november_moon

Our family is hatching a travel plan, and I need some help brainstorming.

We are 3 adults in our 40s (my husband and I and my uncle, who is closer to my age and more like a brother) plus his 2 kids (my cousins) a girl and a boy, both young teenagers. We might end up with a couple more teenagers too, depending on the trip, if the kids each bring a friend.

We are all Californians and the kids have been all over California, Oregon, Washington so they have the West Coast pretty well covered, but have never visited any other part of the US. Their mom took them to Europe last summer, which was great for them, and they have been to Canada, but my uncle wants them to see some more of our own country. So we are hatching a plan to go see stuff.

We'll probably take 10-15 days in the summertime and are really open to anything. We aren't thinking theme parks, like Disney or anything like that though. We want the kids to see regional differences, try new foods, learn about history and culture, see different landscapes, etc. rather than visit a pre-packaged thing. We all like big cities, museums, monuments, the outdoors, small towns, poky little places, and everything in between. We like active stuff like bike riding, kayaking, hiking, cultural things like festivals, museums, live music, etc. as well as silly tourist stuff like riding those HOHO convertible buses around a city

My husband and I have been to quite a few places in the US for work and personal travel, but we want to focus on places that will be of interest to teenagers and expand their horizons. My uncle hasn't travelled too much in the US except on the west coast, but has travelled internationally. We are pretty easy-going, laid-back travellers, everybody in good shape, no one particularly needy or picky - so basically perfect

Our initial thoughts were the east coast cities - Washington DC, Boston, Philadelphia - the center of early American/US history. Maybe do a trip through a few cities, or pick one city and then explore it and the countryside around it. Boston and then some more rural areas in New England or something like that - drive up the coast into Maine maybe. But I don't want to limit our possibilities. Also, this could be the first of a series of trips, so a nice list of possibilities would be great to have.

So what ideas do you guys have? Where have you taken your kids that was of particular interest to them?

emalloy

Are you and the kids active/do things like hiking, kayaking, adventurous types? If so take them to to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons or the National Parks in Utah like Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands with a side trip to Grand Canyon.

If you are more of the look at things and be entertained then take them to a place where there are museums, plenty of theaters, etc.

If the kids aren't happy, you won't be happy either.

Tomsd

Think you have to decide between a Western States "swing" - or a Northeast/DC trip.

For the Western jog - head to Las Vegas for a day or so (lots to see and do - besides gambling - including Red Rock Park - about 20 minutes outside of Vegas) - and then hit the Grand Canyon - and if you want to really be road warriors - on to New Mexico - Albeq - and up to Sante Fe and Taos and up to/through Colorado and maybe back via Moab? - or head to 4 corners from Taos and back through northern Arizona - visiting Monument Valley, Navajo National Monument - etc.

If you have enough time - then finish out with Bryce and Zion on your way back\

For the East Coast - from Boston down through DC - losts of posts in here to help you with that check under the various states) - and as "side" trip could be over to Philly (one hour on the train) - to see the Liberty Bell, etc.

november_moon

Thanks for the ideas so far. And yes, I want to make sure the kids are having a good time because that is the whole point of the trip - to take them to see new stuff and let them experience more of the country. If they aren't interested in what we see, we will miss the mark and may as well have just left them home.

My thinking is that once we have a list of possibilities, present the idea to the kids with the possibilities and then get them involved in the final selection and the trip planning. That way they are invested in the trip and we make sure we go see stuff that they want to see. Also, they are old enough now that I think it is important for them to start learning how to travel - how to plan, how to research, how to make arrangements, etc.

And these kids do like outdoorsy stuff - they started backpacking before they could walk. They go hiking and biking with their dad pretty often. So a western national parks trip would probably go over quite well.

Any ideas for touring around in the south? New Orleans is one of my favorite places and I have had fun out in Cajun country and up in Memphis too. There is a lot more down there that I would personally like to see - anything that you guys think would be esspecially neat for kids?

tomfuller

Any thoughts as to a large vehicle? Flying 6-7 people to the the eastern US would be quite expensive.
To keep down costs, I think an 8 passenger van and going to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon followed by several of the Southern Utah National Parks would keep them happy.

sallytakemyhand

One thing to remember, it gets hot AND humid in the summer in the east. Since you mention the kids are outdoorsy, how about Breaks Interstate Park, http://www.breakspark.com/, in Kentucky/West Virginia.

november_moon

We can usually get flights from SFO to the east coast for under $400 each - plus with miles and/or companion fares, we can work it out so that the cost isn't too bad. DH and I fly a lot for work, so we always have miles to use.

The road trip idea does have merrit, although I don't know that I would want to drive for days to get to Utah or the Grand Canyon. Some people are road warriors, I am not. I've made that drive from SF and it was loooooooong

MichelleY

What about Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii would probably be more affordable if you rented a condo or something on VRBO. Alaska would be much more expensive.

Ackislander

Outdoor focus: hiking in the White Mountains of NH, windjammer cruise off coast of Maine, beaches of Cape Cod or Rhode Island, Jersey Shore, Outer Banks

History: Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Williamsburg

Cultural (traditional and hip): Boston, NYC, Washington

garyt22

New York State in the Summer is amazing... fly into Buffalo for some Wings, a few days in Niagara Falls for the Nature, Jetboats, Maid of the Mist... then head to Letchworth State Park which is "the Grand Canyon of the East".. spend some time along the Finger Lakes for some boating, fishing, hiking and wine touring... Corning Glassworks,watkins Glen, Ithaca, and onto the Hudson Valley... Sleepy Hollow, Westpoint and finish your trip in New York City!

10 -15 days is perfect for this trip and you can fly back from NY... the weather is great and there are dozens of things for both the teens and adults... give it a thought...

Gardyloo

As Californians (I'm one myself, but took the cure many years ago ) I suspect your exposure to the combination of high heat and humidity has been very limited. Now it's a personal thing, but outdoorsy activities in the south or mid-Atlantic areas in summer can be very uncomfortable for west coast people. We took our teenage son to DC over July 4 one year, and while he definitely enjoyed the museums and sights, he was way more interested in the hotel's pool and AC than he was walking along the Mall when it was 90 degrees and threatening rain.

New York in summer is unbelievably crowded, expensive and hot. Philly is (IMO) much more visitor-friendly then (still hot as hell) but frankly I would take the kids to NYC, Philly and DC in the fall, spring or winter. NYC is a fantastic fall or mid-winter trip from California - my folks first took me around Halloween when I was 12 and it knocked my socks off - cold, bustling, amazing colors on the trees in Central Park - things I was unfamiliar with growing up in LA.

New England can be hot too (Boston is sometimes as bad as DC) but there you have the alternatives of the coast or inland mountains closer to hand. You might think about a big loop beginning and ending in Boston. Head north to Portsmouth (one of my favorite towns and very historic) then up the Maine coast and over into New Brunswick and Quebec, then up (i.e. southwest) along the St. Lawrence to Quebec City and maybe Montreal before heading south back into the US and through Vermont or New Hampshire down to Boston. The addition of French Canada to the mix will be a fascinating counterpoint to all the Yankee history, and probably will be a real eye-opener to the kids (adults too) especially if one does a little research about the French and Indian Wars, the course of the US Revolutionary war in the north, etc. Note everybody needs passports if Canada is included.

The other thought - closer and driveable - is to head to Yellowstone, Grand Teton and maybe Glacier Park. You know you have to go there eventually, right, so why not now? Fantastic, easy from California, and enough activities to consume numerous summers, not just this one. If you want to make it a little more educational, make a loop that includes the Mother Lode country in Nevada and some of the historic towns thereabout, then return via Montana and some of its fantastic historic towns, like Helena (a real gem) and Missoula.

Tomsd

Definitely factor summer humidity into your travel plans.

Out west - we are fortunate to not have really any humidity, or very little.

You could fly to say Phoenix and rent a van and tour around - or maybe into Salt Lake - or even Las Vegas - all of which would put you within fairly easy driving distance of some great parks/sights.

Tomsd

BTW - you have been to Wash state - but did you take the ferry over to Vancouver Island - and Victoria has some pubs/high tea - that makes you think you are in Merry Ole England.

And if you drive out to Tofino on the west coast of VI (it's a big island - over 600 miles long) - about 5 hours from Victoria - you are in an amazing "temperate" rain forest - one of three in the world. Just beautiful.

HappyTrvlr

I like your first idea of a US History tour to Washington,DC, Philadelphia, Boston. You would be skipping NYC while passing right by it. Would ypu consider adding it? Washington was sworn in as President in NY...the kids would get so much out of a trip like that. You can use Amtrak between the cities.

november_moon

Thanks for the additional comments and ideas.

The adults in the group are fine with heat and humidity, although it would be the kid's first real experience with it if we did the east coast. The trip(s) do have to take place in the summer time though due to school schedules, so we will have to deal with whatever the weather is whereever we decide to go.

I think I am personally leaning toward Boston and coastal NE - maybe up to Arcadia NP. Thanks for some of the detailed suggestions for NE.

I hadn't really thought of Hawaii or Alaska. Alaska is on my personal list of places to visit. I've always wanted to explore Alaska using the ferry system on the Alaska marine highway. That would be an interesting summertime experience, I think. For some reason Hawaii has never really piqued my interest - I know, I am weird. We are probably going to Hawaii later this year because my sis-in-law recently moved to Honolulu so we need to go visit. She absolutely loves it, as do my in-laws, and who knows, maybe I will get there, fall in love, and insist that we go back

As for NYC - of course we would consider it - pretty much everything is on the table. I hadn't mentioned it initially though because I do know how absolutely packed it can be in the summer, but crowds are ok.

WhereAreWe

I suspect they learn quite a bit about early U.S. history in school. I also suspect they don't learn nearly enough about early U.S. history in school, and that's where I'd focus on rounding out what they aren't learning in school.

Just think about all the Native American culture/history, the early European explorers and all of the 'other side' that isn't emphasized. The Civil War is still referred to as the War of Northern Aggression in parts of the South. But history is most often written by the winning side, so if I had kids at that age I'd want to educate them on the other side of things.

I think a trip to Yellowstone and the Black Hills of South Dakota would be amazing. You'd have scenery, hiking, history and culture, with a variety of different landscapes and experiences. Everything from Native American sites to cowboys, homesteaders on the prairie and Mt. Rushmore. Mountains, rivers, prairies, high desert, forest, etc. You could go from visiting a missile site from the Cold War to Badlands National Park to Pine Ridge reservation (one of the poorest places in the country) all in one day, and go to tacky tourist places like Wall Drug, Reptile Gardens and Bear Country U.S.A the next day.

The one thing that area doesn't have is a big city, but I don't think that would matter with so many things to see and do.

No matter where you go in summer, there's the possibility of heat and humidity. But even that can get worked into the whole educational experience, imagine what it was like 100 years ago when they didn't have air conditioning and how did they cope with the heat/humidity back then. Get up early and do the outdoors stuff in the morning, save the driving for the hot part of the day (or go river rafting/kayaking to cool off).

Deep South - Memphis, New Orleans, various civil rights sites, Native American, Cajun, Spanish and French history - you really can't go wrong there. If you pick that area I'd go as early in the summer as possible, or even over Spring break week if you can for the best weather.

New Mexico, Arizona and Texas have a lot of history and culture from a mix of various groups. That's a pretty big area to cover so you'd need to split it up into many trips. A visit to the Four Corners area combined with some time in the Colorado mountains would be pretty cool.

Really, no matter where you go there's a lot of history and culure to explore, from prehistoric to present day. I would try to work in a mix of all that wherever you decide to go.

WhereAreWe

I didn't even mention the fossils and paleontology of some of the western sites. Visitors to Badlands NP have discovered some fossils that led to major excavations within the past decade or so.
http://www.nps.gov/badl/planyourvisi...e-prep-lab.htm
http://www.nps.gov/badl/planyourvisi...g-Bulletin.pdf

Take a look at the "Nature and Science" and "History and Culture" tabs on any national park/monument that you visit, there's a lot of info there. Most people think of the parks as just scenic places to go hiking but there's so much more than that.

jamie99

If you do decide on the east coast seriously think about also visiting Virginia. My late husband was born there in the Shenandoah Valley, full of history,Civil War battlefields and much more. Definitely visit Charlottesville and see Monticello, home to Thomas Jefferson and also visit the grounds of UVA (whatever you do, do NOT call it the campus, apparently this is bad as calling SF Frisco to them). Richmond is nice and then finish up with some time at the beach. see if this is of any interest, always wanted to see this. We did visit Assateague and Chincoteague but not at the time of year the pony thing was held.

http://www.chincoteague.com/pony_swim_guide.htm

Tomsd

As you previously noted - do get the kids involved and then fine tune where you are headed. If you are heading East - I think the New England down to NYC and on to DC option sounds the best.

And when do get to Hawaii - I think you will love it.

Try to get to an outer island also - and Kaui - the Garden Isle - is our favorite - with Big Island 1-A, but Maui is also tons of fun.

sunbum1944

How about Whistler, BC Canada- take the kids to a different country, lots of active things to do in the arena- and you could do a stop in Vancouver too for a little city life.