Big Family Trip

June 13, 2009 5:42 AM

Where should the big extended family vacation be?

My parents are approaching their 50th wedding anniversary next year. I have 5 brothers and sisters. Everyone is married with kids. We would all like to get together for a big family vacation next summer to celebrate.

6 families total. 26 people total. Ages from 72 to 7. Somewhere with lots a variety in activity. Where each family can have a hotel room or a cabin. Where we can all come together easy, but also go off on our own here and there.

Most of the family is on the East Coast of the USA. Great Smokey Mountains or the Blue Ridge Mountains maybe. We have all been there - and would go further. The Rockies or Arizona. We have even talked a bit about Ireland.

I am open to hearing almost any idea. And I greatly appreciate your thoughts and suggestions.

posted by Flood to travel & transportation (12 comments total)

It would really help if you could give some kind of indication as to what you're interested in doing, when you're interested in going, what kind of amenities you're looking for, and how much you're willing to spend per person. Possible suggestions could range from a Caribbean cruise, to renting a condo on the beach, to a ski lodge in Vermont. You've got to give us something to go on.
posted by valkyryn at 6:09 AM on June 13

If the beach is an option, we recently had a similar get-together at Wild Dunes, near Charleston. We didn't go through the resort, though; we found a house through ResortQuest that was big enough to hold 12 people. We had a group ranging in age from 5 months to 75 years, and we chose Wild Dunes (which is a little snooty for my taste) because they offer a variety of activities; some days the golfers went out, another day some of us went crabbing (although the options there are limited and we didn't have much luck) and my 4 year old daughter had a number of fun things to do; she made a kite, tie-dyed a shirt, and so on. The places you mentioned sound great, but I shudder t the logistics of getting that many people together that far away.

And this is kind of off the wall, but last fall we drove to Halifax (just the 3 of us) and found all sorts of cool things to do (many related to the Titanic and the Halifax explosion) and everything was reasonably priced. On the Way we stoppped in my wife's favorite state of Maine, which has all sorts of small tourist destinations. A favorite place to stay is The Lodge at Camden Hills, which is a collection of cabins of various configurations. They might have trouble accommodating 24 people (although with a year to plan,you might be able to secure the cabins you need), but there are many similar places on the Maine coast, and there are a number of AskMe questions (including mine) that have suggestions on what to do while there.
posted by TedW at 6:13 AM on June 13

The trip would be next summer. We are not interested in a cruise.
We could spend perhaps as much as $2,000 per person.

The question really is - what are we interested in doing. Beach condos might be good - golf for adults, beach for kids, what beach? what other amusement are there for kids.
posted by Flood at 6:14 AM on June 13

What beach really depends upon what you are looking for. If you want a lot of glitzy, touristy t-shirt shops and Hard Rock Cafe type things, someplace like Myrtle Beach is the place to go. If you want a less-crowded, golf and tennis type vacation, then Wild Dunes or someplace similar is worth a look (their website gives a good overview of what is available for kids and adults to do there). My favorite SE beach is Edisto, but there is not a lot to do (which for me is the whole point); I have heard St. George is similar to Edisto, but with blue Gulf Water and good seashell hunting. Then there is always Hilton Head, which is hugely popular around here and has all sorts of accommodations but I don't personally care for as it is too crowded and snobby for me ( I can take crowded, I can take snobby, but both at once is too much). St. Simon's Island, Sea Island, and Jekyll Island off the GA coast are other beaches I have had good family vacations at that have a variety of options for lodging, from hotels to houses.
posted by TedW at 6:44 AM on June 13

We've done similar vacations in various places - Fripp Island, SC; Virginia Beach, VA; Lake Tahoe, NV; Lake George, NY.
posted by Lucinda at 7:14 AM on June 13

Once you decide on a place you might check out renting a whole B and B. A friend's family did that in the Adirondacks. Ten siblings, partners, kids, and the grandparents who were celebrating 60th anniversary.

Tybee Island near Savannah might be a cool place, varied activities and all the historical stuff, something for everyone, even some beautiful natural areas.
posted by mareli at 8:00 AM on June 13

Well if you like the beach and you want a lot for the kids to do have you considered Atlantis? I know, I know, it sounds cheesy, and some parts of it are, but it's incredibly -- really incredibly -- fun with kids. We just got back and I can give you tips for avoiding the cheese factor and keeping it cheap in MeMail if you like.
posted by The Bellman at 8:22 AM on June 13

Rent a cabin (or more than one) in the mountains near the Smoky Mountains National Park--there are some gorgeous, huge ones you could all stay in, or rent more than one and each family can have some privacy in addition to the together time. Many cabins come in communities with swimming pools and the like, you can go hiking in the park, take picnics and generally enjoy a lot of together time without spending too much money on entertainment. Pack sandwiches, grill hot dogs and burgers, and save up for at least one really nice dinner out.

Some places we like: we stayed in this cabin over Spring Break. Immediately next door is a brand new, custom-built, multi-million dollar home, 11 bedrooms, a table that seats 24 and the same awesome views. Immediately to the other side of our cabin was a chalet where, entirely coincidentally and during the same week, our neighbors from Florida ended up staying (imagine our surprise when we saw them there during our stay!).

If you stay in the Gatlinburg area, Smoky Mountain Brewery has free parking, great food and drink, and live bands on the weekends. Pancake Pantry offers some great kids' breakfasts (like Bears in the Snow, which are bear-shaped pancakes dusted with powdered sugar).

There's also very touristy things, like the Aquarium and all the other Ripley's offerings, all within a short drive.
posted by misha at 8:49 AM on June 13

Disney World!
posted by litterateur at 9:27 AM on June 13

I feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but we got married at the Paradisus Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, and brought 26 friends/family along. Ages ranged from 4-60. The Paradisus is an all inclusive resort, which is a lifesaver for larger groups. Everyone had separate rooms spread all over the resort, and we would meet up for dinners or other activities. A 7-night stay with airfare ran around $1600 per person, and included all meals, alcohol, and resort activities like snorkeling, horseback riding, etc. It was easily the best vacation that any of us had ever been on.
posted by tryniti at 10:01 AM on June 13

The Outer Banks! Corolla and Duck could work well, and there's a fair amount that you can do day trip-wise south in Kitty Hawk and near Hatteras.

I've been to Corolla three times and Duck once, and loved it everytime. But then, my idea of a good vacation is sitting on the beach with quality books.
posted by midatlanticwanderer at 2:44 PM on June 13

thank you everyone -
these are all great ideas
posted by Flood at 4:35 PM on June 13