I’m starting to think about places in the US that I want to visit as a family, so tell me about a destination you love and also what ages it would be best for! And also what time of year if that’s important.
I’m starting to think about places in the US that I want to visit as a family, so tell me about a destination you love and also what ages it would be best for! And also what time of year if that’s important.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
Pensacola Beach, FL. Go in the early Fall like September or October. Beautiful weather, gorgeous beaches and great for any age. Yes, this is during hurricane season but it really can't be beat that time of year.
honeydew / 7463 posts
Palm Springs in the fall. It’s still warm enough for all the swimming and stuff but not the brutal desert heat.
We did New Orleans in May and it was one of our favorite trips ever (including international). I could see it being great for toddler aged kids, but full disclosure we went without kids. The food is just so good and we wanted to be completely free to eat whatevert we wanted whenever we wanted. But there are plenty of kid friendly things to do there (Bourbon Street is just one really gross and avoidable area, everything else is fine).
We did Charleston in Dec and it was cold and rainy. I was told it was an anomaly but I would be more cautious the next time I booked that trip. Maybe more like Spring time. I could also see Charleston being great for toddler aged kids. Carriage rides and stuff like that.
Outerbanks is great for a spring/summer beach trip. We’ve done that many times with my family and it’s on my wishlist of things to do now that we have kids. Lots of houses to rent, beaches are gorgeous and (in my experience) not too crowded. We always got a place on the beach with a pool and it was so convenient and as relaxing as a trip can be with kids in tow.
Newport, RI is also fantastic. Cute little streets and restaurants on the docks with live music but not too party-scene (esp early hours). We only went for a couple of days so we didn’t explore a ton but it was cool.
grapefruit / 4492 posts
Alaska! The best time is in the Mid to Late May frame because it's before all of the cruises and everything start rolling in on a regular basis. It's beautiful, the weather is nice, if you love just being in the outdoors it's great. Anchorage is a big enough city that I imagine it would have kid geared places to go too.
My personal favorites though was Valdez and Denali.
nectarine / 2180 posts
We did Savannah in January and it was pretty great, we needed to escape the cold of PA. This was pre-kids so lots of food and drinking outside
Cape Cod MA is a great family destination my grandfather lives there so I have been going my whole life. September is amazing for the Cape, still warm and restaurants are still open but a lot less crowded. I would not go between October and April due to nothing being open and July/August are filled with people so wait times are long at restaurants and beaches are crowded. There are lots of quirky places to explore and good sea food. There is still a drive in movie theater which is a super cool experience, along with mini golf, beaches (ocean bay and around lakes) trails to explore nothing is particularly mountainous so they are pretty easy, light houses, a pretty decent winery and some breweries.
nectarine / 2436 posts
Florida is so lovely. So many great beaches, family friendly, bustling and cheap. Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa/ Clearwater area we love.
Southern California is also rich in history and more naturally beautiful.
We like the New England coast too- Cape Cod, Plum Island/ Newburyport
cherry / 194 posts
New Orleans is great in March/April although beware of festivals since they can hike up prices and crowd the city (unless you specifically want to go to the Jazz festival, etc.) But the city is amazing and has some of my favorite food in the country.
Northern California in the fall is incredible. Warmest time of year for SF, and harvest season in Napa/Sonoma. So many family friendly hiking trails and restaurants through out the area, and many of the vineyards and breweries are very family friendly. SF is also great for families - fun bus tours, kid museum, and every kid loves the cable cars and fisherman’s wharf. Golden Gate Park and ferry rides top the list.
Monterey which is about two hours south of the Bay Area has an incredible aquarium. It gets cool there but late summer and fall are warmer. Go during the week if you can to avoid crowds.
Of course San Diego and Anaheim are fun with Disneyland and Legoland and the SD Zoo. Going off season is cheaper and less crowded.
Chicago is so family friendly as well. So many museums and the science museum is so well geared toward a younger population. The planetarium is one of the best as well. Navy Pier is cheesy but fun to do at least once. You can walk all over the city with strollers and kids. Millennium Park is also fantastic for kids and they do movie nights in the summer. Again, great food!
pomelo / 5220 posts
This just makes me want to go everywhere!
I would also throw in Sedona AZ. Gorgeous scenery and hiking. We stayed in Scottsdale but next time I would stay there.
Southern Colorado - the Canon City area has a lot to do like the Royal Gorge bridge, white water rafting, hiking, etc. Also the Durango-Silverton railroad is really fun. Lots of cool abandoned mining towns and Jeep tours as well. I've also wanted to do the overnight horseback riding trips once my kids get older.
honeydew / 7622 posts
Honolulu is my favorite spot. Stay at the Hilton Hawaiian village. Usually we go in October or November. You can walk to most things.
San Francisco is also amazing. The Academy of Sciences is a great place to visit. There are a ton of parks and green spaces. We like going for Thanksgiving.
persimmon / 1005 posts
@psw27: I know, I’m making my long term wish list!
These are all great suggestions!
clementine / 874 posts
I love Galveston and Padre Island. Great food, cute historical town, really nice beaches with WARM water. I don't know how anyone likes the beaches in California without wetsuits!
Southern Utah for the hikes., aim for fall when it starts to cool off but there's no snow yet.
Oregon coast is nice and quaint. Tillamook cheese factory is always a huge hit at any age. Don't go to the beach in the evening though, it gets pretty windy and the sand in your face really makes it hard to enjoy. Tidepools are really cool in the morning though.
Redwoods in California are really impressive and perfect for summer.
Yellowstone is really neat, but make sure your kids are old enough to actually stay on the walkways and not play by the edges. It is pretty nerve-racking otherwise.
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