camping, it doesn't get much better than that. There are also a few privately owned cabin-type places where you don't have to "rough it" so much, some which include meal plans. The larger cities, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, have lots of fun places to visit and you can always relax beside the hotel pool and let the kids play electronic games on the room TV set.
I can provide more detailed suggestions if you'd like by providing your email address and I'll answer more pointed questions. But whatever you decide, Canada is a great choice for a vacation (And no, I'm not paid a commission by the Canadian government for my remarks).