vacation ideas

You asked for my opinion so I gave it.

We took a few long range camping trips as you described with 2 daughter's and a son. We learned taking the camper on a 2 week vacation was an option, not a requirement. It's not always the best choice for everyone or every trip. We started limiting the camper to Hill Country and beaches, keeping it under 400 miles.

You said you would love to take the kid's to CO but it is too far to drag the camper. I agree. We live south of Houston and I would not load up the family and go that far with the camper. We drove there once without the camper to realize that wasn't very much fun either. So I offered you our solution. We Flew after that. We flew to places like NYC, Outer Banks, Acapulco, Toronto, The Bahamas, ect. as well. This gave the kid's opportunities to discover places out of camper range.

Not pushing a cruise but it is a family vacation. The kids always wanted to cruise. They had a blast every time and so did the wife. The only decision to make is what ship to get on and what excursions to do. The rest is taken care of.

Given your time constraint of 9 hours, I'd chose Memphis. Obviously, it's a city of interest to all ages, and many nice campgrounds.

2112: the cruise type vacations are for the wife and I. we usually take the kids on a family vacation and every other year just the two of us go on a vacation to "get away" from everything. we like to use the camper, not because its cheaper, but because its "home". no dragging around suitcases, and living off of fast food, and restaurant food. Im not saying we don't eat out, because we do, but for the most part I grill and cook on the camping vacations. I can sit outside and enjoy a pot of coffee in the peaceful mornings, and not have to go somewhere to get more than one cup of coffee. to be honest, it usually costs more to pull the trailer and stay at a decent+ rv park. 30+ mpg in the wifes car vs 12mpg or less pulling the camper is a big expense when traveling.

We alternated between FLYING to Denver, renting a car and discovering the Rockies for two weeks and taking a 7 day cruise each year. Do yourself a favor and leave the camper at home. It's too hot around here.

7 day cruises are made for moms. She only packs once, doesn't have to worry about feeding and amusing the kid's. A cruise is Moms Vacation. My wife was not too excited about taking our first cruise but about half way through it she realized SHE was truly on vacation for the first time. We have done nine more since then, the last two without the kids.

4runnerguy: thanks for the info.
I do like the idea of Colorado, and the mountain streams. I think that is what we are looking for, something that is not planned every day like Disney was. I have even thought of packing the trailer and letting the kids pick a direction to travel. Just make it an adventure! lol not knowing where the final destination is, just drive and stop when and where we want to. my only issue with that is finding campgrounds to stay at. I don't like to stay at rundown little places where someone has to stand guard all night. I would rather pay a little more and have a level(sometimes) camp site and a little security. I am not against staying at walmart or other places of business overnight while traveling. we had planned on doing that for our Disney trip but my onboard generator crapped out on me a couple of months prior to the trip.
I have thought about an Arkansas/Missouri trip as well. when I was a kid we traveled AR most of the time. I still have a few memories of us pulling the pop up thru the mountains, looking out the truck and seeing the edge of the cliff right out the window!
2gypsies: thanks for the link to the perfect family vacation.
there are a lot of good ideas here, I am glad we have 5 months to think about it more. Maybe like I said, we just need to pack up and head out for an "adventure of a lifetime"

Wow! You get 5 weeks of vacation. You really need to give those kids a cool mountain experience and a change of scenery. It sounds like they haven't even been to one of the awesome national parks in the west.

Would it help if you let them rotate to the front seat and have your wife sit between them in the back? Have them participate and do the planning. Then perhaps they would anticipate it more.

Here's an excellent post of a #1 family vacation which might give you some ideas:

The Perfect Family Trip

Hot Springs Arkansas has lots to see and do or it can be relaxing. We like Lake Catherine State Park or Catherine's Landing RV Park. Duck Boats, Mountain Tower, tour old bathhouse, small gangster museum.
Crater of Diamonds State Park where you can dig for diamonds (we never found any but it was fun to try). Blanchard Springs Caverns. Petit Jean Mountain.
Hiking, Mountain Biking, Kayaking, Horseback Riding available at some Arkansas State Parks.

I'm going to add my vote for a trip to CO. Unlike anywhere you've listed where you've travelled. The kids will be awestruck by what they see. My pick for teens is the Salida area. Our teenage nieces were born and live near Vail. They ski, hike, mountain bike, etc. in that area, yet Salida may be their favorite summer time camping area. Great rafting, ghost towns, jeep rentals, biking, etc. etc. This is one of those trips your kids will always remember, and they deserve just such an experience. You can get to Salida by taking US 50 out of Pueblo and you won't have to go over any mountain passes. Several hours closer than Durango.

The secret to taking longer trips is to find interesting stops midway coming and going. How about Red Rock Canyon SP in OK? Cool little area with a pool to play in and rocks to climb. Or Palo Duro Canyon SP. If you do the route through Amarillo, Capulin Mountain Volcanic Park is just off the highway and a good way to break up the trip.

If you just can't bring yourself to make that trip, how about NW Arkansas? Plenty of COE CG's around some great lakes. Beside the usual water activities, there's Hot Springs NP, Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville (free and worth a whole day), Pea Ridge National Military Park (important Civil War Battlefield), and Blanchard Springs Cavern (probably the most pristine cave I've even been in). The Talimena Scenic Drive get you up high for some great views. Garvin Woodland Gardens near Hot Springs has trails winding through their flowers.

I know I'm biased, but I'd still opt to let the kids see Colorado!

boatms03 wrote:
my wife is closterfobic (sp?) and said she wont go on a cruise.

I, too, am severely claustrophobic, but we just love to cruise. Get a balcony room or even an ocean view room and you should have absolutely no problem.

The Diamond Crater State Park in Arkansas

Davis Mountains State Park, the old fort plus McDonald's Observatory with tours of the BIG telescopes and a star party at the visitor center (look up McDonalds's on the internet for times and more info)
Then go down to Marfa and spend the night at the Mystery Lights rest area. Very cool. The lights do exist.