Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cleveland has the Christmas Story house and Rock Hall which my teen loved and some good museums

The Henry Ford in Dearborn MI is an incredible place, and you can tour a real Ford factory while there. My tween loved it and you can easily spend 2 days there, can even drive in to Canada which might be cool.
You didn't mention sports but if your kid is a baseball fan Cooperstown is a great father/son trip

Cleveland is so underrated! Don’t forget the baseball stadium too! You can walk from a downtown hotel. The Christmas Story House is a must do too!

Cleveland is a dump. This would be a terrible way to kick off the teen years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13 is coming of age? Is this a Jewish thing?

No. I am just calling the trip this. 13 is a a significant age.

Not significant in our family. Nice to have money like that. If I could do it, though, I would opt for the old-fashioned Grand Tour at 18. Children at that age will appreciate it more. But, alas, saving for college

Have heard of other families, not Jewish, doing a trip marking end of child/beginning of teen years. It’s ok if it’s not your thing. My family doesn’t do this but it’s still a nice idea.

A weekend with a parent is a fine idea. Sometimes really special if there are siblings.

Las Vegas.

I was gojng to suggest New Orleans. Can do the WW2 museum, walk around French quarter and do whatever free stuff is offered at the NPS visitor center (we did a drum lesson but they also do walking tours), and also possibly one of the following: Mardi Gras museum, aquarium, day trip to swamp tour (although that’s early in season to see gators — they hibernate), or day trip to see a plantation (many now have well done presentations about the lives of enslaved people).

Orlando. Hear me out - hotels and flights are very cheap. One day at Epcot to see the aquarium, do the Living with the Land tour, and seafood dinner at the Coral Reef watching the fish, and ride Guardians of the Galaxy. Then go swim with manatees. All of the other suggestions sound freezing cold and not fun.

San Diego isn’t a bad idea but that’s a long and expensive flight and expensive hotels.

If he is truly into ocean life, then Monterey Bay Aquarium could be special.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cleveland has the Christmas Story house and Rock Hall which my teen loved and some good museums

The Henry Ford in Dearborn MI is an incredible place, and you can tour a real Ford factory while there. My tween loved it and you can easily spend 2 days there, can even drive in to Canada which might be cool.
You didn't mention sports but if your kid is a baseball fan Cooperstown is a great father/son trip

Cleveland is so underrated! Don’t forget the baseball stadium too! You can walk from a downtown hotel. The Christmas Story House is a must do too!

If you love Christmas that much, there's a big Christmas museum in Medina OH that has props from Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cleveland has the Christmas Story house and Rock Hall which my teen loved and some good museums

The Henry Ford in Dearborn MI is an incredible place, and you can tour a real Ford factory while there. My tween loved it and you can easily spend 2 days there, can even drive in to Canada which might be cool.
You didn't mention sports but if your kid is a baseball fan Cooperstown is a great father/son trip

Cleveland is so underrated! Don’t forget the baseball stadium too! You can walk from a downtown hotel. The Christmas Story House is a must do too!

We liked it a lot. It was actually an easy drive too

Anonymous wrote:Cleveland has the Christmas Story house and Rock Hall which my teen loved and some good museums

The Henry Ford in Dearborn MI is an incredible place, and you can tour a real Ford factory while there. My tween loved it and you can easily spend 2 days there, can even drive in to Canada which might be cool.
You didn't mention sports but if your kid is a baseball fan Cooperstown is a great father/son trip

Cleveland is so underrated! Don’t forget the baseball stadium too! You can walk from a downtown hotel. The Christmas Story House is a must do too!

Milwaukee - Harley-Davidson museum, the natural history museum, and even a brewery tour. Will be freezing, but stay at a hotel with pool.

Houston has a ton of good museums and Johnson space flight center is an easy drive as is Galveston and its historic district is cool. Aransas pass wildlife preserve’s also accessible. I also think the FL space coast that someone else mentioned plus trip to Everglades and the Miami art and restaurant scene would feel cool and grownup to a newly minted teen.

Anonymous wrote:A trip to eat fish for coming of age!? LMAO!

You’re a jerk.

Pittsburgh, Philly, Atlanta, Boston, NYC all sound perfect. I hope your family has a wonderful time!

Philly, Busch Gardens, Chicago, Orlando /without Disney.

Pittsburgh has some nice museums that are fun for kids/teens. It isn't too far away and could be done well on your budget.

A trip to eat fish for coming of age!? LMAO!