What's Your Favorite Family Vacation?

[AlmiraGulch]

When I was in 1st grade (in 1902!) my parents took my brother, one of my sisters (the others were much older) and me to Colorado. We drove there, stayed with my mother's cousin and did all of the touristy "Colorado stuff."

 

I specifically remember how beautiful the mountains were, the trip through the US Mint and the white water rafting excursion down the Colorado river. Oh....and the giant pink restaurant that had cliff divers INSIDE the restaurant!!!

 

I've taken many vacations with my kids and I'm busy planning for the our 2010 adventure. We love to cruise but I also like to get in the car and just go. My goal is to find a place we've never been and find the nuggets of wonder there. I want my kids to remember our vacation time together like I remember that Colorado trip.

 

So.....what's your favorite, and why? U.S. or out of the country...whatever. So many places to go, so little time!!!!

[Stacia]

Our favorite by far has been skiing (in the Dolomites in northern Italy). Wish we had the money to go again this year.... (We also had an awesome family vacation there in the summer for hiking too. Overall, though, skiing was our favorite.)

 

I think a lot depends on the ages of your kids & the types of things you like to do as a family.

[DarlaS]

When I was in 1st grade (in 1902!) my parents took my brother, one of my sisters (the others were much older)

 

 

Wow, you were a first grader 107 years ago? I take it you're blocking the Titanic voyage from your memory. ;)

 

Hands down the best time we've had yet was our Grand Canyon trip. I love the desert (in May anyway...!).

 

Sorry for picking on your typo. :D

[Bambam]

When I was in 1st grade (in 1902!)

 

Am I reading this right?

You were 6 years old in 1902?

 

Please tell me this is a typo!

[LibraryLover]

When I was in 1st grade (in 1902!) my parents took my brother, one of my sisters (the others were much older) and me to Colorado. We drove there, stayed with my mother's cousin and did all of the touristy "Colorado stuff."

 

I specifically remember how beautiful the mountains were, the trip through the US Mint and the white water rafting excursion down the Colorado river. Oh....and the giant pink restaurant that had cliff divers INSIDE

 

You were 5 or 6 (or 7?) in 1902?

[AlmiraGulch]

Wow, you were a first grader 107 years ago? I take it you're blocking the Titanic voyage from your memory. ;)

 

Hands down the best time we've had yet was our Grand Canyon trip. I love the desert (in May anyway...!).

 

Sorry for picking on your typo. :D

No typo! I meant to type 1902 because I'm OLD!!!!! :D

 

BTW, the Grand Canyon is high on my list.

[AlmiraGulch]

You were 5 or 6 (or 7?) in 1902?

 

Uh-huh.

 

That's what I feel like anyway. :tongue_smilie:

[LibraryLover]

Wow, you were a first grader 107 years ago? I take it you're blocking the Titanic voyage from your memory. ;)

/QUOTE]

 

 

That would have been the best vacation ever, except for daddy dying!

[i.love.lucy]

Wow, you were a first grader 107 years ago? I take it you're blocking the Titanic voyage from your memory. ;)

 

Sorry for picking on your typo. :D

 

Am I reading this right?

You were 6 years old in 1902?

 

Please tell me this is a typo!

 

You were 5 or 6 (or 7?) in 1902?

 

Ummm. I think she was kidding. It's like when people find out that I have been married for almost 21 years, so I jokingly say I got married when I was 12.:tongue_smilie:

 

 

I remember a road trip with my family in a camper. I had a walkman (with cassettes) listening to Def Leppard and Van Halen and trying to ignore my little brother. But it was a great family trip to the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns and even Las Vegas.

 

We want to pack up the car and take a road trip next year too. Unfortunately for us one whole day of driving just to get out of the state of TX! I'm thinking Colorado. Or FL panhandle for beach.

[AmeliaJade]

We have not had a family vacation since 2004. It has just been non-stop hectic for us since 2005. In 2004 we flew all the way from Japan to take the boys to see Thomas the Train in Golden, Colo. It was wonderful!! We stayed at a gorgeous hotel and did all the touristy stuff. The boys had a blast at their Day Out with Thomas. They barely remember it now. They were 4 & 2 at the time. It was October so Golden was amazing. I LOVE Colorado anyway but it is something in the fall.

 

Our boys are now 9, 6, and 2 and we're planning a vacation this October to San Diego. We're going to Sea World and the zoo. I'm so excited because this has been a long time comin'. We really need a fun family vacation.

[Vanna]

So.....what's your favorite, and why? U.S. or out of the country...whatever. So many places to go, so little time!!!!

 

I can't say we have been to many places.

 

We've done Niagra Falls, Cape Cod, and many "stay-cations." However, we had a blast at Magic Kingdom (2 days) and MGM (1 day - which I think they call "Hollywood Studios" now).

 

:auto:

[sixglides]

Washington DC has been hands down our families favorite (16, 12, 10 & 7 at the time)

[AlmiraGulch]

Washington DC has been hands down our families favorite (16, 12, 10 & 7 at the time)

 

This is another that's high on the list. I was thinking maybe we could drive and do a couple of days in Colonial Williamsburg, then head on up to DC.

[Stacia]

This is another that's high on the list. I was thinking maybe we could drive and do a couple of days in Colonial Williamsburg, then head on up to DC.

 

Yep. I have to agree that Williamsburg & D.C. have been awesome vacation spots too. Excellent places to go.

[Laurie4b]

When I was in 1st grade (in 1902!) my parents took my brother, one of my sisters (the others were much older) and me to Colorado. We drove there, stayed with my mother's cousin and did all of the touristy "Colorado stuff."

 

I specifically remember how beautiful the mountains were, the trip through the US Mint and the white water rafting excursion down the Colorado river. Oh....and the giant pink restaurant that had cliff divers INSIDE the restaurant!!!

 

I've taken many vacations with my kids and I'm busy planning for the our 2010 adventure. We love to cruise but I also like to get in the car and just go. My goal is to find a place we've never been and find the nuggets of wonder there. I want my kids to remember our vacation time together like I remember that Colorado trip.

 

So.....what's your favorite, and why? U.S. or out of the country...whatever. So many places to go, so little time!!!!

 

Our favorite was traveling across country, including CO and the Grand Canyon. Colorado is where we all want to go back, though! We enjoyed all the different environments, from the mountains of WVA and Arkansas to the praries of KS, to the mountains of CO and desserts of UT & AZ to the atmosphere of Santa Fe, NM. I think the changes were part of what made it memorable.

[LibraryLover]

Some favs:

 

Washington, DC

 

NYC

 

Boston, MA

Edited September 2, 2009 by LibraryLover

[Nancy Ann]

Driving up the California coast on the pacific coast highway to Monteray.

 

Camping...pretty much anywhere.

[LibraryLover]

This is another that's high on the list. I was thinking maybe we could drive and do a couple of days in Colonial Williamsburg, then head on up to DC.

 

I would rate DC and the surrounding areas as the #1 best, & most cost efficient family vacay in America.

 

There are endless free things to do and see.

[creekland]

My family's favorite has been taking a month off and exploring Hawaii (we prowled around 3 islands - Kauai, Oahu, and the Big Island). We created so many memories there - snorkeling, hiking, scuba, Pearl Harbor, etc... just being together and there was awesome.

 

Second comes our two road trips around the US. We took a month for one and 6 or 7 weeks for the other. We hit National Parks, some State Parks and mostly camped our way from one spot to the next. There are oodles and oodles of memories and gorgeous vistas. These two trips were about half the price of HI - mainly because we stayed in waterfront condos in HI... For our favorite NP's we have Yellowstone, Bryce, Badlands, Sequoia, and perhaps Yosemite (but that was so crowded!). We also really enjoyed Carlsbad Caverns... and a gazillion other places.

 

Third comes a 3 week early summer trip to the Canadian maritimes - New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and PEI. Again, nature is gorgeous. We camped, we played in the Bay of Fundy watching the tides and along the red cliffs of PEI (among other things).

 

Fourth comes 3 and 4 week trips prowling around Florida - from the springs to the Dry Tortugas and many places in between (dog races, jai alai, Everglades, etc).

 

Our fridge is covered with magnets (they're the only souvenir we tend to buy) and our minds are filled with incredible memories.

 

My suggestion is to poll your family to see what they want to do. For our first major trip - the 4 week western trip - we asked each member of the family to pick a spot THEY wanted to see - then we connected the dots adding in other places along the way. At the end we polled everyone as to which their favorite places WERE. It was a lot of fun - especially the excitement and planning of making it a family affair.

[TravelingChris]

I can't say we have a favorite. One of my favorite thing is planning great vacations and trips and my family thinks I do a great job. Some of the kinds of vacations we have loved- cruises- they are probably the most restful and best vacations for me, renting cabins, apartments, cottages, etc.= this is the second best vacation for me since it lets me rest while others do whatever/ The third type only works if they bring it down to the lowest denominator (usually me since I have arthritis and asthma and if my joints aren't acting up, my breathing might be off). That has worked okay when we are moving or in cities and that is hotels, motels, and military lodging. We are doing one of those this weekend when we are traveling up to the Brandywine Valley of southeastern PA and northern DE.

 

Some of the places I want to really return to (and so does my family) Bretagne, France; Bavarian mountain, Germany, Slovenia, Venice, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Costa Rica, Big Bend, Death Valley, Blue Ridge Mountains, and I could go and on. We love to view nature, go to museums, go to gardens, visit historic houses and places, and see special festivals.

[whitestavern]

We have been to many places but my favs as far as a family vacation, hands down, have been camping in Mt. Desert Island, Maine, and Disney World. Never thought we'd be the Disney loving type, but it was SO much fun. They are right to call it magical. We are now planning a cross country trip that we're hoping to take in two years and are looking into some kind of house swap to explore Europe.

[Nicoleab2]

We love the Fla panhandle. We venture off to do things we've never done, but they always want to go to 101! ( the condo # where we stay in Fla) They have wonderful memories there with all the aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. We went every year for the first 8 years of their lives, so it is special to all of us.

[AlmiraGulch]

Driving up the California coast on the pacific coast highway to Monteray.

QUOTE]

 

Oh, yeah! We did this one in February of this year. I'd done it many times, but my kids hadn't. They loved it.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I've been to so many places, but I think my favorite vacation as a family so far was last summer. We actually went with my best friend, her dh, and their dd10, who is my goddaughter. We rented a house on Tracadie Bay on Prince Edward Island. My friend and I wanted to do all the Anne of Green Gables stuff, and we thought my goddaughter would enjoy it, too. She did! What we didn't expect was that our hubbies and the boys would enjoy it so much, too. They really liked Avonlea Village, and the carriage ride around "the Lake of Shining Waters". We also spent two lovely days at a small beach on the north shore, splashing in the waves and building sandcastles. We took a seal watching boat tour, and visited lighthouses. We went to a Ceilidh (Scottish music) performance. It was an awesome trip. The island is beautiful and peaceful.

[AlmiraGulch]

I've been to so many places, but I think my favorite vacation as a family so far was last summer. We actually went with my best friend, her dh, and their dd10, who is my goddaughter. We rented a house on Tracadie Bay on Prince Edward Island. My friend and I wanted to do all the Anne of Green Gables stuff, and we thought my goddaughter would enjoy it, too. She did! What we didn't expect was that our hubbies and the boys would enjoy it so much, too. They really liked Avonlea Village, and the carriage ride around "the Lake of Shining Waters". We also spent two lovely days at a small beach on the north shore, splashing in the waves and building sandcastles. We took a seal watching boat tour, and visited lighthouses. We went to a Ceilidh (Scottish music) performance. It was an awesome trip. The island is beautiful and peaceful.

This is something I hadn't even considered, but sounds amazing!!! What time of year would you suggest? I'm assuming summer....

[Melinda in VT]

It's hard to pick, but I think I might have to go with the south of France. Amazing Roman ruins, cute French villages, yummy French pastries. What more could one want?

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

We went to Prince Edward Island in July and it was perfect weather. It doesn't get very warm up there, as we were told by the locals, so July and August are the big tourist months. Even though we were there during the tourist season, nothing was too crowded, except for maybe the actual Green Gables house. Unfortunately, we arrived just after a couple busloads of tourists got there. We didn't go to the national park beachfront, either. The people from whom we rented the house told us about a public beach that was very secluded and not well known. It was awesome.

 

I did live in the Nice, France for 3 months, and in Tours, France for 1 year. The south of France is awesome, too. I am planning to rent a summer house in France when my kids are older and explore the whole country with them. Visiting the castles of the Loire Valley is pretty cool, too.

[Jennifer in MI]

My favorite vacations have changed so much! I used to love going to a city/country and exploring all the historical sites. I still do, but with kids it's just SO hard!!

 

Our favorite place as a family right now is WDW/cruising. There's something for everyone.

 

We've also loved our cross country trips. We've done two. They were absolutely wonderful seeing all the landscapes and people! Our favorite places were Colorado - LOVE the mountains, and Maine - we stayed on an island and loved the water taxis.

 

We also took a cruise this past January and found that it's a TON of fun for everyone. (But you know that already!)

 

Trips in our future: WDW (January 2010), Alaska cruise (Summer 2011 - was supposed to be 2010, but then we found out a cousin is getting married in VT, hence the VT and Boston trip!), VT and Boston (August 2010), Hawaii, and Europe (2011?). The Europe one is just so hard to plan! I want to see it all!! It gets overwhelming and I just put it off and plan something else instead. I think we're going to rent a condo in Italy and go from there.