Ideas Needed

My mom and sister went and rented a condo in Myrtle Beach and couldn't believe the stuff for kids there. They paid $400.00 for the week for the condo. So, I'm assuming a house couldn't be that expensive!! Good Luck

Well, I haven't hadan opportunity to take afamily vacation however a friend of mine took her family to Trks and Cacos sorry about spelling.
Her 5 yr old could not stop talking about it even to this day

T.

There is a Sesame Street theme park in Pennsylvania. I have not been there, but my friend went last summer and said it was AWESOME!! And totally geared toward children under 8 years old.
www.sesameplace.com
I think there is also a crayola park near there as well.

Have a fun vacation!!

There is an Elmo park in PA I believe.... that might be fun. I'm not sure exactly where, but I'm sure if you looked it up, you could find it!

Sesame Place in Langhorn Pa. We went last year and had a blast. My daughters were 1 and 3 last summer. It is almost all water park but plenty for even the little ones to do.

My sister, her husband, and three boys pick a city (in a different state) to visit. They have gone to St. Louis, Chicago, and a few on the east coast. My sister will find a nice hotel (with a pool) and then find a few fun places to visit.

They also did Aruba once. It was a resort that was all inclusive and kid friendly. I have no idea what they spent on that.

For the exception of Aruba, they typically drive to what ever city they are going to. That way they don't have to rent a car.

Hi N.,
Have you tried our Michigan Adventures & the Silver Lake sand dunes? My boys love it there. We spend one day at the dunes, one day at the park & they don't like to come home! They especially love the sand dune rides.
Also, Dollywood they loved in Tennessee! There's plenty to do for all ages.
Have fun!
K.

Have you heard of the Seasame Street in PA? It looks great, and I have read good reviews online on epinions. I am thinking of taking my son (18 months) there this summer due to the reviews I read.

Hi N., I highly recommend Legoland in California <http://www.legoland.com/california.htm&gt;. Your kids are the perfect age for it. All of the rides and shows are geared for ages 10 and under - so once you become a big kid you would be bored, but at their age the entire park is built just for them. I just love it there. And then there is SeaWorld <http://www.seaworld.com/sandiego/&gt; and they have a great zoo <http://www.sandiegozoo.org/&gt;. Not to mention Disneyland and Disney California if you run out of things to do, which I doubt you will. There are a ton of things to do that I haven't even mentioned. Enjoy the trip wherever you go!

Nikki,

Last summer I took my kids to Sesame Place in Horsham, PA. It was awesome!! The entire park was nothing but Sesame Street characters, and it was way under $5000, more like $500, but I drove from Detroit, and it only took 9 hours!!!check out the site on sesameplace.com

I would suggest going to JJ Ranch. We went last summer and it was a perfect get away in Muskegan michigan. It may be in Michigan but a perfect family spot. We are going to make it our family trip every summer. They have a lazy river pool, jacuzzi which you can swim indoor and outdoors. If you rent a cabin you would basically live on a ranch, with horse back riding and lots to do.

Niki,
I live in Michigan and took all 3 of my boys ages 11, 7, and 5 to Maine last summer. The ocean on the east is beautiful and it is mostly a tourist state, so some prices are reasonable. We drove by ourselves as my husband travels alot with work, and it was wonderful. the boys were miraculously well behaved and we saw "a lot of cool stuff". We had our I pod hooked into the car and listened to "the Ousiders" book. Twice. Cross country trips with the kids are a great way to connect and I highly recommend such whenever I can. We did rent a larger vehicle and stayed overnight once oin the way there and on the way back.In a nutshell....Maine Rocks.

M. Lewis

Last summer we did a camping vacation to Niagara Falls on the Ontario Canada side and it ended up being a blast. WE took my kids (2 and 4) and got a cabin at Campark in Niagara, Ontario. They were only 5 minutes or so from all the touristy stuff at the falls and then we drove north one day and did a drive through safari about an hour north and the kids thought it was great! Overall, it cost us about $2000 including food, travel, entertainment, etc for 5 days. We are planning on going back next summer and doing it again plus adding a couple of days for going to Toronto since we didn't even get there yet!

Hi N.,

What type of money are you looking on spending? I have all sorts of ideas, but it would depend... We are going on a Disney Cruise leaving this weekend!! But do you want to stay in MI? Or do you want to fly somewhere? Does the amount you want to spend include airfare? These things would be helpful in giving you suggestions :)

J. in Macomb

N.,
My friend Mary Kucharczyk owns Roam the World Travel and did a really nice job for me on a trip last year. She was great about finding just the right activities for us and staying within our budget. Her Web site is www.roamtheworld.globaltravel.com.

Chattanooga, TN is awesome for family! They have an amazing huge aquarium, IMAX theatre, you can take a little tram up a mountain and see a lookout where you can look out over 5 states, a little bit outside of town, there's Ruby Falls and underground caverns. There's a zoo there too, we didn't check it out since we go to the Detroit Zoo a lot. It's one of my favorite places. I can't wait until my second one is older so we can go back.

Have you heard of Seseme Place. If your kids are into Seseme Street they will enjoy this location.
http://www.sesameplace.com/sesame/pa/index.aspx

I second the Chattanooga suggestion. We took our son when he was 2 1/2 and went to the Tennessee Aquarium, the awesome Children's Discovery Museum and even rode on the Chattanooga Choo Choo. There's a miniature train museum there that we didn't get to see, and there's the historical Lookout Mountain activities. Lots of Civil War sites nearby for the little ones to learn about their country's history.

Have you ever been to Wildwood,NJ ? It's not blue tropical waters but it does has a 5 mile Bordwalk with rides and games for all ages. There are surrounding areas to check out like stone harbor, Cape Map and the zoo. Stone Harbor has better beaches, cool shops and great places to eat. Cape May you can visit the concrete ship and pick cape may diamonds. You could even stay in any of those areas and drive to see the others. So that means you would def. need a car. If you have anymore questions just ask.

T.

Hi N., have you ever took the kids to COSI in Toledo. I know it doesn't sound too great, but trust me, I took 3 boys, 4, 5, 7 & they were going crazy & didn't want to leave. It's all hands on museum stuff, but real interesting for all ages. The kids keep wanting me to take them back, but this time we will also cover one of the caves witht the stalagmytes & stalagtytes, so they can have some fun underground, and then the Toldeo Zoo is one of the best if you're into zoos (10X better than our Detroit Zoo). The drive is pretty close & I always plan a stay at the Hampton Inns with indoor pools. I never have to worry about cleanliness there. A great breakfast buffet in the morning free to all guests with everything from cereal to egg dishes to fruit & bagels. I never say anywhere else.
Have fun.
Siouxsee

Hershey PA!!!!!
http://www.hersheypa.com/
http://www.hersheypark.com/index.php

N.,

We went to Atlantis in the Bahamas last May. We've been several times before (w/o kids). There is a ton to do for kids. It cost us a little under $5000-- but that was with one kid. It woudl be cheaper in the summer, but it is also hurrican season. The only down side is that food is VERY expensive (actually the entire resort is but you can get good deals on expedia, etc). If you want more info check out their website or email me back.

Hi -

Great spots to try sometime -

Legoland, California A real pleaser for all ages. Accomodations in the area are as high end or budget friendly as you want. Clean and entertaining.

Holiday World, Southern Indiana - not Disney, but definately family fun. Not fabulous accomodations, but very budget friendly and family oriented. Waterpark rocks.
Also, caving and canoeing is a short drive away.

Myrtle Beach, SC - Surprisingly good fun. A stay at a family friendly condo on the beach (Avista and Island Vista are good spots on the beach) make this pleasant and affordable. Lots of activities all around.

Just some options to consider sometime. I used to write family travel pieces - these were a few spots that we all had a great time at.

Have fun,

R.

Minnesota - Mall of America - check the website - lots of cool things....
Ohio - Great Wolf Lodge...along with other waterpark hotels...

Last year we took our kids to the Tennessee Aquarium and the Knoxville Zoo. The Aquarium was a blast! They just got done building the Penquin house when we were there. Tennessee has a lot of fun stuff to do. Just an idea! Have fun on whatever adventure you choose!

Hello N.,

I am M., one of my clients and freind Sara K, has just sent you an email about me.

I would love to be able to help you.

I do everything from land vacations to tour and cruise vacations all over the world?

My question to you is, would you like to go to Mexico or the Caribbean? would you like to go on a cruise? Or you would rather stay in the United States? And also a date would help.

I have a lot of ideas but I would like to narrow down locations first.

Please contact me at ###-###-#### or email me back.

We have gone to Holiday World twice now and love it!!! My 3rd grader just had to do a project about herself at school and for the question of "If you could go anywhere for vacation where would that be" she answered Holiday World. We went when our daughters were 3 & 6 years old and again when they were 4 & 7 years old and had a BLAST both times. My sister came down the first down with us and she has teenagers and they had a blast too. It's free pepsi products throughout all their parks and free sunscreen too. They have it in big dispensers (like ketchup dispensers) at each of the bathrooms and lockers. You can go to www.holidayworld.com to see more about it. If you go I can promise you that you will have a really great time. Just know that there is not a lot around that area so it's just really a trip to Holiday World and nowhere else. For us on the way down we broke up the drive by stopping in Indianapolis at the Childrens Museum. I highly recommend that too!
M.

We went to Sesame Place (outside of Philadelphia) in 2005. We loved it. They have something for everyone. They had rides that you stand in line for, parades, photo ops, splash play areas, zero-depth entry pool, stage shows, and so much to do. The tickets are less than Disney and were good for two days! We highly recommend it.
http://www.sesameplace.com/sesame/pa/index.aspx

I also heard of an amusement park in Santa Claus, IN (far southwest corner). They have an amusement park (Holiday World) and a water park (Splashin' Safari) and one admission covers BOTH. They also have sun huts that are stocked with sunscreen for you to use for free (less to pack). And they say that since you are their guest, the first thing you offer a guest is a cold drink, so there are unlimited free drinks. Sounds great. There are hotels and campgrounds nearby. It's on my list of spots to hit in the near future.
http://www.holidayworld.com/index.html

Whatever you pick, have a great time!
D.