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Post by mammajamma on Feb 5, 2018 4:56:28 GMT
Anyone have some family summer vacation ideas for me. Family of four - kids ages 7 and almost 3 year old. Not really into Disney. Anything else? It’s the 3 year old that we don’t know what to do with.
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Belle
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,309 
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Post by Belle on Feb 5, 2018 5:06:08 GMT
Any big city will likely have cool science museums and nice parks. San Francisco has tons to do for both of those age ranges. A lake or ocean beach vacation would great too.
I would probably avoid long car trips though....
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Post by idahopea on Feb 5, 2018 5:11:46 GMT
We enjoyed a trip to Kiawha Island, SC when our kids were younger. It's been several years, but the beach was not crowded at all so it was easy to keep track of the kids and they had plenty of space to play and run around in the sand. We rented a place that had a kitchen, washer/dryer, living room, etc. which was great. It's close to Charleston so you can get some historical stuff in too. My dd and I took a dolphin watch boat and saw them which was exciting for dd.
We also visited San Franscisco, Boston, Maine, Seattle and other places, but it depends on your kids and how much of a schedule they need to be on. We took an umbrella stroller with a sun shade that flipped over the kid and our kids would sleep in that when little so sightseeing was okay.
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Post by idahopea on Feb 5, 2018 5:18:37 GMT
Is your 7 year old a good walker? Our older child always had lots of energy so it made traveling easier. Snacks were a must though or he would have meltdown. You have to realize you will be going at the child's pace. We always tried to plan at least 1 thing the kids would love- a children's museum, swimming, park with swings, mini golf, cable car ride, etc. to balance out some of the more structured things like a museum, but we still took them to those things just stayed less time.
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Post by Basket1lady on Feb 5, 2018 5:23:25 GMT
When my kids were really young, we did Ocean City, MD, Virginia Beach, VA, Philadelphia, Vail, Palm Springs, Disneyland, Yuma, Az, Beijing, Voyageur’s National Park, Vegas, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Washington DC. (May have missed some trips.) Beaches, resorts, amusement parks, museums, historic sites, we did it all. We just took them were we were going. We did do a lot of kid friendly activities, had picnic lunches in the park so that they could run around a bit and be noisy, and tried to stick to nap and dinner schedules.
I honestly think you can take most kids anywhere on vacation, with a few modifications. We used a stroller or a wagon for a long time. It just made life easier. I even let the older one ride in it for a while at times, so that he felt like he was being cared for as well. I always had water with us and snacks. And I let them know they could have one souvenir for a trip, purchased at the end of the trip. We kept a running list of ideas and they got to choose at the end. It helped with the gimmies.
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Feb 5, 2018 5:26:45 GMT
My kids really loved Yogi Bear camp grounds. Tailored for kids! Not expensive like Disney.
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Feb 5, 2018 5:27:32 GMT
Oh, and my kids still talk about Legoland more than Disney.
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Post by dewryce on Feb 5, 2018 5:47:50 GMT
My kids really loved Yogi Bear camp grounds. Tailored for kids! Not expensive like Disney. I was going to recommend something like this. Lots of extended family gets together and we stay in cabins at various campgrounds. Gives us lots of downtime to spend together instead of rushing everywhere. Have stayed at a Yogi campground twice now and the kids that age loved it. |
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Post by mammajamma on Feb 5, 2018 15:09:31 GMT
Thanks everyone!
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Post by iteach3rdgrade on Feb 5, 2018 16:21:10 GMT
Oh, and my kids still talk about Legoland more than Disney. My son loved Legoland!!! When he was 6 he loved the roller coasters and we went back a few years later and stayed at the hotel and he LOVED that experience, and the park. Ages 7 and 3 would love that park! |
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Post by supersoda on Feb 5, 2018 17:04:51 GMT
I'd go with a cabin or beach house. My girls loved doing nature-y things at those ages, and it was way less stressful than big cities and giant amusement parks.
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Post by ntsf on Feb 5, 2018 17:08:42 GMT
I loved camping with my kids.. they always went to sleep easily. and they just like hanging out in the woods.. we even took winter camping trips with a toddler and twin infants. not too bad if you are a camper.
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Feb 5, 2018 20:26:44 GMT
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama
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Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Feb 5, 2018 20:49:38 GMT
I think you can go pretty much wherever but I'm another one who strongly recommends a cabin, condo, house, etc. It's too hard to have kids in a small hotel room, they need some down time to be able to just relax. Plus being able to have a full-size fridge for snacks/drinks (and food if you're one who cooks on vacation, we never really do) and washer/dryer is totally worth the extra costs alone.
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Post by Basket1lady on Feb 5, 2018 21:49:52 GMT
I think you can go pretty much wherever but I'm another one who strongly recommends a cabin, condo, house, etc. It's too hard to have kids in a small hotel room, they need some down time to be able to just relax. Plus being able to have a full-size fridge for snacks/drinks (and food if you're one who cooks on vacation, we never really do) and washer/dryer is totally worth the extra costs alone. I agree with this 100%. DH and I spent many a night out in the hall outside a hotel room waiting for the kids to fall asleep. When we moved overseas, we were in a hotel for a month before housing became available. One room for 4 weeks. It was as bad as you think it was! |
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ellen
Drama Llama
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Post by ellen on Feb 5, 2018 23:21:16 GMT
When my youngest was a toddler we spent a week each summer on Sanibel or Captiva Island. We'd rent a condo or a small house. The houses were the best because she could take a nap and we could hang out by the pool in the back yard. My oldest was 7 on our first trip there. My youngest was about 18 months. My kids both liked to walk the beach and swim in the pool. We'd go out for dinner every night. We did a couple ice cream outings. It's a great family destination. During the summer months you can get off season deals on lodging and it's not crowded there at all.
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Post by freecharlie on Feb 5, 2018 23:42:03 GMT
Anyone have some family summer vacation ideas for me. Family of four - kids ages 7 and almost 3 year old. Not really into Disney. Anything else? It’s the 3 year old that we don’t know what to do with. where are you starting? That might narrow it down for you |
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Post by hop2 on Feb 5, 2018 23:47:46 GMT
I recommend national parks
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paigepea
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Post by paigepea on Feb 6, 2018 4:44:48 GMT
My kids loves San Francisco and San Diego. A lot to do when the kids were young.
In the summer we’ve done many trips to interior lakes - plenty of activities for everyone — lake, pool, wine tasting, cherry picking, farms, etc.
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Post by julieinsweden on Feb 6, 2018 12:09:03 GMT
Keep it simple. My kids are 6 and 8. They are happy with time with their parents hanging out with small excursions to the pool or beach.
Last summer we tried London....thinking they were old enough to see some sights....they were not!
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