family reunion with teens
 

We are looking for suggestions for a family reunion in mainland US for a family of 15 people ages 1-79. It is the the three teenaged girls (14-19) who seem hardest to satisfy as they need activities (e.g., no quiet beaches). A cruise would have been ideal but for the 1-year old. Any thoughts welcome.

What time of year? What areas (besides beaches) have you or the family vetoed?

FYI - Many people take young children on cruises. Children love to swim, and many of the cruise lines offer supervised child activities so that parents can have a relaxing break. But here are some other thoughts:

skiing in winter
a big city - NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, etc.
a Disney property
Las Vegas (very family friendly - not just all casinos)
a national park where the younger folks can hike and swim and the older folks can relax

But, if you can pass along what ideas you've already decided will not work, that would greatly help. Also what kind of activities for the girls? Just shopping? Hiking, skiing and other outdoor stuff? Museums or historical sites?

pat, I wouldn't plan my family reunion around the likes or dislikes of three teenaged girls.

NYC is always fun and entertaining for everyone. Since the oldest is 79, the Greyline doubledecker tour bus would be perfect. They get to see the city without a lot of walking.

Shopping and the theater will entertain everyone.

Good luck to you.

I forgot to add that I think Disney has activities for children as young as ten months. I think.

I have a 14-year old son. All he and his friends ever do is go to the mall. They go not to buy anything but to hang out -- they go there because this is where the girls hang out.

I'm sure this is very sad for you to consider: that you might have to spend your reunion in a mall. What you might do instead is book a house or two where you and the adults can hang out and reunite. The teen girls can go to the malls and buy new swimsuits and other to-be-seen-in clothes, and then they can wear them to the places that you pick to go to, i.e. theme parks, restaurants, movies, etc. If you think you'd like Florida, I would suggest the St. Petersburg area beaches, which are very family oriented, the St. Augustine area, where you can visit historic places within the city, the theme parks, Disney, Busch Gardens, Universal, SeaWorld, etc. But if you do that it might be difficult to find homes to rent.

We once had a family reunion in New Orleans, which included 8 children ages three to fourteen and 9 adults. We stayed at a hotel in the quarter, walked all over the quarter, went to the zoo via a boatride up the river. We happened to be there when they were having the French Quarter festival, a low-key food and music festival. Everyone had a wonderful time, especially because the toddlers could run all over Jackson Square while others listened to music, etc.

I don't remember exactly what hotel it was that we stayed in but we had one suite room where everyone congregated -- my mom stayed in that room. Everyone else had their own rooms. This gave us all some privacy while at the same time we had a place to meet.

So what do you think?

Tandoori Girl

I'm liking the national park idea - or some other outdoor venue like Lake Tahoe. Actually, Lake Tahoe is a really good place to take people of different age groups. There is stuff for everyone.

I would definitely pick some place where the teenagers can go off on their own a bit, even if it's just down to the lake (or wherever) to hang out.

And a note about the teenaged girls - since I was one once myself LOL - they will probably initially hate anything you plan but get into the spirit of things as time goes on and they loosen up. Also, if they are bored, sometimes it's just cool to be bored.

If you pick a National Park, be sure to tell them that it has some great gift shops!

I went on a hike in New Mexico with my 16 y.o. niece and 13 y.o.son last August and we got lost for about two hours, not a funny thing in the desert of NM. Luckily, we had a cell phone and called the rangers who talked us out of the mess we were in. My son and niece were moanin' the whole time -- but now every time I see my niece she starts laughing about that day (we were out of water and she couldn't believe that I would actually drink out of a cow trough -- don't tell anyone). It was a truly memorable and different experience.

Tandoori Girl

Thanks much for the replies so far. We are looking for a week long trip in mid-August, but probably not a big city vacation. Maybe places with water activities such as white water rafting and boating. So any further suggestions are welcome.

I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned this, but we've had family reunions like yours, and the best ones were in Nags Head, NC. We rented a beachfront "mansion" complete with hot tub and pool, pool table, and 7 to 11 bedrooms. Each adult couple takes a night to do dinner (it's too hard to book restaurants with a group this size), and the best part is having everybody together, with a rec room or the beach to hang out. My kids love their cousins so much, and these weeks are the reason - age differences disappear, in ten minutes it's like they saw each other yesterday, instead of a year ago. Do a google search and you'll get a couple of realtor websites...they do book early though, so check right away! Have a great time.

Near Austin TX is an incredible place called Schlitterbahn. You can rent cabins and visit while the teenagers go up and down the water slides.

I know it sounds hokey, but it was the absolutely best reunion anyone could have.

Check it out: http://www.schlitterbahn.com

Cashiers, NC is a great place in the summer. Rent a lake house on nearby Lake Glenville -- then rent a boat and take spins around the lake. Be sure to rent a tube for tubing behind the boat. In the daytime, make trips to the many falls in the area (there are about ten falls hidden in the mountainsides) -- especially Bust-your-butt falls where you can ride a tube 40 feet down the falls. There are plenty of teen-aged boys hanging around for the girls (!!!). Take a hike up any of the mountains, and enjoy the views. Make a trip to Highlands to shop. Make a trip into Asheville (an hour away). They have many music, arts, or culture festivals -- and tour the Biltmore estate. And -- most important -- enjoy the wonderful weather. In the summer the temperature in Cashiers is about 80, with no humidity. It is a wonderful place to be.

August is a difficult time as most places are very hot that time of year. That's why we like Cashiers, NC.

I've run out of ideas for you. whew.