Your Favorite Kid-friendly Vacation Spot

Hi Yvonne,

I live in the northeast so we frequently vacation in NH's White Mountain area. Two particular places the kids loved were Story Land and Santa's Village. Santa's Village is a little more off the beaten path but worth it as it is a more relaxing atmosphere with much more shade. Story land can get quite hot in the summer. Story Land has an offer where if you come in the afternoon (I'm not exactly sure after what time)than you can return on another day for free. We found that many people were leaving when we arrived late and we were able to ride many of the "larger" attractions with no wait. We also returned late the next day and finished the park at a relaxing pace without the huge crowds. We enjoyed the morning at our campground making breakfast and going for a swim. Story Land has alot of little places for small ones to explore not just rides and this is more easily done when the crowds are smaller. Have fun!

J. L.

I know you said you weren't ready to leave the states, but I thought I'd let you know about a wonderful place we vacationed and LOVED it! We went to Cancun and stayed at Moon Palace Resort ( palaceresorts.com ). It's an incredible deal for all that you get. It's all-inclusive with lots of really good restaurants, 24hr room service, you can lounge by the beach or pool and they bring you whatever you want, food or drink, there's a golf course on site, a spa and best of all a kids club with tons of activities so you can spend some alone time with your honey whenever you need it! This year we are trying something different and renting a house on the beach (only $1500 for a week for a private house with pool on the beach!), to get away from all the people. I've never been to but have heard that there is an all-inclusive Club Med in Florida that supposed to be great for families, too!

We have friends in Orange County, so we stayed with them 2 summers ago for a long weekend. We went to a few different beaches... spent a day at Disneyland, and a day at Legoland. Those places are free for kids under 3, so we plan to go back next summer, when our twins are 2. We LOVED Legoland - it has a ton of activities for that age group, including a few splash & play areas to cool them down. San Diego is only an hour south from there, and has a Sea World and the zoo - we hope to make it to those next time!

We love staying on Cape Cod. We always rent a cottage on the bay side of The Cape. Brewster, Eastham, and Wellfleet are our favorite towns. When the tide goes out, the tide flats stretch for over a mile. The kids love to go look for hermit crabs, perwinkles, etc. It's just beautiful. The cost of a cottage for a week in high summer can run anywhere from 1400-2700 dollars given proximity to the beach, size, etc. The good thing is that you can make breakfast and lunch there to save money and dine out for dinner. The Friendly Fisherman in Eastham has the Cape's best lobster rolls.....I can't wait for Summer!

Storyland in Glen, NH! We rented a condo for a week which is much better if you have young children. Besides the amusement park, there are state parks close by, Echo Lake which is a beautiful, small lake and very family friendly. And its right next to North Conway if you want to do some outlet shopping! We had the best vacation with our 4 yo last summer and are planning a trip again! There was something for everyone.

I have some to share from the North East and West Coast, but where are you? That will give me a better idea where to start

My family has a summer timeshare in the Berkshires, and we've been going there since A. was a baby. Great on-site amenities (playground, outdoor/indoor pool, resort activities); close to amusement rides at Jiminy Peak; Berkshire Museum is a charming little place in Pittsfield (aquarium exhibits, a few hands-on activities).