Vacation Idea's

My mom and I just went to Page Az. There is Lake Powell up there and we went through Antelope Canyon Which was really fun. The Days Inn was a nice hotel with a small continental breakfast. Everything is within 10-20 mins from the hotel.

Red River New Mexico is very family friendly. It is about 40 miles north of Taos and can be reached in a long one day drive from Tucson. Beautiful little town with shops, dining, and grocery store all within walking distance of your hotel or cabin. It is in the mountains and is nice and cool. There is hiking, horse back riding, surreys that you can rent, etc.... We spent a week there with my entire family ages 2 to 65 and there was something for everyone. Have a great trip whatever you decide.

There is an awesome water park in Texas! It has a funny name, Schlitterbahn. www.schlitterbahn.com It has to be seen to be believed. I watched a special on it on the travel channel, and can't wait til our daughter is old enough to enjoy it! Miles of tube chutes, endless rivers, uphill water coasters, waves for surfing, splashing, and relaxing playgrounds, etc. There are actually three of these parks in Texas, so one has to be close enough to enjoy and then also hit Sea World or some other amusement park!!

Hi D.,

With such a short time frame, I would look into North Eastern Az, or Northern New Mexico. If your family likes horseback riding, hiking, and exploring the great outdoors, it is very beautiful up there. Make sure you research camp grounds to see if they require reservations if you camp.
If you want the beach, Rocky Point Mexico is alot of fun too. And it's only about 4 hours drive time. I don't believe you need your passports to Rocky Point, but check it out first. There are quite a few really nice hotels or condos to rent right on the beach. It's a fun and casual atmosphere. It will be hot there in July though.
Good luck and have fun.

When i was searching for different stuff to do we found a place up north in AZ. Its a ranch, you have a cabin and then they have all kinds of activities that are included, horse back riding, hiking, archery, and more. Near the white mountains........ check www.travelzoo.com......... it was mentioned with a bunch of places that was considered "room with a zoo" ........... cant remember the exact site it was, but i was searching for "aquarium in AZ" or "zoo in AZ" if i find the site i will let you know. Sounded really neat when reading what they had to offer. Good Luck!!
A. T

I don't have a specific idea, but Colorado is beautiful. There are lot's of fun things to do all over colorado. Aurora is beautiful. I'm sure the state has it's own site with ideas and Colorado is a bit cooler...

Have fun wherever you go!

Hi D.,
We live in SW Colorado (Durango) about an 8 hour drive from Phoenix. We love it here. Its a great vacation destination...we live in Phoenix for 14 years before moving here and vacationed here for that time. If your girls like outdoorsy stuff, there's white water rafting, jeeping, atv tours, Mesa Verde, Chimney Rock, and 3 hours east is the Great Sand Dunes National Park and 3 hours west is Canyon Lands and Arches National Park. Check it out. This place is a blast.
K.

Yellowstone Park was the best trip we ever took. you can rent a home and follow our whole trip planner if you want.
My kids were 9 and 5 when we went and it was awesome. horse-back riding, river rafting , sight seeing to all the falls.
We flew into Utah which was WAY cheaper and drove 4 hours to the boarder of Montana. stayed in a cottage there and it was 5 miles to the West Yellowstone Park enterance.
I would budget $3500 for the trip for 6 days. They have museums and a bear zoo near by. It was a great trip.

JUST READ your time frame. SORRY. Okay : Colorado Silverton/durango train ride. 9 hr drive, ride the train the next day and sight see the 3rd day and then on the 4th day, you drive home. AWESOME Trip.
Chama NM has a great sceneic train ride as well, but it takes 12-14 hours to drive there.

I was 15 when I first went to Colorado and it was by far the best vacation that I ever had!!! I asked to go back for my 16th birthday and we went again when I graduated from high school!

We camped while in Colorado, but there are plenty of hotels to stay in as well. We stayed in Durango and camped at the KOA, went rafting down the river, took a breakfast horseback ride and drove to Silverton for the day. We also found a wonderful campground between Durango and Silverton called Molas Lake, that I adored. We also drove up to the Rocky Mountains on one of the trips and stayed at a bed and breakfast at Grand Lake.

Since you only have four days, I definitely would recommend Durango. It is closer and there is a lot to do. There is also the train that goes from Durango to Silverton, but we never did that. We toured the Indian ruins in Mesa Verde, as well! Great time. Great experiences and your daughters are the perfect ages!

I see you posted this a last week, but I wanted to add just in case you hadn't made a decision yet. Have you considered taking a 3-4 day cruise. The prices include meals and there is always something for every age catagory to do. You and your husband can get alone time along with spend family time together and they have plenty of shows and teenager stuff to do. Carnival is the most affordable. Good luck and I hope this helps..

I agree- Durango is awesome- I grew up there. Also, Red River is SO cute... can't wait to go back.

A little closer.... Flagstaff is great... it reminds me so much of home (durango). The air is cool and there are a lot of local activities for those on a budget.... of course, no theme parks like CA- bummer!
Oceanside is one of our favorite places in CA- not too far, but not as populated as LA and San Diego... we like to go there, enjoy the quiet and the beach, then hit Seaport Village in San Diego on the way home.
Have fun wherever you go and kuddos to you for escaping the heat!