Best Place to Vacation With My 1 yr Old DD

cmhawkins1709 · February 2014

It has been five years since DH and I have been on vacation. We want to go! I of course would not, COULD not leave DD at home with Mamaw...where are some affordable, family friendly places to vacation with her? We'd love to go to a beach. The only problem? Not so sure our vehicles would make it down there. Nor do I know which beaches are most affordable. We would want a beach with calmer, clear waters. We'd be leaving about mid May for about 5 nights, most likely. Any suggestions. Experiences? Thoughts?

SunAndRain · February 2014

We spent a week in La Jolla. $1700 for the house we rented through vrbo.com. Saved money by not eating out three meals per day. Amazing week. So much to do!

We're going to port aransas near corpus this summer. It is near SIL... Otherwise I wouldn't have chosen Texas beaches.

Also Maui when DD was 10 mo old but I'm guessing that is over budget?

I googled toddler friendly beaches. You might try that too

shannm · February 2014

Where are you? How far are you willing to drive?

cmhawkins1709 · February 2014

We live in KY. Thought about flying, but we never have before...

shannm · February 2014

Depends on how much you want to spend.

If you can afford to fly but haven't traveled abroad before, the all inclusive resorts like Beaches are good for beginners traveling to the Caribbean but are going to cost several thousand after airfare. The beaches are fantastic though.

On the more affordable side, looks like you would be about a nine hour drive from several east coast beaches. I am most familiar with Virginia beach which is very family friendly and has a nice range of different types of accommodations for all budgets. The beach is nice, there is a nice boardwalk, good playgrounds on the beach….

If you don't want to depend on your car, how about looking into a weekly rental? I bet you could get something for a couple of hundred bucks and take that stress out of it.

You could do further south too and that might be warmer but I am not as familiar with those areas.

cmrand4 · February 2014

We are seriously considering Cannon Beach this summer in Oregon. There are hotels steps from the beach. When not on the beach we plan to visit the aquarium, lighthouses, giant sequoia tree and do some short scenic hikes. Wander in some state parks, have picnics and just have a slow pace to enjoy family time.

LSU628 · February 2014

We go the Gulf coast every summer with the kids. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, AL tend to be more budget friendly. The water gets better/clearer the close to the FL panahandle. We've stayed in Navarre (smaller, less restaurants, but less crowded beaches), Ft Walton and Destin. All of the areas are very family friendly, beautiful beaches, and not so bad on the budget, especially if you go before Memorial Day or after Labor Day. We go in October and the water is still warm enough to play.

brachysira · February 2014

Perhaps this is not what you have in mind, but you could visit some caves and find some great camping in KY. Go to Appalachia National Park and the associated tourist stuff there. Probably less expensive and some closer than beaches.

cmhawkins1709 · February 2014

Thanks for all the great suggestions, ladies. We are currently seriously considering Coligny Beach at the outer banks, or Cincinnatti Zoo and Newport Aquarium. The latter would probably definitely be the most affordable avenue.

ashiscute · February 2014

cmhawkins1709 said:

Thanks for all the great suggestions, ladies. We are currently seriously considering Coligny Beach at the outer banks, or Cincinnatti Zoo and Newport Aquarium. The latter would probably definitely be the most affordable avenue.

I actually live in Northern Kentucky right outside of Cincinnati and there is tons for LOs to do here. I have a 3 yo and 1 yo and there's always things going on in the warmer months. The zoo is great as is the aquarium. There is a museum center that has 3 different museums which all have stuff for LOs. There are also lots of parks right around the city.

Jackiemxoxo · February 2014

I was gonna suggest a rental in the Outer Banks, NC. It is very family friendly and lots of stuff to do in the summer. I am 2 hours from there and love it for getaway. You have the beach, mini golf, manteo aquarium, wild horse tours at corolla, and the outlets.

wenawinter · February 2014

I've been going to OBX, NC for the past 11 summers and love it there! This will be our 2nd time there with DD, she will be 23 months when we go, last year she was almost 1 and we had a great time. It's very relaxed there, and the beaches are huge (and free!) and the houses are so nice. Our house had a pool & hottub so we stayed home alot and DD loved swimming.

this decaf life · March 2014

The beach with DD is a nightmare. She just gets too bored, she does a lot better sightseeing with us than trying to relax.

cbb722 · March 2014

They Jersey shore is our go to! - You could fly into atlantic city/philadelphia. Philly is only about 1/5 hours from Ocean City/Sea Isle which are very family-friendly towns. I presonally love Cape May. There is a zoo, victorian homes/B&B and awesome restaurants.

How old is the LO? Some airlines offer babies under 2 to fly free.

Hope this helps too.

Emjayquid · March 2014

I'm a newbie and RARELY post but i actually live in the outer banks and i have a 16 month old and we LOVE the summer time here. like the other posts said beaches are great and don't get overly crowded. The rental homes are reasonable and most have pools. Many are right on the beach too for quick access when your LO needs a nap or even a break. We've been to the aquarium a few times. There are also places that rent beach umbrellas,chairs, strollers, and bikes. I think someone else suggested but buying groceries and cooking at the house instead of eating out is a great money saver. There are also plenty of things within walking distance or biking distance so you wont have to spend a ton on gas driving from place to place.

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