vacation ideas with 3 year olds

So we found out this week DH will be deploying in the spring, so we're trying to come up with a good family vacation for either before he goes or after he comes home. We took them to Disney World this past spring, and DH doesn't really want to go back already (though I'd totally be up for it, the kids would love it, so I'm still trying to work on him... ) I just can't come up with a lot of good ideas that the kids would really enjoy. They'd be too young for a lot of nature type vacations like the grand canyon, carlsbad caverns, etc... I don't think a cruise sounds ideal for 2-3 year olds either. So any suggestions?? We're stumped!

 

We are on vacation in Seattle and the kids are just loving being out and around. Today we went to the aquarium, which was great and then spent time at the local amusement park riding a few rides.

Ours are a bit older than yours, but i have to stay this is the first time it's been 'easy' to travel with them. We did bring sippy cups for milk and we always have snacks, but other than diapers and wipes, they are pretty low maintenance. I would think any decent size city with an aquarium or good zoo is great for this age.

 

I don't think a family vacation needs to involve something like Disney at all. We've traveled to so many places with the kids, and 95% was not necessarily a kid friendly destination. We go to the usual sites, try to find something the kids like but visit plenty of grown up stuff. In the end, it's just about being together ... my kids get excited over simple boat rides, ferry rides, riding a tuk tuk, visiting a temple, seeing a super large buddha, visiting an aquarium or a zoo, a museum with a kid area, see fishes in a pond in a beautiful garden ... We try to find hotels with swimming pools, make more stops to have nice snacks, treat them with ice cream, maybe a small book from the book store, etc. It's all about making it work for all of us, without us having a feeling we're only doing kids stuff, while the kids don't even notice we don't!

 

My kids love the beach! Our vacations always involve going to the beach, that is what we do every summer. Actually we all love going to the beach.

 

Another vote for the beach. We went this summer and it was a lot of fun. I would maybe just go to a nearby city too that has a zoo, aquarium, a nice park, maybe an indoor play place. They would have fun with that. It doesn't have to be a Disney World kind of thing.

 

We are beach vacationers here. My kids absolutely love the beach. We do Cape Cod all summer and this year we went to the Outer Banks in NC for a week.

 

If you have the money a cruise. We really enjoyed it. We went in Jan. This would be nice because you can choose to sent them to camp or not(we went on carnival) so you can get some time alone with dh. Mine go to daycare and didn't have any problem with staying with the camp people. We sailed out of Galveston. If we could afford to go next year I would totally take them again. They still talk about going on the big boat.

We also have enjoyed Sea World(went to San A). But since that is so close that may not be as good for y'all.

 

At that age we had a great vacation by renting a house in a vacation town near us. We had a "home base" and could bring all the stuff we needed (since we were driving), and could take daily excursions (hikes, parks, etc.) but still have naps. No matter where you are, you can find something for kids to enjoy.

We did a more "tourism" type vacation (to Boston) this spring when they were 3.5, and it was good, but we talked often about how it would not have been nearly as successful when they were younger. Plus, even on our trip this year, we spent 3 days in Maine (staying with my friend, going to the beach) and that was probably their favorite part.

Anyway, my general advice is find something that will be relatively mellow. The less stressed out you all are, the more fun you will have.

 

We just went on a trip to Sea World and the beach. Given our experience, I would definitely go for a beach or natural setting where they can explore relatively uninhibited, as opposed to an amusement park (which was too structured for them). However, it sounds like your kids loved the amusement park setting, so maybe my advice doesn't really apply.

 

Another vote for cruising here. I think it's the PERFECT vacation for 3 year olds because you can also enjoy alone time with your husband while the kids have fun at the free camp facility. My girls much prefer a cruise to Disneyland, and I swear it's less expensive once you figure that it includes all your meals/shows/hotel/kids club, etc. My favorite thing is that meals are completely stress-free (I don't have to do anything, and we don't have to worry about the cost of each item) - we get to just sit and enjoy each other.

Most of the cruise lines accept 3 year olds, I know RCCL required they be potty trained (but they also offer in-cabin babysitting for an extra charge).

Best,
Mia

 

Not sure if you have one around but I can't say enough about the Great Wolf Lodge. It is by far the best vacation we have been on with the girls. We are going back there again next month and we will go again during the winter. It is basically a huge in door water park but there is so much more to do than just the water park (though it's the highlight). The kiddie section was so perfect for our girls. They must have gone down the slides about 80 times. The water is heated and they keep the room heated to 84 degrees so you are never cold. I just love love love this place. The room we stayed in was gorgeous and had plenty of room and one of my favorite parts was that your wrist band that you wear during your stay there serves as both room key and your credit card/debit account so you never have to worry about carrying your hotel key or money. The food was great and the meals are free for kids 3 and under.

I absolutely love this place and recommend it to everyone. It was such a great experience and our girls talk about it all the time and can't wait to go back.

 

We just did a beach vacation. The resort we stayed at was great for kids. Actually, another TS mom recommended it. I am so glad she did and so glad we decided to stay there. So much to do for the little ones...kiddie pools, lazy river, splash garden...mine love the beach...one gigantic sand box. This was by far the best vacation we could have done with 2 year olds! We had a condo. So, we were able to have plenty of room to spread out, the kitchen to cook in, but had all the amenities from a resort setting. It was awesome!! Plus we did some touristy stuff, went to the boardwalk, went on a dolphin cruise and toured the aviation muesum. I didn't think they would like the aviation muesum (nothing for them to do), by DS was in jet heaven!

 

Hm... some good ideas. I'm pleasantly surprised to hear good reviews of cruises w/ little ones. Great Wolf Lodge might be a good idea as well, especially since it's three AND under are free vs UNDER three, like most places.

Laura- what resort did you go to? I had slightly given the Sesame Street/Beaches resort a thought, but it seemed pricey and I just wasn't sure it was growing on me.

Part of the "bad" part of living in San Antonio is that places like Sea World and the zoo are here locally, so while it's nice to be able to come home and not live in a hotel, I don't get the escape of cooking and all that jazz, y'know? So I think I need to get away somewhere...

For you beach vacationers- I wonder if I'm just not good at the beach. Part of it is I'm a fair redhead (as is Joel) so long hours in the sun in a swimsuit tend to scare me. Also the last couple times I've gone, I feel like I'm bored after an hour, I need more "to do." Plus, when we took the boys for the first time (though they were just 26 months) they HATED the sand. So am I missing something about the beach? I always hear people talk about going, but I'm not getting it...

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I need to come up with something, if for the sole reason of giving myself something to focus on and plan for to keep my mind busy while he's gone!

 

FWIW, you're not the only one! I get really bored at the beach too. I don't like the sand, I don't like the sun, I burn, I'm always either hot or cold... It's just not my thing.

And even though my kids loved it when we went to the beach in Maine this summer, we were only at the beach for about an hour. After that, they were quite ready to put their clothes back on and go get ice cream. Even if it hadn't been sort of cold (though remarkably warm for Maine in June), I think they were just done.

 

We went to Destin, Florida. Not a bad drive..for us 14 hours...for you guys it should be 13 hours or so (we are an hour north of SA). The beaches are beautiful! We stayed at Destin West Resort. We actually found the condo we stayed in on VRBO & since we booked directly with the owner we got it for $200 less for the week than booking through the resort itself. They have beach service too (umbrellas and chairs) so you don't have to worry about lugging all that stuff. We are beach people though! We go to Padre Island all the time.

We also broke up the drive...we stayed in New Orleans coming back home. Their is actually quite a bit to do there with kids (more than I thought)...steamboat rides, carriage rides, swamp tours, childrens muesum, the aquarium and zoo. I mention New Orleans because I honestly wished we would have stayed a few more nights there. We stayed 7 days in Destin and honestly towards the end the kids were getting watered out. I think it is just their age...you still have to hang on to them in a pool or where floaties. So, they can't run around and be free. I think that is also why they preferred the splash garden over the pool. If I had it to do over again, I would probably stay 5 nights in Destin and 2-3 nights in New Orleans.