Vacation Ideas - Fremont,CA

I second the Legoland in Carlsbad idea!! There's also MANY activites in the area to do, including the San Diego Wild Animal Park, The San Diego Zoo, many many different beaches to play at, and Old Town, just to name a few. Have fun wherever you go!!

Come on up to Oregon. Drive up the coast, stop and see the Redwoods and Crater Lake on the way. Stay in Sunriver in Central Oregon. Rent bikes and ride the bike paths around town, check out the Music Festival, go hiking in the Lava River Cave and see the view from Lava Butte. Keep going north, stop at the High Desert Museum in Bend, walk and shop in Sisters. Here are fun things to do in Portland: the zoo, kids museum, OMSI science museum, shopping (no sales tax). See the Spruce Goose in McMinnville, tour the cheese factory at Tillamook, drive down the Oregon Coast and visit the lighthouses, a couple are open for tours. Enjoy the beach, it's cold but not crowded!

I say you go to Yellowstone National Park. That's where I WAS going to take my kids this Summer, but then we got an invitation to a family reunion in California, and I can't afford to do both...so maybe next year we can make it to Yellowstone-I've been trying to get back there for 9 years!

yellowstone was the best vacation we took as a family. July is great. about $3000 for the whole trip if you rent a home near by the west ent. It was great.

You should go on Trip Advisor and see what things they offer. Might even be able to find a good deal.

Have fun!

Knotts Berry Farm has great deals and I heard Florida is cheap (but a long flight for the kids-smile) You could still go to Universal Studios in LA and You can go inside the park and then do the Walk the next day for free with the shops . Then go to Hollywood, do the walk of fame, Grummans Chinese theater, etc.etc. then just go to the Beach. Also Lego Land in San Diego has a Child's entrance free with Lunchables. Also, Las Vegas is always fun. They have Circus Circus or The M&M shop, and things to look at and do and then since it is so hot the kids can swim in the hotel every day. They love it and you get to have a vacation too! You can also visit museums around the world or just go on a So. Cal beach hunting expidition. Have fun!

Yellowstone is great--and stay at Chico Hot Springs outside Livingston, MT. I also love Glacier Park in MT.

Monterey - the Aquarium (take a couple days to see it!), Dennis the Menace playground, assorted museums

Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park - scenery is similar to Yosemite but not nearly as crowded

San Diego - Zoo, Sea World, Natural History Museum (if you're a member of an ASTC passport museum like the Tech or Lawrence Hall of Science, you can get free admission to the Natural History Museum and the Fleet Science Center)

Our favorite vacation this far was a Royal Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas.

2nd on our list would be Wisconsin Dells. We stayed at the Kalarhari for a couple night in the 3 room condo and it was great! We could cook our own food but still have the BEST waterpark ever available just a short walk away! And then we did leave the hotel to go on a Duck Boat tour/ride. FUN!

Have you ever been to Solvang? I've never been but I have heard it's a pretty neat place to go for a long weekend.

So many people want to go far away for vacations and there is nothing wrong with that but I'm telling ya, having been in the military for 20 years we missed a lot of what was in our own backyards so to speak, when we had these great "backyards" to explore.
Have you ever spent a couple of days in San Fran and checked things out from a kid's perspective? The Exploratorium is FANTASTIC. And there are so many other things to go and see and do.
your best bet is to research places in California...you'd be surprised at how much there is to do that is vacation like that doesn't revolve around the major theme parks.

Oregon was my vacation. So much to do an see. What I suggest for a 5 year. Juste east of Portland is a gorge, its a nice drive and at teh end of it there is old train ride. The kids love the train ride we did that then headed south on the east and grabbed some nice cherries and othe fruit that grows in that area (they sell them in little standds) and went up to Timberland lodge. Snow in June it was great. Then down to Mt . Bachelor where we stayed in a cabin. Then down to Crater Lake. Its amazing you drive through a desert on the east coast as well. My daughter loved it

I'm not sure what your budget is, but here are a few ideas.

For a tight budget, I would suggest coming down to the Santa Cruz/Monterey area. The aquarium is amazing! There are also museums that are interesting for kids, several great parks, and The Boardwalk. There is also a great swim center in Santa Cruz with a waterslide and kid pool.

A week in San Diego is also a great choice. Tons for families to do there.

The las suggestion I would have is a Carnival cruise. They are amazingly affordable and have lots to offer for all ages. My kids loved the cruise we went on when they were 4 and 6, and also loved the one we took just last year at 13 and 15. Once you look at what all is included, it really is super affordable. Carnival is very family oriented, so it would be my choice with kids. Disney also offers cruises that my friends say are fantastic, but they are WAY more expensive and our family decided we'd rather save that money for shore excursions with Carnival. My girls have now swam with dolphins twice! Unforgettable experience!