Top 10 travel list with kids, U.S.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always see those lists of "100 places to take your kids before they grow up" and it feels too overwhelming. I'm not going to take 100 vacations in the 14 or so years that I have to travel with them! So I've been trying to come up with a Top 10 list instead, with a goal of giving kids exposure to the diversity of America. Interested in your thoughts (and this is not in any particular order):

1. Washington, DC
2. New York City
3. Another American city of cultural/historical note, such as San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New Orleans or L.A.
4. Hawaii or U.S. Virgin Islands
5. Disneyworld or Disneyland
6. American southwest, such as Tucson, San Antonio, Taos, etc.
7. National Park with major mountains, such as Tetons, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, Denali
8. Grand Canyon and/or Zion
9. A classic beach area, such as Cape Cod, Outer Banks, Assoteague, etc.
10. Go back and hit another city from (3), from a different region of the country.

What do you think? I realize I'm a little light on the Midwest and South.

Did everything on your list. Loved everything. Disney was my least favorite but glad we went. Guess I need to go south - have done quite a bit Midwest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always see those lists of "100 places to take your kids before they grow up" and it feels too overwhelming. I'm not going to take 100 vacations in the 14 or so years that I have to travel with them! So I've been trying to come up with a Top 10 list instead, with a goal of giving kids exposure to the diversity of America. Interested in your thoughts (and this is not in any particular order):

1. Washington, DC
2. New York City
3. Another American city of cultural/historical note, such as San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New Orleans or L.A.
4. Hawaii or U.S. Virgin Islands
5. Disneyworld or Disneyland
6. American southwest, such as Tucson, San Antonio, Taos, etc.
7. National Park with major mountains, such as Tetons, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, Denali
8. Grand Canyon and/or Zion
9. A classic beach area, such as Cape Cod, Outer Banks, Assoteague, etc.
10. Go back and hit another city from (3), from a different region of the country.

What do you think? I realize I'm a little light on the Midwest and South.

Did everything on your list. Loved everything. Disney was my least favorite but glad we went. Guess I need to go south - have done quite a bit Midwest.

After this summer we'll have done most of this too, knocking out NY, Boston, Cape Cod this summer.

We spend a lot of time in CA because of family and have seen some of the Midwest to visit family. One midwest destination I'd like to add is a Wisconsin/Michigan lake-side vacation town like Door County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always see those lists of "100 places to take your kids before they grow up" and it feels too overwhelming. I'm not going to take 100 vacations in the 14 or so years that I have to travel with them! So I've been trying to come up with a Top 10 list instead, with a goal of giving kids exposure to the diversity of America. Interested in your thoughts (and this is not in any particular order):

1. Washington, DC
2. New York City
3. Another American city of cultural/historical note, such as San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New Orleans or L.A.
4. Hawaii or U.S. Virgin Islands
5. Disneyworld or Disneyland
6. American southwest, such as Tucson, San Antonio, Taos, etc.
7. National Park with major mountains, such as Tetons, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, Denali
8. Grand Canyon and/or Zion
9. A classic beach area, such as Cape Cod, Outer Banks, Assoteague, etc.
10. Go back and hit another city from (3), from a different region of the country.

What do you think? I realize I'm a little light on the Midwest and South.

3) I'd vote Chicago right now but that's partially because I've spent the least time there and just love architecture.

5) Disneyworld and Disneyland are completely different experiences. Disneyworld is a destination for an entire vacation. Disneyland is 1-2 days in conjunction with a longer vacation ... maybe San Diego?

6) Skip this or combine it with (8) in a ~2week tour of the American Southwest.

[Anonymous]

I'll play. Here's my list just based on what I've sketched out in my vacation planning spreadsheet. I'm a nerd. Can't help it.

1) Disneyworld
2) CA gold country (in part because it's near family but not AT family)
3) Yellowstone / Tetons
4) Everglades NP & Florida Keys (diving)
5) A week in a cabin on a lake in the Adirondacks doing very little
6) NPs in the Southwest (Zion, GC, Badlands, Monument Valley, ...)
7) Charleston / SC Beach
8) Acadia & Portland
9) PNW cruise (e.g. Seattle to Anchorage)
10) Stealing someone else's here ... dude ranch in WY or MT. I wonder if this could be combined with a visit to a fossil dig site...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a great list.

Here's my wish list (in no particular order):

1. Grand Canyon
2. Redwoods
3. Wyoming or Montana for a dude ranch
4. luxury farmstay at a vineyard in California
5. Acadia
6. Hawaii
7. Austin
8. Hiking/biking around Colorado
9. Chatauqua
10. Skiing in Utah

Bonus (because I can't pick only 10!) -- family camp in Vermont, Seattle/Portland visit

Tell me more about this, please!

Tyler Place.

I think Pp was being sarcastic. Tyler Place should not be on anyone’s top 10 list

Have you been there? It is awesome.

It's only awesome if you're from Capitol Hill. For everyone else, it is just another vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a great list.

Here's my wish list (in no particular order):

1. Grand Canyon
2. Redwoods
3. Wyoming or Montana for a dude ranch
4. luxury farmstay at a vineyard in California
5. Acadia
6. Hawaii
7. Austin
8. Hiking/biking around Colorado
9. Chatauqua
10. Skiing in Utah

Bonus (because I can't pick only 10!) -- family camp in Vermont, Seattle/Portland visit

I would definitely take #4 off the list for kids.

That is a great vacation for adults but horrible boring and not worthwhile for kids.

Substitute a road trip to the California national parks, starting at Yosemite, then north to Rockefeller National Forest/Avenue of the Giants (be sure to drive through the tree)/Fern Canyon, then south to Big Sur, down the Pacific Coast Highway to Hearst Castle.

Your kids will remember that trip for the rest of their lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always see those lists of "100 places to take your kids before they grow up" and it feels too overwhelming. I'm not going to take 100 vacations in the 14 or so years that I have to travel with them! So I've been trying to come up with a Top 10 list instead, with a goal of giving kids exposure to the diversity of America. Interested in your thoughts (and this is not in any particular order):

1. Washington, DC
2. New York City
3. Another American city of cultural/historical note, such as San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New Orleans or L.A.
4. Hawaii or U.S. Virgin Islands
5. Disneyworld or Disneyland
6. American southwest, such as Tucson, San Antonio, Taos, etc.
7. National Park with major mountains, such as Tetons, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Glacier, Denali
8. Grand Canyon and/or Zion
9. A classic beach area, such as Cape Cod, Outer Banks, Assoteague, etc.
10. Go back and hit another city from (3), from a different region of the country.

What do you think? I realize I'm a little light on the Midwest and South.

For the midwest, St. Louis is a fantastic place to take kids, and cheap to boot.

[Anonymous]

My son is fairly well traveled in the US, but I still feel like we have so much to see. In no order, other than 2 categories of priority:

higher priority:
NYC
Chicago
Utah National Parks (Zion, Bryce, Arches)
Rocky Mountain NP
Montreal (I know.... not in the US)
Charleston
Nashville (distant relatives in TN and the farm where my grandfather was born.... and still in my family; this is probably more for me than him)

lower priority:
New Orleans
upstate NY
Hawaii


Have been to or going to this summer
San Diego
San Francisco
Portland OR
Seattle
Phoenix and Tucson
WDW (only listing b/c others are referencing this)
Grand Canyon NP
Yosemite NP
Big Sur
Glacier NP
Crater Lake NP
OBX and beaches in Southern NC
Boston
Philly
DC (duh. we live here)
Miami

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a great list.

Here's my wish list (in no particular order):

1. Grand Canyon
2. Redwoods
3. Wyoming or Montana for a dude ranch
4. luxury farmstay at a vineyard in California
5. Acadia
6. Hawaii
7. Austin
8. Hiking/biking around Colorado
9. Chatauqua
10. Skiing in Utah

Bonus (because I can't pick only 10!) -- family camp in Vermont, Seattle/Portland visit

Tell me more about this, please!

Tyler Place.

I think Pp was being sarcastic. Tyler Place should not be on anyone’s top 10 list

Have you been there? It is awesome.

It's only awesome if you're from Capitol Hill. For everyone else, it is just another vacation.

I’m the Pp who posted the list. So confused! What does this mean? I have heard such good things about it from friends. Seems like a blast though way too expensive.

[Anonymous]

Here’s our list

1. NY at Christmas for the lion king and rockettes
2. Muir Woods/SF/Yosemite
3. San Diego
4. Ski in CO
5. Rent a house in southern Utah and hike the National parks
6. Puerto Rico
7. Chicago
8. Acadia
9. Nashville/Memphis/Crater of Diamonds State Park
10. Coastal Georgia for a beach vacation

What we’ve already done
Boston/cape Cod
Philadelphia
Disney
Grand Canyon/Antelope Canyon/Phoenix