How about some good ideas for us to go on vacation. Read on for the areas we're interested in.?

Question

OK. We live in central Florida. Don't want the panhandle or Miami or the east coast - so, o.k., Florida's *probably* out, unless you know the coolest place ever. We're in our 30s and 40s with 2 young children. I want to take the train. I'm open to places in Georgia, NC, SC, VA, WV and TN.

If you had 4 days to go somewhere in those areas with a couple of kids that would still be mom and dad friendly, where would you go? The autotrain is an option for us, so we don't have to have an Amtrak destination (but it helps if it's not more than an hour or so from a station).

Answer 1

This is different for most families.....but if you have never been....go.....been to Carlsbad Caverns when younger(look at link below). Will go back soon as my kids are young....we have been to Disney and will go back when they are way older.....been to amusement parks....beaches....camping......

http://www.cavern.com/caves.htm

Some are even nearby where you live.....there is one in northwest Virginia which looked like it was neat.

Answer 2

I'm from NC, so I'm a little biased, but when I was a kid my parents took my brother and I to the North Carolina mountains and it is the only vacation from my childhood that I really remember as being awesome. The Asheville area is really nice, their official site is http://www.exploreasheville.com/ and from Asheville you can get to tons of different attractions.

I remember that Tweetsie Railroad was really exciting, with a train ride that has actors act out a cowboy and Indian type adventure during the ride. Grandfather Mountain is also cool, and the mile high bridge has beautiful views. There are also a ton of animals at the Grandfather Mountain park, including black bears that sit around all day and catch peanuts you can buy to feed them. Linville Caverns is near Asheville also, and i went back there last year and still had a blast walking underground in caves.

Also, if you are taking the train just because it sounds fun, research it a little more. My family took an amtrack train to Washington DC last summer and it took us an extra 5 hours to get there because the tracks got so hot (as I'm sure they would be now) that the train could only go at half of the normal speed (i have no idea why). It wasn't fun at all, meant that we had less time to spend in DC, and none of the kids on the train seemed happy at all.

And finally, i just got back from Myrtle Beach (it was mentioned in another answer) and it is extremely crowded (we waited almost 2 hours to eat one night) and highly overrated. The beaches are REALLY crowded where the hotels are (we stay in Garden City, below Myrtle, and rent a house). It is a fun place to go in the off season, or when you can plan ahead and not stay in a packed hotel. (Tons of other North and South Carolina beaches are less flashy and really beautiful, such as Atlantic Beach, Holden Beach, and the Outer Banks)

ps - sorry if the answer is so long \-this is my first time answering :-)

Answer 3

Savannah, GA...plenty of fun touristy, historical, fun things to do....
walking tours, trollet rides, horse drawn rides, tybee island for the beach, dolphin river tours, good restaurants, parks

Answer 4

you can go to myrtle beach sc book here for great rates http://www.gogowwv.com username is [e-mail] password is 0128888 "price and book your vacation"