Top Vacation Spots

Orlando is the world's primo vacation spot for families-- an impressive feat, for a town in Florida that doesn't even have a beach. Orlando is the mecca of theme park fun, with giant Disney World, plus Universal Orlando and other attractions. See top things to do, Orlando at Christmas, Spring Break, top Orlando resorts for families.

^{Photo © Teresa Plowright}

New York City is a great vacation spot to visit with kids, especially teens. NYC tourism has completely recovered from post-911, and you may find that hotels are packed. Click for over a dozen fun places to go: Top of the Rock, Harbor Tour on a crazy fast boat, Natural History Museum (real dinosaur skeletons, full size!), Blue Man Group perfomance, movie tours, and much, much, more.

Three hours from NYC, 90 mins from Phillie, "Chocolate Town USA" is a popular vacation spot due mainly to Hersheypark (voted top amusement park by FamilyFun Magazine). Also in Hershel: Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park; the Hotel Hershey, a grand old hotel with kid's club; Hershey Lodge; Hershey's Chocolate World Visitors Center; and more.

Photo courtesy of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company.

First, there's the iconic scenery: such as awesome Monument Valley, where you can also learn about the Navajo way of life. Million-acre Lake Powell is stunning too, in a flooded canyon: go houseboating! Then try an easy raft ride down the Colorado River in a red-rock canyon; or a whitewater raft adventure in the Grand Canyon, which you can also explore by helicopter flightseeing. Take the Grand Canyon Railway from Williams Arizona, where Route 66 still lives (and so does the Wild West.) Not to mention dude ranches and family resorts...

Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia takes your family back in time: not only to stroll past historic buildings, but to see real-live people of the period too, with a cast of hundreds who bring the Revolutionary years of the US to life.

But that's not all: when you've had enough history, try some nearby attractions, such as Water Country USA, or Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg.

Photo courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg site.

South Carolina is the #2 state for tourism after Florida, with Myrtle Beach the biggest vacation spot with over 13M visitors a year. Myrtle Beach sits in a 60-mile stretch of beaches called the Grand Strand, and is a budget-friendly, family-friendly place; many hotels have kids activities. The area has water parks, amusement park, dinner shows (such as Medieval Times), and other family entertainment; the Hard Rock Park opened in 2008.

Cancun gets some 20% of Mexico's tourism, thanks to its 25-kilometre Hotel Zone of double waterfront (ocean and lagoon), and is wildly popular with night-club-goers, shoppers, and diners-out. Cancun also has many all-inclusives that welcome families, and is a convenient launch-pad for day-trips in the Mayan Riviera (see below.)

^{Photo © Teresa Plowright}

A top vacation spot for families, the Riviera Maya (in the Yucatan Peninsula, south of Cancun) has all-inclusives resorts plus so much to explore: Mayan ruins; barrier coral reef; "eco-archeological" theme park Xcaret; cenotes, caves, lagoons....

^{Photo © Teresa Plowright}

This mega-resort is a high-volume destination for families, with two areas of thrill waterslides, AQUAVENTURE waterpark with river float; large kids pool area, and also a kiddie water play zone; kids camp, designed with Discovery Channel, kids clubhouse for ages 3 to 5; Gentle Travel welcome for families with babies, and more. (In the Caribbean, but not an all-inclusive!)

^{Photo © Teresa Plowright}