The Caribbean islands

Cape Cod

Anonymous wrote:kiawah -- lot of activities. no amusement park or mini-golf though.

Agree. Kiawah is hard to beat.

If you prefer staying in the US and are having trouble finding where to stay, have you tried airbnb.com? You have the option of narrowing searches to find a full house/apartment.

Sea Colony in Bethany offers swim lessons during a period in the summer, that would be great for the 4 year old.
We enjoyed a trip to Sanibel-Captiva, there is a wildlife refuge, boat rides, the beach, the pool, walking to restaurants (in Captiva at least), looking for shells, a very short flight. Palm trees and incredible blue water.
We have been going to Chincoteague for a very laid back bach vacation for several years, this year I am looking into a mountain getaway, like the North Carolina mountains near Asheville. Lots of hikes, waterfalls, and little kid activities like steam train rides.
We usually go to the California mountains every year because of family, but San Francisco, Yosemite and Tahoe are always a good choice. The Yellowstone and Grand Teton/Jackson Hole area is also incredible.
Some friends of ours took a summer vacation to Breckenridge last year, they went to Rocky Mountain National Park, and got a great off season rate at a ski resort condo.

Bethany Beach is nice with very young kids. Try Sea Colony.

If you want an actual amusement park, then Myrtle Beach, really stay in North Myrtle Beach. You'll find all you want there. At your kids age, I doubt they'll be too far out in the water to be bothered by jelly fish. When we went late last summer, the waves were kinda strong so my daughter hung out around the shoreline and still had a ball. Definitely stay in one of the resort condo communities that offer multiple pools with water features and some even offer free waterpark passes. We stayed at the Baywatch Resort.

But if you can do without the amusement park, then I'd recommend Hilton Head, specifically Sea Pines area, if you can't stay beachfront then I'd rent a place near harbortown.

Niagara Falls?

kiawah -- lot of activities. no amusement park or mini-golf though.

Not sure about HH. It depends at MB. Usually you are okay and the only jellies are those that don't sting, but that is not 100% guarantee.

Any issues with jelly fish in August if going to hilton head or myrtle beach?

Rehoboth and Bethenny are great in August. The boardwalk in Rehoboth has "Fun Land" which is a cute place for kids with rides, games, etc. and the drive to the OC boardwalk is not bad (and it is always fun to people watch there!). There is stuff to do close by and it is a short drive from the DC area.

The Outer Banks is great as well but not much to do outside of the beach. However, we have been going there since before I had kids and they love it there. I would suggest you get a place with a pool since it makes your vacation a lot easier and more fun).

Hilton Head has a lot to do for little people. TONS of biking (beautiful bike trails everywhere) beach, resaturants, shops, mini-golf, etc. It is a beautiful area. but a further drive (it took me 11 hours with two kids and all the stops that come with two kids).

Finally we go every year to Pawley's Island in SC. It is about a half hour from Myrtle Beach. There is not much to do around Pawley's but is is a beautful beach (my favorite) and only 30 minutes from Myrtle beach which has everything you can think of. Some places between PI and Myrtle have fun stuff too.

I think it just depends how far you want to drive.

Can anyone recommend a nice vacation spot for two adults and two kids (4 and 1) in late August. I would prefer the US but everything is booked up around then. I would like to spend between 2-3K. I would like to go to the beach and have activities for the kids. Biking, walking, amusement park, mini golf etc. Thanks.