Five Fun Family Vacation Activities Your Kids Will Love

I went right to the source for this blog post and here are my children’s responses:

1. A return trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando to the Magic Kingdom to ride rides and to see more of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, since we didn’t get to see as much of that as we wanted.  The best time to go is in September and since we home school that isn’t a problem for us.

2. Jekyll Island Georgia and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Go on a turtle walk or behind the scenes tour to really learn more about the Sea Turtle. Go swimming. Check out more stuff on the island such as the Tidelands Nature Center.

3.  A camping trip to Northwest Ohio to the Lake Erie Islands.  We can hit Cedar Point for Amusement Park fun  with the adjacent Soak City for water park fun.

The Lake Erie Islands are our favorite place to visit and can only be reached by boat or plane.  Cars are permitted on all three island; however a golf cart or bicycle offer a slower pace to enjoy the beauty around you.  Rental shops are located within walking distance of the ferry docks.

Take the ferry to Kelly’s Island and check out the glacial grooves. Kelly’s Island offers boating, bicycling, fishing, fossil hunting, scuba diving, snorkeling, (check out the 50 shipwrecks around the island) picnicking, playgrounds, sailing and sea kayaking.  Kelly’s Island State Park has camping for RVs and tents, hiking trails and a beach for swimming.

Middle Bass island with glacial grooves, small houses, rental cabins, camping, beaches, marinas, a historic district, a wildlife refuge and soon – an Ohio state park.  It’s accessible by public ferries, private boats & planes and air service.

Put in Bay is on South Bass Island. There are several independently owned hotels (no chain hotels here) along with bed & breakfast inns, island cottages, private homes and condominiums.  There is a state park with  10 full service camp sites with electric, sewer and water along with 125 non-electric sites.  Put in Bay is home to Perry’s Victory and International Peace Monument.  There is para-sailing, golf, mini-golf, a rock climbing wall, kayaking, jet skiing, fishing, swimming, boating and bicycling.  You can tour a historical society museum, a butterfly house, an aquatic resource center, a historical home tour, and a museum of island life.  There is a tour train with an hour long narrative tour of the island, two caves to explore and a family owned historic winery to tour.  There are lots of entertainers and festivals throughout the summer season.

Back on shore, in the winter (or summer), we can hit all the indoor water parks: Great Wolf Lodge, Castaway Bay, Kalahari and Rain.

4. Kennywood and Idlewild are two great family fun amusement parks we LOVE to visit over in our neighboring state of Pennsylvania.  Kennywood is a little closer for us and a standard old fashion amusement park but offers great deals and lots of thrills for my not so brave girls that still want amusement park fun.  Idlewild is a slower paced park and little further away for us but includes the water park.  It’s great for real little ones because it incorporates Story Book Forest and Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.  But for the older ones there is the water park and a few rides that still provide thrills big enough for my girls.

5. Lastly – Mom’s Idea –  a trip to Kentucky…not only do we have friends there, I’ve seen a few places I think the kids (and grown-ups) might enjoy:

• Creation Museum with 70,000 square feet that bring the pages of the Bible alive with lots of exhibits, theater presentations and live plants.  I really think this would be so awesome to check out.
• The Newport Aquarium with a million gallons of water displaying animals from around the world.  You can touch a shark and meet a penguin too.
• Drive further south to Mammoth Cave National Park.  In this area there is lots to do with 8 different cave tours, an alpine slide, horse back riding, golf, canoeing, the national corvette museum and much more.
• For the horse lovers, from Downtown Lexington you can take a 3 hour narrated Thoroughbred Heritage Horse Farms tour.
• And finally, if you really want to check out Kentucky’s back roads try finding Loretta Lynn’s birthplace.  Here is a website that gives directions.  Here are two reviews from Trip Advisor and although they are a few years old, the place sounds very interesting and not overrun with tourist traps.

I can think of many other places to go that we could all enjoy but we’ll just have to save those for another post down the road.

All-inclusive Resorts

You may have heard your travel agent talk about all-inclusive resorts but what does that really mean?  Well, when working with a reputable travel agent with a well-known industry leader, such as Beaches or Sandals resorts your all-inclusive, well, includes almost everything.

Since Beaches resorts are my recommendation for Family all-inclusive. (Sandals is adults only.)  I am going to go over what IS included with at their resorts.

All meals, drinks & snacks

With up to 16 specialty resorts per resort, Beaches offers kid-oriented restaurants and couples only restaurants.  Most restaurants offer specialty meals just for kids. And many have dining areas featuring child-size table and chairs.  With 24-hour food service, you’ll never go hungry.   Leave your wallet at home, but bring your appetite, because everything is included.

Luxurious Accommodations

Several different room and suite categories at each resort accommodates families of all sizes. You’ll enjoy luxurious appointments that include custom-crafted furnishings and lavish baths, with a level of service that sets the standard for all other family resorts.

Scuba Diving & Watersports

Scuba Diving for those who are certified and if you want to take their course and become certified there is a nominal fee but than once you are certified you can scuba for free.

Snorkeling, Kayaks, Sunfish Sailboats, Hobie Cats Sailboats, Aquatrikes, Windsurfing, Waterskiing* and Glass Bottom Boats*

(*not available at all resorts)

Waterparks

Water slides, kids only pools, swim up soda bars and more.  Enjoy Pirates Island waterpark at Beaches Negril and at Beaches Turks & Caicos.

Championship Golf

Prestigious championship courses in Jamaica with unlimited play without greens fees. (Caddies are not included, but mandatory for all golfers. Carts, shoes and clubs are not included but are available for rent.)

Kids Supervised Activities

Certified nannies for your infants and toddlers.  Supervised activities for children ages 6-12 and a special places for your teens to hang out.

Airport Transfer, Tips, Taxes

At Beaches they include everything you need for a perfect, worry-free vacation-from airport transfers, in air-conditioned buses, to all tips, gratuities and hotel taxes. That way the only thing you have to think about is having fun. Please note that airport transfers in Jamaica are from Montego Bay International Airport only.

Butler service

Select suites include the intuitive services of a personal butler. Trained by the Guild of Professional English Butlers, your butler will take care of every detail.

Premium-Brand drinks

Unlimited premium-brand drinks at any open bar and if you are in a Concierge suite your in-room  bar is full stocked and replenished daily.

Entertainment is also provided everyday from 11 am to 11 pm.

Weddings also included.

Beaches offers a spectacular collection of weddings and vow renewals – including free weddings. And they take care of every detail, so instead of thinking of your wedding day, you can focus on each other. Best of all, your honeymoon begins the moment you say, “I do.”

So next time you vacation – think all-inclusive.  So you can truly ENJOY your vacation.