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DC...lots of free museums and historical sites, some cheap eats, cheap transportation and lots of hotels. Plus 3 airports to get ypu there and price compare.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Great suggestion! DC is a wonderful place, and I'm always trying to get people to come here. There's a lot more to it than the government

What about Charleston or renting a house on the Outer Banks?

I say Puerto Rico! My sis stayed at the Marriot there w/ her kids and my parents and had a great time.

Marco Island/Naples is a fun area too!

Aruba could be good - I'm not sure if you need passports....?

We loved San Diego when we went on our babymoon last February, and I can easily see it being family-friendly (especially with the zoo and Balboa Park). There's just so much to do in the city - we were there for 5 nights and still didn't get to explore everything we wanted to! I think it was surprisingly inexpensive for the West Coast, too. We took Jet Blue non-stop flights from Boston and the flight was about 5.5 hours on the way there and we took a red eye on the way back. A family with 3 young kids sat in front of us on the red eye and the kids slept the entire flight.

I haven't been personally but I know there are some nice places in the Florida panhandle and there may be some cool stuff driving distance for side day trips! You can rent houses there too.

I was going to suggest Florida keys (specifically Key West), but the drive from Miami is far!

I'm in Florida, and it seems the summer is filled with families everywhere here. But it's not vacation for me, so my vote is Vermont. I've always wanted to go to Vermont in summer.Find a Lake house to rent, visit some farms, hike, bike. I guess it depends on if you like that kind of thing, though. The beach in Florida is always the easiest, though, which is why I think it's so popular.

You could always go somewhere a little less expected too and do The Ozarks or Branson (totally corny, I know, but I loved it as a kid) or something more outdoorsy.

Definitely somewhere where you can rent a house. It's so much nicer to have extra rooms so that you can still have fun even after the kids go down for the night!

DC or Chicago would be fun places with lots to do, but both can be a little brutal in the summer. San Diego would probably be my vote!

Key West beaches are trash Rocky and full of seaweed.

Orlando is surprisingly fun for adults. Lots of condos to rent and both Disney and Universal Studios have night activity areas- CityWalk.

Destin, FL is very popular in the Panhandle, plus the Gulf if Mexico beaches are.nicer than the Atlantuc Ocean.

Vegas and PR were family vacations. I would travel with older children to PR because of the sightseeing. After visiting Vegas as an adult I don't know why my mom thought that was a good choice for a 5 and 11 yr old to visit.

Hilton Head is affordable during the shoulder season.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Sandestin is a little more family friendly than Destin. But both spots are great!

We rent a house in myrtle beach! We don't have kids yet but a lot of the rentals have cribs and the one we get is right on the beach and has a private pool.

It's actually just outside myrtle beach so it's not packed with tourists. I love it. I can send you a link if you want just leave me a msg!

We love the Outer Banks, because its only 45 minutes from us. BUT, it doesn't have a huge amount of activities for kids. The beach is the main attraction. Its super relaxing and slow-paced, which is nice, but nothing like somewhere like Orlando or the Keys. We used to go to myrtle beach every summer, and there is a ton to do there! I'm a huge fan of cruising. All-expenses paid, tons of food, get to see a lot of places, lots of entertainment, and free babysitting! Cruise to Hawaii!

I like the idea of renting a big beach house. I've heard good things about the Outer Banks. We always went to Cape Cod when I was little. I also recommend Puerto Rico, Hawaii, or the Florida Keys. We just got back from a trip to the Keys w/ our baby. We rented a house, and we all had a blast.

San Diego - perfect weather, beautiful beaches! It's very kid-friendly because it has the SD Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Balboa Park, Coronado Island, Legoland, Seaworld... but it's great for adults too because of The Gaslamp District - lots of nighlife, restaurants, bars, shopping, movie theaters!

Going to throw 2 other Midwest places on the idea block since I've been there (and live here!).

Kansas City - legoland, fun zoo, awesome downtown district, very budget friendly

Chicago - too much to list, but lots of fun stuff for everyone and public transit!

@Mrs. Champagne: we stayed right outside Myrtle Beach one year, and loved it. Ocean Isle. A big house, quiet family area, but close enough to Myrtle Beach to go there for a day our dinner or whatever.

And, I am obviously partial to Cape Cod