Travel ideas with a 6 month old
 

My DH and I are looking to travel somewhere in the US during the last week of Sept and looking for some ideas. We will be traveling with a 6 month old infant. We will be flying out of Milwaukee, WI or could do a road trip if not too intensive. We are not interested in seeing a city, but rather relaxing in a beautiful spot with great scenery. We would like some opportunities to hike (1-2 miles) and enjoy the outdoors, but some access to a smaller city with some shopping, good options for eating, and maybe a bit of history . We have family who live in both California and Florida, so prefer to avoid these options as we will be traveling to visit them in the winter months. We have also been to Oregon, Colorado (Rocky Mtn/Denver area), and Yellowstone area, so want something else. I have thought of maybe the the Northeast, Asheville area, Charleston/Savannah (not sure this is best with an infant),or New Mexico. We are used to very active traveling and non-stop, so know that we will be modifying to a much more laidback, slower pace. We will have about a week for our travel and probably don't want to move more than twice and will do short day trips. We will probably be willing to spend about $150- 200 per night for lodging. I look forward to any ideas you may have or other great ideas I am missing.

Late Sept and nice weather, infant, scenery, mid range budget, hiking, access to smaller city = Sunriver and Bend, Oregon.

Fly into Redmond
Hike in the Three Sisters Wilderness and Newberry Caldera
Relax in pretty Sunriver
Enjoy great eats and no sales tax in Bend

Perfect!

Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are about a zillion cabins nearby, and I think a separate bedroom and a klitchen make travelling with a baby easier.

You have described Banff Park in Canada. Gorgeous. Reasonable hotels and good food in Canmore. Good hiking. BOat Rides. Good day trip to the glacier. Good animal spotting along the highways from the car in early mornings and at dusk. Just a great trip.

I agree about Banff, and I'd add Lake Louise too.

But I think you'd need a passport for the baby, so check into that.

I agree with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are several hikes to waterfalls and other outlooks that are under three miles, some easier than others. We have always rented a cabin (don't think camping, think log cabin) and enjoy having our own kitchen and seperate living space.

Thank you for all the ideas. I did not think of Banff, but that sounds spectacular. I also like the idea of a cabin where we could make some of our meals if desired. I will probably start some research in the Smoky Mtns or Banff. Any other ideas of places I may be missing?

This might be too far to go for a week,but what about renting a house in Cape Cod? We live in NYC, and did this when our now almost adult son was only six-months-old,and it worked out very well. End of September is after the hordes of tourists, but still typically nice weather on the Cape, and if you could add a weekend onto the trip, you could finish your vacation in Boston for a day or two. Boston is about a 2.5 trip from the Cape by car.

I've traveled with infants and to be honest they don't care where you go, LOL.

The only one criteria I had when traveling with small kids is that if there is an emergency I could get help ASAP. Either hop in a car, have 911 service, or have someone get to me AND get me to a descent hospital.

If you like hiking, I'd go with a National Park just for that reason.

Thank you again for the replies. We have decided on the Smoky Mountains for this trip. Now on to the fun part of researching and getting everyting organized.