My wife and I decided (last minute) we want to take a family vacation this summer before my son goes to college. Does anyone have suggestions? I like anything with historical value, but my family, naturally, just wants warm weather and beaches. Last summer we went to Cape Cod and traveled to colleges in Boston (very nice trip for a history nerd ). I was thinking maybe Hawaii because my brother is going with his kids in July but we'd really have a strapped budget and I've heard horror stories about the prices there.
Not sure where you are located but I did the same thing with my sons. Before the oldest headed to college (my other son was 14) we spent several days in Williamsburg and also visited Jamestown. Bush Gardens is also there for some extra fun. We then headed up to DC and spent 4 days visiting whatever the boys wanted to see. It was probably one of our best vacations. If you are into the outdoors the White Mountain area in New Hampshire is also great. Mt. Washington drive, hiking, canoeing, bike riding and scenic drives all provided activities for a fun vacation.
janlee beat me to it; I was going to suggest DC and Williamsburg, with the added attraction of Busch Gardens. We went several years ago, and let me tell you, it can be extremely hot and humid, but there's a ton of stuff to do.
We're headed back to Lake George. I just love it up there!!! There's Fort William Henry and Fort Ticonderoga for the historic value. As to the beaches-- it's kind of hard to match what you and I have in our own back yard. But the one place I've been with AMAZING beaches is Bermuda. It's absolutely gorgeous!!!! You can stand in water up to your waist and watch your toes wiggle!! They love Americans, and the language and money are both easy. St George is a lovely old historic town. It's something like a 2 hour flight from JFK. The golf and the shopping are both wonderful. (If you do go, get a meal plan. As an island, they have to import the overwhelming majority of their food, and it gets expensive.) Here's where we stayed when we last went (I have to be honest, it was about 20 years ago.) http://www.grottobay.com/ Cruising is also a great option (that's how we got to Bermuda the time before that!) Lots of options out of both NYC and NJ.
My first love is Key West and the Florida Keys. There is a lot of history in Key West. The beaches aren't the greatest and we are keeping an eye on the oil spill's impact on the gulf. My second love is Colonial Williamsburg. We will be going to Virginia Beach next month to visit our DD and SIL so I hope to make a day trip to Williamsburg while we are in the area.
One of our favorite vacation destinations is the Outer Banks of North Carolina........ great beaches, but with a treacherous undertow... And if you are into history you might focus on the Lost Colony of Roanoke.... I find the Lost Colony to be a fascinating subject. Were they killed by the natives, did they simply go and live with the natives, or perhaps they were wiped out by disease. So what do you suppose happened to Virginia Dare? Why didn't John White return to the island with supplies? So many questions....
My favorite places are Bermuda and Key West. Bermuda is not cheap so a cruise is probably a better option. Key West in the summer is very very hot. We did go to Costa Rica for our honeymoon. The beaches were great and not really expensive.
We took my senior and 2 friends to Disney World. They had a room nearby and we checked in often via text. We met up several times. It was great and no drunk people partying all around, like at some beach towns. Everyone was worn out everyday. It was awesome!
I vote for a cruise. There is something for everyone, and after you pay for the cruise, almost everything is included.
There's also Club Med too. There are some that are more family oriented, with kids clubs. I went to one years ago in Eleutera in the Bahamas-- it was Gorgeous!!!!! eta-- OOPS, it WAS gorgeous! http://www.discover-eleuthera-bahamas.com/club-med-eleuthera.html but there are other Club Med locations that accomodate families.
Well, if your family wants warm weather and beaches... how about Florida? Orlando is its own category, but there's also Kennedy Space Center on the east coast (good beaches nearby, as well as several interesting museums), St. Augustine (one of my fav places to visit!), and the Disney Beach resort in Vero Beach. North Central Florida has Gainesville (Florida Museum of Natural History is really cool), the Ocala National Forest, and tons of natural springs. Oh, and the Okeefenokee Swamp up near the Georgia border. Then there's South Florida... The Everglades (airboats! Gators! Giant pythons! Hammocks!), the Keys (so much more than Key West), Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Palm Beach (if that's your thing). It's definitely hot... and the beaches (from Jupiter north to Titusville) are fantastic.
Throw my vote in for a cruise. Everyone will have something to do, food (as much as you want for your son) is included and there are beautiful beaches all over the Caribbean. It is HOT, though. You could come to the west coast of Florida for beautiful beaches. Looks like we might avoid the oil spill. So far. Tons of things to do within a few hours drive. OR take a 3 or 4 day cruise out of Port Canaveral, then spend a few days on the east coast. From Cocoa to Daytona to Flagler to St. Augustine--those are some GREAT beaches.
We went to Hawaii before my Sr yr... mom had to go there for work. We were lucky that we had a kitchnette in our room. This made for our trip breakfast, lunches & snacks a lot cheaper. We would eat out for dinner. There's lots to do there I was only 17. Lots of shops, of course beaches & what not. NOT like HOT weather beach (could be depends on the weather), but Mackinac Island is fun since you have to bike around the island.
What about St. Augustine, FL? History AND beaches. My kids love Williamsburg, and although it's still a bit of a drive to a beach, there is alway VA Beach (or Busch Gardens, an amusement park) to add on to the trip.
Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, Alaska, or is there a place that your son has wanted to go/really likes?
Hawaii's nice like you said & be sure to cruise there. Any chances of international travel? What country has your family always wanted to visit?
We decided we're going to take a trip to Italy. We're going for 9 days in July. I talked to an Italian teacher in my building and she told me we'll be in extreme heat, but swimming in the Med. Sea will be a great experience! Of course, we're going to do all the nerdy history stuff I like too (I'm actually a little disappointed--I've always said I'd travel the U.S. before going abroad again [went to England in college], but I know it'll be a great, memorable trip.) The costs, of course, are tremendous, but we just won't eat for the next year or so.
Alice, we live in the Town of Islip and they run family trips so we were lucky enough to still get on for it! Disregard my earlier statement, I'm psyched to go!!!!!
That's so cool!!! We're in town (NOT village) of Oyster Bay; I've never heard of anything like that!!
It really is! Two years ago, we were able to do a weekend trip with them to Washington, D.C. and before that, we did a day trip to the Statue of Liberty, Little Italy and the Empire State Building. (Next to sewage lines, it's probably the best thing offered by the Town!)
