Seeking Summer Vacation Ideas

Ditto for the vote for Great Wolf Lodge.. the poconos.

Great water parks there, summer rates aren't bad

I usually go to Ocean City, MD. I like the beach town but my family also enjoys taking a ride to Assateague Island. Last year we did the hiking trails that are only about 1/2 mile each (bring bug spray) and this year we camped there for a few days. But the wildlife there is beautiful. The wild horses just roam free. You should look it up. I would recommend everyone to take there kids there at least once!

D.,

I love planning our summer vacations, and each one has been really successful and a highlight of that respective year!

Before my youngest was 3, we spent a week between the Jersey shore (visiting my parents) and Lancaster/Hershey (Dutch Wonderland is wonderful for the little ones). After than, I haven't planned a beach vacation as, between my parents and my in-laws, we usually spend a lot of time at the beaches of NJ and Long Island when we visit them in the summer.

When my son turned 3 and my daughter turned 7, we took our first week-long (or longer) vacation away (other than our annual trip to Florida). That year we went to Mystic, CT, ...for 6 days and 5 nights, as I recall...and we didn't even make it to the Aquarium, there was so much other stuff to do! I try to plan for as much outdoor activity as possible, using the indoor stuff like major museums as backup in case of rain...and it barely ever has rained during our vacations! We went to Mystic Seaport...ended up there for a full day and the late afternoon on another day (ticket was good for more than 1 day, at least then). Also walked around the charming town of Stonington, with a beautiful point out into the water. We spent a day at an amusement park in Rhode Island that I would NOT recommend to anyone. It was filthy! We also spent a morning in Groton, at the submarine museum at the Naval Base. There was a small electricity museum in another town. There was a Native American festival next to one of the casinos. There was charming Mystic, and I'm pretty sure we took a boat ride, too--we tend to take one on every vacation! It ws amazing, and my kids wanted to move to Connecticut after that week, talking about our hotel as if it were the Four Seasons (it wasn't) and about Connecticut as it it were Eden!

The following summers were the Finger Lakes (Corning/Watkins Glen area, with the Lakes); Cape Code (1/2 of Cape, closest to mainland, still need to do the rest of the Cape!); another section of the Finger Lakes (Ithaca, Auburn, Seneca Falls, NY St. Fair in Syracuse, Cazanovia); Niagara Falls (Canadian side, including St. Catherines and Fort Erie, staying away from the really commercail stuff but seeing all the nature-oriented things in the Falls area); and, last summer, the Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown historic triangle, which my son would like to return to this summer (we're not) as, although we were there for 7 days, we didn't see everything we wanted to see! (We also went to Busch Gardens and Water Country USA while there.)

I hope this is not TMI, but each one of these vacations was amazing, and we could have stayed longer at each place. I like to find off-the-beaten-track things, as well as the "normal" sites. My kids love our vacations!

I like to go north because it is a little cooler, and we ALWAYS get a hotel with an indoor pool (which can be a challenge in some places!) because it often is cool in the evenings, the time we tend to swim. This summer the plan was to head west towards Pittsburgh (It's the 200th anniversary of the city.) and West Virginia, but because of a family activity, we have a change of plans and will be in the NY area, so instead we'll probably head up to another part of upstate NY...possibly Fort Ticondaroga/Lake George/Sarasota/Cooperstown area, and/or the southwest corner of Vermont. There is SO much in NY State...the Finger Lakes, the 1,000 islands (would like to do that another time), the Catskills, and other areas. There are a couple of amusement parks/water parks near Lake George, which my kids love as an add-on to our nature/history/plain fun vacations...but I usually don't tell them anything about the amusement parks/water parks in advance...and then it's like an extra treat once we're there!

We like to stay in one hotel the entire time, if possible, and just limit ourselves to things that we can reasonably do from that hotel. It's so much easier to do things this way when your kids are little. The only exception to doing our vacation that way was our Ithaca/Auburn/Cazenovia vacation, where we spent 3 nights in Ithaca, so we could go through the gorges, etc., and explore and swim under the waterfalls, then 2 nights in Auburn, so we could explore Auburn and Seneca Falls, and then we stayed in Syracuse for 2 nights a family wedding in Cazenovia. We went to the NY State Fair (in Syracuse), however, from Auburn. The state fair is amazing and we could have spent at least 2 days there, easily. We spent a full day there and saw just a part of it, there was so much to see. If you buy tickets in advance, it costs less than buying once you're there. (We bought there, however, as we wanted to make sure we went on a good weather day.)

If you have any questions, please feel free to send a personal note! Have fun planning and enjoying your vacation!

I live in the Poconos and it is a huge family tourist attraction. We have great resorts that have lots of family activites. There are fresh water lakes for boating, swimming, and fishing. Great shopping. Alot of culture activities with the Delaware Water Gap Jazz to Artwalk in Stroudsburg. There is always those small town carnivals running through different areas, plus fun festivals like Garlicfest and the West End Fair. We have great water attractions like Great Wolf Lodge, Shawnee Place and Cambelbeach and now Mount Airy Casino for a nice parent night out. Lots of activities and quite reasonable compared to many tourist areas. Good Luck!!

We just came home from vacation at Francis Scott Key Resort in Ocean City Maryland. Very, very kid friendly we took our 3 yr old daughter and my friends had a 2 yr old. They have 3 pools, resturant and free Continental breakfast. Very clean and resonably priced. They have a website under their name. Good luck, we will be back next year, loved it!

I have heard that Lake George in NY is great. I've been looking into it but we haven't gone yet. The Poconos are another great idea. I went years ago - the hotel we stayed at had indoor & outdoor pools and other outdoor activities. VT is awesome, but that may be a little further than you want to travel.

Pull up all the states' websites for toursim info until you find something interesting (PA, NY, NJ, etc). You can even stay in Philly for a few days. Most locals don't ever visit all the great things right in our backyard!

I'll be checking into this post since I'm looking for ideas as well. I love the beach, but my husband isn't a huge fan. I want to try to take my kids new places whenever we can.

I second the recommendation for Hersheypark. It is the most kid-friendly amusement park I've been to. We have season passes because we only live 10 minutes from the park. There is a lot to do in this area, including some things in Lancaster (Dutch Wonderland, minor league baseball, Strasburg). We will actually be vacationing at home this year due to lack of funds for travelling!

We go to Ocean City, Md each year. We actually go off season in September so it's even more affordable. I know you said you didn't want the Jersey Shore, but I wasn't sure if you were ever at Cape May. My mom goes there every year with her cousin. It's supposed to be a really nice family friendly place. Those would be my suggestions.

Hi well we have done two differnt things last year we went to bush gardens and williamsburg and the kids had fun we did get a great package. This year we are going to the Willow Valley resort it is in PA and everyone I who has gone keeps going back. They have great deals with food and also have packages for differnt places like hershey park, dutch wonderland there is a rail road near by lots of things. You can go to their web site and take a look. My kids are now 6 and 3 so I understand what you are saying. Plus this place has a GREAT pool. Good Luck. R. C.

Hi D. We go every year to a very family oriented park called Knoebels < it is in the town Elysburg and only about 3 hours away.We like the outdoors and the kids really enjoy camping. They have a website so feel free to check it out www.knoebels.com S.

I have grown up going to Hilton Head. It holds so many special memories for our family. It's our favorite place to vacation with family. We just went with my parents and our kids a couple years ago.
But, for another idea (although it's more like 7 hours) we also had a great time in the Outer Banks-Nags Head. We rented a huge house right on the beach with a pool and it was very affordable. Many of the houses are designed to hold multiple families very comfortably. We went with 4 other families. It was crazy with so many young kids (the oldest was 4) but we had a blast!
It is a very different feeling from Hilton Head. But, if you are looking for calm family time that is mainly beach and pool time- it's perfect.
I agree with you about the Delaware and NJ beaches. They are fun but the crowds and high prices are a deal breaker for us.

Good luck!

Lancaster County is a great choice. There are many options for hotels, with a little to do for everyone. Dutch Wonderland is a wonderful park geared for children up to 12 years of age. Strasburg railroad is fun for everyone, Hands on House in Lancaster for the kids, and the outlets for Mom. Plus there are many cultural things to do in pertaining to the Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch...Family style eating, Horse and Buggy Rides, Pretzel factories. Good Luck!

I heard a lot of good things about Great Wolf Lodge. We're gonna wait another year or two and then go when our son is a bit older

You may be interested in Ocean City, MD. Yes, you mentioned not doing the Delaware beaches so you may not like this, but we went a few years ago and it wasn't bad. We got a hotel that all of the rooms were suites with an extra bedroom and a kitchenette. In hindsight, I wish we would have bought more food and cooked in because it was very difficult to eat out every meal with our 2 kids (then 2 and 4). We stayed a week, but I do remember having the option of staying less. It's further away, but I would HIGHLY recommend the Outer Banks over Ocean City. The past few years we've gone and stayed in the town of Duck and had a blast. Some of the realty companies now offer mini-vacations, where you can rent one of the houses for a partial week. Some houses have pools, and others are in a plan that has a community pool. They also have condos which usually have a pool associated with them.

s.

Cape Cod. Check out: www.threeseasonsresort.com
We go there every summer--love it. It's on the beach, heated pool. Large lawn right outside our rooms where the kids all can run and play. Cape Cod is much more affordable than the Jersey Shore.

**Take the ferry over to see Nantucket! Beautiful!

I just took my three year old and one year old to Hershey Park. There is a LOT to do in that area for their ages, and we had a great time. You could stay at one of the hotels with a pool. Drive to Lancaster or Strousburg, and you have lots of family activities. (Outlets, museums, Thomas the Tank Engine visits Strousburg a few times each year, they have a train museum, etc.) There is also Dutch Wonderland, etc. When we went in May, we did a time share pitch at BlueGreen Mountain Resorts. Because the time share is right on the railroad tracks at Hershey Park, they have a hard time selling it to people, I think, so the deal is good. We got two nights at the Holiday Inn Express, which was nice with a pool, and two free tix to the park. I think we paid $90 plus tax for that whole deal. So, check into the free gifts at time shares -- if you aren't easily swayed into buying, I bet people aren't doing timeshares right now, so the freebies might really be worth the time on your vacation to go.

Mt. Pocono has some nice family resorts and their prices are reasonable. Look into split rock lodge. I booked a family there and they loved it. Check out their website they have a lot to offer.

M.

Hi D..

I have 3 ideas: Washington, DC (SO much to do! You could do the Baltimore Aquarium one of the days too, so worth it); Cape May, NJ (even though its a NJ beach, we loved it - there's a huge motel w/ pool right in the beach); Boston, MA (so many things to do an explore, 5-6 hours away).

Have fun!

Meg

If you want to come to Pittsburgh, there is a lot to do. In and around the downtown area you could catch a Pirate baseball game, take a tour of the three rivers on the Gateway Clipper (maybe consider the Goodship Lollipop for the kids), ride the inclines to Mt. Washington to see a beautiful view of the city, tour the Andy Wharhol Museum, have fun and learn at the Carnegie Science Center, the Aviary and the Senator John Heinz History Center, to name a few. In the outskirts of the city you go go to our local amusement park Kennywood, visit the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, enjoy the flowers and greenery at Phipps Conservatory, tour the Nationality Rooms at Pitt and visit the Pittsburgh Zoo/PPG Aquarium. There are an abundance of county and state parks in the area with tons of activities. There are many historic landmarks as well. About an hour or so outside of the city is Idlewild Park/Storybook Forest as well as Conneaut Park. (Tip: consider buying a membership to the Carnegie Museums which includes the Museum of Art, Museum of Natural History, Andy Wharhol Museum and Carnegie Science Center. It will probably save you on admission costs, you get a discount at gift shops and cafes and they have reciprocal memberships with other venues in other cities.) Have fun planning your trip.