<p>Yellowstone at the very, very beginning of the summer - check online to find the week the lodges open - far fewer people and so beautiful. You really need a car to see the park and surrounding area. Every turn of the road reveals a new beautiful view.</p>
<p>About Outer Banks driving - you would want to make the drive down that way from Norfolk on a day other than on a weekend day avoiding the beginning and end of the beach weeks. My daughter has been with me to Ocracoke several times and loves it but she loves all the little shops and art galleries and the walking in the village and doesn’t mind not staying right on the beach. There’s a lot of interesting history there too. If a kid is expecting a boardwalk atmosphere, that is not the place. There is no development at all allowed on the beach - it is pristine. You have to stay in the little village - built around a little harbor area - and drive to the beach parking and walk over the dunes. The campground is the great location - right over the dunes on the beach. I used to camp there all the time when I was a “lot” younger.</p>
<p>Niagra Falls. Cape Cod. New York City. Nashville. Chicago. Austin. New Orleans. </p>
<p>A trip up the Mississipi from New Orleans to at least as far as Mark Twain country. You start off in New Orleans, you go through plantation country, the Arch in St. Louis and if you keep going I think you get to all those lakes and kayaking/canoeing country in Minnesota (I haven’t done that part of the trip.)</p>
<p>I had a grant to photograph firestations all over the country and I can say, I enjoyed every place we went. I’ve only missed a few of the continental states.</p>
<p>Great Art Museums: Cleveland, Chicago, NYC, Boston, Kansas City.</p>
<p>The Finger Lakes region of NY is absolutely stunning. We drove thru on a college trip last summer, and were just about ready to stop and plant ourselves there.</p>
<p>I’d drive to the NorthEast and check out some of the Revolutionary War history. From Philadelphia to Boston to Upstate NY, there’s tons to do with the founding of the Nation. Since you like sailing, I’d make Mystic Connecticut a priority. A GPS with a AAA tourbook feature or other ‘destinations/attractions’ info makes it easy to find stuff ‘off the beaten path’ like historic houses, battlefields, and such.</p>
<p>To do in the Keys: Sunset! (Esp. since the kids are older…g).</p>
<p>Our last big trip before having kids (almost 20 years ago) took us through beautiful scenery in Montana: Glacier Park (where I saw a wolverine!), Choteau (The Nature Conservancy’s Pine Butte Swamp preserve, right near the Bob Marshall Wilderness), and Yellowstone. We went in the early spring. Very few people. Nice.</p>
<p>Bengalmom-- we’ve been hedging about visiting Geneseo and Hobart due to distance. You’re helping to convince me!</p>
<p>mom60, I would say May or even late April would be a really nice time for the VA/NC trip if you are eager to go soon. Summer obviously has its advantages too; I know some of the places get really crowded in summer but they are also at their peak of activity in a good way–the longest open hours for some of the attractions as well as days long enough to see a lot more of the outdoors. One option that might also appeal is a September trip–not as crowded, still warm.</p>
<p>BengalMom - you are giving away our secret!!! lspf72 - PM me if you are coming and I’ll give you some ideas as to great places to stop at…</p>
<p>As for us, we took a driving tour of Texas one year that was just about the best family vacation we ever had (wouldn’t recommend it during a heat wave, but hey how can you control that?). Flew into Dallas, visted museums and the Mesquite Rodeo, stopped in Waco and Austin on the way to San Antonio where we stayed for a few days, then went out to the Hill Country (Bandera) where we stayed in a cabin for a couple of nights. Finally, we took a day trip down to Corpus Christi, was considering Houston as well but we were just too pooped by then. Years later the kids still talk about that trip!</p>
<p>Mom60, this sounds like a terrific family memory in the making!
What month are you planning to travel? Our family has visited 47 states and loved every trip. Our favorites places are Zion, Kings Canyon, and Glacier National Parks - but it sounds like you have visited these!
I would avoid New England and the mid Atlantic in July and August. As hard as it is to believe today (January), they are steamy at that time.
But have you considered Washington, DC? Tons of museums and historic sites!
Another favorite was Alaska. Don’t think cruise ship - the real Alaska. You will come away with a new appreciation of why it truly is the last frontier.</p>
<p>Rachacha – sorry! 
It was just so beautiful up there. But it was June and I can imagine winters can be pretty brutal at times.
Trumansburg was the cutest town I had ever seen. It looked like it was straight out of a Norman Rockwell.</p>
<p>I am just getting ideas. I can think of a few options. Kid3 the only one left at home will be away for 2 weeks late May-early June. H and I could go away. If we went somewhere in the southeast D1 could possibly be with us part of the time. She will have school so probably just for the weekend.
We might have 1 week mid August that everyone is free. Or March-early april we could have 2 kids free. Kid 1 in the spring has some flexibility. Kid 2 no flexibility at all.
We did part of Alaska with a friend who has a boat. We spent a week out on the water. We had an opportunity to go again this past summer but the two kids who were home did not want to go back to Alaska. Another summer we did some of the islands off of British Columbia by boat. The kids loved the Destilation sound area. The water flat as a lake and warm enough to swim.</p>
<p>Canadian Rockies - Banff, Jasper etc…</p>
<p>You need to narrow down the type of vacation you want. Sounds like you have had a lot of experiences in National Parks and wilderness areas. Why not decide on a city vacation? Boston, NYC and Wash DC are great to visit. There is more than enough to do in any of these cities to keep you occupied for many days without the need to drive elsewhere. If you have not done any of these, I would put Wash DC at the top of the list. Costs are also minimal. Our last visit was several years ago. We stayed way out in the suburbs at modest cost and had a cheap, 45 minute Metro commute into the Mall area.</p>
<p>Have you been to Lassen National Park yet? It’s pretty great.</p>
<p>If you decided on NYC, you need another vacation before or after for R&R. We visit NYC every year for about a week, but we take our vacations somewhere else.</p>
<p>edad- I want to see different parts of the country areas that are not like where I live or areas we have already gone. I am thinking a rent a car type of vacation.
We have done a few city vacations. Boston, NYC and 4 of 5 have done DC just not together. I am not thinking a city vacation.</p>