Fun Things to Try on Family Vacations

A fun novelty water sport to try on your next beach vacation: stand upright on a sort of surfboard, and use a long paddle to ply the waters. Even young kids can try.

Dog sledding is an exhilarating and fun activity; even little kids can enjoy the ride and the interaction with the dogs; meanwhile, teens can drive the sled.

Rafting is a dynamic way to enjoy the Great Outdoors: get a great view of the scenery from the river, plus the action of floating down, maybe with the thrills of whitewater; though if you pick the right river and time of year, your trip can be calm enough for even little kids to ride and enjoy.

This novel sport is reportedly much easier than learning to ski!

Okay, now you really can fly... and zoom up 30 feet high, and roll and flip in the air; and so can your kids over three years old, thanks to giant electric fans in a wind tunnel. Check out iFLY, near Universal Studios Hollywood in southern California; or Paraclete XP SkyVenture, in North Carolina.

Snorkeling can be a great experience for kids on a tropical holiday. At many resorts, kids can try snorkeling right off-shore, and often complimentary snorkeling gear is available to guests. Lots of resorts also have boat excursions to good snorkeling spots. Help your child enjoy snorkeling on the trip by teaching some basics before you go, at home.

Snuba can be a good way for kids too young for scuba to explore beneath the surface of the sea: with snuba, kids (and grown-ups too) don weights and masks and breathe through air hoses connected to a tank that floats above the group.

t's so simple: just pull on an astronaut-type helmet, step down a ladder, and go down, down, to the briny deep for a guided walk undersea-- without even getting your hair wet.

Zipline adventures -- aka "canopy tours"-- are a new-ish type of family fun: basically, a person straps into a harness and zips along a cable for several hundred feet. Kids as young as seven can fly through the air with the greatest of ease.

Snowkiting is an exciting new sport: use the windpower of giant kites to glide over snow or ice, on skis or a snowboard. Even kids as young as seven can try.