What is your best family vacation besides Disney?

[TiggerTrigger]

If u haven't been look into white sands and Carlsbad caverns...they were our girls favorites.

We've talked about Carlsbad. We're in TX and while it's not a quick drive, it's not unreasonable to take a road trip from here. My boss went to White Sands a few years ago and it looks really neat! Great suggestions

 

[katyjeka]

White sands is the most surreal place we have ever visited. Our girls spent an entire December day sliding down the beautiful dunes. They didn't want to leave!!! The sunset walk was awesome!!! We r HUGE Disney fans but this is one of the most memorable things we've done as a family. Carlsbad is amazing, it took us 2 hours to walk down but worth every step....and I say this after dragging our youngest back out as the elevator went down.

 

[Laurie75M]

I love the Disney parks, but there is an amazing world out there. We are giving the Disney parks a multi year break for this reason. This next year, we are going to focus on national parks/sites. They were some of our best vacations pre-kids and it's time for the kids to see them too. I know Walt certainly focused on them quite a bit in his nature films, so as a Disney fan, it only makes sense to see the world beyond the Disney parks that Walt loved too.

This year, the plan is to visit Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Devil's Tower, Little Bighorn, Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Grand Canyon, Death Valley, and not sure if I want to head NE or northern CA for the last bit of this year of national parks.

You may already be aware of this but there are National Park passport books. My girls love getting their books stamped. Depending on their ages they may also like to do the junior ranger programs. I know Mount Rushmore and Jewel Cave in Custer, SD offer it.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

You may already be aware of this but there are National Park passport books. My girls love getting their books stamped. Depending on their ages they may also like to do the junior ranger programs. I know Mount Rushmore and Jewel Cave in Custer, SD offer it.

I'm glad you posted that. I had seen it a few months ago when I found the Every Kid in a Park info, but forgot about it. It's funny, I see my soon to be 7th grader being more into this than the one going into 4th.

 

[Huff]

Best non-Disney trip was a drive from Arizona up the California coast to San Francisco and back. Girls loved walking out on several wharfs we stopped at. Once in San Francisco saw all the usual sites, Alcatraz etc. On way back stopped at Six Flags and Knotts Berry Farm then home. Girls told us it was funnest trip ever!

 

[KristenB17]

DR!!! Was great.

 

[Nhebron]

Aruba! Completely opposite type of vacation from Disney. I love them both

 

[MudQueen22]

Dh and I really enjoyed Grand Canyon National Park, and we would love to go back when the kids are older and take them also.

A few summers ago, we took a road trip to Colorado through Texas (our home state), a small part of New Mexico, and then to Colorado.

Kids got to enjoy a bit of the New Mexican food when we stopped for lunch at a restaurant there; although it is SW-inspired, it is somewhat different than the Tex-Mex we normally eat, and we enjoyed it a lot.

The kids really liked visiting a ghost town museum in Colorado Springs, and we had a lot of fun at Garden of the gods. My daughter really liked climbing up the rocks at the entrance, and it was just a big natural playground.

We enjoyed Rocky Mountain National Park. I loved visiting the Neversummer Ranch in the park, and learning about its history.

We also enjoy visiting the Hill Country in Texas (we live on the upper Texas coast and close to the Piney woods). Its a different experience for us even though it's in the same state. It has beautiful spring-fed pools and rivers. They are so clean and clear. The area is also rich in history and culture.

 

[Magical2017]

Other than Disney, we have visited Seattle, the Outer Banks, and nearby beaches and lakes that are within few hours driving distance. Next year we are traveling to Europe. I still have to plan a budget for a trip to DW after Star Wars Land opens, though!

 

[monorailsilver]

I’d have to say all of our vacations are the best. It’s not where you are it’s who you are with and the time you spend.

We have done quite a few staycations, ok a few have hotel stays but all here in New England. A few summers ago we had 8 days. We did so much, some close, some a few hours away but we had a great time. My daughter even got in her soccer game for summer soccer. We did the similar staycation 2 years in a row. They both are a blur but between both we did bromley, the Vermont country store, Yankee candle factory, Salem, Kayaking in ct, six flags a yankee game, drive up the Maine coast a bit, Gloucester for a whale watching boat, watched the USWNT play soccer...on TV, lol! I forget what else.

One summer we went to OCMD. That’s was lovely.

Every April we have been going to my sisters in Ft. Myers. Mainly to the beach, ok it’s a beach vacation!

We have done Disney too and the first few years with kids we were so tired on those trips. The last time we went 5 years ago it was the best one since we had more rest days. This coming August we will have 11 days and only 5 park days and one water work day, the rest are pool days.

 

[WDWLODGE]

In September 2016 we flew into Vegas and rented an SUV. We drove about 5,200 miles. Some of the highlights over 19 days in order were, The Hoover Dam, Bryce Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon, 4 Corners, Arches National Park, Yellowstone National Park(2 days), Mt. Rushmore, Focus on the Family Welcome Center, Roswell, Carlsbad Caverns, Tombstone, family near Phoenix, Corona Del Mar & Huntington Beach, Disneyland(5 days), Hollywood Sign, Hollywood Blvd. Even though this trip did include some Disney at the end we got to see so much more. It was an amazing trip!

 

[KellyHonos]

Cruises!!! My family went on our first and only Disney Cruise in 2004. From there, my dad and I went on one just us, then I went on one as my senior year spring break trip, and then my family went on the Oasis of the Seas in 2015. We just booked Harmony of the seas for December. Cruises are GREAT for families because there is truly something for everyone. If you're traveling with young children, there are plenty of "Kid zones" where you can take them to play and meet other kids where there is adult supervision and all kid-friendly toys. There is entertainment for all. Most cruise ships have a show or a musical that is family friendly, a comic a couple times during the sailing, some gameshow-esque shows like the Newlywed game. On the pool decks that sometimes have funny little tongue-in-cheek contests like belly flop contest or the wet t-shirt contest for men with "dad-bods" (it's super cute and harmless), so on so forth. Of course there are opportunities to swim. On the nicer ships there are water slides, aqua theaters, lots of shopping options, zip-lining, etc. I could go on and on. I think cruises are a staple in my family's traveling plans because of the diversity. There is literally a little something for everyone.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We've decided to take a break from Disney for a year and are going to visit Myrtle Beach in a couple of weeks. What are some activities that your family enjoys most? Most of the attractions I'm finding look so "touristy." I would like to find something unique to the area that our 15 year old DD would enjoy. Any suggestions?

We always do Broadway at the beach ( similar to Disney Springs), barefoot landing is nice for shopping too, multiple mini golf places, Kids like Ripleys aquarium, we adults enjoyed Legends dinner shiw last year, really a ton of stuff at MB to do. We tend to avoid the Grand Strand, too crazy and touristy for us. The further south at MB you stay, the quieter. We like Pawleys island area. We also always take a day trip to Charleston when we go, it’s beautiful. Kids also love to do dolphin cruises. Have fun!