I am looking for a fun summer vacation destination. I will be traveling with my 3 young children (ages 3,4,5) and my husband. We did Disney for a week already and had a blast. We are lookgin for something with family fun and lots to do. We already have a pool at home so we need more than a nice hotel with a pool. Any ideasl??? I am interested in keeping it under $5000 for the week (air, hotel, activities) and we woudl like to travel outside Michigan. Any suggestion would be appreciated.
Hi Nicki,
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!
Karen
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.
Hi Nicki,
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 :)
Jennifer in Macomb
Nicki,
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.
Hershey PA!!!!!
http://www.hersheypa.com/
http://www.hersheypark.com/index.php
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
Denise
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!
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.
Michele Lewis
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!
Marybeth
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.
Tamara
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.
Nicki,
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.
Hello Nicki,
I am Mary Kucharczyk, 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 313-806-0199 or email me back.
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!!
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
Tracy