Just after the Christmas and New Year’s Eve, our family starts to plan our vacations for the coming year. Now as we have a toddler, we have to keep in mind that we are not vacationing alone anymore.
Traveling with kids can be daunting but if you plan it well and choose a great location that has entertainment for all the family, the trip will be a success.
Here are a couple of family vacation destination ideas for 2015 that should guarantee a perfect vacation for all the family members.
Sanibel Island
Sanibel island is a perfect vacation spot for families who wish to leave the rush behind and enjoy quality time with their family. Because of having the east-west orientation, Sanibel is one of the unique barrier islands of the world and also a great place for shelling.
Sanibel Island by Kullez (CC BY 2.0)
If you like collecting shells, like I do, you will be in a shell heaven. It even has awards for having the best shelling beaches. I love combing the beach with my daughter and see what treasures we find. Sanibel Shelling Centre and Bailley Matthews Shell Museum offer information on the beaches and shells you can find on the island.
Sanibel is not only known for its shell beaches but also for its wildlife refuges. J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is a perfect place for wildlife viewing and teaching your kids about wildlife.
And don’t forget to relax and have fun at the beach, watch the amazing sunsets and sunrises and eat tons of ice cream.
Walt Disney World
One of the most popular family vacation destinations is the Disney World. Occupying the territory about the size of San Francisco it has everything you can imagine for a perfect family vacation.
Four theme parks and two water parks host more than 150 kid-friendly attractions. 37 accommodation facilities let you choose a suitable lodging option for every budget. More than 135 restaurants that provide special menus for kids and offer a possibility to dine with your favorite Disney characters. And of course, there are tons of shops, spas, fitness centers and other entertainment options.
Magic Kingdom by Randy Pertiet (CC BY 2.0)
When looking for family Disney world tickets go for combo tickets. Instead of visiting just one of the amusement parks on the Disney World territory, combo tickets give you an access to several parks and help you to save a lot of money!
Disney World offers activities for weeks! If your kids love Disney characters and amusement parks, then this amazing world is a perfect family vacation destination for you!
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National park is America’s first established and the fourth most visited national park. It’s mostly known for its geothermal features and wildlife preserves. Yellowstone has more geysers and hot springs than anywhere else on Earth!
The park’s landscape is “alive” because of the ongoing volcanism under the surface. Old Faithful geyser and Grand Prismatic Spring are the most popular features in the park. Be sure to take time for a relaxing soak in a Boiling River Hot Springs!
Grand Prismatic Spring by Michael Wifall (CC BY 2.0)
As of wildlife, Yellowstone’s many types of ecosystems are home to wolves, grizzly bears and free-ranging herds of elk and bison.
When visiting with kids, it’s smarter to break up the visit into different themes and keep it interesting and not overwhelming for the kids. Visitor centers offer a Junior Ranger booklet for kids between the ages of 5 and 12. The booklet consists of easy tasks to be completed during the visit and before leaving the park, the rangers give each kid who completed the booklet a Yellowstone Junior Ranger patch.
If you want something educational and educational than the usual amusement park vacation, Yellowstone National Park is a great option!
Legoland Florida
What kid doesn’t like Legos, Duplos, water and theme parks? Well, Legoland combines all these great activities and offers days of fun for the kids ages 2 to 12! With more than 50 attractions, rides, shows, restaurants and 145 acres, Legoland Florida is the second largest Legoland Park in the world! It has everything a Lego lover needs to have fun.
Legoland Florida by VisitCentralFL (CC BY 2.0)
The park has more than 10 different themed areas, so there are activities for all the age groups. Freshly open Duplo Valley for the toddlers and the Imagination Zone for the bigger ones.
There are also tons of stores for a chance to complement the Lego sets you already have with new accessories and elements. They even have an extra shop for the girls!
One of my favorite areas of the Legoland is the Miniland – the heart of every Legoland Park. The Miniland USA comprises 7 themed areas including Kennedy Space Center, Las Vegas, New York and also a fun Star Wars mini land.
Starting from the Factory Tour Building, where you can get a firsthand look how Lego bricks are made and ending with the splashy water park, Legoland is an ideal place for a family vacation for 2015.
It all sounds great to me. We haven’t ever been anywhere great. Just Niagara Falls. Hoping for some amazing trips as the kids get older!
Awesome ideas. We go to Disney World every year and LOVE it.
All these ideas look amazing, I remember fondly going to Disney World as a child and it was magical!
I’d love to visit Sanibel. The beaches look amazing!
I’d love to visit Yellowstone. There’s so much beauty there!
I so want to go to disneyland hmmm I think more me then the kids heee:)
My son is DYING to go to legoland! It looks like an incredible vacation!
I’m a fan of vacations that include a heaping helping of nature, so I love your Sanibel and Yellowstone suggestions. I’ve been to both and would highly recommend them as well.
I really have to get to Yellowstone one of these years. I have always wanted to go but have never quite made it.
I can’t argue with any of those choices. I’ve been to three of them, and Sanibel is my fave place!
My kids favorite is the Legoland in Florida. Now that’s a blast list for your destination.
I really hope we can afford to take a vacation in 2015. I know my kids would flip if we went to Disney!
We missed taking the kids to LegoLand when we lived in CA. That is certainly on our must-see travel list for 2015.
Walt Disney World is on our list, Not sure if that’s going to happen this year but it’s definitely on our list of places to visit!
We have Lego Land and Disney to make it to yet. I’m praying we are able to in the next couple years, I’ve heard nothing but wonderful experiences from both places! 😀
I want to go to the Magic Kingdom SO badly! I can’t wait to take my boys there one day!
We love anything beach related to the beach and nature… such as hiking. Thanks for the great ideas.
I am loving your list just because I live near Sanibel ISland, go to Disney as a passholder, and went to LEgoland this year! You are spot on, these are great places!
Wow these look like amazing places. I still have Disney on my list, not sure if we will ever make it there but would love to.
Walt Disney World is a dream place to visit for me. There are Disney world here in Asia but I’ve never been there, but I want one in the US.
Any if these would be grade for a destination for family vacation. I would so love to see Yellowstone National Park one day and I know my kids would too. Thanks for sharing.
These are all wonderful places to go handout with the family and relax… I’d love to go to Sanibel Island.
Walt Disney World and Legoland are in our list of place to visit. We just hope we can visit both next year.