SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA. We loved staying in Santa Cruz on an urban farm (here’s the one we stayed in on airbnb). The kiddos had a ball running all around the farm, picking fruit from the trees, throwing the ball for the dog, and watching the chickens peck around. Our must-dos when in Santa Cruz: rent bikes and ride them along the coast, shop at Stripe downtown for lovely ceramics, linens, prints, and clothing, visit Natural Bridges for a wide sweeping beach and tide pools to explore. –Nicole
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO. Our favorite recent vacation was to Mexico City over New Years with our kids. According to our friend who lives there, that the week between Christmas and New Years is holiday in Mexico, before 3 Kings Day. We stayed at Plaza de San Angeles, which is the Times Square for New Years – complete with the most impressive fireworks, very centrally located, and very affordable. The weather was warm (high 70’s) – we got to go swimming, and everything was open! Best of all, it felt very much like Christmas still, rather than that sad post-Christmas week. We went to museums (Frida Kahlo, Archaeology), historic sites (Aztec ruins, cathedral), parks (Espagna and Mexico in Polanco), dined at incredible Mexican and fusion resto (including Cafe Lalo, Bistro Maximo, Azul Historico), and shopped at the Mercado Sabado (going back for the incredible brunch there one day). Best of all, we Uber’d everywhere, which made things very easy and kid-friendly. –Etienne
I grew up on Fire Island and now reside in the 🌵 desert. I take my desert child to the beach every single year though for a healthy dose of Fire Island AND my beloved New Yorkers. Thanks for sharing-it’s a magical place.
I am Canadian. Our weak Canadian dollar poses a steal of deal of you Americans!!!! Check out Jasper, or Banff National Park -spectacular mountain scenes. Or check out Quebec City, it is like being in Europe Or Check out Vancouver or Tofino, in beautiful British Columbia.
Ooooh yes we love BC!
Oh, how I adore this post. We are based in Nashville so we like to get into the mountains in middle and east TN with our 3 girls – and also Europe – Paris, Poland, Germany! Also, I work with The Family Backpack which gives daily family travel inspiration and planning tips which constantly inspires me to try new places with my crew. Check out our recent article about Unique Kid-Friendly Accommodations in the U.S.: https://thefamilybackpack.com/unique-kid-friendly-accommodations-in-the-u-s/
Thanks for the good intel!
Sun Valley and Yellowstone are on our bucket list for the summer!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
We just got back from Great Exuma two weeks ago. We stayed in a rental house south of George Town and spent lots of time at the gorgeous beaches on the island. The boat tour to see the swimming pigs is a must!
Also, I’m saving this post because it has so many great ideas. Thank you!
So many inspiring destinations! Adding a few to our wishlist! I appreciate you sharing links to the travel guides and places to stay for some of these.
Just FYI, it’s Orcas Island, not Orca!
Thanks you! Just changed
Thanks for these great ideas! Not sure why there are some initial negative comments, because these all look very cool, are located where a majority of your readers are (can’t please everyone, even though you can try!), and work for a variety of ages (maybe some families with teen kids would really enjoy that Joshua Tree spot)! I’m definitely bookmarking this! We’re in Seattle, so we’ve been to Orcas and Vashon. We actually lived on Vashon in an airbnb for two months when we first moved to Seattle — there are some delicious restaurants on the Island!!
I wonder if anyone has any experience with kids in the Dark Sky Reserve in Idaho — maybe it’s in Sun Valley? We’re really excited to go someday!
Thank you so much, Jessica! We tried to create a good mix of spots with something for everyone :). Guess you can’t please everyone though!
Idaho is one of our family’s newest obsessions! Stanley and the surrounding Sawtooths are just magic. We are exploring the McCall region this summer. Idaho truly is a nature lovers Mecca!
geez. way to show off all of the fabulous places your family has been to 🙁
CJ, I’m not sure what you mean- I haven’t been to most of these amazing places? These are collected from friends
I wish I could travel to some of the places you mentioned in the post! I live in Hong Kong, so flights to the US are expensive! 🙁
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Would love to hear where you like to vacation in and around Hong Kong!
The Joshua Tree house on AirBnB specifically notes:
Not safe or suitable for children (0-12 years)
Oh, bummer! I’ll have to ask my friend how they worked around that when they stayed
Okay, update! They were okay with young children if they were well supervised, I would contact the host about it!