Best Places in the U.S. for Family Vacations?

[Kevin]

Would love to hear where you and your family's favorite vacation spots are and what there is to do there and why it's your fav etc.

Im not talking about disneyland or disneyworld either.

I myself really like the Oregon Coast, Lincoln City area. Can't beat being at the ocean, casino there, outlet malls, great steakhouses, yummy clam chowder, nice ambiance. Something about the beach is just soooooo relaxing.

Some places I'd love to hear about that I have no clue about since I left on West Coast are:

The poconos?
The hamptons?
Lobstering on the east coast off the docks?
Wisconsin Dells?
Some cool place in Missouri that I cant remember the name of? It seems like it was around water.

[Fish2006]

Hmmm... it is Branson in Missouri you might be thinking of - think Vegas without the fun :)

Actually, I quite enjoyed a recent trip to South Carolina in the area near Charleston. Of course, near there, you can do Hilton Head and some of the spendier resorts, but the crowd around Charleston seemed more down to earth. That, and gas down there is cheap as hell!

Wis Dells is a tourist trap. If you have been to Seaside, you have been to the Dells, with the benefit that Seaside at least has an Ocean.

Hamptons are good - if you like that kind of thing, but be prepared to compete with wall street private equity players for good rooms there, with the attendant costs.

Utah isn't as bad or bland as you might think it is. Especailly something like Bryce canyon, or, if you are into skiiing, any of the lesser resorts (aka avoid the Park City crowds) in the winter.

[Billy Barooooooo]

Kevin,
When I was a kid we would always go to the Ozarks!

From what I remeber a lot of water and fishing!!!

The Ozarks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My favorite place is Florida! West coast is nice! Clearwater!!! I live on the east coast for a while in Boyton Beach! Nice area!

I would move back there is I didn't have family here! You only get one family so moved back to the Chicago area!

I love it here too. If your ever in the area make sure to look me up, buddy!!!

BB

[redhog55]

Lake of the Ozarks is probably where you went in Missouri!

Location has a lot to with vacatiopn spots for most of us. in the south, we prefer the gulf coast (Alabama/Florida). Fun in the sun, etc. Casinos in southern Mississippi and horse and dog tracks in Florida if you must gamble on vacation.

That's one of the many great things about this country. There are vacation spots in every state that are unique, but it's funny how we tend to go to the same place year after year and can't wait for it to come!!!!

[Nigel Tufnel]

Our family likes to just RELAX on vacation...preferably on the beach. The more laid back and less crowded, the better. We are going to different places right now...but one place that we regularly go back to every few years is Marco Island, Florida. The weather is almost always great....if the weather is poor, its usually a late afternoon shower that lasts about 1 1/2 hours. The beach is great and the water is very calm (which is great for younger children)...plus, there is a large sandbar in Marco Island on Tigertail Beach....very, very good shelling. During low tide, you can either swim or walk out in the water about 500 yards out to the sandbar. There, you can find sand dollars, conchs, etc. The only downside is that there is a fair amount of sulfur in the sandbar....which can cause the smell of rotten eggs...once you get past that, its great.

The other nice thing about Marco Island is that you can rent a very nice and large condo at the South Seas Towers for about $800 for the week...two bedrooms, one with king bed and bathroom, another bedroom with two twin beds and bathroom...sofa with pull out sofa and a full sized kitchen. The balcony stretches the entire length of the condo and overlooks the beach. We always go the large condo or rent a house route because we go shopping and eat a lot of our meals at the condo....the way I see it...if you stayed down the street in the Marriott, you will be spending more money for lodging or about the same, but you've got to eat all your meals out because you don't have a kitchen.

We usually also spend a day and go up to Naples...which is very nice too. Golf courses around Marco Island are very nice as well and aren't very pricey because summer is the low season there. Just make sure you play in the morning, because most courses are in or on the edge of the Everglades...and the mosquitos are insane. My brother and I played at one of the courses the afternoon we got to Marco Island...we were about the only ones on the course (tee off around 3:30 pm)...we soon realized why. Those Everglades mosquitos laugh at OFF, which we were both covered in.

If you like the cheaper, laid back route, take a look at Marco Island. Even the condos are laid back...no balls or anything in the pool except from 4:00 pm to 5:00 p.m., so that if you are trying to swim or relax, you don't have kids throwing things all around you. There is also a nice small movie theater in Marco where you can eat dinner and drink wine or beer while you watch the movie...there are tables inside the theaters.

If you fly in, you'll have to fly into Fort Myers, rent a car and drive about an hour down to Marco Island.

You can see a lot of the South Seas condos at VRBO.com.

[homedawg]

Gatlinburg Tennessee

[Daws1089]

The poconos are great. If you are into fishing and/or hunting i would highly reccomend it. It is so quiet up there and cool, not too hot weather. I love fishing so i loved going to lakes and ponds to fight some bass.


My favorite vacation place is the outer banks in North Carolina. I was just there in May and it was amazing. 85 degrees all week long. Not a soul onthe beach besides maybe some passersby who are jogging or walking along. Water was a little cold in may, but the beach was great. This time of year everything is very quiet and not busy. If you bring a group of friends or 8-10 family members it can be a great time. Its also very affordable. I'm in college and was able to organize a week long trip that did not break the bank.

[JohnnyMapleLeaf]

Well, it's not the US, but my favourite place to go is the Muskoka Lakes region of Ontario. Beautiful scenery with the rock and trees of the Canadian Shield. World class fishing, golf and cottaging. The local Casino Rama is also one of Canada's biggest and best.

http://www.discovermuskoka.ca/about.php

http://www.traveltomuskoka.com/muskoka.htm

[Kevin]

Great info! Keep it coming!

FYI, it was Branson that I heard about.

ALWAYS looking for new vacation spots and places to hit on a road trip. I love hearing this stuff!

[Q-Unit]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Im not talking about disneyland or disneyworld either.

why not? its a GREAT place. stick a casino in the castle, and I'd never leave!

plus last time I was on the west coast, we passed through Monterrey Bay in California. just GORGEOUS... fishing, sight seeing, yachts, boats, museums, good eats, golf courses...etc...

[homedawg]

Kev, been with the family on vacation to the D'land & D'world, to the Casinos, to the Oceans, North, South, East, & West, Even Up In Canada many times....... but 1 trip that stands out to the wifey & 2 girls, is the Trip to Gatlinburg Tennessee, Awesome for me too! Nice quiet peaceful place, beautiful scenery, excellent people and top notch hospitality(We even got the Penthouse suite 1 night, at our regular room rate, because our reservation was f'd up by them, overbooked time, then that same hotel, found us an awesome place to stay for the rest of the week) Great getaway, lots to do, not a fast moving, pace, place! ... Relax and Enjoy.....

[joepa66]

The Outerbanks (OBX) in North Carolina....
Lot's of sand, sea, quaint bars and seafood.....its slower paced and not as touristy as Myrtle Beach, Kitty and the likes.

I also like Bradenton, FL on the gulf side....Anna Maria Island and it's natural white sand beaches; Ohio-Pile and the Youghigheny River....(YAWK-UH-GAY-KNEE) is pretty cool in PA southeast of Pittsburgh area....tons of hiking, riding and biking trails....camping, cabins, fishing, etc. Very picturesque! And Presque Isle in Erie, PA on Eria Lake.....lots to do there.....but one of my favorites and the favorite of alot of fishermen and the social elites in this area is Chatauqua and Lake Chatauqua in New York.....the Chatauqua Insititute has a concert series and even classes and workshops for those who want to be enlightened about the arts, etc. and it's in wine country...lot's of bed and breakfasts to stay and vineyards to go a sampling for the fruit of the vine....

[Nigel Tufnel]

I went to Outer Banks last year for vacation. I agree, its very nice. We rented a house across the street from the ocean..had our own pool. The only thing I would comment on about OBX is that if you have small children (I had a 2 year old and 7 month old at the time), the waves are a little too much for the children. Plus, the water is obviously a lot colder on the Atlantic than the placid Gulf of Mexico. My 2 year old got hit by a wave and he wasn't a big fan after that. Also, there are more jellyfish in the Atlantic than the Gulf.

We went last year in late July during the horrible heat wave down there...oh my God, it was the most hot and humid weather I've ever encountered. It was 117 down there one day...never got below 100 during the afternoon. You can't control the weather, though. It was so hot that when you would get in and out of your car, you'd get a headache from going into and out of the air conditioning.....

Oh, and one other note on OBX....if you rent a place from Saturday to Saturday, you may want to get to OBX on Friday evening and rent a hotel. As far as I know, there is only a two lane road that gets you to OBX....we drove from Cincy to Richmond, Va on Friday. We thought we'd have about a 4 hour drive on Saturday to get us to OBX....we hit that traffic to get on the island and our estimated 4 hour drive took about 7 hours.

It sounds like I had a negative experience there, but actually, I loved it...just thought I'd give some tips if anyone decides to go there.

[bigbag12]

we head to the beach every yr in Fla. panama city area.

Frio river in concan Tx.

[BUNK MORELAND]

Jacksonville is a great spot..

You got the Golf Hall of Fame in Saint Augustine ( very nice little town about 30 minutes from Jacksonville ) and tons of very nice , inexpensive courses to choose from.

I have really grown to enjoy the Jacksonville area . Lots of beaches and easy access to Orlando,Daytona,Ponte Vedra,St Augustine.