Nicaragua. It's small, cheap, less touristy than Costa Rica. You could easily do 7-10 days. Grenada-isla de ometepe-San Juan del sur circle. In Grenada you get a colonial town experience, Ometepe is a cool island made from volcanoes, and San Juan your classic laid back beach. I'd go with my kids in a heartbeat if we didn't already have a big trip planned.

Peru... Rockies...

Can't altitude be hard on kids?

Thanks all, and please keep them coming. I'm not at all wed to outdoor adventure - Cultural adventure is equally important. And my kids actually speak reasonably good spanish (better than me or DH, thanks to our nanny) so a spanish speaking country is an added bonus. The biggest challenge is the little one isnt a very flexible sleeper, so overnight flights, camping and even changing hotels alot are unappealing. As soon as we're over that hump we'll be in Europe in a flash!

Acadia is amazing and you can also do guided rock climbing there with the 6 year old.

Though I'd call first to ask how many 6 year old clients they get and how much success they have.

But Acadia is far. You can do all sorts of adventure activities in Appalachia.

The Canadian Rockies have a lot of easy hikes too.

Anonymous wrote:As a middle ground between beach trips and zip lining in Costa Rica (I've researched it -- I don't think even your 6 year old would be able to do that), we had a great trip to Acadia. Pretty scenery, real hiking (even if you don't get very far), but plenty of restaurants and ice cream for after.

We went to Acadia with a 1.5yo and a 4yo and it was fabulous. We were able to rent bikes with an infant seat one one bike and a ride-along for the 4yo on my bike - one of those attachments that works like a bicycle built for two, so he could pedal along. That let us take a longer ride than we'd have been able to do if DS4 were on his own bike. Highlight of the trip.

I also love the idea of national parks. Are you up for camping?

You can definitely find kid-friendly activities in any country. You'll have to skip the zip lining, but there are plenty of other options anywhere you go.

Panama -- see the canal, go to the rainforest, maybe up to coffee highlands.
Argentina -- light hiking in Patagonia and see the glacier in El Calafate and down to Tierra del Fuego
Peru - Macchu Picchu
Southeast Asia
Beijing
Australia
Really almost anywhere that doesn't involve water sports and zip lines and opera

Camping at national parks out west?
We did Yellowstone and the Tetons when our child was 3 (some camping, some hotels/lodge).
We also went to Istanbul when he was 3.5, but I don't know if that's the type of trip you want (no outdoor adventure).

As a middle ground between beach trips and zip lining in Costa Rica (I've researched it -- I don't think even your 6 year old would be able to do that), we had a great trip to Acadia. Pretty scenery, real hiking (even if you don't get very far), but plenty of restaurants and ice cream for after.

Maybe some inspiration here?

http://travelswithcurley.com/destinations/

DH and I were very adventurous travelers before kids. Since then, it's been basically beach trips (Delaware in summer, Caribbean all-inclusives in the winter). I may be a year or 2 ahead of myself, but I'm bored to tears... any recommendations for things that are a little more adventurous without being overly crazy or difficult with kids this age? I'm thinking along the lines of Costa Rica or Belize, but I'm not sure how much of the stuff in those places the 3YO will be able to do (tubing/caving/rafting, animal preserves where you drive around looking for a long time, etc). Any thoughts on this? I would welcome other ideas too, domestic as well as international, with the caveat that an overnight flight is off the table for another few years!

Thanks!