Ideas for Northwest Vacation

Long Beach is a great place to go-we've been there many times with the kids. There are some great little shops, cafe's, kiddie rides, etc. downtown (you could make a whole day of just that) and of course the beach. You can drive on part of the beach if you have an SUV type vehicle which is great if you have kids so you don't have to hike back to the bathroom. There are also at least 2 beautiful hiking trails that lead to lighthouses and AWESOME views. The hikes to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse are short but magnificient. If you went in Late August (we did this last year) it's the Kite Festival where you can see fireworks, light shows, and kite competitions on the beach. There is so much more to do than at ocean shores. If you want I can email you some personal pictures of our vacation last year so you can see what I'm talking about. Last year we tent camped and the times before we stayed at a place just outside of town that had a kitchen in the room and an indoor swimming pool and a playground for the kids. I would highly suggest you check it out and then go back again when your child is older so they can ride the kiddie rides. Let me know if you want pics. You can also check out Long Beach, WA on the internet. Have fun planning!
Oh I just saw you have a dog-the place we stayed is very dog friendly and dogs just love the beach.

When my son was young adn still to this day (he is 11) we head to Lake Chelan for a week. They have some great places to stay and many fun things to do. There is the water park which does have many slides and play areas for very small children. The town is small adn quaint with a great ice cream parlor. You can rent a boat or go to a few places with games. They are also close enough to take day trips to Levenworth and Wenatchee which are also great places. Good Luck.

A., my husband and I went to Long Beach, WA a few years ago and had a blast. It's on the coast, to the south. I would compare it to Ocean Shores, but not as crowded. We also went to Alta Lake last summer. Alta Lake is just north of Chelan, also much less crowded. This was a great camping trip and may be a better idea for that time of year; it should be warmer than the coast would be. Anyway, good luck and hope you have a great vacation.
L. =)

Hey A.
My husband and I stayed at Patterson Lake Cabins which is actually part of Sun Mountain Lodge just outside of Winthrop. The cabins are down the road from the lodge, but you have full use of the amenities of the lodge in addition to the cabins. I would recommend the cabins in the summer for kids. We stayed just the two of us, but when we were there we saw a ton of families with kids of all ages (actually it was almost all families). We hope to go back sometime after we have our first baby this summer. You are right on the lake so you have swimming there (plus paddle boats and canoes), or if you want to go up to use one of the pools at the lodge you can do that too. There were paths around the cabins so you could bring your daughter's bike/trike for her to ride around on. There is also a large grassy area (shaded) where I saw kids playing ball and where they had some BBQ areas. The cabins have full kitchens and bathrooms and there is coin laundry on site. They have a special dinner/breakfast we saw leaving from the lodge in a covered wagon geared toward families. It looked like a lot of fun. Here's the link....it's several hours out of Seattle so that may be a drawback, but we loved it. We wished we'd had more time there. If you have a AAA membership that will save you some money as well.....here's the link.
http://www.pattersonlakecabins.com/

How about Leavenworth? You could rent a little cabin.

Hi Angie,

We love going to the vancouver BC area- Right across the border is a small town called White Rock, there is a great beach area there with a really long paved walking path (Great for the stroller).
It is a 2 hour drive form North Seattle- not includong border crossing. We usually go across the border on a weekday and have never waited more than 30 minutes- but we have heard horror stories- make sure you bring birth certificates for the kids and yoursleves along with both of your drivers licenses. I have a passport so I just bring that. thye are really strict about birth certificates for the kids, there was some problem a few years ago about someone trying to smugggle a child across the border.
By staying there you are also an hour or so from Vancouver where there is tons of stuff to do- there is a great science center there- lots of parks- the local community swimming pools are amazing- in the town of surrey they have a community center called "the Newton Wave pool" that is fabulous. their outdoors parks and playgrounds are full of water features designed for smalller children.

We have gone there every year for the last seven years nad hve not gotten bored yet- We have a seen year old and a 4 year old. the first time we went there our seven year old was 3 months old- The drivei s not too far- the ammenities are great. the day trip options are endless.

We have not done a lot of the typical touristy things- we have gone to a lot of their city parks and just hung out with the kids and relaxed.

we alost always stay at beswtesterns (becasue i am a gold crown member) the rates are pretty reasonable.

We like the one in White Rock, Abbotsford, Port Coquitlam, and Downtown Vancouver, We did not like the one in Burnaby or the one called Chateau Granville.

If you would like any more info email me and I will be gald to pass it on.

M.