DH and I are thinking about trying to get away this summer for a week or so with DS. We're open to pretty much anything - but DS will only be 10 or so months, so there's a bit of a limit to what he can do and how much he'll enjoy. (Like...Disney is out for at least a couple more years.) Any ideas? DH is huge into driving so there's a pretty limitless radius on how far we can go, even without flying.
I really just want to get something on the books. We're total homebodies and, especially with the pool in the summer, we're prone to spending our vacations in the backyard unless we have something planned.
Re: Vacation Ideas?
My house!
Okay, yeah, I'm no help
I would totally do a beach vacation - but go somewhere that's not just beachy.
So - go to Viriginia Beach, but plan a day in Norfolk; go to Hatteras/OBX, but also stop in Wilmington, you can go to Kitty Hawk for a day and go to the aquarium there, go to Myrtle Beach/Isle of Palms or Pawleys in SC, but throw in a day or two in Charleston.
Oh - these are good ideas! Norfolk might bring back VA bar exam flashbacks...but otherwise good stuff.
lovelylittleworld
BFP#2 1/12/12 ~ Missed M/C 8w2d
Lol - that's a mini road trip in itself - but one we're always happy to make!!! (Speaking of which - you and your daughter better get your butts down to the Rags Swim Club this summer!)
lovelylittleworld
BFP#2 1/12/12 ~ Missed M/C 8w2d
I would avoid VA Beach.. we went not too long ago for a race I was doing and it was so trashy, I was really surprised. Everyone kept asking me "why would you go to VA Beach??" and I figured it can't be that bad but it is. We were talking to a bartender who said it's really gone down hill the past few years and they have a ton of crime. I wouldn't go back and this is coming from someone who loves OC so it's not like I'm an upscale traveler!
What about Outer Banks, North Myrtle Beach or Surfside, Poconos, Charleston.. I really want to go to Kennebunkport, Maine, it always gets recommended as one of the best places to go on the East Coast in Travel magazines, it looks really nice.
Wilmington, NC is really nice. Cape Cod is gorgeous also.
That's all I can think of.. How fun! That's awesome that your H is big on driving, he needs to rub that off on to my H! He moans about weekend trips to OC and it's 2.5 hours away..
I'm coming to you next time I need to plan a vaction. These all sounds like really fun ideas.
My Goodness...another food blog. Featuring: Macarons from a old post with a photo taken by my mom for a break from my crappy food photos!
I'm of the belief that you can never go wrong w/a beach vacation during the summer - we always spend 2 weeks there in August, split between Rehoboth and Cape May, and we took DS last year at 5 wks old (he perfected the art of being a beach bum).
We also looooove North Myrtle Beach - DH's aunt/uncle have a condo right off the beach (in that area, they have the oceanfront row of houses, then the road, then the next row of houses - they're in there and their condo is on the 3rd floor, so it does have ocean views from the balcony). They may actually still have a week or two that's not been booked if you'd like me to check for you (they rent out through an agency, but are always happy to arrange weeks for friends of ours). MB in general offers plenty of things to do, w/just a short drive down from North Myrtle, which is more residential. We prefer that to the more commercialized hotel end of the city.
Outer Banks is also wonderful. Lots of neat things to go see/do (the lighthouses are beautiful!), and plenty you could find to do w/an infant w/o much problem.
I'd also like to head north one summer - either Maine or Massachusetts - after hearing tons of recommendations for those two areas.
Finally, we're in Montreal right now visiting my SIL, and she says the summers up here are lots of fun - they have street fairs, lots of things to go visit (such as the BioDome, which is where we took DS yesterday and he LOVED seeing all of the animals/exhibits), and lots of great restaurants to visit. It's also not extremely hot, which is nice if you're into cooler summers! We did the drive w/DS at night (left at 8:30, his normal bedtime, and arrived at 6:30, but that was w/several stops) and it wasn't bad at all.
GL deciding!
... every single day of forever.
We took Evie to Williamsburg in November and had a GREAT time. We got a 2 bedroom suite at the Marriott Residence Inn. It had a full kitchen and a living room with a fireplace. Grandma came down one night so DH and I could have a date-night.
Also, I have heard Savanah is lovely, but I have never been. I'd go just for the chance to eat at The Lady and Son's, Paula Deen's restaurant.
http://www.ladyandsons.com/
I was just coming back to add Hilton Head Island to the list - it's a beautiful island, has great bike/walking paths which are fun w/LOs, and lovely beaches (and of course, fantastic golfing!). The added bonus is that you can easily get to Savannah and spend a day wandering around there - we've done just that and it's a fun city to explore.
My GPs have gone to The Lady & Sons and said it was was worth the wait to do it once just for the experience!
... every single day of forever.
Charleston and Savannah are two of my favorite cities. They are very similar - lots of old Southern Charm and easily walkable. Savannah has gorgeous B&Bs and I love their "RiverWalk". It's only twenty minutes from Savannah to Tybee Island for a laidback beach experience with lots of outdoor/nature activities, lighthouses, etc. I don't know when they are "In season" but you can see sea turtles there! Charleston is close to Isle of Palm, another lowkey beach. The homes on The Battery are stunning.
The Outer Banks is a great option too. It's not as touristy as other beaches but there's still plenty to do. I believe they now have an aquarium which your son might enjoy. My favorite thing to do there is see the wild ponies in Corolla.
I hear Maine and also Niagra Falls can be beautiful in the summer but I've never been.
And ditto NDM, can your H rub off on my H? I love road trips but he can't even make it to OC without complaining! He drove to SC once with me when we helped my parents move and he was miserable.
Have fun deciding!!!
We always went to North Myrtle or Sandbridge when I was growing up, after my father started refusing to go to Ocean City anymore. Sandbridge is technically part of the OBX I think but its in Virginia. It was nice for little kids bc we just played on the beach all day but it might be boring for you.
Always loved North Myrtle though between the great restaurants, the nice hotels/condos and houses on the beach (if you go up to Cherry Grove which is north of N. Myrtle) but I really loved Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina. Quieter than Norht Myrtle but not as boring as Cherry Grove.
If you are really into driving you could try a trip to a place such as Savannah with a few days on Tybee Island, or go even farther into Florida -we've done beach vacations on the panhandle of Florida a few times and its a long drive (20ish hours) so your DS might not do well with that, but the beaches are beautiful and we stayed at larger resorts that had houses within the resort so it was nicer than a condo etc but you still had teh amenities of a resort.
What about the NJ beaches - Cape May, LBI, etc. DH grew up going to those and LOVES them. His family goes to LBI every year with little kids and they all have a great time.
Do you WANT a beach? If a beach isn't necessary, i'd consider maybe the Finger Lakes in NY or even the lakes in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine (NW Maine, not coastal maine.) The North carolina mountains would be a bit warmer and are still beautiful as well.
New Hampshire/Vermont in the summer is gorgeous.
You could do some kind of slow drive to Montreal and back and do lots of day hikes in New England.
It would a lot of car time w/ DS, but if you let him run around a few times a day and stay flexible, I'll bet it would work.
Also - Tybee/Savannah would be nice too.
lovelylittleworld
BFP#2 1/12/12 ~ Missed M/C 8w2d
If you went to Niagra Falls I would not stay on the NY side. We took a day trip there last 4th of July weekend while in upstate NY for a family reunion. The NY side is just dirty. The Canadian side was very nice but then you'll need to get passports. I'm not sure how much there would be for DS to do there as well. I don't think you could stay more than a few days there without getting bored to be honest.