If there is one thing I won’t regret, it will be taking trips with my kids and exploring this great big world with them. Taking trips aren’t always easy, especially trying to manipulate schedules and the needs of multiple children. Sometimes extravagant trips aren’t always a possibility depending on the year. But there is something about the adventure of a vacation.
When I was younger, my family would take vacations almost yearly. Sometimes it was to places like the Bahamas or Cancun or Virginia to explore the Civil War battle sites. Other times it was just to Denver to visit family. I’ll always remember the binders my dad would make of the activities, reservations, and more that were planned for each leg of the trips we would take. It doesn’t surprise me that this is something I do with my only family’s trips, just kept on Google drive for easy access rather than carrying around a binder.
These family trips paint the best memories from my childhood. I can tell stories to my children about the sights in Australia or holding a koala. I can explain to them the time my dad took me on a 2 hour hike in the Arizona desert in 120 degree heat so that I could use the phone to call my mom, but that we drank RC Cola and had ice cream when we got to the nearby town. I can wax eloquently about the history I absorbed while we drove through the Appalachian Mountains exploring the Civil War battlefields just as easily as I can tell them about all the wonderful visits I had with my Papa, Grandma, and Grandpa in Denver.
There is something about traveling that incites a special kind of curiosity. It’s exploring the complete unknown, discovering the new together, and finding out more about our world as a family.
Some travel might include excitement and thrilling adventures while other just blow you away with the wonder of our world. There are so many different kinds of trips and things to do with your family and what you choose to do might depend on the age of your children and size of your family. The following list is just 5 of my top places to add to your family’s travel bucket list, but there are so many amazing places in this great country to explore!
1. There’s nothing like the magic of Disney.
I don’t think anyone should really be that surprised that this is first on my list. We first took our kids when they were 2 years old and 2 months old. So many people warned us that they were too young to really enjoy it much less remember it. I feared this would be the case – that there wouldn’t be rides they could enjoy and that there was even a chance that Mickey and crew would scare the kids.
The thing is – that just wasn’t true. After seeing the kids meet their favorite Disney characters, the wonder, excitement, and pure love that was on their faces proved to me that you can’t be too old or too young for Disney. So if you’ve been wanting to take your kids but have been told to wait until they’re older – take them when you want! There isn’t a too young or too old, just what’s best for your family.
I went to Disney World as a teenager and the only difference – besides that Disney has now perfected the amusement park experience – is that I could ride a few more rides and my park and dining cost a little more. The excitement at dining with my favorite Disney princess or giving a big hug to Mickey Mouse didn’t change. My love of these cartoon worlds is the same that I see my children have. The age didn’t make a difference like people had cautioned me.
What also surprised me were the number of rides that my 2 year old could ride. There were really only a handful that he wasn’t tall enough to ride on. He even went on his first roller coaster – The Barnstormer – and absolutely LOVED it. We are planning another trip for this coming April and, based on the height requirements, he’ll be able to ride all but maybe 2, depending on if he hits another growth spurt. What I learned is that Walt Disney designed these parks -Disneyland and Disney World – for the kids that his world was for. He knew his audience and caters this entire world for kids of all ages.
Disneyland is smaller than Disney World and meant to be explored in a shorter time period, but whichever park you go to, however old your kids are, you will want to remember the pure excitement they have as they explore the parks. If you want more tips for traveling to Disney World, check out our post – Conquering Disney like a Champ!
2. Explore the majesty of the Grand Canyon.
When I was seven, my dad and I took a road trip from Dallas to Lake Havasu which is on the border of California and Arizona. Along the way we stopped at the Grand Canyon for several nights. I remember the feeling of being absolutely overwhelmed by the grandeur of the canyon. The colors that seemed to reflect from the walls of the canyon onto the sky left me in awe.
When I was newly pregnant with Little Mister, my husband and I spent our wedding anniversary at the Grand Canyon on a road trip back from California. There is something romantic about carrying something so small and seemingly insignificant when standing next to something so large and grand, so magnificent. I remember thinking at that moment that this world was something I wanted to keep for my children. The Grand Canyon made my life seem so small within the grand scheme and I knew that someday, it would be important to share that with my children so that they could experience the wonder of our world.
The Grand Canyon is the second most visited national park in the United States and it’s no wonder since it is one of the seven national wonders of the world. And there are so many different ways to explore the canyon – by mule, raft, hike, or from above by plane or helicopter. You don’t have to be Clark Griswold to visit the Grand Canyon!
There are opportunities for kids to record their observations and receive a junior ranger badge. Your family can walk across the canyon on the clear skywalk. You can explore nature and get a little closer with a horseback or mule ride through the canyon. However you choose to enjoy this natural wonder, take plenty of time to take in the awe that this world has created for us.
3. Get your kicks on Route 66!
Road trips can be stressful with little ones, but they can also be a way to see so much of the country. With Route 66, you get 2,400 miles between Chicago and Los Angeles to experience small towns, main streets, and all of their unique sights.
Though the entire length might be overwhelming and too much to conquer on one trip, you might consider dividing the length of the road into one of three sections – New Mexico/Arizona/California, Kansas/Oklahoma/Texas, or Illinois/Missouri. Each section has a variety of hotels, sites, and places to eat to fill your time and your stops. In between, make sure to take on the sights of road, or as they say in Cars, the road “moved with the land, it rose, it fell, it curved. Cars didn’t drive on it to make good time. They drove on it to have a good time.”
With road trips for little ones, you’ll already want to plan for plenty of stops, why not make the stops fun and educational about the rich history of the United States?
For more information on individual stops, routes, and more, check out the Route 66 webpage on the NPS website.
4. The last American frontier.
I’m not talking about space, although maybe someday in the future we will be able to vacation to space. Rather, I’m talking about journeying to Alaska, what many considered the last frontier to explore. One of the best ways to do so is by ship on a cruise. Although cruises may be difficult with very little ones, as they get a little older, this is the best way to see a variety of sights and cities, have an opportunity for unique excursions.
In Alaska, you can experience the sights of glaciers, majestic mountains, amazing wildlife, and more. Because of the massive size of Alaska, a cruise makes the logistics of transportation and traveling between towns and cities much more possible.
Some of our favorite family-friendly Alaska excursions include…
- The Neets Bay bear watch out of Ketchikan. Here you have the opportunity to watch black bears come down to the river for their lunch.
- Visiting a dog musher’s camp in Juneau. This is a must when you have little ones or a dog lover in your family. Depending on the season and snow fall, you may even get to go on a dog-pulled sled ride!
- The White Pass Railway out of Skagway. This long train ride is so fun for little ones and a great way to see some of the interior of Alaska, but be aware – there is a large bridge the train passes over, so those afraid of bridges or heights are forewarned.
- Whale watching in Sitka. There is something awe-inspiring about watching whales come up to the surface. This short boat ride around the island provided viewing not only of whales, but of the landscape and other animals such as raptors and eagles and otters. When we took this excursions, we even had to opportunity to view a gorgeous bald eagle! You just never know what you might see.
The lesson with Alaska is that the excursions can be a great way to see and experience a good portion of Alaska, a one-in-a-lifetime trip.
5. Pick your war then explore!
One of my favorite family trips when I was younger was a road trip visiting the Civil War battle sites. We visited Manassas, Chattanooga, Shiloh, Gettysburg, Petersburg, and more! We stayed at a hotel in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and then every day we would venture out to a new Civil War site, stopping along the way to see smaller battle sites or other tourist destinations along the way such as Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home, or a day trip into Washington, DC.
On this trip, not only did I have the opportunity to learn an immense amount of history, but also the chance to even have a peek at the experiences that occurred during one of the bloodiest wars in America’s history. The value I learned from that trip of what it means to be American, to fight for what is right, and about those who sacrificed is something that I will remember for the rest of my life.
Maybe the Civil War isn’t your cup of tea. For me, the Civil War was more of my dad’s interest but I love learning about the Revolutionary War and would love to do a similar trip to those battle sites and to Boston. So really, pick your war and then explore everything about that war and the surrounding areas!
I enjoyed writing this post so much, finding out a little more about the places I had already traveled to and doing a little research on the places I hadn’t been, I will definitely write more bucket list travel posts, so let me know, what’s on your family travel bucket list? What places should I look into that are must sees with you and your little ones?