America’s perfect family vacation

Finding the perfect family vacation destination that offers an attraction for the very young and the elderly can be tricky. But bringing your own Moms and Dads along with the kids does have a certain upside. First, most grandparents love to spend time with their grandchildren. This means that you and your significant other may get to enjoy some rare quality time together. Plus, along with a trunk-load of souvenirs for the kids, several meals, and a couple of tanks of gas, you may find that someone has mysteriously paid the lodging bill as well. This aside, however, the memories made on vacation with the entire family will last a lifetime. 

The perfect extended-family vacation destination has a good variety of attractions and activities for each generation, as well as plenty of ways to spend time together too. Here are five vacation destinations in America that offer just the right combination of attractions, activities and lodgings to cook up the perfect multi-generational family vacation.

Smoky Mountains, Tennessee

As gateway towns to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge host millions of visitors of all ages, offering a wide variety of attractions, events and lodgings amid beautiful scenery. Dollywood theme park is right next to Pigeon Forge, while the national park starts at the edge of Gatlinburg. The park offers over 800 miles of hiking trails, many of them extremely easy and wide enough for a stroll by the whole family. As well as local golfing, fishing, swimming, kayaking and tubing, the two towns are packed with attractions for kids, unique shopping and artisan crafts, and nightly shows suitable for all ages. For family members with limited mobility, scenic drives abound. Luxury vacation cabins dot the foothills, spacious enough for any sized family. With gourmet kitchens, covered decks with a hot tub and rocking chairs, ample common areas, and arcade and table games to keep the kids happy full time. Surrounded by the unforgettable beauty of the Smoky Mountains, Pigeon Forge rental cabins offer a home away from home where all the generations can find their private time and also bond as family. 

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach offers something for every generation thanks to world-class golf, a gorgeous beach, several amusement parks, and a wide variety of eateries. With the four major complexes of the Barefoot Landing, Market Common, Broadway at the Beach, and a Tanger Outlet Center, as well as plenty of little shops dotting the boardwalk, Myrtle Beach offers excellent shopping. Family-friendly entertainment includes live music, comedy shows, and year-round events. If you can get the grandparents to watch the kids for a while, take a day trip down to historic Charleston, one of our country’s most beautiful, historic cities.

Lake George, New York

Nestled in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, Lake George offers year-round fun for visitors of all ages. The kids will love the Great Escape amusement park. The park boasts hundreds of rides, to suit all temperaments and ages, along with a wooden roller coaster, one of the largest in the country. It also has a water park that comes in handy on those hot summer days. Downtown Lake George has lots of shops, restaurants, and attractions, plus beautiful views of the lake. The whole family will enjoy an evening cruise aboard the authentic stern-wheel paddle steamer, with tour guides showing points of interest as the boat cruises along the shores of Lake George’s Southern Basin. At the lake’s northern end, Fort Ticonderoga illustrates the area’s strategic importance for early settlers and offers stunning views of the lake as well. 

Seaside, Florida

Located along Florida’s Emerald Coast, the super-quaint little town of Seaside has all the right ingredients to make memories and offer fun for all the family. With a beach of white sugar sand called the “Best on Earth for Families” by Travel and Leisure magazine, Seaside is a walkable town with lots of restaurants, shops, and even a movie theater. You’ll recognize it as the location for Jim Carrey’s hit film “The Truman Show”. Time slows down in Seaside, and while the kids are safe to run around or to send to pick up lunch, the stroll is the preferred way for other ages to enjoy the relaxed pace of life. There are deliberately no hotels, or condos along the beach, with accommodations restricted to beautiful rental homes and unique cottages throughout the town. With a perfect mix of modern convenience and old-fashioned enjoyment, Seaside has few rivals when it comes to family-vacation fun.

Washington, DC

Washington, DC, has more than enough attractions for every generation. The free (yes, free) Smithsonian collection of museums includes the National Zoo, as well as the family-friendly National Air and Space Museum, and the National Museum of American History. The family’s more mature contingent might appreciate taking a load off their feet on one of the many tour buses that you can hop on and hop off at multiple spots. Most tours stop at every major attraction, including the Arlington National Cemetery, the White House, and the Capitol Building. For stunning views of the DC landscape, take a cruise on one of many tour boats that operate along the Potomac River. Stroll the beautiful National Mall, with its eight major historical monuments, for an unforgettable lesson in American History.