OT Question about where to vacation when not at WDW?

[princess4life]

I am somehow responsible for planning our big family vacation every other year. We've done most of them at WDW, but this year I'm trying to please DD19 who is now adult and wants to see new places, DS's aged 16 & 14 who want to go to the beach, and Grandparents who want to visit historical or educational places. Luckily DH is awesome, and he and DD11 will go with the flow. We've rented a big van (9 of us total) for the end of May, but we have no destination!!!??? Anyone had good or bad experiences at Williamsburg or nearby beaches in VA?

 

[tidegirl]

My first thought for beach and historic sites would be St Augustine. No experience with Williamsburg.

 

[4kids4karen]

Tokyo (Disney), Niagara Falls, Ireland? Las Vegas and surrounding areas is fun for all ages.

Where do you live now?



What is your best family vacation besides Disney?
https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...n-besides-disney.2723984/page-5#post-58849569

VEGAS With Teens
https://www.disboards.com/threads/vegas-with-teens-would-you-splurge.3639772/page-2#post-58318477

Non-Disney Vacation Ideas
https://www.disboards.com/threads/non-disney-vacation-ideas.3593250/page-2#post-57334764

Interesting/Fun Cities to take teens
https://www.disboards.com/threads/interesting-fun-cities-to-take-teens.3660908/#post-58743155

Niagara Falls, Ontario
https://www.disboards.com/threads/niagara-falls-ontario.3475043/page-20#post-56123030

 

[4kids4karen]

I will add Alaska to list of possible places. You can do a land and sea cruise or just go to Alaska by plane.

 

[Alexle2007]

We’ve been to Williamsburg many times, mainly Great Wolf Lodge. Busch Gardens will be open for the teens and young adult to enjoy. We’ve been to Virginia Beach also but I would think in May, the ocean would still be too cold to really enjoy. DH was just saying this evening how he preferred VA Beach to Ocean City, MD in terms of the water current and undertow. If you are looking to enjoy the ocean in May, I would head further south.

 

[Lvsdisney]

I love Williamsburg and Busch Gardens. They are fun destinations for all ages. I agree with PP that the ocean may be a little chilly at that time of year. The best part about Wiliamsburg area is all the condo style hotels in the area. We stayed at the Colonies of Williamsburg 2 years ago and really enjoyed the place. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, full kitchen, indoor and outdoor pool that is more than a basic pool (slides, lazy river, etc).

Otherwise, I would think driving further south the Charleston area would be good for everyone. Charleston has so much history and the beaches are beautiful.

 

[Ava]

I think Colonial Williamsburg & Virginia Beach will meet the criteria for what your group wants to see/do, although like @Alexle2007 said the ocean will still be cold in May. There is also Busch Gardens if you want an amusement park. I assume since you already rented a van, this needs to be a driving trip. Where do you live & how far are you willing to drive? That may help people give other suggestions.

 

[twoolle]

I love Williamsburg and Busch Gardens. They are fun destinations for all ages. I agree with PP that the ocean may be a little chilly at that time of year. The best part about Wiliamsburg area is all the condo style hotels in the area. We stayed at the Colonies of Williamsburg 2 years ago and really enjoyed the place. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, full kitchen, indoor and outdoor pool that is more than a basic pool (slides, lazy river, etc).

Otherwise, I would think driving further south the Charleston area would be good for everyone. Charleston has so much history and the beaches are beautiful.

My vote is for Charleston Also! You can do Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Savannah with a few days at each!

 

[TwoMisfits]

End of May will be perfect for VA Beach and Williamsburg...you literally can't go wrong...schools will still be in for the state, so you should have a really awesome, but not really people-packed, vacation...and you should be able to score a few deals, too!

PS - Water Temp for May 30 should be between 66 and 70 degrees...warm enough to swim, but definitely not the bath water you'd find in FL...it's actually perfect if you have really warm days...

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

What about Hilton Head,SC? I live 45 minutes from Williamsburg. While I love Virginia Beach, we go further south if we want the beach during the Spring months. We hit Va Beach in late June or July. Hilton Head is only 45 minutes from Savannah. We were just in HH for Easter break. We did a day trip to Savannah and took one of the hop on hop off trolly tours. It was great!

 

[neatokimmo]

What about a cruise? There are some interesting ruins on the western routes. Beautiful beaches. You don’t have to cook or make your bed. It’s magical.

 

[LNMom]

My family loves Miami. South Beach is a historical zone that is so very unique. There’s a wonderful walking tour that focuses on architecture and history of South Beach, and Vizcaya on Biscayne Bay is of interest, and the historic Biltmore hotel in Coral Gables.
Much of South Beach is walkable. Stay near the Lincoln Road Mall.
There’s tons of dining options.
There are lots of activities for kids in the area (driving distance).
And a short cruise out of the Port of Miami would be a blast.
We also love the Boca Ratkn Resort for a totally relaxing experience.

If you can cancel the van and go further away: We also did a multigenerational vacation to Colombia-flew into Bogota then over to Cartagena, and back to US from there. We all had a great time.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Two suggestions- Hilton Head for the beach and close to historic Savannah

St Augustine- beach and historical sites!

 

[iheartbelle87]

Charleston has a TON of history and is close to beaches! I recommend staying at the Francis Marion, using Bulldog Tours (we did three of their tours and all were FABULOUS)

 

[adamak]

Hawaii! (long flights if you're not on west coast).

 

[mi*vida*loca]

All inclusive in the Caribbean. We get such a good bang for our buck with these kind of vacations. Lots of places do historical tours and excursions.

 

[princess4life]

You guys are always so good! Thanks! I think we will do Williamsburg and look toward a beach area a little further south! We will probably leave from my parents home in Southern Illinois. My family lives in Illinois but near St. Louis, MO. It looks like a 12 hour trip, so we will look into some ways to break the trip up. My family is used to van trips although we flew to wdw last time & loved the convenience. When you're flying 9 people it all comes down to the time and money factor!

For those of you that visit the Williamsburg area, I was planning two days in the Williamsburg Colonial "park". Any thoughts on that?

 

[pooh2001]

What about Cape Cod,MA, Maine coastline or Lake George, NY?

In the South - Texas, SC, NC

West - Colorado? Utah?

Canada ?
I would skip Mexico.

 

[TwoMisfits]

You guys are always so good! Thanks! I think we will do Williamsburg and look toward a beach area a little further south! We will probably leave from my parents home in Southern Illinois. My family lives in Illinois but near St. Louis, MO. It looks like a 12 hour trip, so we will look into some ways to break the trip up. My family is used to van trips although we flew to wdw last time & loved the convenience. When you're flying 9 people it all comes down to the time and money factor!

For those of you that visit the Williamsburg area, I was planning two days in the Williamsburg Colonial "park". Any thoughts on that?

2 days should be perfect (although you get 3 days+ in any pass that isn't single day) - if you have any military (active, retired, or vet), you can also take advantage of some pretty terrific deals in CW...

Are you also planning Busch Gardens or the other historic sites (Jamestown/Yorktown) on top of the planned beach time? There are passes that give you anything historical and passes that combo BG and CW...and knowing what you want and how long helps figure out what's best...

PS - If time is an issue, you can probably hit the highlights of CW in a day...but if you want to really see most everything, 2 days is probably needed.

 

[WAHMto5]

What about a cruise? There are some interesting ruins on the western routes. Beautiful beaches. You don’t have to cook or make your bed. It’s magical.

I was going to say suggest the same! We cruise twice a year and love it!! The ships are incredible and you get to enjoy so many different ports, beaches, historical sites, ect..