We were originally planning on visiting grandparents in Michigan in August, but have discovered airfare will run more than $750/person! I suspect we won't end up going due to the insane airfare, so I'm starting to think of alternative vacations this year.
We'd like to keep the costs down, so I'm thinking West Coast (we're in Northern CA) is the way to go. We did the Disneyland/San Diego thing last year. I thought about Yosemite, but when I checked, there were no hotel rooms available and we're NOT campers. We do go to the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe a lot, so those are out, too.
Our kids will be nine and six this summer, if that helps. Any other ideas/recommendations?
Drive up the coast? Visit Vancouver! Lots of fun things to do with kids there. Have you been to Whistler? Taken a ferry ride to Victoria? (whale watching etc)
Another vote for Portland! I am Oregon born and raised ;-) It is a very family-friendly city, and the beaches, vineyards, and mountains are very close by. Everyone is so nice and they all say hello to each other. (Can you tell I miss my home town?) You should also look up "Portland food carts", and you will see how these wonderful gourmet food carts have popped up all over the city.
I'm not sure where Roseville is, but Portland is about a 10 hour drive from Redding. Your kids are probably old enough to survive that car ride. I still haven't been to Crater Lake, but I've always wanted to go there. I'll bet your kids would love it.
And of course, you know that there is no sales tax in Oregon, right? I'm saving you money all over the place!
My three boys were about that age when we took a N. CA road trip. A drive up Highways 1/101 and/or 5 offer lots of places to see and things to do. There's a "skunk" train that runs from Willits to Fort Bragg with a rest stop in the middle. Round trip takes about 1/2 a day. You can catch the train in either town. And, of course, if you're in the FB area, you've got the Mendocino Coast which is beautiful! Farther north is Eureka and Crescent City. Beyond that, the Oregon border and Seal Caverns. There are some really quaint towns along 101. We've toured lumber mills and been fascinated watching huge trees become planks for building, gone horse back riding in national forest, toured caves, meandered around old quaint towns, even went to the Humboldt county fair where my youngest learned to milk a goat, then taste the milk. There's a tree you can actually drive your car through. Kids love this stuff! A drive up 5 takes you to Lassen Park , Mount Shasta and Shasta Lake. There's lots to do there too, including a cave. We armed ourselves with a AAA tour book, preselected and arranged our over night accomodations and watched for points of interest as we drove. Every day brought new sights and new adventures. Have a great vacation!
OMG my best vacation was Oregon. You do not have to be a camper to enjoy it. Fly into Portland Oregon. Rent a car. Head east. Go stay in the gorge which is east of portland. You can even stay at Best Western. It has an indoor pool and everything. There is this little train ride that goes up a little mountain there. Its awesome for the kids. Then we cruised down the west coast of Oregon. In June you can get fresh cherry's on the side of the road. We stayed a night at timberland lodge which is a ski lodge but still had quite a bit of snow in the mountains for my daughter to play in. You can go further south west to Crater Lake which in July you can hike down to the bottom and take a boat ride.
So much to do in Portland for kids that age. The Oregon zoo is just the right size to do in a day, very walkable. Kids museum, Powells city of books. OMSI - another all day destination for the kids. I like to ride the public transportation, free in fareless square. Shopping, my boys like Washington Square mall because there is a Lego Store in there and yes, no sales tax so it's like a discount every day. If you want to drive down the coast of Oregon, there are great places to stop: Seaside, Astoria, the Newport Aquarium. Camp out and stay in a yurt just for fun. Time it right and you can go whale watching. Visit lighthouses, stay overnight in one. Stay in a hotel and hike Silver Falls or any other number of trails. Have fun!
We're just up the hill from you about 8 miles, and we like to go to Monterey about once a year. We stay at the Andril Fireplace cottages in Pacific Grove, because they are pet friendly. There are other cottage style or motor lodge style places that are quaint and clean for fair prices. It is within walking distance of the Asilomar Beach, a lighthouse and the butterfly grove (although during the time you would be visiting it would be unlikely to see butterflies). It is a short drive to the Aquarium, and if you have a dog that you might want to take there is a vet that will board your dog for the day. Or if you are up to it you could go whale watching, we did that last year. One year we took a short drive north and went to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. I love that area, because each time we return there is something new to see and do.
How about gold country - Sierra foothills, around Murphys or Angels Camp. There are a lot of things to do and the weather is always great in the summer.
we stay at hotels on the outskirts of Yosemite and drive in for the day. Also a road trip up the 1 in amazing, you can stay in hotels the whole way. Big Sur is gorgeous and you could do the Monteray Bay thing: aquarium, Carmel, maybe a day trip to San Francisco since hotels there are really expensive.
Try a hotel just outside of Yosemite National Park. They usually still have availability.
I am also a big Bodega Bay fan. There is a deal right now on Travelzoo for a very affordable oceanview room.
