vacation ideas for a family within US?
 

Does anyone have an idea for a reasonable family vacation within the U.S. traveling by automobile? Vacation is in about 3 weeks.

pmmvp,

I'm afraid your question is way too broad to garner much response. To get any feedback I think you're going to have a give a bit more info first.

Any particular area? What sort of vacation do you want? Man-made or natural wonders? Beach, desert, or mountains? How long do you have for your trip? How many kids and their ages? Do want this to be a road trip with several destinations or a shorter drive to just one or two spots?

I think you can see by my questions why it's hard to answer your question as written.

Good luck.

Fran

I've got a bunch of ideas. Definitely need more info though - like fran says - where you are starting from, what you all like to do, the general type of vacation you are looking for, and so on.

Sorry about that. I thank you for your input J Correa & Floridafran.
Live in Missouri. Have 2 kids, 16 & 5. Have one week in May around Memorial Day for vacation this would include travel. As far as stops or straight shot, that doesn't matter. Think we would like to travel east or south of Missouri. Just frustrated with cost, time,etc. We have been to Gulf Shores,AL, so we know we love the beach.However that's gone up in price.
I think something relaxing or quiet we be great at this point.
Do you know anything about Anna Marie Island or Outerbanks or Williamsburg?
Thanks for your help!

Yes! A houseboat rental on Lake Cumberland KY. Fabulous experience!

http://www.flagshipmarinas.com/marin...houseboats.htm

for some idea on rental info

Thank you for your response and the link Starrsville! I'll check it out!

Port Aransas, Tx or So Padre Island both on the gulf plus fishing charters. Ft Lauderdale area the rates maybe coming down around than. They have houseboats on Table Rock too.

Thanks hulajake! I'll check it out. By the way do you have any tips for rentals that are on the beach if we go there, I know that when we went to Gulf Shores and Panama Beach there were SO MANY choices.
Thanks!

Depending on how long you want to drive, here are some ideas. Williamsburg, ride train from St. Louis to New Orleans (or drive), Chicago, Nashville, Smoky Mountains. For really quiet, just family time, you could also consider Ozark mtns or the houseboat mentioned above. Our family also likes Hot Springs Arkansas which is pretty budget friendly.

Since you mentioned Williamsburg, you might consider a trip to the area which includes Jamestown Settlement (400th anniversary) and Yorktown. Here's a good link for info: http://www.historictriangle.com/attractions/

Thank you bethmac! I'll check those ideas out, never been to the Smokies before! Any tips for there?

Thanks LG2! Thanks for the link as well. Do you have any tips for places to stay in Williamsburg?

Colonial Williamsburg has some lodging options. We may consider them next time we go. There are numerous hotels in the area. Once we stayed at Comfort Inn. Try virginia.org . Click on accommodations and search by city.

If you only have one week in May, then Williamsburg will be a long drive. If you have more than a week, than I suggest, you go to Williamsburg and the beach (either VA Beach which has a large beach with motels/hotels and a boardwalk or the Outerbanks, more home rentals, more waves (so watch the undertow with the 5 year old), more quieter beach experience.) VA Beach and Williamsburg are about an hour's drive apart. There is also a Busch Gardens theme park in Williamsburg which is very nice. I like to just walk around. My kids love the rides. It is a nice walking park and will have a good variety of rides to suit both kids.
If you are driving, you will need a little longer than a week. (my opinion). I am not sure how long it takes to drive to VA from Missiouri, but I imagine a day's drive?
Also, the western part of VA and the eastern part of TN are very nice mountainous areas. The smoky mountains in TN and the Blue Ridge in VA. You may want to spend a couple of days there during your travels.

Thanks for all your ideas girlonthego!
I wish we had more than one week, but we don't! Yes it a long days travel +, think it's around 17 hours.
Can you tell me if Williamsburg or Virginia is crowded in May and if the weather is bearable at the end of May?
Maybe I should reconsider something closer. Never been out east or even to eastern Tennessee.

When I used to travel with kids, we always tried to fit in a beach destination, no matter where we went. Since you didn't state which part of Missouri you will be coming from, i checked on Mapquest from St. Louis and found that one of our favorite family beaches, Myrtle Beach, was about the same distance as Williamsburg.

The weather is so unpredictable. We could be brutally hot or pleasantly wonderful. We play sand soccer in VA Beach in June. It is always the second weekend. Last year, the weather was picture perfect. The days were in the 80's but no humidity. It is really too hard to tell. I think for the most part, that late May would be ideal for Virginia travel.
17 hours is a long drive. I have never stayed in the TN mountains. A friend of mine rented a cabin on a lake there and loved it, but it sounds like a quiet vacation. Since your kids are such different age groups, having activities available would probably be your best bet on vacation. Williamsburg and VA Beach would definitely fill a week's vacation easily. In VA Beach, there are some nice hotel/motels and some rather dumpy ones as well. I like the two Courtyard Marriotts. The North one has an indoor and outdoor pool. Also, the Hilton is rather new and has a pool on the roof.
In Williamsburg, not sure where to stay, because I stay with family when I go over there.

Charlottesville is a nice town on RT 64 along the way. You can see Monticello where Pres.Jefferson lived. It is also a cute town with University of VA. They have a nice walking outdoor mall area with lots of restaurants.
As far as the mountains, I think it would be a really nice time to go there, but can't really recommend anything specific. Good luck

pm - Well, I'm going to suggest something a little different, but should fit your criteria - North Shore of Minnesota along Lake Superior. Should be about 9+ hour drive from KC, to give you an idea. Gorgeous, hilly country (think coast of Maine). We go very often and find the costs very reasonable. It's quiet and relaxing but there's plenty to do, especially for kids. Lots of beautiful state parks, hiking, sailing, etc. The ski resort in Lutsen turns their runs into slides, bike runs, gondola rides in the summer. Wonderful small towns. End of May might be on the cool side (60s during the day), but that always appeals to us in the summer. May shouldn't be crowded since most kids in the Upper Midwest are usually still in school. We take a day trip and visit Fort William in Canada (a restored, operational fort), where all of the fur traders in the 1700 - 1800s gathered with their pelts, etc and traded them to buyers who shipped them to Europe via the Great Lakes. Very interesting and the kids love it.

Here's a link for more info:
www.northshorevisitor.com

Thanks girlonthego and don512!
Always loved the beach vacations. I know both kids love that. Would go back to Gulf Shores or Panama Beach, but the prices are so high during our vacation time frame. Use to go in early May there and was cheap and not crowded. We are about an 1 1/2 from St. Louis. Is Myrtle Beach crowded?
Originally wanted to go to Disney World, but don't want to do the timeshare thing and don't want to pay out the wazoo to go there for 4 days and travel 2.