Vacation Recommendations?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Help! The four of us finally worked out 8 days we can all take a vacation in July. We need to go somewhere that doesn’t require a passport (long story).</p>

<p>Boys 15 and 19. One will try anything, the other likes to keep both feet firmly planted on the ground (although he’s willing to try whitewater rafting if it’s not a level V). Rock climbing and caving are not considerations. Outdoor activities would be preferred over museums. </p>

<p>We’re in the middle of the country and can drive or fly. We don’t want to spend a fortune. Camping is OK. Three of us love waterparks and the other is willing to accompany us. Beach, mountains, desert - we’re open to any suggestions. </p>

<p>p.s. For next summer I’d like to do a week-long float trip through the Grand Canyon. Any information about that would be welcome too.</p>

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<p>Here’s an unconventional suggestion: Highpointing in the northeastern United States. If you don’t know, highpointing is climbing the highest point of a specific region–in this case, states. I would strongly recommend the highpoints of the 6 New England states and New York. They range from drive-ups to 4000’ climbs to 15-mile treks. I have climbed them all and many more, and they remain among my favorites. Aside from Rhode Island’s highpoint (which has access issues) they are all open to the public. However, much research beforehand would be wise. <a href=“http://www.americasroof.com%5B/url%5D”>http://www.americasroof.com</a> is a good starting point for info, but feel free to PM me if you would like suggestions, experiences, routes, etc.</p>

<p>If highpointing isn’t your thing, but you still like mountains, there’s all of the 'Dacks and White mountains to explore too.</p>

<p>P.S. the site seems to be down right now, but keep trying, it should be back online soon.</p>

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<p>If you’ve never been to Yosemite or Yellow Stone, they are both worth the effort. Both have a wide range of accommodations from campgrounds to posh lodges. You can be as active (or passive) as you like. The natural beauty is profound.</p>

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<p>Redwoods National Park has a little bit of everything, big trees, good hiking and 37 miles of coastline. Yosemite is, of course, an amazing place and Glacier National Park is my pick for the most beautiful of all the “big name” parks. I’m going to add that my family has been (tent) camping in all these places (and Grand Canyon NP, Sequoia, and others) in the busy summer months and always managed to find a nice site without a reservation (though sometimes we ended up in a nearby National Forest, where you are allowed to pitch a tent almost anywhere).</p>

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<p>For $75/nt (in the off-season, which is now thru Oct) you can stay in a “tent cottage” - described by some as a “treehouse for adults” on the island of St. John on the hillside over one of the most beautiful beaches in the world seee <a href=“http://www.maho.org%5B/url%5D”>www.maho.org</a>.</p>

<p>We’re styaing for a few nights as part of a larger vacation in end of June / July, so we might see you if you decide on this. You can get two cottages, earmark the second cottage for a single camper and get 25% off that second cottage. Each cottage sleeps 2 in the bedroom and 1 on the sleep sofa. This has been named the #1 Eco-Tourism deestination in the world and is MUCH more than camping - it’s a glorious experience - your tent cottage will have electricity, ceiling fans, an ice chest, a balcony, a sitting area, a bedroom with 2 twin beds that can be pushed together to make a king, a view of the sun setting into the Caribbean sea and the beach just a few steps below your cottage.</p>

<p>You can find decent airfare if you hunt around. We paid $238 r/t for non-stop flights from Philly to St. Thomas - then you have to ferry over to St. John - no problem at all. You can rent a car from St. Thomas and take it to STJ on the car barge - or you can rent a car on STJ (more expensive because they only rent 4WD jeeps on STJ). STJ is a very small, remote, tropical island with no traffic lights, pristing beaches, amazing snorkeling (it’s easy to snorkel with sea turtles, squid, tarpon, starfish, etc), fantastic hiking through the National Park, preserved ruins of slave plantations, extremely friendly people, virtually no crime (last year we rented a $2.4M Villa and weren’t given any keys to lock it up - not needed, we were told by the manager - it barely had walls -so it was totally open to people and elements). Despite the remoteness of the island, there are lots of good restaurants and a fair amount of nightlife in the town of Cruz Bay (the hub of activity).</p>

<p>What you might really like is the easy access to all of the other islands surrounding St. John. St. Thomas is a 15 min ferry ride. The British Islands are all between 20 mins and 1.5 hrs away by public ferry and even shorter by private charters available. I’m not sure if you need a passport for British Islands now. Last time we went to a British Isle (least year) people were still using the birth certificate/drivers license combo. British Isle highlights include The Baths on the island of Virgin Gorda, the Bubble Pool on Jost Van Dyke, etc. The world famous Soggy Dollar Bar is on Jost, as is Foxy’s Tamirand.</p>

<p>Maho also has a sailboat that takes guests out on day and/or sunset sails. I recommended Maho because you mentioned camping and because it’s so cheap and novel. You can always get a villa - which, BTW, is less expensive than staying at one of the two hotels on the island, which run about $400/nt minimum. </p>

<p>I know there are a few other STJ fans on this baord, so maybe they’ll give a perspective of their own.</p>

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<p>I’d rent a house in the Outer Banks, or head to the Adirondacks, or take them to a fun BIG city (my kids would love going to NY). It’s late now for accomodations though - especially in the Adirondacks where decent places are hard to get in to. National Parks are pretty crazy in July - but the Adirondacks is always mellow. Outer Banks may still have some ocean front houses available (I always want to stay right on the beach).</p>

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<p>P.S. on Camping…</p>

<p>If staying in the US mainland is more agreeable with you - we enjoy camping in Mount Desert Island in Maine - Acadia National Park. We buy lobsters at the local general store and cook them over the campfire. There are more things to do than I can describe - we live to canoe, hike, participate in the campfile sing-alongs run by the Park Rangers, bike ride, hang out in the town of Bar Harbor, go Whale Watching, eat blueberries and everything made with blueberries, fish, etc… The campsites are good sized, private and dark/quiet at night. The bathrooms are clean. There are no showers in the Natnl Park campground, but there is a good pay-shower just outside of the campground. We typically use our own solar shower.</p>

<p>We always drive up - and stop at other campgrounds along the way - such as Sebago Lake (also Maine) and Camden Maine. Sebago is a beachfront campground on the lake- less private because less trees. Camden is a really nice camground near the town of Camden Maine, which is delightful!</p>

<p>I wouldn’t stay at Sebago or Camden for a week. But, I would stay at Mount Desert for TWO! We have stayed there for a week and still needed more time.</p>

<p>Weenie’s OBX suggestion is good! That’s another of our favorite places. My parents are leaving tomorrow for a week at PBX/Hatteras/Nags Head. If you want it to be even more quiet/remote - go to Duck, NC, as opposed to Hatteras or Nags Head.</p>

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<p>Before you do a week-long trip through the Grand Canyon (which needs to be booked a year in advance, BTW) try a shorter rafting trip. There is a terrific company called Oars that has a dozen trips in the west and northwest.</p>

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<p>Big Sur is also has astounding natural beauty and plenty to do… north of SF.</p>

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<p>Any of the ‘name’ national parks - Yosemite, Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon - are beautiful, but likely to be crowded. </p>

<p>Another possibility - rent a house for a week and explore an area. The gold country in California is one possibility and you can side-trip to Yosemite and raft down the Amercan River</p>

<p>Note, Big Sur is south of San Francisco. Although Monterey/Big Sur/San Simeon is a beautiful California Coastal trip, it may be a bit pricey. Sea Kayaking in Monterey is fun (and perhaps less scary than whitewater rafting)</p>

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<p>It’s true about the crowds; but if you’re working around school schedules sometimes you just have to live with it. Our strategy is to stay in a more remote campground; then take a day trip or two into the more popular areas.</p>

<p>Finding a decent rental in the Outer Banks would require a good bit of luck at this point. We like Sanderling, which is just outside of Duck, and pretty quiet.</p>

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<p>Although it’s probably too late for this July, we took our teen boys to Alberta a couple of years ago for the Calgary Stampede. It’s great fun and Calgary is a nice city. Clean, friendly and they love their sports. The boys also got to see Canadian football with the Calgary Stampeders and skate on the olympic speedskating oval at the University of Calgary.</p>

<p>We also spend some time in Banff. Spectacular scenery with LOTS to do. Hiking, whitewater, kayaking, camping. Side trips to Lake Louise, Columbia Icefield. It’s a great place!</p>

<p>Many times we were asked where we were from. We would answer, “Boston”. They would ask, “Where’s that?” :)</p>

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<p>Over30-
Lots of good suggestions here - I’m making notes for my own family! </p>

<p>I just thought of another option, as I’m not sure how much driving you’ll want to do and I don’t see how you’ll tent camp without driving to bring all of the gear along. </p>

<p>An interesting option is houseboat rental on Lake Powell. You’ll have to shop for a deal, but deals are available. I’ve never done this, but know people how have and they had a ball. You cruise around and can go into canyons, etc. The boats are “idiot proof” and you don’t need to worry about depth finding, etc. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.lakepowell.com/[/url]”>http://www.lakepowell.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Obviously, this option isn’t going to suit everyone. Boating vacations are best tested in short intervals if you haven’t done it before. The closeness can cause some families to fued;)</p>

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<p>Also worth visiting in Alberta-- Dinosaur Provincial Park and the Royal Tyrell Museum. Banff has some nice cultural offerings at the Banff Centre in the summer months.</p>

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<p>Jackson Hole and the surrounding area are popular, beautiful, and accessable. It includes Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Rafting is available on the Snake. Horses, climbing schools, etc are all available. It can be expensive, but no worse than most vacation areas. They have everything from Motel 6 to $5000 a night accomodations. The parks tend to book a year in advance, but check daily cancelations (due to the advance bookings). You can often stay somewhere in the park each night. Even campgrounds reserve in advance by the way.</p>

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<p>I second bandit_tx above, as far as much to see and do at Yellostone and Grand Teton.<br>
Momsdream - As far as tent camping without driving, our family of four has brought our family camping equipment on a plane for camping vacations MANY times. With four people, you are allowed 2 large pieces of luggage each, totalling 8 pieces. Using a large suitcase or footlocker, large cooler, plus duffel bags, we have been able to bring family tent, sleeping bags, pads, flashlights, thin 2-burner coleman camp stove (not backpacking stove), coleman lantern, clothes, necessary cooking stuff, folding water jug, and other needed things for a camping, even a tabletop hibachi. When we arrive, we rent a minivan and buy the needed food, propane, charcoal, ice, etc and off we go. When just my husband and I did this, we have bought a disposable styrofoam cooler at the grocery store at our destination instead of bringing the large cooler as one of our pieces of luggage. Over the past 26 years, places 2, 3, or 4 of us have traveled this way from the east coast include a two week grand tour of the Yellowstone, Tetons, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain, and Utah Parks (my H and me), Banff, Glacier, Calgary and other parks in that region (Me, H, S at 2 1/2, and pregnant w/D who is graduating tomorrow), Yosemite, Cal. Coast, and Sequoia (about 7 years ago), Arizona parks (H, D, and me 2 years ago), Rocky Mt., Moab, and Canyonlands raft trip (H and me, last year). It is pretty easy to do this once you have a list of things to pack.
By the way, Momsdream, we stayed at Maho Bay when I was pregnant with my almost 21 year old son. We took our kids to St. John about 5 years ago and rented a beautiful private home (very reasonable in July) and both kids agree it was their best vacation ever!</p>

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<p>MO2-</p>

<p>I’ve often wondered how people travel with their camping equipment. We can barely stuff ours into the van we rent to travel - and we rent a Safari van - which is larger than a minivan. I guess we bring too much. We also bring 2 tents because the teens (son always brings a friend)never want to be in the tent with mom and dad. H and I have a cabin tent - so it’s larger (bulkier) than the dome tents. But, for a claustrophobic like me, it’s a lifesaver. We put the air mattress in the center (another bulky item - but I can’t sleep on the rocky ground we find at most campsites), sit a suitcase on each side by the headrest area (like nightstands), with a lantern on top of each and we have an instant Ritz Carlton room, large enough to walk around in :wink: </p>

<p>Sounds like you’ve mastered the art of tent camp traveling. </p>

<p>Wow, you were at Maho before Maho was cool! I wish they didn’t have as many tent cottages as they have now. I would have liked to have tried it when there were only a few. </p>

<p>Glad you went back and tried the villa rental route. People tend to think it’s too expensive and exclusive. Like you said, it’s very reasonable if you know when to go and even less expensive if you book within 3 months of your trip - taking whatever they have available and asking for the “last minute” discount. Good rental agencies are <a href=“http://www.mclaughlinanderson.com%5B/url%5D”>www.mclaughlinanderson.com</a> (Nancy Anderson is a resident and really knows/loves the islands) and <a href=“http://www.villascaribe.com%5B/url%5D”>www.villascaribe.com</a>. For under $300 a night you can get a prime location, large villa, private pool, state of the art kitchen, maid service, washer/dryer, wrap around balcony, etc, etc, etc… Our last villa was less than 2 yrs old - Calicaribe…which is now up for sale, so we can’t rent it any longer :(</p>

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<p>My husband and I had a wonderful vacation for our 20th anniversary a few years ago. We took a windjammer cruise to the virgin islands. We both thought it would be a nice family vacation if the kids were older then they were at that time. <a href=“http://windjammer.com/destinations.html[/url]”>Web Page Under Construction; These are not traditional cruises. The most dressed up you get is putting on sneakers and something besides a bathing suit. Reasonably priced, very, very relaxing and simply unforgettable. The biggest ship holds maybe a couple of hundred people and they can sail right up to the islands and go to some of the smaller, lesser known islands.</p>

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<p>1.Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado - for inexpensive but a step up from camping, stay at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. To add a little culture, stay at the Chataqua in Boulder on the way or take in some Shakespeare at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. On the other side of the park, stay somewhere in Grand Lake for watery fun.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Olympic National Park, Washington - Take your car on a ferry from Seattle. Enjoy mineral pools (Sol Duc Hot Springs), rainforests, ocean shoreline, mountains. Take in some local music at Port Townsend.</p></li>
<li><p>Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Utah - Hike in geological beauty related to but different from the Grand Canyon. As long as there is no flash flood warning, hike the Narrows in Zion for a unique experience. Take in some Shakespeare in Cedar City at the Utah Shakespeare Festival.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>Thanks everyone! I’m printing this out to discuss with the family. Some great ideas.</p>

<p>My neighbors camp a lot and ship their camping gear to a car rental company (they work this out in advance). Fly in, get the rental van and the equipment and they’re off. They pack it up and ship it home before they turn in the van. They’ve never had a problem.</p>