First family holiday in the USA — tips? advice? recommendations?

And before the wisecracks start — no, I'm not talking about the Bush family!

After years of 'doing Europe', we're thinking about breaking out a little this summer, blowing some of the SSIA loot and heading Stateside for the first time as a family (two adults + five 'young persons' aged 8-17, two of them sitting LC and JC exams this year). I'm just starting to research the options — and likely cost — and, having read through the existing key posts, would welcome any fresh advice.

• Location(s)/timing — we're more or less tied to the mid-July/mid-August slot. Unfortunate, I know. They're all pretty OK with heat, but I don't want us to die of humidity every time we step outdoors. Is Florida a wise option, or would we be better off heading for a cooler (and perhaps calmer) East Coast experience? We'll probably visit friends in Boston at some stage, and it's a convenient entry point (flying from Shannon, ideally). Or should we Go West? I've been to SF once, many moons ago, and I've often thought I’d like us to visit Yellowstone or one of the other National Parks. We also have friends up in Seattle. Maybe we could do an East/West coast split, over the three or four weeks we can probably spend? Wide open to suggestions here…
  
  
• Accommodation — have already read the key posts on villa rentals. Any leads for non-Florida destinations? Any other suggestions? (house-swapping is unfortunately not an option, this year at least, and hotels look to be prohibitively expensive for a group of seven over a month). I haven't yet dared suggest the prospect of a motor home, but the big kid in me would love to try it, for a few days, and if we had a worthwhile and manageable itinerary in mind (i.e. not the Nevada desert or suchlike, tempted though I'd be if I were on my own!) Anyone done this with kids and lived to tell the tale?
  
  
• Activities — none of us (except maybe the young fella) are particularly sporty, but naturally the kids need a bit of healthy outdoor activity and would like to try something like scuba diving/watersports/adventure stuff (my own splendidly athletic disposition renders such exertions pointless...). Ideally, I'd like not to spend too much time mall-crawling or in cavernous outlet stores, but as the M:F split is 2:5 I imagine I won't have much say in the matter.

So — any thoughts? I know we're not going to see/do everything in one holiday, but I'd be interested to hear from any of you that are more experienced in this and might be able to point out pitfalls to avoid or suggest ideas that mightn't have occurred to an Old European like me. Thanks in advance...

How about you ask your friends in Boston and Seattle to recommend a few places within travelling distance of them and do a east/west coast holiday? That way you'd get firsthand accounts of the places and you might even get a few night free accommodation while visiting!

If you went to Boston you could try the Cape Cod or Rhode Island areas? I haven't been there myself, but heard good reports. Also San francisco/ Seattle could work for your western leg of the trip...

For what it's worth - I think June/July (not sure about August) is Hurricane season in Florida but I would certainly recommend it as a destination in more clement times. We found a nice condo (that's an apatment to you or me) for let privately on the net.

I also cannot recommend highly enough getting GPS / Sat Nav if you are hiring a car. This will take a lot of the hassle/stress out of driving - particularly in built up areas.

Agree with poster above that asking the locals will give you good ideas and google your possible places of interest to see what suits your family needs.

Have a great holiday ("missing you already" - as they say over there)

Cheers
Dicey

I think the hurricance season is Aug/Oct - you cant worry too much about that anyway

Heh heh, for some reason both "Kevin and Perry go large" and the Griswolds popped into my head at your description of the holiday.

Still my old fella took me and sis (plus the mammy) over to the States on a family holiday about 15 years ago. Went to Orlando and did the whole Disneyland / Universal Studios thing. Had a great laugh (and walking around the whole park is actually a bit of exercise). Maybe combine with a water park and you'd have a good holiday laugh. We rented a condo too. Haven't a clue of the cost but we all remembered it being great. He booked a package deal though American Holidays.

Onto practicalities though, the humidity nearly killed us. It was August time when we went and it was kinda hard to breath. (Bit of an asthma sufferer which might not have helped). The sun was hot and a lot of sunscreen was needed. We still got burned (being the milkbottles that we are). Apart from that it was great!

Go in not 2 hot weather
Do Orlando! Its magic and as only the americans can do it.
Do it before they are 2 old.
Stay at the Homewood Suites on International Drive, Free Tram to Sea World so on 1 ticket you can do morning, go home a/noon anf then return for the fireworks, etc.
Do 2 weeks and not 1 there and 1 at the sea, do 1 day parks and 1 day off.
Do Cape Canaveral
Do the Parks (MGM & Universal & Disney as a minimum)
C

Thanks for all the comments so far, folks. A couple of you have referred to the heat/humidity in Florida — as I said, unfortunately we don't have a choice this year and have to go some time between mid-July and mid-August. Maybe we should leave Florida for another year and this summer do an East coast/West Coast split as bartbridge suggests?

I presume the summer is reasonably pleasant up around Massachussets/Connecticut/Rhode Island way? (I might drop over to Martha's Vineyard and catch up on a few rounds of golf with Bill...)

Rhino 1 said:

I think the hurricance season is Aug/Oct - you cant worry too much about that anyway

Click to expand...

I have firends who have a holiday home in Florida. 2004 and 2005 were washouts from in August. They didn't go back in 2006.

What sprang to my mind when I read your request was camper van / winnibago-ing it around Seattle / California.... then you could probably get in a lot of the stuff you'd like along with a great experience for the kids.
On the sanity front, probably not for the full trip... but a week exploring and staying at the camping sites in your chosen area may work out as a good option. My understanding of the camping set up in the US (i'm strictly a hotel girl) is that they have all the amenities, so the kids could be well catered for.
I'd recommend Orlando for a great break, but unfortunately I've always visited in spring / autumn, so can't say how good / bad the weather would be!

Hi Dr. M,

I have went to Maine for a holiday one summer and stayed in a log cabin on a lake. The weather was great, long hot sunny days, we were able to go swimming in the lake, go out the speed boat etc. The scenary is stunning, big beautiful lake surrounded by forests. But close enough to shops if you feel like splurging. Also it is close enough to Boston for a trip.

My tuppence!

how about goign to california for a while? lived there for 6 years..great place..let me know if you're interested and i can post some recommendations

It can also be very humid in the Boston area around this time, I know A/C is always a must for me ! Boston is great fun, lots to see and do !

Boston will be pretty hot in August. If you really have a problem with the humidity, avoid the east coast completely. San Francisco has an extremely temperate climate (it's actually quite cool at night there in the summer) so that might be your best bet. You're close enough to do Yosemite too while you're there.

Sounds like maybe I'll be putting flowers in my hair...

Thanks again; keep 'em coming!

Another vote for California from me!

There is tons of stuff to do - and very varied. You have a lot of the theme parks that are in Florida. All along the coast there are great beaches -with lots of watersports and seal watching. You can stop and take a walk in one of the many national parks along Big Sur. Yosemite is amazing too, and they have a kids ranger program from memory. And the weather is nice - not too hot. Although it does get hot the furhter inland you go.

Meant to mention, for the ladies, there is an outlet mall along the Big Sur drive, just outside Santa Barbara!

My sister's family and mine went to Orlando last summer - July - we booked a house and did Disney (21 day ticket) and Universal Studios (14 day ticket). We managed the humidity fine, had a pool in house which helped.

Would highly recommend it.

My father-in-law lives in Seattle. We have had great holidays there, two with our three kids, the last time when they were 10, 7 and 2.

Seattle has a lovely climate. Summer can be hot in July and August, but, not as humid as deep south or Florida etc. It is one of the more desireable places for Americans to migrate to. The whole Pacific North West region is a good experience. Get out your map. We have gone for at least a month each time and have done the tour of the Cascades, including Grand Coulee Dam, Lake Chelan, Leavenworth, Lake Wenatchee, Snoqualmie Falls, Mount Rainier Park, the tour of Olympia, including Port Townsend, Hurricane Ridge, the great Chinese restaurant at Forks, down to Portland (long drive!) where the coastline and beaches (Cannon Beach) are superb en route. It is also good to rent somewhere outside the city, such as on Camano Island or Tulalip Shore Indian Reservation where you can chill out (may be too quiet for teenagers) by going crabbing and whale watching, if lucky. A must-do is the drive and ferry to Vancouver and Victoria, using the ferry to Port Angeles on the return. Vancouver City and Island will cause you to have itchy feet all the next winter in Ireland! Stunning is the only word. It is the best city we've visited. For teenagers in Seattle, there are many attractions not least the music gig scene, coffee houses and the Paul Allen Experience Music Project http://www.emplive.org/, Boeing Field, the Space Needle, Pike Place, the Acquarium, the ferries to the islands, NBA, NFL, Baseball. And then there is a trip to Mount St. Helens, which has started smoking again. This whole region is heaven for anyone into the outdoors - treking, mountaineering, hiking, cycling etc. Be careful of the 'wilderness' though as bears are around. In Seattle, if you are a bookworm, the Elliot Bay Bookshop is a must see. Shopping is good, e.g. Southcenter Malls, Nordstroms. We flew Dublin to London and direct to Seattle over Greenland on British Airways, going at the end of June to save dosh. This is the best when with young children. If you have friends in Seattle and they are game to map out your trips, you will have a better holiday. If they offer to mind your kids (lots of wine works!), escape on your own and blow some of that SSIA at Sun Mountain Lodge near Winthrop (the Virginian was based around here) in the Cascades region like we did ("Yeh! We really missed ye kids!") - check it out: http://www.sunmountainlodge.com/
Best of luck!

My sister went over to Florida in July last year with her family. She said they enjoyed the parks etc but it was way too hot for them. They stayed in an air conditioned hotel and she said that somedays they were just grateful to be back in the hotel after the relentless heat all day. Her children are very sporty and I think it disappointed them a little that they couldnt go out and about because of the heat.

One of my brothers lives on the East coast. He generally holidays on Cape Cod- but it is hideously expensive ( he rents a shack for an inordinate amount of money )- or in San Diego. His kids love both.

Mr. V and myself went to California on holiday some years ago now. We flew into San Fran and went to Yosemite and then down along Highway 101 to LA. If I had the chance of a month in the states I think I'd go back there again. There is so much to do and see. I would fly into SF again, check out Napa Valley and the city itself, go to Yosemite for a few days and then back down along Highway 101- except I'd skip LA ( well you could do a few of the parks for the kids) and go to San Diego- there's loads to do there and its a pleasant atmosphere. We went in August and the temperature was in the middle 20s- except in Yosemite where it was higher.

Disadvantages are the very long flight times ( although you could do a stop off in Canada? Or combine it with a trip to NY- the best city in the world) and food is pretty much the same price it is here so not a cheap holiday.

Thanks for the comprehensive and very helpful comments. I think I'm going to try and arrange something whereby we fly into Boston, relax for a few days (maybe with our friends there, who have a big house out in the burbs) let the ladies shop/acclimatise/renew acquaintance etc. while I go fishing with the younger kids, and then hopefully try to pick up a reasonable domestic return flight* to either SF or Seattle and spend the bulk of the holiday on the West Coast before flying back to Boston with a day or two in hand before we head home.

* Can anyone suggest where I should start looking for these? '7 PAX' is not going to be cheap in mid-summer. A bit of Googling/Wikiing is throwing up names like AirTran/JetBlue/Spirit/Frontier — any other airlines I should try?