I'm back! Vacay question

jcieply

I haven't wrote in forever! Last I wrote I was pregnant with number 2 and on my death bed with HG. Well miss Penelope was born in April and Annabelle is doing great! I'll attach pics. I need some help from you ladies though! I'm planning a vacation with the girls and my husband. (Age 33 months and 14 months at the time ) we are thinking florida or possible Carolina's. What I want is something on the beach (in June) near some parks with playground, close restaurants, and maybe an aquarium, children's museums, waterpark or splash pad would be fantastic too! Any ideas on where to go?! Thanks!

jcieply

Here's the girls

BeebopandBuddy

Have you looked at Outer Banks, NC?  There are a lot of places and they tend to be pretty family-friendly.

hmp1

I'm a sucker for the white beaches on the Gulf - Panama City Beach and surrounding areas. We usually go there and rent a beach house with a pool or pool access, off the main strip but get to do all the fun PCB things as well. Or Sandestin. I think we are going to try out Orange Beach in Alabama next.

MrsKipper

I'm from the beach area in SC! Myrtle Beach is always a trusty go-to. It's way touristy, but you're guaranteed stuff to do. If you want somewhere less flashy, but still fun, you can try Charleston or Hilton Head. They're both beautiful and more low key. There are a lot of historic places in Charleston that are very interesting to visit.

I'm not as familiar with NC beaches, but I've been to Wilmington, Southport area and the Outer Banks. You'll probably have more to do at the Outer Banks than the other two, but Southport is such a cute and quaint little town!

kdsmith43

hmp1 said:

I'm a sucker for the white beaches on the Gulf - Panama City Beach and surrounding areas. We usually go there and rent a beach house with a pool or pool access, off the main strip but get to do all the fun PCB things as well. Or Sandestin. I think we are going to try out Orange Beach in Alabama next.

Same as HMP. Also, crazy that you say that because we have gone to PCB every year for as long as I can remember but we are going to check out Orange Beach this year too!! 

Where are you located?

MrsKipper

harti09 said:

Folly Beach, SC is an awesome spot. My parents have a home there and it has such a cool, laid back vibe. It's 10 minutes to drive into Charleston to do all the fun things there. They have an aquarium and lots of parks. There's a fenced in playground on Folly that is really nice when herding two littles. 

The town is very family friendly and the beach itself is often littered with tide pools, making the perfect spot for toddlers to splash.

I've been all up and down the Carolina coast, but Folly is my favorite beach. 

DH proposed to me on Folly, so it holds an extra special place in my heart!

kelbel527

hmp1 said:

I'm a sucker for the white beaches on the Gulf - Panama City Beach and surrounding areas. We usually go there and rent a beach house with a pool or pool access, off the main strip but get to do all the fun PCB things as well. Or Sandestin. I think we are going to try out Orange Beach in Alabama next.

I was going to recommend PCB area as well.  Thanks to HMP's recommendation we stayed at Carillon beach in 2013 when DS1 was 3 1/2 and DS2 was just under 1.  The boys loved the beach.  The Carillon beach community had a playground and a few pools that we were able to use.  It was great to be able to switch it up with the kids when we didn't want to do the beach and by renting a home it was a lot more kid-friendly at meal time.  

No matter where you go, I love the relaxing beach vacation for kids at this age, especially renting a house.  It's nice to be able to go at your own pace and stay somewhere for as long or as short as you want.  And being in the water always tires the kids out!

watercolor5

We used homeaway.com to find a really nice resort on hilton head.  It was great cause in addition to the beach the resort had indoor/outdoor pools/hot tub and the condo with multiple bedrooms and a kitchen was way more conducive to good eating and sleep with a baby and a toddler.  We had a great time there though!

If you have your heart set on the aquarium, there's one on myrtle beach, where we've also stayed and had a great time.  I think I preferred hilton head though.

jcieply

Thanks ladies! I have been researching and have come across marco island near Tampa . Anyone ever been?