I posted this yesterday and got no responses. I think it might have gotten lost in the shuffle. So I apologize for the second post if you've already read it!
We live in Tulsa and have a 13 month old. We're looking to take a 5 to 7 day vacation somewhere. We will not be bringing a babysitter along, so it will either need to be somehwere we can take DS to everything, or it will need to have babysitting options (so if, for example, we went to Branson, my husband and I could catch a show; or, at a resort, we could have an evening meal alone).
We're open to places near or in Oklahoma, but we are also open to trips anywhere in the US, including kid friendly resorts.
Does anyone have suggestions? And has anyone had experience with a resort that was child friendly, where you had a good experience and it didn't break the bank?
how far are you from Minnesota? it's a beautiful place. mall of america, zoo, theme parks, aquarium, museums (we liked the dinosaur one). with a good stroller you can visit any of those places. there are also many lakes. lots of possibilities there. St. Louis, MO, has a free zoo and the Arch is interesting.
How about Indianapolis! We have a great zoo, lots of great museums, the Indy 500 museum......Great girls basketball and nice people too!! If you like Football and you are coming around the time of camp, Anderson is only about an hour away and you can do that as well.
What you need to do is figure out a state, go to the internet, chamber of Commerce and see what they have.
Also, if you are or know someone who is a AAA member, got get some tour guides for some states and take it from there.
And I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned Disneyland or Disney world.........They are in Florida and CA.........obviously kid friendly.
I also typed in this in google Kid friendly vacations And it brought up a bunch of things included how to travel.............so enjoy and have a great vacation.
It doesn't matter where I look to travel it always ends up costing $800-$1200 for only 4 days. Hotels are outrageous, gas is too, then there's food and entertainment. I was hoping for a 4 day trip to San Antonio to Sea World/Alamo - hotel and Sea World alone were going to be around 700.00 (that was on the low end if we wanted to stay at a decent hotel - not a Comfort Inn or such) - that didn't include gas, parking (15.00-24.00 a day), food and doing anything else.
Saying that, I'm not sure what breaking the bank means to you. The Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine Texas is an indoor waterpark/hotel. It is very nice, completely catering to families. I have never heard any bad things about it. But it does cost around 300-400 a day. A trip to Sea World seems to be a good option too (we just can't afford it right now). I did find a nice hotel that was cheaper for us to stay, but it had no amenities (like a pool/restaurant) - the cost was down to 500.00 for hotel and Sea World.
As far as the babysitter issues, I would never, never trust a hotel/resort to watch my child - that is the equivalent to handing your child over to a stranger and walking away. What training do the people have, what certifications do they have (CPR etc), have they had a background check, are they teenagers? Be careful and do your research when choosing that amenity.
I hope you find something that works for you! Have a good summer.
I'm just throwing out some ideas, with having a small child I would look for places that she would enjoy as well as the two of you. Zoos are always a good choice, also if there are some Aquarium. There are also some places that have kids museums. There is all of that in Dallas/Fort Worth Texas if you wanted to also be HOT. I'm sure other big cities might have all that too. I know Chicago has a lot too offer, plus the Navy Pier, that would be fun.
