Looking for some vacation ideas.
May 20, 2017 7:27 AM Subscribe
I'm looking for some ideas for locations for a family vacation. We're looking at a week in June and a family of four (kiddos aged 3 & 6.) Our original plan was to go to Cape Charles, Virginia but we're finding lodging to be too expensive.
The main appeal of Cape Charles is the calm and non-crowded beaches. Add in the small-town feel and walkability to shopping, restaurants, etc, and it seemed like a great fit. I've looked at vrbo, redweek, airbnb and others and reached out to a vacation rental realtor and can't find anything in the $1K range for the week. I presume this is due to the increased popularity of the area as a vacation spot over the past few years and the fact that we're going in June.
So, any other ideas of places out there with a calm, non-crowded beach on the east coast that would be fun for a laid back family vacation? I'm researching OuterBanks now, but literally know nothing about it. Side note, we're going to drive there and are coming from St. Louis, so places like South Florida or Maine are out.
Also willing to hear that I'm completely delusional and my expectations are impossible. :-)
The main appeal of Cape Charles is the calm and non-crowded beaches. Add in the small-town feel and walkability to shopping, restaurants, etc, and it seemed like a great fit. I've looked at vrbo, redweek, airbnb and others and reached out to a vacation rental realtor and can't find anything in the $1K range for the week. I presume this is due to the increased popularity of the area as a vacation spot over the past few years and the fact that we're going in June.
So, any other ideas of places out there with a calm, non-crowded beach on the east coast that would be fun for a laid back family vacation? I'm researching OuterBanks now, but literally know nothing about it. Side note, we're going to drive there and are coming from St. Louis, so places like South Florida or Maine are out.
Also willing to hear that I'm completely delusional and my expectations are impossible. :-)
Is your heart set on the coast? Would a reasonable alternative be a larger lake?
posted by vignettist at 7:42 AM on May 20, 2017
posted by vignettist at 7:42 AM on May 20, 2017
Response by poster: Is your heart set on the coast? Would a reasonable alternative be a larger lake?
Everyone is pretty set on the coast... If it's really unattainable, then we'd look toward something like the great lakes.
posted by Jacob G at 7:47 AM on May 20, 2017
Everyone is pretty set on the coast... If it's really unattainable, then we'd look toward something like the great lakes.
posted by Jacob G at 7:47 AM on May 20, 2017
Google says you are looking at about a 14 hour drive to the east coast, which gives you a massive range of options from Galveston, tx in the SW and all of the gulf coast, to most of the east coast.
The beaches in the Florida panhandle are p retty nice. Id avoid Destin and Pensacola, but that still leaves a ton of smaller towns with equally lovely beaches.
Amelia island, Florida is another good option, though it may involve a little driving to see all the cool things like the fort.
I'm kid-free, so this could be something that you factored into your calculations, but a 10-16 hour drive with two small children sounds like a nightmare to me. When distance driving, I automatically add at least two hours to Google's times, for gas and food breaks/traffic, etc.
It's possible to get up at 6am and drive 14 hours straight, but it is NOT fun. Having a spare driver to split the burden can help, but that still means each of yall are driving 7 hours.
12 hours is about my cutoff for a drive I can do by myself in a day. More is definitely possible and I've done it, but it does start to get brain-hurty after a while.
posted by Jacen at 8:12 AM on May 20, 2017
The beaches in the Florida panhandle are p retty nice. Id avoid Destin and Pensacola, but that still leaves a ton of smaller towns with equally lovely beaches.
Amelia island, Florida is another good option, though it may involve a little driving to see all the cool things like the fort.
I'm kid-free, so this could be something that you factored into your calculations, but a 10-16 hour drive with two small children sounds like a nightmare to me. When distance driving, I automatically add at least two hours to Google's times, for gas and food breaks/traffic, etc.
It's possible to get up at 6am and drive 14 hours straight, but it is NOT fun. Having a spare driver to split the burden can help, but that still means each of yall are driving 7 hours.
12 hours is about my cutoff for a drive I can do by myself in a day. More is definitely possible and I've done it, but it does start to get brain-hurty after a while.
posted by Jacen at 8:12 AM on May 20, 2017
We just spent four days in Sanibel, FL with our toddler and it was quite pleasant in all of those ways. I didn't price out June dates but we stayed at a resort (Sundial) for well under a grand.
posted by teremala at 10:18 AM on May 20, 2017
posted by teremala at 10:18 AM on May 20, 2017
I would rethink this plan and aim for the FL Gulf Coast. It's way, way more in your price range and the drive is shorter.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:20 PM on May 20, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 1:20 PM on May 20, 2017 [2 favorites]
Jekyll Island, Georgia has the features you want but may not be the price point. When our kids were your age we went there a bunch of times and loved it every time. Very laid back, super nice beaches with shallow water, lots of families. It's hot in summer but if you stay on the ocean side, there is a beautiful breeze.
posted by bluesky43 at 2:08 PM on May 20, 2017
posted by bluesky43 at 2:08 PM on May 20, 2017
Response by poster: Thanks for the guidance everyone! We ended up finding a nice villa in our price range right off the beach at Hilton Head and have a place to crash and give the kiddos a break in ATL on the way down.
posted by Jacob G at 11:27 AM on May 31, 2017
posted by Jacob G at 11:27 AM on May 31, 2017
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posted by rabbitrabbit at 7:39 AM on May 20, 2017