I need a suggestion for a place to vaction for a family that is NOT WDW. - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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We love the Old Orchard Beach area. We usually stay in Pine Point (Scarborough). It's is on the same stretch of beach as Old Orchard but is much quieter and family-oriented. At Old Orchard you have Palace Playland. Funtown/Splashtown is in Saco which is a very short drive. It is one of the most clean parks I have ever been to. Portland (a great walking city) is twenty to thirty minutes away. They have fireworks on the beach every Thursday night.
There's a nature conservatory where you can go on a guided canoe tour of the salt marsh. It was awesome.
We love it there and actually got married on the beach there 4 years ago.
Wherever you decide to go, enjoy!
LOL I love all the suggestions for ME. That's where I grew up. My family is still there soe we go back there avery couple of months. Still not sure where to go yet
I've taken my kids to Storyland and Santa's Village the past two years and they absolutely love them!!!!! My son just turned 7 and my daughter just turned 4 so I think yours would love them too. It's only about 3 hours from Lowell and it's not a bad drive.
We were thinking of Hersey this year but we are saving for Disney so prob summer of 2012 there for us.
SOOOOO many of my friends go to Santa's Village/Storyland. They all love it!!! I love Upstate New York as well - the Lake George area in the Adirondacks.
I need it to be within a six hour drive from MA. The children are 7, 7, and 4. We need to go in the summer. The cheaper the better. Any ideas?
There are several places to visit in the White Mountains, in New Hampshire. Including campgrounds, if you think your family would like to go camping for a while. The Lost River is a great attraction. So are the Polar Caves. With kids that age, the nature trails at Franconia Notch are a bit limited in usefulness (due to length), but there's a few that are shorter in length. The Cog Railway is in the area. There might be a few theme-park attractions in the area still in business, too. There's also the Castle in the Clouds to visit. And Clark's Trading Post.
I really have to go back there; I haven't been to most of those places since I was 12 or 14 ...
You could also consider spending a week at the beach. I don't mean Salisbury / Hampton, either ... drive up into Maine, and head for Old Orchard Beach. Take Coastal Route 1 to get there, and stop to see the sights along the way. The Kittery Trading Post is huge (and has plenty of camping, fishing, and beach-going supplies). Fort Kittery isn't far away, and while it's more "ruins" than "fort" (IIRC they never finished it), it's good for a half-hour stop. Taking eh scenic route, it's probably closer to an 8 or 9 hour trip ... but not all of it will be in teh car (which is hte point of taking the scenic route): you'll be stopping to get out and look at thigns ... lighthouses, scenic overlooks, and so forth.
Oh, and IIRC, Acadia National Park is only a few hours further on, and might make a good side-trip during a week spent at OOB.
Another thought just occurred to me ... Washington, D.C. is only a bit beyond a six-hour driving limit, and with all the museums to see, as well as the National Zoo ... it's at least something to ponder. Depends on your youngest ... would museums interest him/her? (Dinosaurs, airplanes, gigantic gemstones, the Betsy Ross flag ...) If not, keep it filed for future reference, in 2-4 years when s/he is older. You can also get there by train, rather than having to drive all the way yourself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shell_of_the_South
How far is Ohio from you?
... from Massachusetts? About a thousand miles. Well more than the OP's six-hour driving limit.
There are several places to visit in the White Mountains, in New Hampshire. Including campgrounds, if you think your family would like to go camping for a while. The Lost River is a great attraction.
We had a great time at the Lost River last year!!! You have to be up to walking up A LOT of stairs and crawl through some caves but the views you see are worth it!!!
I have a great video of my brother swearing because he got stuck in a cave (he's only about 5'10" and by no means a heavy guy) My mom, however, had some problems because she has OA in her knees and is overweight (she did not go into the caves, just climbed the million stairs)
My kids had races as to who got up the stairs faster and I got some awesome pictures.
If you are wanting a quiet vacation in New England, consider renting a house or cabin. I have used VRBO.com and cyberrentals.com. You can get a very nice house or condo for a reasonable price, especially if you are willing to be a block or so from the beach.
When my kids were young we often did a week at Ocean Edge REsort in Brewster, Ma. It is one of the quieter Cape towns, but not too far from the action. The resort itself has several pools, basket balla nd tennis courts and several programs for kids, including golf. There are at least three restaurants in the resort, some very child friendly.
If you do a private rental (we used to go through realtors in the old days), the prices are very reasonable. We only stayed on the ocean front part of the resort off season, but really enjoyed the golf course section.
I also recommend a cabin inMaine or Northern New Hampshire. It may be over 6 hours depending where you are in Mass. but think about a trip to Canada. Your seven years old would probably get a kick out of being in a bi-lingual atmosphere.
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Huntermom, I just visited the web site for the ocean edge....WOW!!!!! I have requested e-mail info and I hope I can convince my family SOON to spend a couple of days here this year. July and August are already booked....June is still open so it's an "act now or loose it" type thing.
Ocean Edge is wonderful but you can get a unit much cheaper through a local relator. I think we used By the Bay REalty in Brewster. There is also a lot more availability.
When I get home, I check the online sites and see if there are any units listed.
It really is a great resort-especially if you have younger kids.
We've been going to a small place in East Boothbay ME over the years. It is our fall back location. We stay at the Smugglers Cove Inn, which has a heated pool and small sandy beach. There's some great family hiking locations, a very kid friendly aquarium in Boothbay, take a drive up to Pemaquid's lighthouse and nearby is a great beach. Smugglers has a couple of efficiency rooms with kitchens. It's not a fancy place, but the sunsets are to die for.
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It's only about 3 hours from Lowell and it's not a bad drive.
They all love it!!! I love Upstate New York as well - the Lake George area in the Adirondacks.
My mom, however, had some problems because she has OA in her knees and is overweight (she did not go into the caves, just climbed the million stairs)
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