We've done Hershey Park and Dutch Wonderland and I think it's a great option. You can do a day at each and there are specials when you do both. Hotels there are generally inexpensive and you can find other options that are even cheaper.

Another idea is Williamsburg with one day at Busch Gardens, one in Colonial Willamsburg, and an overnight in Richmond on the way back.

Day one: drive to Williamsburg
Leave early like 730am so you can get to the park and gave full dat. Check into hotel

Day two: head to Colonial Williamsburg for a fun full day.

Day three: check out of hotel and drive up to Richmond and hit up a museum or other sites.

Hotel for two nights can be under $200 if you stay just outside of Williamsburg proper.

That leaves $300 for park entries, food, and misc.

I think I remember you from last year--what did you end up doing?

Anonymous wrote:Maybe take it easy this year, stay home and continue to save so that next year you all can go to Disney? Would that be doable next year for $1k?

Rent movies play games ride bikes this week.

Good luck op!

It would be tough to do Disney for less than $1000, unless they had some other ways of getting free perks (like if they know someone that works at Disney and can get them into the parks for free, or have enough "points" for a free hotel stay at a local hotel, etc.)

Park tickets alone will be about $100 per day per person
Airline tickets would be several hundred or driving down would be about $250 round trip in gas, at current gas prices (but would take close to 14 hours)
Hotels on site would be at least $100/night, and if going during spring break would be even more expensive.

Is your son school age or can you travel a little out of season? You can rent a studio in ocean city for less than that for a week, do the boardwalk and rides at trimper's.

Williamsburg? You can get a Busch Gardens/Water Country pass and do that for a few days. My kids love GoApe. Go to the beach in Yorktown. You can visit some of the shops around Williamsburg.

Busch Gardens has a mini Sesame Place inside. If you get an annual pass, you don't have to pay for parking, and you get discounts on the food and anything else. For your child, get the cheapest multi-day ticket available, probably a Fun Card. I think if you go online and get them ahead of time, there are further discounts. They let you pay for the annual membership over time at $11 a month, so perhaps if you feel like you can pay more later, you pay for it that way.

If you live in the DC area, it's a pretty easy trip - I've done it in a day trip, even. So you can get by with one or two nights in a hotel - on the last day, check out and go back to the park for almost a full day and leave at dinner time to come home.

Maybe take it easy this year, stay home and continue to save so that next year you all can go to Disney? Would that be doable next year for $1k?

Rent movies play games ride bikes this week.

Good luck op!

PP here

Ok---it looks like you can get an adult 1 day ticket to Dollywood and a child 1 day ticket for $133.50 (includes taxes and fees)

There are various hotels in the area for $80/night or less

Entrance to the national park is FREE!

If you don't buy souvenirs (my family never does!) and bring a cooler of food to picnic for meals, you can probably do a 3 night stay for around $500.

I think Dutch Wonderland or Sesame Place may be a bit boring for a 6 year old. We went both places about the time my oldest child was 6 (he had younger siblings) and for us, it was more entertaining for the younger kids and he was mostly "along for the ride."

6 is plenty old to enjoy Busch Gardens or Hershey Park.

If you choose Busch Gardens, they have decent picnic areas outside in their parking lots--I would pack lunch/dinner to save money.

I've also heard excellent things about Dollywood in TN. I've never been myself, but my parents took my kids and they loved it. I just asked them if it was a park a 6 year old would like and they enthusiastically said yes
That whole area has a lot of tourist friendly things--Smoky Mountains National park is there and would be beautiful to explore. Your child could become a "junior ranger" https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/kidsyouth/beajuniorranger.htm

Is the $500 for everything. Food and lodging and entertainment?
Dutch wonderland is having a pre sale right now. $55 for 2 days (and 2 days in the summer) or $32 for one day.
That's $110. Maybe see if you can rent a cheap hotel or a room? Then do that for two days and drive around Lancaster and do a farmers market and I'm sure there are petting zoos etc.

Hershey Park or/and Dutch Wonderland. Stay a little further out and the hotel is much cheaper. Straussburg to see the train (non-thomas) and cherry something or other farm.

Sesame Place! My 7-year old and 5-year love it and neither are Sesame Street fans. We get there as soon as the place opens and bring our own food. The website says something about cooler size and food, but we've never been called out on it. We bring a blanket and have a picnic while there. Bring your own stroller to hold all of your stuff if you still have one.

I highly recommend Abby's magic queue pass. We still haven't used every ride on the pass in one visit yet because there's plenty of fun stuff not on the pass, but doesn't have a wait line either (playing in sand, playground, shows).

We leave when the kids are tired (usually around 4-5pm) and drive home, so that we don't have to get a hotel. It's a super long day for me (the drive is 2.5 - 3 hours each way), but it's so much fun for the kids!

^ duh, 6 years old. Doh!

Still Hershey Park, or maybe Busch Gardens.

How old is your child? Maybe drive to Hershey Park? You can find a lower cost local hotel, and budget daily admission for as much as you can manage.

http://www.hersheypark.com/tickets/admission-tickets.php

I have saved $500 to take my child on a vacation. It took me a year to save. Last year I asked the same question and I had $300. You guys gave me some great ideas and so here I am again. My son asked to go on a Disney Cruise or Disney World but obviously we are not in a position for such an extravagant vacation. He won't be disappointed that we won't be going, he understands that we can't always get what we want. However I do want to do something fun with him. We have just this week and $500. Where can we go that will be fun and not terribly expensive.