Summer vacation suggestions with college & HS kids (non-Disney)

[Hopscotch]

Trying to plan a summer vacation with my 3 kids, 2 are in college and one is in HS. Problem is that all of their summer work/internship plans are up in the air so it's going to have to be a somewhat last-minute trip once we sort out everyone's calendars. We are from MA. Really open to anything fun where they are not sitting around on their phones. Everyone has a passport but we don't have $15-20k to spend in Europe. We love adventurous trips but DD just had a bad injury. Open to all-inclusives, national parks, cities, beaches, really anything. DD doesn't love the heat but would be okay if it's hot and a beach/pool location. Budget is around $7k-ish but could go higher. Willing to fly or drive (have a good amount of SW points). Over the years we have done the Grand Canyon, Disney, Universal, Anna Maria Island, Mayan Riviera, Aruba, St John, Costa Rica, Turks & Caicos, San Antonio, and Hilton Head. Any ideas? Anyone ever get a great deal on a last-minute summer vacation that they would recommend?

 

[princesscinderella]

Mackinac island in Michigan? I have it on my list and its a place to unplug and unwind

 

[CdnCarrie]

Come up to Quebec - Montreal and Quebec City! Or go to the Atlantic provinces - PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick!

 

[CynBeth]

We have no kids but did Atlanta last summer and really enjoyed it. There is World of Coca Cola, Georgia Aquarium, Centennial Park, College Football Hall of Fame, the big Wheel, National Civil Rights Museum, botanical gardens, a few other museums, Delta Flight Center, Stone Mountain, and a baseball game. I am sure I missed something.

 

[xlsm]

Two of our favorite family trips have been Northern California and Colorado.

For California, we flew in to San Francisco and spent a couple of days before renting a car and driving north through the redwood forests. We stayed a few nights in Eureka and did day trips around the area to Willow Creek and farther north through the trees and along the coast, then we drove back south to San Francisco and spent a few more days there before flying home.

Last summer we drove ten hours to Denver, stayed overnight then headed to a cabin we rented outside of Estes Park in Allenspark. That cabin is now my favorite place on earth, I'd wake up and wrap myself in a blanket and take a cup of coffee out back to sit and listen to the river rushing by with mountains all around me. We spent a few days in Estes Park and in RMNP before driving to Glenwood Springs and going river rafting, then drove back toward the front range to Manitou Springs where we rented a victorian house through Airbnb. We took the train up Pikes Peak and a few other things around town and Colorado Springs, then drove home.

This summer we're headed to NYC for a week.

I hope you have a great trip no matter what you choose. Our youngest is graduating high school (our oldest graduated last year) and we know this may be the last big blow out trip we do all together where schedules line up, so I understand that aspect of your situation for sure!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Hilton Head Island

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Iceland, Montreal, Nova Scotia.

 

[HeatherC]

Some ideas: (we are from MA too).

Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park
White Mountains of NH (North Conway)
Montreal and Quebec
Southern Utah is amazing…could do the “Mighty 5” National Parks
Cruise (Royal Caribbeans large ships are our favorite)
Colorado has sooo much to do and is stunning.
Alaska.. could do a cruise here too.

 

[easyas123]

Come up to Quebec - Montreal and Quebec City! Or go to the Atlantic provinces - PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick!

Was going to suggest the same thing!

 

[scrapquitler]

Trying to plan a summer vacation with my 3 kids, 2 are in college and one is in HS. Problem is that all of their summer work/internship plans are up in the air so it's going to have to be a somewhat last-minute trip once we sort out everyone's calendars. We are from MA. Really open to anything fun where they are not sitting around on their phones. Everyone has a passport but we don't have $15-20k to spend in Europe. We love adventurous trips but DD just had a bad injury. Open to all-inclusives, national parks, cities, beaches, really anything. DD doesn't love the heat but would be okay if it's hot and a beach/pool location. Budget is around $7k-ish but could go higher. Willing to fly or drive (have a good amount of SW points). Over the years we have done the Grand Canyon, Disney, Universal, Anna Maria Island, Mayan Riviera, Aruba, St John, Costa Rica, Turks & Caicos, San Antonio, and Hilton Head. Any ideas? Anyone ever get a great deal on a last-minute summer vacation that they would recommend?

Rent a cottage at a lake in Maine or New Hampshire.

 

[rigs32]

How active to you want to be? How might the injury impact that?

What are your family's interests? Sports? Food? Theater? Theme parks? Nature? Beach time?

 

[Darcy03231]

Toronto - There's lots of things to see and do. We got a city pass and had a ball. We also did a ghost tour one evening, a lazy river tube ride (it was about an hour outside of Toronto), and Canada's Wonderland. There are lots of great restaurants too.

New Orleans is another great city to explore, but there's no way I would go there in the summer!

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Second the suggestion for Iceland!

Alaska, the Baltics, and Eastern Europe are my other suggestions. (I know you said Europe is pricy but I’m thinking Eastern Europe may be less so than the western side?)

 

[lorimt]

Both Colorado and Alaska are great in the summer. Alaska may be hard to plan last minute because there won't be many places left to stay but we did last minute to Breckenridge last year and it worked out great.

 

[Frwinkley]

Quebec City! Driveable from MA, thus increasing your flexibility. Cooler temps also. You could add Ottawa and Montreal as well. Cooler weather also.

The Utah Mighty 5 is awesome, but requires a bit more planning.

 

[holden]

Banff/Lake Louise is my favorite vacation of all time. Absolutely beautiful and gorgeous weather in summer.

We also enjoyed Colorado Springs - Pikes Peak, Dinosaur Ridge, Hidee Gold Mine...so many things to see and do!

 

[mrs. magoo]

My kids are college aged or just graduated. We have had to plan vacations around work and sports schedules for years. We have been limited to just 1 or 2 weeks a year. Their favorite trips in the past years have been the 4 night cruise (I had 3 who were able to drink so they had a blast - they have so many inside jokes about the cruise and the night club) and disney add on and the trip to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Lower Antelope - this was such a different trip for us. They loved it. Was it hot yes but we hung by the pool during the afternoon and headed back to the parks at night. They also loved the week at the cottage in the Adirondacks. They had no cell service so they were forced to talk to each other and play board games - priceless memories there. We are headed to Williamsburg this summer since we had to pull it together last minute and we needed to have flexibility for the many different schedules we have to work around. Good Luck ...

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Have you done Williamsburg VA? You can easily tack on some college visits or a DC trip for the second half.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Come up to Quebec - Montreal and Quebec City! Or go to the Atlantic provinces - PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick!

This was my first thought, too. DD did a summer study program in Quebec City and loved it, and also visiting Montreal.

 

[sam_gordon]

My thoughts...

Cruise
New York City
Washington, DC