Where to vacation with 2 year old twins?

ok, the boys turned 2 on december 2, and we would like to take our 1st family vacation in may/june. We are open to anywhere in the US. We will be going to disneyworld with the grandparents in 2009, so i don't want to take them there yet. I was thinking sesame place, but it seems kind of $$$.. let me know what has worked and NOT worked for you!
thanks in advance

 

We took our boys camping in our RV a couple of times last summer. They were about 2 1/2 at the time. They loved camping and loved sleeping in the RV. We went to a campground where there were lots of places to walk around, streams to throw rocks in, and waterfalls to see. They had a great time. We've also stayed with them overnight in a motel, and they did great. In both the RV and in the hotel they didn't nap and stayed up longer than normal, but once they were asleep they were fine. At that age two nights is all we could handle. Two days without a nap is the limit!

This year we're hoping to take a trip to the ocean and another trip to the zoo.

 

What about renting a house. We've been to Kiawah Island in SC. Other option could be the Outer Banks in NC. Florida could always work. I always look for suite hotels (with one or two bedrooms and/or apartments). There are plenty of places where you can rent all the baby stuff that you need, some houses may even have some. We've also done FDR and Beaches in Jamaica, also lots of fun (it wouldn't be too far for you either). Great child friendly hotels with entertainment, child care, baby sitters, etc.

 

I was going to suggest Disney World. Other than that .. camping sounds fun ! Or maybe just rent a house at the beach.

 

I would keep it simple- it will all be new to them!

We took the girls to an indoor waterpark for a night and they LOVED it- we then spent the night at the attached hotel and went home. Long enough for fun- short enough for a wonderful time.

We also did a summer family reunion this past summer and stayed in a rented condo. The was nice and enabled us to stick to our routine and have a 'kitchen' availabel so we weren't eating out all the time. We went to the lake, pool, and jsut played with some afternoon trips into town.

KC

 

We love Hedrick's Exotic Animal Farm and Bed and Breakfast. It's in Hutchinson, Kansas (about 45 mins from Wichita). They have all the little things that make it nice to take a vacation. They have a playroom. They have rooms you can get that have a kid room off of them with 2 twin beds in it. You get to go on tours and meet and feed all the animals by hand (giraffes, kangaroos, camels, etc) and then if it's spring you can bottle feed the lambs.

It's also very close to the Space Museum in Hutchinson and I believe there is a water park that is opening up there now. Wichita has a good zoo and a museum also.

Marissa

 

We've taken lots of trips and best so far has been a place about two hours from us called Lake Tiak-O-Khata. It is a great little (very little) resort with a beautiful lake with kids slides and toys, etc. They had a great time playing at the lake without having to worry about waves, lots of people, etc. We had a wonderful time!

 

We have been talking about doing a vacation but it's hard to find something that will actually be fun with TWO little ones, who need clean, comfortable places to play and nap, plus access to kid-friendly food, etc. Also, many places aren't exactly kiddie-proofed so I can just picture my husband and I having to be on 24-hour guard! Not to sound like a pessimist...

I really want a vacation, but I'm not willing to do it unless it really will be a break from the daily grind.

I think the ideal situation would be a twin-family house swap! Seriously, I've been thinking about this. I'd like to go and stay somewhere clean, comfortable and twin toddler friendly. I wish there were a way to hook up with a family looking for the same thing...who want to spend a few weeks in Toronto. We could just swap homes! Baby gates, cribs and all! Now if only I could find a family someplace with great weather and lots of fun tourist attractions...

 

thanks for the replies so far!
ANy advice on Hershey or Dutch Wonderland??

 

My suggestion is to rent a house somewhere. That's what we did last year (the twins were 22 months) and it worked great. We had a full kitchen and didn't all have to sleep in one room. Plus, we could sort of maintain our regular routine, which is important at this age. We just picked a place that had decent weather, playgrounds, places to walk with the stroller, places to "hike" (at toddler speed), and a couple of kid-friendly restaurants. It turned out to be a resort town 45 minutes from our house, but it could have been anywhere. We were not willing to fly (too $$$).

We took my parents, to have an extra set of hands, and I also found a rental house on vrbo.com that was completely childproofed. (She rents it primarily to people with small kids.) She also had a crib, Kelty backpack, single stroller, PNP, and even a little potty!

QUOTE
I wish there were a way to hook up with a family looking for the same thing...who want to spend a few weeks in Toronto. We could just swap homes! Baby gates, cribs and all! Now if only I could find a family someplace with great weather and lots of fun tourist attractions...

If we lived closer to Toronto, I might just take you up on this! We live someplace with great weather and fun stuff to do, but I don't think we can afford to fly to Toronto. Sigh.

 

I'd suggest an outdoor type of vacation. Either beach or national park. We did a lot of traveling at that age. With the cost of admissions, food, etc at most theme parks we found that the "free" sightseeing types of activities where a better fit for us. Kids that age really enjoy running through the woods, splashing in the water & digging in the sand. Maine & Washington state are beautiful.

 

I'm a huge fan of cruising for a family vacation that's stress-free for everyone. They are extremely kid-friendly and you don't have to worry about cleaning, meal preparation, etc., etc. for a week - all you have to do is get dressed and play. And Carnival and Norwegian have programs for 2 year olds so you and your husband can even have some alone time during the day or in the evening.

I hated that when we rented a house, I still had to deal with what we were going to have to eat and cleaning up after myself and the girls. On a vacation I like to be taken care of too, but if we ate out, it was either expensive or not healthy. On a ship, I could have salmon and the twins could try call kinds of new things (where else could I afford to let them try shrimp - which they loved) or they could eat off the kids menu.

We've done four cruises together (my twins are 3) and those have been our best weeks together.

Best,
Mia

 

My boys are a little younger than yours but I think we are going to try and go to San Diego this summer for vacation. You've got the beach, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, the Wild Animal Park, Legoland...lots to do!

 

I definitely vote for checking into cruises as well- We haven't done it with the boys yet- but we did take my dd when she was two on a 4 day cruise to Mexico. It was great. They have a bunch of kid things to do and babysitting services, etc. We never left her with the sitter-as we were paranoid- but we did check it out. They issue pagers to the parents and looked like a great set up. We also took her at about two camping in an RV to Yosemite. It was a fabulous trip as well- but for me a vacation is really a vacation if I don't have to plan and prepare meals and clean up after everyone!!!
I hope you have a great time no matter what you choose!!!
Lanie

 

I live a few miles from Dutch Wonderland. I haven't taken the kids yet (they are just over 1) but have heard from many moms that this is THE place to go. My MOM's club gets discount tickets and everyone love to bring the little ones there. I think the ideal age is 3 - 10. if you watch Jon and Kate plus 8, they took the whole gang there and seemed to have a lot of fun. Even the little ones had lots to do.
As for Hershey Park, I love it. But, i don't think there is tons for little ones. They can go on the chocolate world tour. There are some kiddie rides in the park and then ZooAmerica is included. So, it is do-able.
There is a lot of tourist-y stuff in this area and there is a Howard Johnsons with an indoor water park almost across the street form Dutch Wonderland.

 

If you are thinking May/June, you should do Sesame place over Memorial day weekend. It is the 6th TS annual Sesame place weekend. There is a picnic on Saturday. Sunday at Sesame place.
We are planning on taking the girls to Dutch wonderland and Hershey park as well. We are going to stay at a bed and breakfast that is a working far,.
Why don't you want to do Disney? We are about to take my girls to disney for the third time. It is amazing watching them enjoy it differently each time?

 

QUOTE(ljcrochet @ Mar 18 2008, 08:10 PM) [snapback]675269[/snapback]
If you are thinking May/June, you should do Sesame place over Memorial day weekend. It is the 6th TS annual Sesame place weekend. There is a picnic on Saturday. Sunday at Sesame place.
We are planning on taking the girls to Dutch wonderland and Hershey park as well. We are going to stay at a bed and breakfast that is a working far,.
Why don't you want to do Disney? We are about to take my girls to disney for the third time. It is amazing watching them enjoy it differently each time?



we are disney crazy people and cant wait to take them... but my inlaws are taking all of us next march for FREE! So we figured we would do something different this time and wait to go with them next march. Have you been to dutch wonderland before? how was it?

 

I know of a pair of resorts in Jamaica where every family gets a "vacation nanny" to help with the kids. Many people rave about this place. Not sure what your budget is. Anyway, here's the info: http://www.fdrholidays.com/ Apparently you can get some great deals through your travel agent.

 

I agree with "keeping it simple". At 2 years old, they are thrilled with anything. Playing in a pool is new and exciting for them.

I would go where you think you and your DH would like to go. Allbeit, somewhere without hours and hours of travel. That's my one strong recommendation!! If you can keep travel time down to a few hours (by plane or car)...you're in good shape. It really isn't fun traveling long hours with young children. It can start and/or end a trip on a bad note.

At age 2.5 yrs, we enjoyed a family trip for a week at the beach. We rented a lovely house that had a cleaning service come in everyday and make beds, vacuum. We ate simple meals (breakfast, lunch) in and went out to dinner everynight. So a change from the grind of being master cook and maid. Kids of course love the sand, surf and pool. It gives everyone a chance to somewhat relax verses dealing with crowds and standing in lines at hot amusement parks.

 

We live in PA. Hershey Park and Dutch Wonderland are awesome. We love San Diego too. We spend several weeks and lots of weekends at the beach which I also highly recommend for any age.

I so agree about being taken care of on vacation. It's not fun for mom and dad if there's took much cooking or cleaning to do.

We've decided to see Williamsburg and Busch Gardens in early June. It sounds like fun for all.

 

I guess it requires careful consideration of both fun and practicality. A place like Kona Kai Resort, known for excellent Kona Kai Resort customer service, could be ideal, offering family-friendly amenities and activities. Look for destinations that offer a balance of kid-friendly attractions and opportunities for parents to relax. Ensuring the chosen location is accommodating for young children will make the vacation enjoyable for the whole family.