Ready to round up the kids and get out of Chicago for a vacation? The air is getting warmer and traveling with your kids during summer is one of the best ways to make some great lasting memories. So fill up the car, pull up that airfare site, it’s time to brush off those summer travel shoes!
Here are 3 ideas for great destinations to head to with the kids this summer:
1. New York City, New York
The Big Apple is always a classic for summer vacation destinations, and if you or your little one has never been, there’s no time like the present to go check out America’s most famous city. Towering skyscrapers, famous (and infamous) landmarks, a unique and unforgettable culture – you and the family will have so much fun exploring the distinctive and various neighborhoods and boroughs of New York City. Cruise the shops or play games in the coffee shops of the East Village and Brooklyn, marvel at the opulent spending options down Fifth Avenue, and explore the many museums like the Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaurs. You can catch a show on Broadway, wander around the busy and bustling Times Square, take them up to see the city view from the Top of the Rock, go get silly and play some Frisbee in Central Park and ride the merry go round or visit the zoo, go for a free ride on the Staten Island ferry and see the views of the city and Statue of Liberty, pop into the Staten Island Children’s Museum for lots of hands-on exhibits, and enjoy just wandering around and exploring the delightful streets of New York City with your family.
2. Houseboating at Lake Powell
For a really fun but relaxing vacation with family, friends, and the kids, houseboating is a great option. You can rent a houseboat without any kind of water vessel license and take it to cruise around the incredible sandstone canyons and coastlines of Lake Powell. Once you have your houseboat, you have free rein of the whole lake, and you can stop wherever you want to play, camp, have a campfire on the land, or you can just stay out on the water and go fishing, frolic on the boat, slide down your boat’s waterslide, waterski or tube. This area is one of the most beautiful of the country. Also worth checking out in the broader area, if you can make a larger road trip of being in the Southwest, is the incredible corkscrew Antelope Canyon, the massive and picturesque Horseshoe Bend, Monument Valley, Four Corners where your kids can have fun standing in 4 states at once (Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico), and, of course, a little farther south, the rightly famous Grand Canyon. Every kid should go see that great hole in the ground at least once!
3. Whistler, Canada
This beautiful hotspot for winter sports also makes for a fun, friendly, adventurous and naturally beautiful summer destination. The kids will love splashing in and around the sparkling lakes while you’ll love watching them enjoy nature with an unreal backdrop of snowy, craggy peaks and brilliant blue skies. The Whistler Blackcomb Mountain, located about 80 miles north of Vancouver, sprawls across more than 8,100 acres of land and you can go hiking, biking, or even bungee jumping. Take the kids on the adventurous and impressive PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, which connects the Whistler and Blackcomb mountains in one of the most beautiful rides you could ever ask for. The area also boasts a collection of good art galleries and museums with fun and informative exhibits, summer concerts, and tons of shopping and dining options.
Happy Travels!
