Family Vacation Ideas with 2 Kids (9Yo and 6Yo)

The kids don't really seem to care where we go as long as we're going somewhere away from home. However, my youngest still talks about the cabin we rented in the mountains of NC, my other son enjoyed the UP (there's a beautiful beach in Au Train on Lake Superior), and my oldest really liked Savannah, GA.

Like another poster said, Chicago is fun. And I think you can take the train from A^2.

San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Grand Canyon and Sedona, Arizona, Mount Rushmore/Black Hills South Dakota, Yellowstone. DisneyWorld/Disneyland is my absolute favorite!

National parks, a dude ranch (Drowsy Water Ranch) Granby, Colorado. Awesome vacation for kids, Grand Canyon, San Diego. Disney cruise. The best out there.

Why not try to see more US states? Try seeing some of the natural and historical wonders, like the Redwoods and Sequoias in California, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Freedom Trail in Boston, a dude ranch in Montana, Zion National Park in Utah, the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Smithsonian in Washington DC, etc. Pick a state, learn about the state, look up its most interesting or traveled-to attractions, and go!

You could do the same with the countries of Europe or Asia or Africa or Australia or South America. Go to wherever your ancestors came from and see where great-great-great-grandmother lived.

I wonder if your kids know how VERY lucky they are?
Seattle! It's gorgeous here during the summer and *usually* not very hot.
If money isn't an issue....
Mexico! Lovely beaches!
Hawaii! Lovely beaches!
Florida! Lovely beaches!
Hmmmm......I love beaches. lol

If I had the budget to, I would definitely tour the great national parks out west - Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, etc. Some friends did an amazing trip out there a couple of years ago when their kids were around the same age as yours. The mom posted the most amazing, majestic photos of her trip on Facebook and I was just dying to join them. They had a fantastic time.

If your time and budget allow, going to Australia is also an amazing trip that this family has done. I travel vicariously through them ;-)

i love nature and my favorite trip was to see the grand canyon, yellowstone national park and mount rushmoore. we did it all in a 2 wk long driving trip and i loved it

Grand Canyon
San Fransisco
Yellowstone National Park

How are you possibly running out of ideas? There is a huge world of adventure out there!

Updated

How are you possibly running out of ideas? There is a huge world of adventure out there!

Yosemite Park/San Francisco (close enough together to be 1 trip)
Jackson Hole/Yellowstone Park (close enough together to be 1 trip)
Aruba
Hawaii (combo of Oahu and the big island)
Washington DC

wow, you've done some great stuff!
there's niagara falls (horribly commercialized but still mind-blowing), yellowstone and the grand tetons, horseback camping on a dude ranch, snorkeling (or scuba!) in the gulf, the grand canyon, alaska...........
and that's just in this country! if you visit the national parks alone you'll run out of childhood years before you run out of places to have adventures.
and since you are fortunate enough to be able to explore the entire world, not just america, i can't imagine how you could EVER run out of options.
khairete
S.

Well my favorite family trips growing up were road trips. Big family, station wagon, off we went on an adventure.

So those are our kids' favorites trips - and go check out national parks. We aren't really doing anything so much as bonding. My kids don't fight which is amazing to me - on road trips or when we're walking along a waterfall, or through boardwalks through the trees and catching glimpses of wildlife.

So many beautiful parks. That would be my suggestion - very different than what you've done before. And you can break it up with a water park, or something like that if one is on way or nearby. Outdoorsy experiences are fun.

One of the best trips we did was a 7 day road trip across South Dakota. It might not be as doable from Michigan, but there is so much to do! We spent a day in Sioux Falls, drove up to DeSmet were Laura Ingalls Wilder lived as a girl, down to Mitchell to see the Corn Palace, over to Chamberlain on the Missouri River where there is a great Native American Museum, a stop at Wall Drug, and then several days in Rapid City and the Black Hills. We didn't even come close to seeing and doing everything there is to do.

I grew up a 100 miles from the east entrance into Yellowstone Park and I've been there too many times to count (probably at least once a year when I was growing up). Going back with my kids and my niece and nephew a couple of years ago was so much fun! Don't plan on the entire week in Yellowstone. Also take in Teton National Park, Jackson, West Yellowstone in Montana, and Jackson Hole. Plan ahead!!! Even at this point you probably won't be able to find lodging in Yellowstone. I would plan to stay in Cody, WY one night and drive in through the east entrance. Drive through the southern half of the Park and spend a couple of days in the Jackson area. You will drive through Teton Park on the way there and it is pretty accessible from Jackson. Then do the northern part of the loop and spend a night or two in West Yellowstone, MT. You can finish the loop back to Cody. There is an awesome museum there and a night rodeo. It is so beautiful! If you have the time (a good solid 2 weeks) do a road trip across South Dakota, over the Big Horn Mountains, and over to Yellowstone. You will drive through God's country.

We have also loved San Diego and Coronado Island. We've been there twice.

Washington DC has tons to do and a lot of it is free. We had a great time there and I want to go back again now that our kids are a little older.

Colorado (Denver, Estes Park, Colorado Springs) has a ton to do. I can't wait to go there with my kids.

We are hoping to go to San Francisco this year.

We had a lot of fun in Chicago.

We also had a lot of fun in the Louisville/Lexington, Kentucky area.

With a 9 year old who is probably studying (or will be studying) US history, Boston or Philidelphia would be fun trips.

We loved Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington.

There are so many places to go!!

Wow, you have done a lot with kids so young. I want to ask you for advice.

Your past locations are not cheap, so I am thinking of 'dream vacation' locations. Have you considered Northern Europe (Sweden, Norway) or Alaska for a cruise? What about going to Brazil for the Olympics (assuming you are not planning to become pregnant).

If you are thinking of California, I can be much more specific and helpful.

One of our favorites at that age was Pigeon Forge, TN tubing, kayaking etc. Wonderful time. Best part of the whole thing was a picnic we had by a stream, stacking rocks and walking through the water. We spent the whole day there. We rented a house that had a hot tub so it was the perfect end to a perfect day. Lots of nature and non-nature activities. Very relaxing.

It doesn't seem you lack vacation ideas. What do your children do at home? Perhaps they can incorporate their vacation into what they do at home. Sometimes things are done completely differently.

My daughter ice skates and we usually put her on the ice wherever we go. She has skated at many different rinks, the good and horrible.

If you haven't already, how about an all-inclusive in Mexico? There are some fantastic choices and places like Cancun and the surrounding towns are great spots to go see fantastic ruins, scuba diving, swimming with whale sharks, releasing baby turtles, surfing, sailing, fishing, horseback riding, swimming with a dolphin, ferry to Isla Mujeres, man the list goes on and on. Or, just stay at the resort - the good one have tons for kids to do right there. Each day you can decide - are we going to relax today or be on the go today?

Our kids LOVE going to Mexico!!!!! We do, too :)

National Parks - Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, Carlsbad Cavern, Grand Canyon, Yosemite
US Cities: Washington, DC / New Orleans / Seattle / LA & San Diego / Cape Cod or Nantucket
Europe: England, Ireland & Scotland / Spain / Italy

If you do want a cruise, you could do an Alaska Cruise. It would be a totally different experience than your Bahamas trip.

Philidelphia, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Rome, Italy, Tahoe CA, Washington D.C., Seattle Washington.

Washington DC, London, Yosemite, Oahu, San Francisco/Nor Cal Redwoods. LA/San Diego.
Haven't been but have always wanted to do Costa Rica.

I went on a road trip from AZ to Yellowstone several years ago and had NO idea how beautiful Utah is. My dream vacation would be to repeat that road trip. We hit up KOA's the whole way. Went to Goblin Valley, got lost a few times, saw some funky towns and funky folks. Stayed in a KOA cabin while at Yellowstone. The park is absolutely magical.

Mammoth cave in Kentucky. Super cool. Took our kids when they were 5, 10 and 11. They have multiple options from going for a light stroll to doing an Olympic climb. We took one that took us more than a mile in. Kids loved it. Also went on an underground boat ride. The same trip we went to the corvette museum and a really cool hands on museum. Spent about 5 days in Kentucky. If you are really looking for amusement type stuff there is a six flags in Louisville. We avoided that.

We took our kids to the Great wolf Lodge for an extended weekend. Check it out your kids would have a blast!

Try going on a camping trip. That's always fun :)

We love going to the National Parks. The Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Death Valley, Mesa Verde, Rocky Mountain National Park, Mount Rainier, Glacier National Park, Glacier Bay National Park, Denali National Park, White Sands, Chaco Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, Vermillion Cliffs, etc. They are all AMAZING. We sometimes camp. We sometimes get a rustic cabin. And sometimes we splurge and stay in a lodge. We plan out hikes, drives, and sightseeing. We often bring our bikes and do some bike rides too (easy ones for the kids). PS - You are definitely NOT running out of options!!

Disneyland, Magic Mountain, Sea World and Lego Land are all within driving distance in So Cal. Not to mention the beach. =0)

Have you been to Niagara Falls on the Canadian side? I haven't but want to, and I see you're in MI, so it might not be too bad of a trip.

We LOVE history stuff too. So anything history related we really enjoy. Nashville, TN is actually an AMAZING place and we can't wait to go back. Boston is fabulous too! We also love beaches, so I'm trying to get my kids to the major beaches on the east coast...we love VA Beach, Myrtle Beach, and OBX. I think Hilton Head Island is next on my list of beaches to visit.

San Francisco? Tons to do there with kids -- Exploratorium, Golden Gate Park, cable cars, Angel Island, zoo, etc.

DC, Boston, National Parks, Toronto, London