Family Vacation - Newark,OH

Have you ever been to Bethany Beach, DE? Not a bad drive for us (from PA) and we have stayed at Sea Colony Resort which is very family friendly.

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I ditto the Myrtle Beach. We use Direct Air out of Columbus, which has a direct flight (only on Wed or Sat, though) for a reasonable rate. We stay at the Long Bay Resort, which is a little further north and was great with our 2yo.

Hi N.! If you enjoy the beach atmosphere, our family has traveled to Ocean Isle Beach, NC almost every summer for several years. It is very family oriented and the beaches are so beautiful. I would highly recommend checking it out! The drive from Akron, Ohio is about 12 hours (I'm not sure exactly where Newark is).

Good luck!

Myrtle Beach, SC - we go just about every year and stay in a condo at Kingston Plantation (Embassy Suites). The amenities are awesome. VERY kid oriented. Look it up online. They have many private owners that rent out condos.

We went to San Diego with our 3 year old last summer. We hit Legoland, Sea World, Disney Land, the San Diego Zoo, and a couple of beaches. We had the time of our life! We found a hotel in Downtown San Diego (a Kimpton Hotel) that was running a special! It was perfect! Whereever you go, hope you have fun!

Gatlainburg/Pigeon Forge, TN. We LOVE it there. So so so many things for kids of all ages & adults enjoy the fun too. I personally like the Holiday Inn in Pigeon Forge. They have an indoor pool and hot tub so even if it's a rainy day they can swim. I am pretty sure they have a small arcade too. Have a great trip no matter where you decide to go!

We have a 2 and a 4 year old and if you can afford it Disney World. We are going in september and we have actually rented a vacation house which is cheaper then staying at disney

N.,
My family and I vacation in Ocean City, New Jersey, it is perfect for kids, they have 8 mile boardwalk right on the beach with games, rides, food, everything a kid would want! The drive from Ohio is about 8 hours so it isnt to bad. We have a four year old and he LOVES IT! We go to the beach during the day and the boardwalk at night..you can also ride bikes on the boardwalk in the mornings, it is beautiful. Check it out..my husband and his family have been going since he was a little boy, that is how I learned about it and now it is a tradition in our family..hope this helps!

We went to Kentucky to Mammoth Cave. We have standard hotel reservations but while there stumbled up a Jellystone park (yes, the Yogi Bear place). It was very family fun oriented with a game house and out door play area. We regretted not knowing about it or we would have stayed there. I learned they have different ones around the country so maybe you can find one near you. They were also reasonably priced. Happy vacationing.

I found this website listing fun things to do in Ohio with kids. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/fun-things-to-do-in-ohio.html

Otherwise it just depends on your budget...whether you want to be able to drive or fly there. How long you'd be willing to drive, etc.

If you're wanting a beach vacation and want to fly...I suggest Destin FL. Stay at Baytowne Wharf. They have a million kid activities, the beach, great food, and it's extremely kid friendly.

Pittsburgh has a great zoo and kids museum. When our oldest was one, we took her there and she had a blast. I'm positive she'd have as much fun today at 4. This is about a 3 hour drive from Akron.

Lancaster, PA is also fun. It has Dutch Wonderland, an amusement park made for kids under 12. Adults can ride with the kids most of the time. Hershey, PA is about 20 minutes away from Lancaster. It's the home of the chocolate factory and has a small zoo, an amusement park, and chocolate world. We combined these cities for a short vacation 2 years ago and our daughter had a blast! We're actually going back this summer. It's a 6 hour drive from Akron with no stopping. Check out the websites below for activities in these cities. Have fun!

http://www.hersheypa.com/
www.padutchcountry.com/
www.cherrycrestfarm.com
www.dutchwonderland.com
www.handsonhouse.org/
www.juliussturgis.com/
www.lancastersciencefactory.org/
www.rmmuseumpa.org/

Ohio has some great state parks that have cabins and lodges. Not the long travel too.

There are so many possibilities on destinations that it would depend on your interests, but I'd like to make a suggestion on accommodations. If you're staying in a hotel (as opposed to camping, etc.) and can afford it, get a "suite" that has a separate bedroom (like Embassy Suites, or some hotels actually have family suites). We now have 4 and 1 year olds, and we had been to several hotels with the 4 year old over the years and always ended up putting him to bed and then hiding in the bathroom until he fell asleep and we could go to bed. (On one trip we actually ate our dinner in the bathroom!) Did the same with BOTH of them last summer on a six-day trip! This January we went to Disney World and got a family suite, and what a difference! We put them to bed at a decent time and we were able to go be awake, relax, plan the next day, watch TV, etc, in the other room. So much easier!

Have a great trip!

L.