18 Family Vacations- US Edition

Eighteen summers… at first it seems like you’ve got all the time in the world. You spend years chasing toddlers, driving carpool, building dioramas for the science fair. Countless hours of dance lessons, music recitals, and ball games. What feels like endless arguments over homework, cleaning their room, screen time, and more. The business of raising a family is work… and it never ends.

Then one day, sooner than you thought it would happen, you’re teaching them to drive, ordering a letterman jacket, shopping for a prom dress… and then it happens. One day the college brochures start filling your mailbox and you realize you’ve only got a few summers left.

Sure, they’ll be back from college on breaks, and you’ll still see them after they start their new, more independent life… but it won’t be the same.

Traveling with kids can be a challenge… but it’s worth it! Those experiences on family vacations are the type of memories that are deeply rooted and will be cherished for a lifetime.

Those 18 years go by quickly. It’s a bit cliché to say the years go by in a blink, but like all clichés that’s because it’s true. The countdown starts the day they were born, and no matter how much we may want to… we can’t slow it down.

In that spirit, we’ll be sharing 18 of our favorite family vacation suggestions over the next few weeks. Some are better suited for younger kids, some for teens… but most are fun for all ages. We’d love to help you pick out the perfect vacation for your family makeup for this year and beyond.

Here are a few of our favorite closer-to-home family vacation options…

Walt Disney World

No family vacation list is complete without Disney! A Walt Disney World vacation is almost a right of passage. Disney does a great job of immersing families in a carefree environment where everyone is a kid again. Whether you bring them when they are little and the “Disney magic” is very real, or you visit when they are older with more stamina for the parks and can enjoy seeing childhood favorites, a Disney vacation is a family vacation fairy tale dream come true. Disney holds a special place in our hearts, as our many trips to WDW helped our eldest become a confident traveler. And a hidden unknown gem, Disney's Vero Beach Resort. 

At one of the Beach Cottages at Disney's Vero Beach

U.S. National Parks

There are 412 National Parks in the US and among them you’ll find some absolute “must-dos” for family vacations. Yellowstone has geysers, hot springs, mountains lakes, and buffalo-filled valleys. Yosemite is filled with waterfalls, and unique granite rock formations, In Volcanoes National Park you can hike through a 500-year old lava tube or stand in awe of the “Glow Show” after dark at the Jaggar Museum and Overlook. The oddly shaped sandstone monuments that fill Arches National Park are the perfect backdrop for a family photo. And that’s just 4 of the parks… there are 408 more to choose from!  

Chain of Craters Volcano National Park Hawaii

Washington, D.C.

The most challenging thing about a trip to D.C. with the kids is finding time to fit in all of the amazing attractions! The Smithsonian Institute museums have something for every interest and enough activities to keep the little ones engaged. The best piece of advice we can offer when planning to visit the Washington D.C. is definitely to plan ahead! Especially if touring the White House, visiting the National Archives to see the original Declaration of Independence, or check out where our money comes from at the Bureau of Engraving or Printing are on your wish list.

White House Tour

Family Cruise

Sailing the high seas is one of the best options for a stress-free vacation for families with kids of all ages. With almost all of your activities and dining included in your stateroom price, cruising can be a great value as well. 

Pre Christmas cruise on Princess Cruises's Caribbean Princess 

Cruises offer the perfect balance of high energy fun and relaxation. Crusing is an excellent way to see the world. While you may think of the Bahamas or Caribbean, there are also options for more adventurous families. Consider itineraries like Alaska, the Mediterranean, or the Baltics.

New York City

NYC is like a giant playground for kids of all ages. There is something for every interest under the sun. Explore world-class museums, zoos, iconic attractions, take in a Broadway show, take a food tour through Chinatown, Little Italy, and a host of celebrity restaurants, have ice cream at Serendipity and spend the afternoon wandering through Central Park.  One thing is for sure, there will be no time for boredom on this vacation.

New York City is the perfect place to take teenagers. Even the most jaded teen won’t be able to resist posting selfies from iconic NYC locations on Instagram and Snapchat.

Hawaii

Aloha! There’s no place quite like Hawaii. It’s the perfect relaxing beach vacation. No matter which island, or islands you pick, you can’t go wrong.

The Big Island of Hawaii is home to active volcanos, Kona coffee plantations, and lush gardens. Maui is a popular choice for many families with its abundance of gorgeous beaches, the scenic road to Hana, and quaint fishing villages like Lahaina.

On Oahu you can take in the solemn history of Pearl Harbor, the world-famous Waikiki, and try your hand at surfing the iconic waves of the North Shore. Then there is the unspoiled beauty of the island of Kauai with the dramatic Waimea Canyon, the towering cliffs of the Napali coast, and the beauty of Poipu Beach.

We’ve got 2 more weeks of suggestions to fill out your 18 summers of travel with your family. Be sure to check back next week to find out our top recommendations for European vacations with the family.

The perfect family vacation begins with scheduling your complimentary consultation. Click here to request a time for us to chat. We’ll discuss the details and what your vacation priorities. I’ll give you my suggestions and explain how we can best work together to plan the vacation of your dreams.

A Great Vacation on the Island of Hawaii with your Kids

       When most people plan a family vacation to Hawaii, the first thoughts are going to Honolulu and the island of Oahu or the island of Maui.  But if you want to experience something really different and special on your trip; and want more variety than the perfect beach and perfect weather, (which you will still have). then you owe it to your family to explore going to the Big Island of Hawaii.    The Big Island is just that, big.  And with all that room it has plenty of adventure waiting for the traveler willing to explore it.  On the south side of the island, Kilauea Volcano is the world's most active and usually stuns visitors with its pyrotechnics show.  The Big Island's east shore is home to Hawaii's capital, Hilo, which is the wettest place in the United States.  The west shore is known for its drier climate and sunshine.  Most of the big resorts are located along the coast north of Kona.  Between the east and west ends of the island you will find everything from lush tropical rain forests to areas that look like like your on the surface of the moon, to snow and being able to ski and and hour later being on a perfect tropical beach.

Kilauea - Volcanoes National Park
       One of the most active volcanoes on the planet, Kilauea is the main attraction in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where  visitors can see hardened lava flows, feel and smell volcanic gases steaming from cracks in the earth, hike through lava tunnels, and if their lucky, view active lava oozing or exploding down the hillside  to the ocean below.  An interactive museum explains how the Hawaiian islands were formed and the continued volcanic process (some of the newest land on earth is being formed here - and the island is the youngest island in the Hawaiian chain).  Affects of the volcanic activity can be seen all along the west coast of the island, but if you are looking for more stellar volcano, you can drive up the side of Mauna Loa, the world's biggest volcano and take a peek at the heavens at the Mauna Kea Visitors Information Center.  If you lucky it may have just snowed and you will be able to go skiing.

Kona and the West Coast
       The Big Island of Hawaii's west coast is all sunshine and beaches and therefore attracts the bulk of the tourists.  It's an arid environment with lots of lava rock everywhere.  To get a bit of Hawaiian culture in on this coast visit "City of Refuge" National Park.  The park was used as a place of refuge inc ancient times, and later used as asylum from a death sentence for breaking Kapu, a local series of laws regarding conduct.  Kids love the huge ki'i, large carved wood statues, which are still carved on premises.  Kids also love playing lonane, a Hawaiian version of checkers played with lava rocks.

Along with some spectacular beaches, Kona is known for some fantastic scuba diving and snorkeling.  Up the coast is the Hilton Waikoloa Village, a great place to stay or just spend a day.  The village resort features ocean view pools, canals and lagoons filled with boats and kayaks, a train tram running through the resort to the beachfront, oceanfront golf putting course and more.  In the oceanfront lagoon, the resort hosts Dolphin Quest, a really fun interactive dolphin program.  Its really amazing getting up-close and seeing how fast a dolphin really moves underwater.

Hilo and the East Coast
       The east coast of the island is much wetter and therefore much greener than the west coast.  Hilo receives some rain an average of 275 days a year.  The benefit of all that rain is spectacular vegetation and scenery.  On the way to Hilo, stop in the Waipi'oValley, for an incredible view over the first of seven sacred valleys on the Hamakua Coast.  Hiking into the valley is a popular activity, or you can hike to 'Akaka Falls.  The easy path to the Falls winds through superb a tropical rain forest and past lookouts over two amazing falls, Kahuna Falls and 'Akaka Falls, which plunges almost 500 feet down a moss-covered gorge.  In Hilo, kids will love the Pana 'ew Rainforest Zoo where tropical birds and turtles share billing with the white tigers.  The monkey enclosure, which features a tunnel shape fence that goes straight through the center of the cage, will give your kids an up close view of squirrel monkeys, plus the kids will like watching the tiger feeding.

Getting to and Around the Big Island
       There are a number of direct flight to both Kona and Hilo from most major cities on the West Coast.  In addition, Hawaiian Airlines offers dozens of flight daily from Honolulu with more connections to the mainland.
The Big Island is huge, and therefore driving around the island takes a long time (6-8 hours to drive around the island; about 4 hours between Hilo and Kona).  Some of the more spectacular features are remote and require a 4WD vehicle to reach them, (but its worth it).