Elmiller

The oldest of my three is starting her senior year. We want to plan a really good last family vacation for next summer. I am considering a new england tour in June/July. Boston, Cape, Maine, etc.... OR Yellowstone and point west. Anyone done both and have an opinion??? I am leaning towards the east coast. Thanks for any advice as to lodging, meals, must-sees in these areaa. THanks fellow fodorites!

gail

The one big travel difference between the 2, through the eyes of your kids, is likely to be travel times. We are always amazed when we travel to much of the US how compact New England is compared to rest of country - you end up spending a lot of time in the car for other destinations.

An obvious starting point is to ask the kids what they want out of a vacation - cities, beaches, hiking, etc. Some may flame me for catering to whims of kids, but our kids continue to enjoy traveling with us (14 and 18) as long as they have some say in the matter. For this summer I had wanted to go to Montreal and Quebec City but we ended up on a cruise to Bermuda - had some wonderful family time together.

It also depends on from where you are starting. And where you have been on previous vacations. And how long you will have. Give a few more details and you will get more comflicting replies than you can likely handle.

MarthaB

Elmiller, I would personally choose New England because I grew up near Yellowstone and have seen it often enough. However, if you do choose YP, you can do a llama hiking and camping expedition of some of the more remote areas. The next time we go, we might try it.

http://www.yellowstone-llamas.com/

There is also the annual Sweet Pea festival in Bozeman (about 90 miles from YP). It was a hoot to watch the little kids run their race. Can't believe how much the town got into the spirit of that. Good shopping there, too.

http://www.sweetpeafestival.org/

BTW, I just came back from Montana about two weeks ago. I would suggest staying either in Yellowstone or right outside; otherwise, you'll be spending some time driving there. Of course, the drives can be pretty scenic...

Gail, we visited Montreal and Quebec City about three years ago and loved both. Very beautiful and different cities. I would go back to either in a heart beat.

Elmiller

Good advice. We are starting from St. Louis. We have done a lot of good trips... Grand Canyon and southern Utah, Michigan, two Caribbean cruises, Washington/Williamsburg, Chicago, Disney...

dfrostnh

I'm biased because I live in New England and haven't been to Yellowstone. This year I visited the Grand Canyon for the first time. New England has a large variety of options within a fairly small area. You could rent a lake or ocean cottage yet also visit museums. I think it's a great idea to customize your plans to give each person in your family a special treat. My husband would choose an antique car museum. I would choose garden tours. You could learn kayaking together. The kids might like August better when the water is warmer for swimming

girlwilltravel

Having visited both the east coast and Yellowstone for vacations, I know your decision is a hard one. It really depends on what your family wants to get out of a vacation. Do you want beaches or mountains? Beef or seafood? Just kidding. I love Yellowstone because it is so different that anywhere else in the nation; large open spaces with active gysers, lakes for swiming, boating and fishing, mountains for hiking and lots of animals, depending on the time of year you go. It is one of those places that you can climb to a high spot, look around you and feel incredibly free. If you go, please stay at least one night in the Lodge. It is an experince in itself, or try one of the cabins. We stayed in a pioneer cabin; my mother wanted to expereince these. It was cold in May, I froze but loved every minute of it. There are tons of photo opportunities for your family; give the kids a camera and lots of film and make it contest on who can come up with the best photos! And, of course, Yellowstone isn't the only place to visit. Jackson Hole is close by and Utah has it's own treasures. Try the Hill AirForce Base Museum or Monte Cristo where the mountain views are fantastic.
Gail has a point of asking the kids. Since it is a family vacation, see where they want to go, even though you have the final say and will guide them in the right direction. The key is to do your homework and research the area so you can share your knowledge with them.
Wherever you go, have fun!

mbohn99

New England is a great place for older teens. It is a place with beautiful Mountains ( the White Mountains in NH are 2 hours from the ocean). Ogunquit is a wonderful seaside area that teens love and parents do too. Cliff Walks,Mansions great Restaurants (The lobster Pound is a favorite) and funky stores, good music, driving south Portsmouth NH is quaint, neat stores and good restaurants inthe Strawberry Banke area. Continuing South stop at Marblehead or Rockport/Gloucester(Cranes Beach in Ipswich is beautiful) for a Massachusetts seafaring fisherman/lobsterman experience
Continuing south to Boston you have the historic Freedom Trail, Lots of great ethnic and Brahmin neighborhoods, Fun Fanueil Hall (out door performers, stores , restaurants) Harbor cruises, I could go on and on about Boston (make sure you take a "duck tour) which is a land and water vehicle.
At This point you have a choice- Cape Cod MA or Newport RI- personally I like Newport and Block Island, Lots more to see and less shlocky commercial than the upper Cad Cod but the National Seashore in the lower cape is beautiful.
The nice thing about New England is that you can easily see so many landscapes in a 6-8 hour drive. I am happy to share more specific details if anything sounds good to you.

alvira

I've been to both New England and Yellowstone and both are great. My suggestion would be to consider going to the one that is most unlike where you live.

If you live near the ocean and your kids have never seen wide open spaces and grand mountains, then head West. I'm from the East coast and was totally unprepared for the grandeur of the mountains and the vast amount of geothermal activity. {Yellowstone is much more than just Old Faithful). We flew into Salt Lake City and drove through the Grand Tetons (magnificent) to Yellowstone. Buy the annual pass ($50) to the National Parks, which is good for a year and may be cheaper than buying an individaul admission for each park you enter. Check out www.nps.gov.

If you live near the mountains or in the plains then take the kids to New England. Be sure to include a whale watching trip, the cog railroad up Mt. Washington, the Boston aquarium, and of course a fresh lobster dinner served on a pier. When available, I always start our trip with a Gray Line tour or similar of the city I'm visiting to get a general lay-of-the-land.

Have a great trip.

Which ever destination you select, a cheap but valuable momento is the National Park Passport Book. At each National Park site you visit for the rest of your life you can get a dated cancellation stamp in your book to record your visit. It's fun to see who can accumulate the most or the most distant.

Chatters

I have traveled to both destinations, New England and Yellowstone, and there is no easy answer here without knowing a bit more about likes/dislikes. Given the little that I know about your family, I would pick New England. The history, diversity, and beauty is astonishing and can also be overwhelming, so a trip to New England in June/July does require more research and preps than a trip to Yellowstone (which, by the way, I absolutely adored!).

Are you driving?