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.

1. Theme Parks
2. Resorts With Water Parks
3. Great Cities to Visit
4. Legendary Beaches
5. Great Outdoors

6. Corn Mazes, Pumpkin Patches
7. Holiday Train Rides: Easter, Halloween...
8. Holiday Season
9. Fun Things To Try On Vacation
10. Mixed Bag!

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.

• Disney World
• Universal Orlando
• Harry Potter Theme Park
• More Orlando Theme Parks

• 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
• NY: Six Flags Great Escape Lodge and Indoor Waterpark
• 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.

• New York, New York
• Washington D.C.
• London, England
• Venice, Italy
• Paris, France

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

• White Mountains, NH
• The Rockies
• Ski Resorts in Summer-Time
• White Water River Rafting

Corn Mazes, Pumpkin Patches

Starting in late summer, corn mazes start bustin' out all over and make fun outings for families. Most corn mazes have extra fun such as hay-rides, teen nights, pumpkin patches.

• Visit A Corn Maze - Tips
• Find a Corn Maze
• Corn Maze Photos
• Visit a Pumpkin Patch

Holiday Train Rides: Easter, Halloween...

Grand Canyon Railway in Arizona, Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in North Carolina: dozens of tourist trains transform themselves for holiday rides.

• Christmas Train Rides
• "The Polar Express"
• Easter Bunny Express
• Halloween Trains and Pumpkin Patch Express Train Rides
• More Holiday Train Rides

Holiday Season

In the US, Thanksgiving starts the Holiday Season, but in any country that celebrations Christmas, by the end of November lights and decorations are up and you're sure to find festivities. A family New Year's Eve wraps up the year.

• Thanksgiving Weekend
• Great Places to See Santa
• Orlando Christmas
• Christmas Train Rides and Polar Express
• Lots More Holiday Season Events and Getaways

Fun Things To Try On Vacation

Make a vacation memorable by trying something new and fun to do.

• Stand Up Paddle Boarding
• Whitewater Rafting
• Dog Sledding
• Indoor Flying (Vertical Wind Tunnels)
• Snorkeling, Snuba, and More Fun Things To Do

Mixed Bag!

A few fun places that draw families and defy categorization...

• Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia
• Branson, Missouri
• Las Vegas, Nevada
• Where to Have Nickelodeon - Themed Fun (Hotels, Cruises, Theme Parks...)