| Maybe you discovered the hard way that kids are not | | | | horse-drawn carriage rides, Heckscher Playground, |
| exactly content wandering through murky museums or | | | | lake boating, Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater, |
| art galleries, gazing at massive cathedrals, or lunching in | | | | Central Park Zoo/Tisch Children's Zoo, Billy Johnson |
| a lush setting. If you have a couple of 4-5 year olds, | | | | Playground, the Wollman Ice Skating Rink, and |
| maybe you can get by with a few amusement rides | | | | Belvedere Castle Nature Center. In the Broadway |
| and the hotel swimming pool. But once kids hit | | | | area, artists set up shop on the sidewalks and draw |
| elementary school through high school, they will make | | | | personalized names in a colorful pattern of dragons, |
| your family vacation miserable if it's boring. I've | | | | pandas, and dolphins. These are extremely popular |
| researched ten super family vacations that are | | | | with kids. But the big draw, of course, is what |
| kid-friendly. If you have grade school and high school | | | | Broadway offers. Disney invested $34 million to |
| kids, you may have to split up during the day, but that's | | | | restore the old Ziegfield Follies haunt, the New |
| okay. So here's my list. | | | | Amsterdam Theater, to stage The Lion King in 1997. |
| 1. Okay, Okay, I'll cave and include Disney World first | | | | It's still playing to packed audiences. More recent |
| so you don't keep bugging me. There are far too | | | | Disney extravaganza include the Little Mermaid. Other |
| many attractions to describe in detail. Let's see, there's | | | | popular family-friendly fare includes Mary Poppins, |
| the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Blizzard | | | | Wicked, and Hairspray. What can I say? This only |
| Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Epcot Center, MGM Studios, | | | | scratches the surface in regard to what New York |
| Legoland, and much more. In my opinion, the only | | | | offers. Check it out. |
| attraction that's getting a bit old is Epcot Center. The | | | | 7. Most don't realize it, but while some other states |
| others are terrific. Just a word about the Animal | | | | slept, South Carolina has been quietly becoming the #2 |
| Kingdom. The lodge is decorated with earth tone walls | | | | state for tourism, after Florida. Myrtle Beach alone |
| and African ambiance. Thirty-three wild acres contain | | | | welcomes over 13,000,000 guests per year. It's a |
| over 100 different species including impalas, zebras, | | | | 60-mile stretch of sand called the Grand Strand and |
| giraffes, Thompson's gazelle... Your kids will love | | | | features a great beach, water parks, amusement |
| Orlando. | | | | parks, dinner shows, the Hard Rock Park, special hotel |
| 2. The Out 'n About Treesort in the woods of Takilma, | | | | and beach activities, and much more. MagiQuest, a |
| Oregon is a kid's dream. What child hasn't dreamed of | | | | major attraction, is a uniquely interactive experience. It |
| living in a tree house? Well, families can actually live in | | | | takes many elements of a child's fantasy world, |
| one during their vacation. There are fourteen tree | | | | combines them, and creates a special place where |
| houses sleeping 2-8 people each. Lodgers use rope | | | | children can be heroic, valiant, and brave. Children can |
| swings, swinging and suspension bridges, fire poles, and | | | | fight the dragon, run around a Magical Kingdom, wave |
| a 160 foot-long zip line to get around! During the day, | | | | magic wands, and have lots of fun doing it. MagiQuest |
| families can take courses in tree house building or they | | | | even brings out the child in all of us big kids too! So, if |
| can go rafting, swimming, or horseback riding, scale a | | | | you're looking for some great fun, or wish to burn off |
| 51-foot rope climbing tree, or take arts and crafts | | | | some of that rambunctious child energy, you've got to |
| classes. The kids won't stop raving about this place. | | | | take the kids to MagiQuest. |
| 3. Atlantis Resort in Reno only cost $850 million to | | | | 8. I've got to include at least one choice that's |
| create. The complex includes 20,000 guest rooms, 38 | | | | considered extra easy on the family budget. It's the |
| restaurants, 11 exhibit lagoons, 50,000 animals, 11 pool | | | | YMCA in Winter Park, Colorado and it goes by the |
| areas, 7 water slides, including a 60-foot Mayan | | | | name of Rockies' Snow Mountain Ranch. Last time I |
| Temple drop into a tunnel submerged in a shark | | | | checked, rates for a two-bedroom cabin with kitchen |
| infested lagoon. Kids feel like they've just discovered | | | | started at $126 per night. If you cook a lot of your own |
| the infamous lost continent themselves. If you live | | | | food, you can get off pretty easy. The area |
| closer to Florida, there's an Atlantis Resort on Paradise | | | | comprises 5,100 acres of pristine near world-class ski |
| Island, Bahamas which includes many similar attractions | | | | resorts. There is hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country |
| to the Reno resort. But while we're talking about good | | | | skiing, downhill skiing, a climbing wall, an indoor pool and |
| old Nevada we might as well mention the other | | | | gym, and horseback riding in the summer. And best for |
| fabulous kid-friendly resort, Circus Circus. It's only the | | | | families with kiddies, there's a full kids' program for |
| biggest permanent big top in the world and 3.5 million | | | | ages 3 and up. Who likes winter sports? This is for |
| people flock there each year. Circus performers do | | | | you. |
| their amazing feats non-stop, plus there are 200 | | | | 9. Club Med Ixtapa may be the attraction on the list |
| arcade games, plus carnival games, and wandering | | | | that would appeal most equally to both adults and kids. |
| clowns. As if that's not enough, there are over 20 rides | | | | It is 30 acres along Mexico's western coast that hosts |
| in the theme park, miniature golf, and laser tag. | | | | over 20,000 visitors a year, 60 percent of them grade |
| 4. Now for something completely different: dude | | | | schoolers. Kids of every age group are kept gloriously |
| ranches. Tanque Verde Ranch, in Arizona's Sonoran | | | | busy with all sorts of outdoor activities, fun shows, and |
| Desert, is one of the best known. Throughout its 640 | | | | crafts. If you want, there's even a perfect kids-only |
| acres roam over 120 horses. There are riding lessons, | | | | dining room. Meanwhile, the parents get to play! There's |
| as well as every kind of trail ride you can imagine. | | | | tennis, scuba, archery, kayaking, water polo, volleyball, |
| Naturalist guides offer hikes through desert wilds, | | | | and gourmet picnics. Families venturing off the Club |
| yawning canyons, towering cacti, and even secret | | | | Med property can visit the island, take a sunset cruise, |
| waterfalls. Kids also can take tennis lessons, swimming, | | | | go fishing, or take an excursion into the Mexican fishing |
| and arts and crafts. Appealing to adults are the | | | | village of Zihuatenejo. Then melt your troubles away at |
| delicious steak cook-outs, gourmet picnics, the square | | | | the Ixtapa Club Spa and get an outdoor massage or |
| dancing, and the beautiful mountains rising in the | | | | whatever else your heart desires. |
| distance. | | | | 10. There's a reason Caribbean cruises corner almost |
| 5. As more and more vacationers are discovering | | | | 50 percent of the cruise line market in the U.S. It's |
| Alaska, it's becoming a top favorite. Alaska is still a bit | | | | because the Caribbean offers the vacation so many |
| wild, with 14 major mountain ranges, glaciers, much | | | | have dreamed of for years. Imagine yourself on the |
| wildlife, and almost 34,000 miles of coastline. Ideally, it's | | | | largest, sleekest ocean liner imaginable, watching a |
| best if you can take a land and sea cruise to enjoy | | | | brilliant sunset against rippling waves out of your cabin |
| the best of both worlds, but do what your pocketbook | | | | window. Then imagine eating superb food whenever it |
| can afford. Summer is the most comfortable time of | | | | strikes your fancy, day or night. Imagine wonderfully |
| the year and there is plenty to do. You can | | | | entertaining shows, on-shore excursions to lush islands, |
| whale-watch or view a vast panoply of wildlife at | | | | and see yourself relaxing or engaging in activities |
| Denali State Park or another refuge. You can tour a | | | | according to your fancy. Then realize that, if you wish, |
| gold mine, count moose, backpack, bird watch, camp, | | | | the kids will be engaged for much of each day in a |
| cross country ski, dog sled, hike, salmon fish, visit Mt. | | | | children's program tailor-made just for them. This is |
| McKinley, stargaze, take a riverboat discovery tour, or | | | | what you call an all-inclusive vacation. What more |
| visit the Imaginarium Science Discovery Center. And | | | | could you want? |
| this is the short list. I don't think the kids will get bored. | | | | Go ahead, Google your favorites if you want. Choose |
| 6. New York City is sometimes left out as a | | | | your family vacation of a lifetime and begin planning for |
| kid-friendly place for whatever reason. But there's a lot | | | | it. This will be the vacation that your kids will still |
| for kids in New York's Central Park alone. You'll find | | | | remember fondly when they have their own kids. Cool. |