My wife and I are planning to visit the USA in 2014 from South Africa, with 2 kids (11,8)and it will be our first visit there. We're now trying to decide between visiting in July or December - December would be easier for us and allow us an extra week's holiday and more sightseeing, but we're not sure conducive the cold weather would be for a holiday with small kids (bearing in mind we don't really know cold weather where we come from!) . Any recommendations or suggestions would be appreciated. We're planning to visit New York city / North East region, California to Las Vegas/ Grand Canyon etc, and possibly Orlando, time permitting. Thanks!

Northeast in December will be cold and NYC will be costly. Grand Canyon will be cold too. I personally wouldn't take kids to Las Vegas. Thee are much better places to go. Weather in California in December will vary greatly from northern to southern Calif.

New York and Connecticut will be very cold and possibly snowing/ice in December. California and Florida would be OK, with more mild weather.

How long is this trip, total time?

I ask because you are covering a LOT of territory, and places that are nowhere near each other. I think you'd need 1-month minimum to do all that you outline in your post, and even that would be moving at a pretty fast pace.

New York before Christmas is cold, crowded, expensive and magical. The weather in July will be no better, just hot, and there is so little magic in the summer city that New Yorkers leave the city in droves.

From NYC, take the train to Washington. Daily highs in late December are likely to be 18-20 C, and many of the attractions are free. It is a low point in the city's life because Congress is not in session, so there should be bargains in lodging. Much to do for children their ages

OR go to Vermont or New Hampshire for skiing. Guaranteed to be very cold, crowded and expensive until the first Monday after New Year's when students generally go back to school.

I don't know how much time you have, but I would then go to Charleston, SC, a beautiful city with unique architecture and food. If you stay at Wild Dunes, a resort near the city but at the beach, you can rent a condo which will give you access to heated pools. Good biking weather generally, though not remotely warm enough to go in the ocean, but fine for walks.

Orlando for a week? How can you avoid it with kids that age. Again, renting a condo gives you more room and more flexibility than a hotel for less money, though nothing is cheap.

Finally, some time in SW Florida on the Gulf would let yo explore a bit of the Everglades, go shelling, see marine life in the wild ( dolphins in the surf) and the water is actually warm enough to go into.

But that's four weeks and we haven't even seen the west!

Yep. Someone else will have to make the case for that, or you will have to come back when they are thirteen and sixteen or make this East Coast trip at those ages.

PS. If you wind up in South Florida at the end of your trip I think you may be able to fly home from Miami via Brazil.

PPS Be prepared for astonishing ignorance about South Africa. Not ill will, just ignorance: "since you live in a jungle, you will like the Everglades or be bored by them."

If you're going to California, do the Disney thing out there. '
New York and Washington. Fly to San Francisco. Then fly to LA/do Disney.
You might consider doing Yosemite from SF rather than the Grand Canyon.

I vote for December. You might enjoy the cold weather. I'd suggest 2 wks for Boston, NY City to Washington DC, 4 days in Florida (Disneys, Cape Kennedy), and then 1 1/2 wks in CA, flying into LA and driving down the coast to end in SF. Likely the only really cold weather will be in NYC and DC, but those are urban destinations with a lot to do indoors. Florida and California will be fine. Vegas is not my cup of tea - gambling, fakey resorts, shows and worship of the almighty dollar. This itinerary takes you from some of our great cities, to the fun stuff (Disney), to CA and the coast there, which is beautiful.

PS. Be sure to time Disney so you get there before school lets out for winter break in the US.
I'm for December for two reasons. First, you said you get an extra week, and second, places won't have as many tourists as in summer. We travel off-season a lot and enjoy the lack of crowds. Early December is not the worst weather in the Northeast, anyway. January and February are colder and worse.

Christmas to New Year week is peak season in Las Vegas, Orlando and New York City. Prices are high and every room will be full.

The Disney Parks and Universal stop admission mid-morning each day those weeks because the parks are at the limit.
If you decide for December, you must make the Holiday week reservations very soon.

Winter weather disrupts air travel and if you are planning to drive around New York or Connecticut winter roads are challenging for inexperienced drivers.

Another consideration is limited daylight. December has our shortest days. Even in Florida and California where the weather should be mild, you have 8 or 9 hours of daylight.

In July, you will have heat and humidity in Florida and New York. Summer time weather poses less risk to your itinerary.

July offers beach weather in Florida and California.

I agree with the other poster that your kids will be interested in Vegas for a one night visit at most.

I would do Dec rather than July - but I hate hot weather and am used to a climate with 4 seasons. (And I do like snow/cold weather.)

Frankly for kids that age I think snow and cold might be fun (kids here love it - all are out skating and sledding, etc) - it's not like they're toddlers.

In July everyplace will likely be hot as hell and humid with it.

Well, for what it's worth... (and what you're paying for the advice ) we travel to SA pretty often and always come in the (southern) winter. The days are shorter, it's true, and with all of South Africa's many climate zones it's always possible things can be cold or wet (or warm and dry, or warm and wet...) but it hasn't phased us.

When you say December would "allow us an extra week's holiday" how much time altogether would you have?

Schematically I'd look at maybe a week on the east coast - New York absolutely, also Washington DC for a couple of days, then the rest of your time (a fortnight? More?) on the west coast.

Visit the San Francisco Bay Area, maybe visit Lake Tahoe or Yosemite to see the Sierra Nevada mountains in the snow, then down the coast to the Monterey Peninsula, through Big Sur, Hearst Castle (and adjacent elephant seal breeding colony), Santa Barbara with its beaches and Spanish mission, and finally LA - Hollywood, Disneyland, you name it. East through Death Valley to Las Vegas, or if you're okay with possible winter driving conditions, head to the Grand Canyon. If the latter, stop in Palm Springs and see Joshua Tree National Park.

One can take days, weeks, or months and still not scratch the surface in the west. The weather won't be constantly sunny, but it will be more than not, and the temperatures will be delightful. Things aren't so far apart that the kids will be bored by long car rides; and the variety will knock you out.

I have only been to the East coast when I was very little, so I can only speak for the West... But, I used to live in California before I moved to Montana, and I can tell you that December is a much better time to go. Southern California is all desert/Mediterranean climate, and there's not too much chance of your trip being ruined by horrible weather. As some of the other people mentioned, you should try to stop by Yosemite, as it is one of the shining jewels of the California parks, but be careful if you're going to drive yourself into the park. It does snow, and after having moved from somewhere that never received any snow, and then moving to Montana, it definitely takes some skill and patience to be able to drive in it. You might be better off taking a tour bus if they're still operating that time of year. I agree with Gardyloo's suggestions, and that sounds like a lovely trip. Also be warned about the SF Bay Area; I took my boyfriend to a Christmas-time Raiders game up there one year, and we drove into SF proper for dinner, and the crowds were prohibitive. It took us forever to navigate and find a parking place. So, if you're going to be there, allow for a little extra time to get around the city. From Monterey to Hearst Castle would be a nice day trip. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is famous, and lovely, and I have many fond memories as a child seeing all the sea life there. Very worth the time. If you drive Hwy 1, along the coast from there to Hearst Castle, in San Simeon, it should take you about 4-5 hours at a leisurely pace. Be sure to stop at Julia Pfeiffer-Burns State Park, and see the waterfall that falls onto the beach. Once you get into San Simeon, there are some nice hotels, and you could see Hearst Castle the next morning, then head down to Santa Barbara. From Hearst Castle to Santa Barbara is about 3-4 hours. Stay the night in SB, go to Freeb!rds in Isla Vista for some excellent nachos, and then drive down to LA & Orange County for some fun. SB to LA is about 3 hours, LA to OC via the 5 (which goes by Disneyland) is about another hour. You could probably spend a day in LA by itself just going around to the different museums, like the LA Natural History Museum, and the California Science Center, which are right next to each other. And you could go to the Griffith Park Observatory, and see the Hollywood sign from there. Disneyland is an all-day event, and be prepared for it to be super expensive.
Hope that you have fun on your trip!!

I vote for December. The first week of December is one of the best weeks to go to Walt Disney World - no crowds and pleasant temperature for walking around.If you are a Disney fan plan on 5 days - 1 for each park and 1 day for the waterpark or relaxing by the pool. If you can afford it definitley stay at a Disney resort for the most magical effect - I like the Riverside or Port Orleans because of the mid range pricing, ability to rent a boat or surrey bike, nice restaurant on site and you get to use 2 resort pools just rent a bike and ride over. You won't need a rental car for this portion as Disney will pick you up at the airport and bring you back. If you are Harry Potter fans you must go to Universal - the second part of Harry Potter World will be completed by time you arrive!
Next I would head to New York - lots of deals on flights for this portion. Hopefully it will snow just a bit when you are there - it's beautiful. The snow melts really quickly if it is just a small amount so get to Central Park early to see how pretty it is. The second week of December will be less expensive than later in the month. You will probably need a light winter coat for this city in December - find a Walmart or Kohl's to buy four inexpensive ones. New York has a wonderful public transportation system so you won;t need a rental care here either - just take a shuttle from the airport. I like to stay at the Best Western Seaport - large rooms for 4, free breakfast, 5 minute walk to the subway and a quick ride to wherever you want to go via subway - the bus to the Stautue of Liberty is only half a block away. It is half the price of a hotel in Times Square but again if you the funds staying in the center of the city can't be beat. Make sure you see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular while you are there, rent ice skates at Rockerfeller Center or in Central Park.
I would then fly to Las Vegas - again good flight price options. I know that most people say why take your children to Las Vegas but whe have gone twice. I have taken mine twice and we love it - I don;t gamble or drip alcohol. There are lots of hotels in LV just do some searching to see what you like - just be sure to ask if their pool is open and heated in December - very important for my children. We visited Hoover Dam, Madame Tussaud's wax museum, rode a gondola in Venice, went up the Eiffel Tower in Paris, saw a volcano erupt, musical fountains, rain inside a mall, a pirate duel, the Atomic Testing Museum, toured a NASCAR speedway, rode roller coasters, the Titanic museum, saw magicians, impersonator shows, Broadway type musicals and so much more. You must see one of the Cirque de Soleil shows - I hear the Michael Jackson was is awesome. From Las Vegas the Grand Canyon is a day trip with one of the tour companies or you could rent a car and drive yourself. Take the children to a buffet - so much food you are overwhelmed. I drove from LV to Williams, AZ and then we took the train - very corny but great for kids - mine were 12 and 14 at the time.
Next stop California - either rent a car and drive, take the mega bus (sometimes tickets as low as $5.00 if you book early)or fly ( check Allegiant). I have never been to LA or San Francisco but you should definitely visit those two cities. I have been to San Diego and loved it - would go back in a second if I could. We stayed at the Welk Resort in Escondido - 30 minute drive to San Diego ( zoo, Balboa Park, Coronado hotel, Seaworld, Midway museum). The safari park is in Escondido. We did 1 day in Legoland only a 20 minute drive to Carlsbad - it is not just for little children, we loved it and spent the whole day - go if you children like Lego. Visit a pier, sit on the beach, and watch a sunset
Have a great time planning - what a great opportunity to have a month to travel with your children!

The CA coast will most likely be foggy in July. I live here, it is not our best month weather wise. We have micro climates here, you can go inland 20 miles and it will be sunny and warm and foggy at the coast. Our December weather is mild, light jacket or sweater.

Wow! Thanks everyone, for making the effort to give us so many great suggestions, you've given us so much to consider. Now we're really itching to visit, waiting 'til next year is going to be really difficult! To answer some of the questions, we're planning on approx. 3 full weeks if its July, or 4 to 4 1/2 weeks if its December. At this stage we're considering leaving Orlando out of the itinerary, and just focusing on the North-East and California (Disneyland Anaheim and LEGOLAND San Diego for the kids will be more than enough, I think, considering the time restrictions and not wishing to spend more time travelling than vacationing).

Just a comment about Legoland, your kids are on the upper age range for the place, especially the 11 year old. It's really geared towards younger children.

I went in November with my 18 and 20 year old and we enjoyed it immensely. If your children like Lego it is a great place - we built lots of things even cars and then raced them. You could spend all day just looking at the Lego creations. If you go in December they will have the snow area - build a snowman, throw snowballs and tobogganing for children. I thought that we would spend a couple of hours there but we we stayed all day!

Hi, thanks a lot for the tips. Legoland is more for my 8-year-old son who is Lego-obsessed. But then again I think I may even enjoy it as well, bring out the inner child again..!