Fun Places To Go
By Teresa Plowright, About.com Guide to Family Vacations
We just keep on inventing more fun places: more theme parks, with crazier coasters; more slides and funnels at water parks; and more Polar Expresses. Families also still love to go sightseeing in famous cities, and to visit nature's grand attractions.
Theme Parks
Multi-million dollars designed for fun: no wonder families like theme parks. Some -- such as LEGOLAND-- are specifically created for little kids; other theme parks compete to have the wildest rides.
- Theme Parks for Little Kids
- LEGOLAND
- Southern California Theme Parks
- More Theme Parks, Water Parks Too
Resorts With Water Parks
Winter and summer, resorts with private indoor water parks are creating a whole new type of hop-in-your-car weekend getaway. Many of these resorts add outdoor water parks in summer, too.
- Great Wolf Lodge Indoor Water Park Resorts
- Wisconsin Dells, the "Indoor Water Park Capital of the World"
- Sandusky, Ohio, Resorts with Indoor Water Parks
- More Resorts With Water Parks
Great Cities to Visit
Pretty much any city is fun to visit with kids: it's fun to explore parks and historic districts and to go sightseeing. Many cities have children's museums, and even high-falutin' art museums are kid-friendly these days. Below are a few stand-out cities to visit with kids.
Legendary Beaches
No need for a fancy resort: kids are thrilled just to play at the beach, in the sand and the waves.
- Dr. Beach's "Top Beaches in America"
- Myrtle Beach, SC
- California Beach Vacations
- Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
Great Outdoors
Family holidays in the Great Outdoors are not only fun, they're a welcome balance to all those hours kids spend sitting in front of screens.
- Yellowstone National Park
- The Grand Canyon
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Monument Valley Tribal Park
- Lake Powell, Arizona: Houseboating
Holiday Train Rides
Grand Canyon Railway in Arizona, Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in North Carolina: dozens of tourist trains transform themselves for holiday rides.
Mixed Bag!
A few fun places that draw families and defy categorization...
