Family Vacations & Vacation Ideas
Your family vacation
When the carpools, gymnastics meets and chapter tests subside, a family pauses for a much needed breather. Thankfully, the best family vacations aren't one-size-fits-all, from all-inclusive family vacations to city adventures. Whether a summer vacation or long weekend is on your radar, we've got family vacation ideas for the stroller set, tweenage years and beyond.
Anaheim
Anaheim Family Resorts
Residence Inn by Marriott Anaheim Maingate
Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort
Anaheim Islander Inn and Suites
Cancun
Cancun Family Resorts
Paradisus Cancun Resort & Spa - All Inclusive
Live Aqua Cancun - All Inclusive Adults Only
Dreams Cancun Resort and Spa All Inclusive
The Royal Islander
Sandos Cancun Luxury Resort - All Inclusive
Grand Oasis Palm The All Inclusive Family Resort Mexican Style
Marriott CasaMagna Resort Cancun
GR Caribe by Solaris Deluxe All Inclusive
Riu Cancun All Inclusive
RIU Palace Peninsula All Inclusive
Chicago
Chicago Family Resorts
Raffaello Hotel
Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago
Monaco Chicago, a Kimpton Hotel
Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park
Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel
Burnham, a Kimpton Hotel
The Peninsula Chicago
W Chicago - City Center
InterContinental CHICAGO MAGNIFICENT MILE
Marriott Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile
Oahu
Oahu Family Resorts
The Breakers Hotel
Orlando
Orlando Family Resorts
Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa
Rosen Shingle Creek
Lake Eve Resort
Universal's Loews Royal Pacific Resort
Rosen Plaza
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress
Hyatt Place Orlando Convention Center
Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort
Four Points by Sheraton Orlando Studio City
Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort
San Diego
San Diego Family Resorts
The Keating
Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego
The Westin Gaslamp Quarter San Diego
The US Grant
Omni San Diego Hotel
Hyatt Regency Mission Bay
Sheraton Mission Valley San Diego Hotel
San Diego Marriott Mission Valley
Andaz San Diego a Hyatt Hotel
Residence Inn by Marriott San Diego Sorrento Mesa/Sorrento Valley
Featured Destinations
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Orlando
Thank Uncle Walt for spawning arguably the best family vacation spot on the planet with Walt Disney World, Epcot, Magic Kingdom and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter within shuttle distance. No city does it better for rides, princesses, water slides and fireworks by the horizonful. And if there's any doubt that you have to be 5 to enjoy the magic, just look to the grandmas sporting mouse ears.
Walt Disney World Resort
Universal Orlando Resort
SeaWorld Orlando -
Chicago
Nothing against New York, but Chicago stands just as tall for its family vacation appeal. Take the tykes to architectural gems Cloud Gate ("The Bean") and Crown Fountain, whose rotating digital faces spout water onto kids squealing with delight. Finish the day with a honking slice of deep-dish pizza or prowl neighborhoods from South to North for global bites – even for the most finicky of eaters.
Hop On-Hop Off Trolley and Upper Decker Tour
Blue Man Group Chicago
Go Chicago Card -
Anaheim
The Happiest Place on Earth is about to get happier. With the addition of Cars Land to Disneyland's California Adventure, Anaheim fuels its lure as a family vacation destination. If the kids have outgrown the teacups, hit Knott's Berry Farm for rides so-chilling-you-might-want-to-keep-an-extra-pair-of-underwear-on-hand.
Disneyland Resort
Universal Hollywood
Knott's Berry Farm with Transfer -
Boston
The best family vacations need not be bound by a strict itinerary, especially in a city as cuddly and historic as Boston. Introduce your tiny patriots to the Freedom Trail, a 16-mile red-brick path along historic sites, take a duck tour on the Charles River, and to channel your inner Kennedy, head to the Cape for a clambake.
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Washington, D.C.
Now here's a city with a million family vacation ideas. Pint-sized power brokers will go snapshot happy with all the monuments, dinosaur replicas and art museums in their midst. And who knows, there's always the possibility of stumbling upon the presidential cavalcade, or even the chief himself.
Washington, D.C. Power Pass
Mt. Vernon and Arlington Cemetery Tour
Open Top Sightseeing Bus Tour -
Puerto Rico
You might ask: Why leave the continental U.S. when plenty of good beaches exist stateside? For one, if you're a U.S. citizen, you don't need a passport to Puerto Rico. Mini-adventurers will also appreciate all the opportunities to commune with Mother Nature, from whale watching to underground river tours.
El Yunque Rain Forest & Luquillo Beach
Colonial Ponce
Aventura Canopy Tour -
Cancun
Contrary to singles' belief, Cancun is far from being just a spring breakers' magnet. All-inclusive family vacations are staples at Cancun megaresorts whose pristine grounds dazzle with lagoon-style pools, kids clubs and outdoor activities.
Chichen Itza Ruins Day Tour
Sail By Catamaran To Isla Mujeres
Captain Hook's Pirate Cruise & Dinner Show -
Oahu
Come family vacation time, the kids crave water play and the parents long for local culture. In this center of paradise, they can take it all in – the rainbows, waterfalls and monstrous waves along the North Shore. Don't end this vacay without a visit to Pearl Harbor or a carbtastic Hawaiian plate – complete with a scoop of macaroni salad.
Go Oahu Card
Horseback Riding at Kualoa Ranch
Aloha Bus Double Decker City Sightseeing Tour -
San Diego
Next to Orlandoans, San Diegans might be the most spoiled when it comes to family vacation ideas. With year-round sunshine, postcard-perfect beaches and kid-friendly attractions such as Balboa Park, SeaWorld Adventure Park and the San Diego Zoo, the SoCal city knows precisely how to keep boredom at bay.
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Williamsburg
While some historical towns use relics and buildings to teach visitors about the past, this family vacation spot continues to live it. Details are a labor of love for this birthplace of American Colonialism, where you'll still find silversmiths, apothecaries and politicians (Hello, Thomas Jefferson) pushing their wares.