Thanks, everyone - keep the ideas coming. These are great!

12:50, thanks for making me feel better. I have been feeling like a bit of a loser for not planning before this.

How about the Finger Lakes in upstate NY? Very kid friendly, wonderful swimming, tons of wineries/tours/tastings. Many good restaurants, Amish/Mennonite markets for fresh produce, crafts, quilts, furniture. It's a 5.5 hour drive from here. Keuka Lake, IMO, is the most beautiful. Canandaigua Lake is lovely too. You can most likely still find cottage rentals if you do it now.

Here are two helpful websites:

http://www.fingerlakespremierproperties.com/book/query.html

http://www.fingerlakes.com/

We just got back from 3 days at Hayes Beach in the Chesapeake (Scotland MD). Our rental home was on a private beach and it was an amazing easy relaxing trip. Look for Paradise Found in VRBO... Can't promise availability.

Congress Hall Loved it

pre-child, we stayed once at congress hall hotel and really liked it (cape may)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cape May is an easy drive, and plenty of family-friendly hotels across the street from the beach are available. No need to get a house or anything. Lots to do for kids, and if they want a boardwalk day, you can head out to Wildwood. But otherwise, beach/pool/zoo/downtown should keep you occupied.

Np here. Any Cape May suggestions?

Sorry, I meant Cape May hotel suggestions. Thanks.

Anonymous wrote:Cape May is an easy drive, and plenty of family-friendly hotels across the street from the beach are available. No need to get a house or anything. Lots to do for kids, and if they want a boardwalk day, you can head out to Wildwood. But otherwise, beach/pool/zoo/downtown should keep you occupied.

Np here. Any Cape May suggestions?

Just booked a July 4th vacation to the OBX-- even got a 20% discount because the house had not yet rented this close to the date.

Sea Pines us air direct flights to Hilton head on Saturday out on national 2.5 hours about..flight is like a bus to the beach.

I know everyone supposedly plans summer vacation in January and that if you don't you're a total slacker mom who shouldn't dare hold her head up at the pool or school bus stop, but, honestly, we've had years where we waited until around this time and did fine. There are always beach houses that open up late in the season b/c the owner's plans change or renters cancel. Lots of inns and motels also have suites available that can work great with just one child. When our oldest was around that age we flew to Portland, ME, and stayed in a suite at the Black Point Inn, on the beach just outside the city. It was a great combination of a beach and city vacation. Also, take a look at Mohonk Mountain House, just north of NYC, so maybe closer to 6 hours, but a fabulous place to stay on a lake. Another thought -- if you can swing it, you might want to consider going after Labor Day when beach towns are much less crowded and there are many more housing options.

Deep Creek Lake could work, too. There are houses to rent on VRBO.

Cape May is an easy drive, and plenty of family-friendly hotels across the street from the beach are available. No need to get a house or anything. Lots to do for kids, and if they want a boardwalk day, you can head out to Wildwood. But otherwise, beach/pool/zoo/downtown should keep you occupied.

I prefer to head south for beaches. Maybe try the Outer Banks or Myrtle Beach? It's a little longer of a 5 hour drive, but better beaches than Delaware and Ocean City.

We are going to Masssanutten in a few weeks. Never been but I can report back.

http://www.massresort.com/

Work and other issues have been very stressful the past few months, and the farthest I've gotten in planning a vacation is putting in for the time off. We usually plan for a summer beach trip in the winter, but never got around to it this year. DH, DS (3) and I will be off at the end of July / early August for a week and a half. We have a couple day trips planned, but not much else. We would prefer to drive less than 5 hours, but would fly it's a direct flight with minimal hassle. We just want to relax with some water, preferably near the beach but not necessarily, somewhere that is kid-friendly. We would stay between 3-5 nights and would want comfortable accommodations.

Any ideas, or should I resign myself to the idea of a staycation?