W. US great family spots
 

Looking for recommendations for a family of 6 (kids) ranging from 7-16. Did a cruise, disneyworld and Yosemite. All great, but any suggestions of great family resorts or destinations that satisfy our age span? thanks! (we live in San Diego)

How about NYC? It has everything for everyone IMO and very differant from San Diego.

For what time of year and for how long?

A Club Med somewhere?

Yellowstone. Fun and educational.

I'll second Yellowstone! Great place for all ages.

Another idea is the Canadian Rockies. Banff National Park and Jasper National Park in Candad have scenic beauty, wild life and resorts!

Utahtea

thanks! I thought about B.C. for it's beauty, but wasn't sure if the kids would find it interesting. Leaning there. Also, NY good suggestion too. hmmm....some things to look into!

Washington D.C. is a great family vacation, which you can also combine with a trip to Williamsburg, VA.

For your age range, I'd recommend Niagara Falls, particularly on the Canadian side in Ontario. The falls are magnificent and you can take a tour behind the falls and then ride the Maid of the Mist to get a close-up view. At night, from about May thru September, I believe, there are fireworks above the falls, and the falls are iluminated. For the younger one(s), there is a section of amusements within walking distance, called Clifton Hill (http://www.niagarafallslive.com/clifton_hill.htm). Toronto is less than an hour away (also has the Hockey Hall of Fame which is very interesting). If you have more time, drive to Cleveland from this area and visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If sports-oriented, take in a Cleveland Cavaliers game or Cleveland Indians game, depending on the season you're visiting. Good luck!

Skiing!!! We spend quite a bit of time in N. Conway NH - Skiing, on tubing hills, cross country, sleigh rides, ice skating, the Polar Express for the young ones (although to get tickets you have to enter a lottery), great food - as an added bonus for all ages get a hotel with a hot tub.... Cranmore also has an indoor climbing wall. There is an on-line newspaper called the Mountain Ear that gives you the low down of all area activities for the week. Great place for all ages in the summer too!!

Black Butte in Oregon.

Anchorage and a whole Alaska in March during the Iditarod race

A ranch vacation is a lot of fun for a family. There are all types of ranches...along with horse riding great food and entertainment, many have activities such as swimming pools or ponds, saunas, tennis, fly fishing, skeet shooting, golf, and spas.

The first time we went, we chose one with lots of activities as my husband thought he "wasn't into horses". Cherokee Park in Northern Colorado). We combined the week at the ranch with two weeks driving throughout the southwest..Mesa Verde, Grand canyon, Utah parks, etc.

Since he ended up being a excellent rider, the next time we went to one with just a lake, canoes, and miles of national park trails that allowed unescorted riding. (The Flying U in British Columbia). This one we combined with a cruise from Vancouver.

Our kids were 7 & 9 the first time and 10 & 12 the second. They loved both places, and still talk about going back some day.

The book, Ranch Vacations, by Eugene Kilgore and www.ranchweb have lists of ranches all over the US and Canada with very accurate descriptions of the ranches.

I should have written more. Black Butte Ranch is one of those ranch vacations lcuy is talking about. It's a ranch resort, with horses, biking, swimming, hiking, organized activities if one likes. People rent houses or condos, or stay in the lodge there. It is in a lovely area. Here's the website:

http://www.blackbutteranch.com/

Thanks-I like the dude ranch idea also. My teenage son is curious if there are other teenagers at these places? What do they do at night there? anyone know? We would go during usual vacation time, spring break or summer.

Dude ranches are a lot like family summer camp. There are usually activities scheduled all day and evening- campfire activities, excursions into town, steak & champagne dinners for adults while kids have overnight trips or sleepovers in Teepees, historical speakers, dances, talent shows, staragzing, night time wagon or trail rides and more.

Both of the ones we visited had game rooms in the lodge with pool tables, ping pong, and lessons in whip twirling, books, a piano, etc.

Flying U had a pub in a barn where adults can hang out and listen to music. They also had a schoool group when we were there, so our kids participated in their talent show, dance, and gymkahna.

Each ranch is different, which is why I recommended the book and web site above. These tend to be very honest and accurate in their descriptions.