I want to plan a beach trip with friends who have children around 5 years old. I've never travelled with children, so what would you recommend? I would like to find a place with a nice beach, comfortable rooms, etc. We could rent a condo or stay in a hotel. It would be nice if the place had children's programs. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Atlantic, Paciffic, or Gulf Coast? Give us a clue as to what you would be most interested in.

Well, there are lots of places within the continental US and Hawaii that will suit your needs. If you add in the Bahamas or the Caribbean you will have litterally thousands of places to choose.

You question is much too vague - sort of like saying I feel hungry what should I cook for dinner?

How about cutting us a break and give us some more information like where you are travelling from, what your budget is for accomodations and travel? Are you looking for a beach on the ocean or perhaps a beach on a lake? When will you be travelling - certainly you wouldn't want to go to a Beach in Maine during the winter? Do you want to fly or perhaps just drive? How many people will be in your group? What do you want to do during your trip besides it on the beach?

The more information about you and your group you can provide the easier it will be to steer you in the right direction.

Oops! Sorry to be so vague. My friends live in the South, so the Florida beaches or the Carolinas would fit best. As for price, something moderate, not too expensive. Hopefully travel in second-half of August. I was thinking of Sandestin. How is that? Too crowded? Too pricey? Pensacola? Sarasota? Amelia? What other information should I provide? Thanks!

Why don't you enter those words in the search box and get ideas of what others have liked about those places (and posted here for use whenever you want/need it). Each of the ones you mention have their pros and cons - and we have no idea what you are looking for.

With small kids, condos are always nicer. We stayed in Hilton Head and traveled with my parents and my husband and two kids and my brother and his 3 kids. We had three condos in one building. We ate out every night, but then could eat in during the day. You could also hang out in their condo after the child goes to bed and then go home to a peaceful condo without kids.
If you are looking to share a condo, that is good too.
Hilton Head has very calm water. The condos we stayed in were called Windsor Court and we booked through islandgetaway.com They were easy to deal with.
If going to a hotel, go to a resort and definitely get your own room. There is a Hilton and I think a Westin on Hilton Head.
In Florida, there are many resorts. Just pick a town.

The 3 hotels associated with Universal/Island of Adventure have pool with a sand entrance.

You could have it all.

Again, you are being vague. We'd like to help but terms like "moderate", "not to pricey" and "Affordable" have different meaning for different people. Try to be specific, "i.e. - I want to pay $300/night or $5,000/week.

As pointed out condos are great for large groups or families. Also, if you are looking to save consider accomodations that are a block or two away from the beach rather than beachfront. You'd be surprised at how much less you can spend if you don't mind walking a little bit.

Look at places like Hilton Head, Kiawah Island, Fripp Island, Amelia Island (all on the South Carolina coast). Also, places like Sanibel, Captiva, Marco Island or any of a dozen other towns on Florida's Gulf Coast will have what you are seeking.

Second half of August may not be too crowded as schools in many states begin classes around that time so I doubt you'd run into "wall to wall" people.

I begin vacation at Topsail Beach, North Carolina on Saturday with my family of six children and one wife. My rent is about $1250 for an oceanfront cottage. This is rather typical for this resort.

Wherever you go, be sure to get a place where you don't have to cross any busy roads to get to the beach. It's best if you don't have to cross any roads. When you're with little kids,the convenience of being right on the beach outweighs the savings of the being a block or two away. Having a beach house or condo with a kitchen and separate bedrooms will make your vacation a lot more comfortable.

St. Pete Beach maybe, we enjoyed our trip there, nice beaches. Stayed at Tradewinds Island Grand.

If you can wait until after August 15th, rates will drop.

Wild Dunes is a good choice.

We really liked Pensacola Beach. We took the kids there last summer and stayed right on the beach.Search this forum under my name and my trip report about it should pop up.

I love Myrtle Beach. The beach is wide, clean, warm. You can get a nice 2 or 3 bedroom condo directly on the ocean with a pool(s) for under $200 a night. There is also lots of things to amuse children and adults like Alligator Adventure, Broadway at the Beach, mini-golf,shows, plenty of piers, etc. Have fun.

Rent a big house right on the beach in the Outer Banks. You can't beat it.

The Florida gulf beaches are great, but the only drawback is that they tend to get a lot of rain in the summer, which is the main reason why summer is the low season there. The weather is really no warmer than the Carolinas, or even Maryland where I'm from. You can check average monthly rainfall amounts for cities in the US on weather.com, which can be helpful in planning. I've been to beaches all throughout the south atlantic and Florida, and to me it's hard to beat the any of the North or South Carolina beaches. Hilton Head is great, especially for families. But if you don't mind taking the chance on the weather, Marco, Sanibel/Captiva, and Siesta Key (near Sarasota) are really nice. Longboat Key, also near Sarasota, is great too.

Thanks for the helpful replies. I'm sorry if I'm still too vague, but I am still putting my thoughts together. Thanks for the tips about rain. I'll just have to speak to my friends and narrow down our thoughts.

Smetz, you need to be more specific about the high season for Florida gulf beaches. The high season for the beaches in northwest Florida begins at Memorial Day and ends after Labor Day. As far as rain, we are now parched and would welcome some rain, as it has been overly dry this year.

I have a 3 year old and a 13-year-old and we have gone to Rosemary Beach and/or Seaside for the last seven years for at least one week each year. Seaside has more programs for children but it is also more crowded. Rosemary Beach is less crowded and only about 15 minutes from Seaside so you can still go over there for the day/evening. Both places have a "movie night" where they show a movie on the public greenspace and serve popcorn, snowcones, etc. Both do have Kids Clubs. Beautiful beaches. You can rent bicycles and ride everywhere. Lots of pools if the kids don't like the sand/salt water. Very relaxing!! You can google rosemary beach, florida or seaside, florida and go to "Cottage Rentals" or you can find rentals at www.vrbo.com

Hello! MSN.com had an article today on the best family beaches in America. Cannon Beach, Oregon was number one If you get a minute, there might be some good suggestions for you and your group. Have a great time!