Five Ideas Of Great American Family Friendly Getaways

Lower Yellowstone Falls closeup. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Looking for something fun to do with your family? Getaways are always a great treat. Seeing the world, learning something new – it draws families closer and builds memories that your children will tell their children. There are many places in the United States that you can take an excursion to, whether driving for a short trip, renting an RV and driving cross-country, or flying for a weekend stay.

The sights and sounds of the United States are varied and dynamic. Our rich history, local specialties, and down home charm are sure to keep even the most seasoned travel guessing what’s next. Here are some ideas for family friendly getaways right here in the United States:

Yellowstone Park
Yellowstone National Park is the very first national park in the United States. With 2,219,789 acres to explore, you could easily spend days seeing the incredible natural displays. The wildlife alone will captivate you: several species of bear, elk, bison, and wolf call this park home. Waterfalls and hot springs are abundant in Yellowstone Park. Grand Prismatic, the third largest hot spring in the world, is particularly interesting because of its coloration, which mirrors that of a rainbow. Perhaps the biggest attraction at Yellowstone Park is the geysers. With 6 grand geysers that shoot water up to 100 feet in the air, it is easy to see why these are one of the most visited thermal features at the park. Old Faithful, the most famous geyser at Yellowstone, erupts every 45-90 minutes.

Washington DC
Museums, theater, art galleries, monuments, restaurants… the list goes on and on. Our nation’s capital offers something for everyone. Immerse yourself in history or take a scenic walk by the tidal basin. Revel in the beauty of the city’s architecture or enjoy one of the trendy restaurants that line downtown. Whatever you fancy, Washington DC can provide it in abundance.

San Francisco
From cable cars to Alcatraz, San Francisco offers unique attractions that you won’t see together anywhere else in the world. Bustling Pier 39, cobblestone roads, and some of the steepest streets in the United States round out the San Francisco experience. Tour Alcatraz, where hardened criminals like Al Capone were housed, or ride a cable car just like the ones that were in operation in the late 1800s. Interact with history.

Turner Falls
Chickasaw County, OK has something to offer every type of traveler. Outdoor activities abound, as do indoor recreation centers for family fun. Perhaps the most scenic of all attractions in Chickasaw County is Turner Falls. The water feeding into the falls forms Honey Creek just before dropping 77 feet to a natural pool. As the state’s oldest park, Turner Falls has served as a family gathering location since 1868.

The Arches
Natural wonders like you have never seen before fill this national park. With over 2,000 arches and countless other rock formations, this national park is a wonder to behold. Beautiful colors surround you as you feast your eyes rock that has been in place for thousands of years.
There are many hours to be spent traveling in the Unites States. Whether touching rock that dinosaurs saw around them, swimming in natural springs, or celebrating technology in one of the world’s cultural epicenters, treating your family to a getaway should be on your bucket list.

As a mom of 3 young boys, Shelley Warner enjoys finding fun family friendly vacations to go on annually. She recommends thefamilywithoutborders.com as a great source of inspiration that has helped her when deciding on her next travel destination.

FDR Memorial - Washington D.C.

FDR Memorial is a very beautiful memorial with multiple waterfalls.  It is closer to the Thomas Jefferson monument than the White House.  Make sure you pick the right side of the National Mall to park at, because otherwise you will be walking a ton to get there.  I know because I made this mistake!  Study a map and how everything is laid our before you go to D.C.  I really did a lot of walking because I didn't not do this simple thing.

Walking around Washington, D.C.

Once we were done at the Supreme Court we crossed the street and were at the back of the Capital building.   This is actually the side your enter on for your Capital tour.




It takes a while to walk around it!




Unfortunately while we were there this was as close as you could get. Used to you could walk up the stairs, but this time they were closed to the public. I saw a sniper up there trying not to be noticed!




Now we are leaving to capital area for today and headed to some of the Smithsonians.   All of the Smithsonians are completely free.



We did stop briefly at the National botanical gardens. I was hoping to go inside but the kids were not up for it.   It looked really awesome in there, but it was quite hot.  I think they could have made it through there if I had just brought more water with us!




This is outside the botanical gardens.  It was such a hot day I let them get pretty wet.

Supreme Court in Washington D.C.

Our next day in D.C. was still alot of walking but a lot less than the day before since I found the subway station near our hotel.  That morning we started out by getting on the subway and getting off at the subway stop behind Congress so we could walk over to the Supreme Court.  This first picture is us headed to the court, but stopping in front of the library for a quick picture.  I heard after we had already left that the National Library is very impressive and something worth seeing.  I didn't know so we just walked by.




The Supreme Court









Inside they have two stair cases like this.  We walked around looking and ate breakfast in the cafeteria there.  (I don't recommend) 


I had hoped to get on one of the tours that they do in the court room, but we missed it by a few minutes and the kids weren't terribly interested in staying longer just to go in the court room.  I went in on the tour about 7 years ago and it was very interesting.  It's by far the best part of going there.

Off to Washington DC - Just me and my 3 kids!

     Last summer before we relocated to Nevada and still living in Florida I decided to take my kids to DC.  Originally I thought my husband would go to.  Unfortunately, about a month prior to the trip it became apparent he would be unable to go.  I decided to push forward with the kid's trip without him.  My kids did stellar in school last year and this was the reward I had been planning for them.  We drove!  That's right, I drove 20+ hours in the car with all three kids one way just to do this and no I did not take ear plugs.  In case you were wondering the kids do not like to ride in the car.




I had hoped to be at a hotel that was a little closer to all the monuments, but because I did not plan the trip far enough in advance there were not a lot of hotels available.  At least, not any that I could afford.  Luckily the week before we went Travelzoo.com ran a deal for $130 a night at The Melrose Hotel.  When I checked in the kids were very exhausted and somewhat spun up after being in the car for 7/8 hours and the guy took pity on us, by upgrading us to a very lovely and spacious suite.  I do have to mention the hotel advertised themselves as close to several of the monuments, but after a mile walk from our hotel I felt as if they had exaggerated their proximity! 

Here are the kids looking at the Reflecting pool, the Washington Monument and the Abe Lincoln monument.  The kids were all still in good spirits despite making them walk that far.













My son did not realize Abe would be so big.  Underneath Abe is an area where a museum is set up.  It is neat to look at and that is where the elevator is.




The kids are standing in on the back side of the Lincoln memorial with the Arlington bridge in the background. This is the bridge that leads into Arlington cemetery where JFK is buried and many soldiers. It is also home to the tomb of the unknown soldier.






In front of the Lincoln memorial.

Next we walked along the reflecting pool to the WWII memorial.  This is a long walk as well.  It doesn't not look like it would take very long, but looks are deceiving.









































We only got this far the first day because it was getting dark. We had a little over a mile long walk back to the hotel. I ended up pushing Eden in the stroller and carry Jonah on my back!  It was a long walk.  We took a different way back to the hotel and much to my delight about 10 minutes before we got to the hotel we passed a subway station.  The next day we rode the subway!  I sure wish the guy at the hotel had mentioned it was such a short way away when I ask where we should go first.  Oh well it was worth the walk.