Family trip for Spring 2014
June 18, 2013 12:33 PM Subscribe
suggestions for a trip for four adults, four kids (two ~1, two ~5). About a week in Feb-April 2014.
So. California, Arizona, New Mexico, or Western Mexico have been bandied about. Suggestions? Is an all inclusive type thing reasonable with young kids? Is there some place that we could rent a four bedroom house as a base - near a beach or with a pool maybe? That has other kid-friendly type things? San Diego maybe? I've never done planning like this with kids. (All pretty low maintenance go with the flow kids if that matters. We all like the outdoors and would be happy combining beach/pool time with hiking and zoos or the like. Money is a factor, but not a huge one.
So. California, Arizona, New Mexico, or Western Mexico have been bandied about. Suggestions? Is an all inclusive type thing reasonable with young kids? Is there some place that we could rent a four bedroom house as a base - near a beach or with a pool maybe? That has other kid-friendly type things? San Diego maybe? I've never done planning like this with kids. (All pretty low maintenance go with the flow kids if that matters. We all like the outdoors and would be happy combining beach/pool time with hiking and zoos or the like. Money is a factor, but not a huge one.
I decided to pop back in to discuss a Phoenix vacation.
Again, check out a timeshare place. Marriott Vacation Club's seem really nice, but there are tons. I like the resorts, they have more fun stuff to do.
Have a meal at Ponchos in mi barrio in South Phoenix (not the shitty one at the mall) They have a mural memorializing President Clinton's visit. He had a plate of Nachos. I like to sit at that table. I've been eating here since 1974. It's still great. Have a Cheese Crisp, it's a thing you can only get in Phoenix. Basically a huge, crisp flour tortilla with melted longhorn cheese, cut like a pizza. Don't call it a quesedilla!
Check out the ruins at Casa Grande, Americas' Mini-Stonehenge.
The Heard Indian Musuem is pretty cool, Kachina dolls, baskets, pottery, and a really spectacular glass fence.
Cosanti in Scottsdale is a family favorite. Great architecture and a wind-bell foundary. Or go to Arcosanti, which is billed as an Urban Experiment. It's stunningly beautiful is what it is. A bit out of town but you can make a day of it.
The Phoenix Zoo is a great zoo for kids. I went to a camp program there and it was one of the best times I ever had.
Check out Tovrea Castle. We called it the Wedding Cake House when we were kids and legend had it that you couldn't go in it, although it was abandoned because there were rattlesnakes and gila monsters guarding it. (We were idiots.)
Get to Mary Coyle Ice Cream. Yum!
Go to Mill Avenue in Tempe. When I went to ASU, it was head shops and record stores, now...it's more upscale. Have a steak at Monti's La Casa Vieja. Monti's is an institution! It's a hoot for kids because it's an old house and they had nickelodeons. Have the most Mad Men, old timey cocktails you can think of. Brandy Alexander, Rob Roys, etc.
If you simply must, Rustler's Rooste has a great view of the city, decent food, a slide into the restaurant and they'll cut your tie off if you wear one.
I'd sort of recommend hiking on Camelback Mountain or on South Mountain, except I don't like critters. With or without legs.
Another recreational thing is Big Surf. I was a thing in the seventies, I have NO IDEA if it's still awesome or if it's a mess. I will advise you to bring money. The food was always expensive.
Rest, relax, ride a horse (again with the horse) swim, golf. You could go further and fare worse than Phoenix.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:55 PM on June 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
Again, check out a timeshare place. Marriott Vacation Club's seem really nice, but there are tons. I like the resorts, they have more fun stuff to do.
Have a meal at Ponchos in mi barrio in South Phoenix (not the shitty one at the mall) They have a mural memorializing President Clinton's visit. He had a plate of Nachos. I like to sit at that table. I've been eating here since 1974. It's still great. Have a Cheese Crisp, it's a thing you can only get in Phoenix. Basically a huge, crisp flour tortilla with melted longhorn cheese, cut like a pizza. Don't call it a quesedilla!
Check out the ruins at Casa Grande, Americas' Mini-Stonehenge.
The Heard Indian Musuem is pretty cool, Kachina dolls, baskets, pottery, and a really spectacular glass fence.
Cosanti in Scottsdale is a family favorite. Great architecture and a wind-bell foundary. Or go to Arcosanti, which is billed as an Urban Experiment. It's stunningly beautiful is what it is. A bit out of town but you can make a day of it.
The Phoenix Zoo is a great zoo for kids. I went to a camp program there and it was one of the best times I ever had.
Check out Tovrea Castle. We called it the Wedding Cake House when we were kids and legend had it that you couldn't go in it, although it was abandoned because there were rattlesnakes and gila monsters guarding it. (We were idiots.)
Get to Mary Coyle Ice Cream. Yum!
Go to Mill Avenue in Tempe. When I went to ASU, it was head shops and record stores, now...it's more upscale. Have a steak at Monti's La Casa Vieja. Monti's is an institution! It's a hoot for kids because it's an old house and they had nickelodeons. Have the most Mad Men, old timey cocktails you can think of. Brandy Alexander, Rob Roys, etc.
If you simply must, Rustler's Rooste has a great view of the city, decent food, a slide into the restaurant and they'll cut your tie off if you wear one.
I'd sort of recommend hiking on Camelback Mountain or on South Mountain, except I don't like critters. With or without legs.
Another recreational thing is Big Surf. I was a thing in the seventies, I have NO IDEA if it's still awesome or if it's a mess. I will advise you to bring money. The food was always expensive.
Rest, relax, ride a horse (again with the horse) swim, golf. You could go further and fare worse than Phoenix.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:55 PM on June 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
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First of all, downtown Sedona is a nightmare, cheesey "old-town" kind of thing. So Yee-Haw and all of that nonsense.
Montezuma's Castle is a really neat thing, I loved going there when I was a kid (they let you peer into the individual dwellings.) A bit apace down the road is Montezuma's Well. It's mildly interesting but if you're in the area....
Red Rock State Park is gorgeous. Lots of trails and hiking.
Another fun state park in the area is Slide Rock State Park. Wear cut off shorts and slide down the rocks with the river. Bring a picnic! It's pretty and fun.
Smell the Ponderosa Pines, they smell sweet like caramel or butterscotch. Look up at the stars! Ride horses! Have your aura read!
Take a day trip to the Grand Canyon. You should see it once in your life! Or make a couple days of it.
Fly into Phoenix and drive up Highway 17. It's an amazing drive. Only 120 miles and something to see the entire way up. It's amazing how the terrain changes.
Because it's at a high elevation it can be cool in the spring, so plan accordingly (perhaps not so much swimming).
I can give you a great week in Phoenix too, just let me know!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:14 PM on June 18, 2013