Traveling with Littles

By Alison Stoner

At the end of May, my family took a trip to Outer Banks, North Carolina. While we were there, I did a fun day-in-the-life-of vacation edition on our social media account. Taking you all along with us for the day led to many questions about how I vacation with my family of six. Last month I shared with you my tips for vacationing on a budget, but I thought a great follow-up to that post would be our favorite family-friendly destinations. We haven’t gone on a ton of adventures (yet), but there are definitely a few that stand out more than the others, and perhaps sharing our experiences with you will inspire you to start planning a family trip of your own!

Stoner Family Top Five Vacation Destinations

Number 5: The Michigan Upper Peninsula

We have gone to the Upper Peninsula (UP) a few times since having children with the kids at various different ages, and each time, there was so much to see and do - even with littles. The UP is a great location for families who love nature walks, water fun, history, and rock hunting. Driving over the Mackinac Bridge into the UP is something my kids talk about all the time, and is probably the highlight of their trips up north!  If you’re going to plan a trip to the UP, visiting Lake Superior is a must. It is definitely cold, but if your kids love to swim (mine are little fish) they won’t mind at all! The coast line of Lake Superior is gorgeous - the sunsets are breathtaking, the water is blue (and in parts blue-green), and in my opinion, it’s the most relaxing of the great lakes. Other sites to see include Tahquamenon Falls, the locks of Sault Ste. Marie, the Pictured Rocks, the natural freshwater spring at Kitch-iti-kipi, and Oswald’s Bear Ranch. If you have room for it within your budget, visiting Mackinac Island is also such a memorable trip! Your kids will never forget the time they took a “massive” boat to an island that had NO CARS and people still get around by horses!

Upper Peninsula, Michigan

Number 4: Hocking Hills, Ohio

Last year we got to go on a fun trip with the Dankert family to Hocking Hills, Ohio. Hocking Hills had been on my radar for awhile, but my assumption was that it would be a lot of hiking and not family-friendly. I’m so glad Chelsey invited us to go along with her family because my assumptions were wrong! We had such a blast exploring the various trails at Hocking Hills State Park, and it was family-friendly, even with our toddlers! Highlights from our trip were Ash Cave, Rock House, and Cedar Falls. Visiting Hocking Hills was very affordable since there is no admission into the state park, and we doubled up on the cost of food and housing! The various sites are a bit spread out, and the drive through the hills is so lovely with lots of little valley farms.

Our crews in Hocking Hills, Ohio

Number 3: Michigan (and beyond!) Day Trips

I know not all of our readers are Michiganders, but my point here is to encourage you to not discount your own state and visit what is within reach. For so long I didn’t consider adventures to be a trip unless we stayed overnight somewhere, but family fun doesn’t have to be limited by any silly perimeters! A few day trips we have loved as southern Michiganders include South Haven (blueberry picking and swimming in Lake Michigan), The Ledges at Fitzgerald Park in Grand Ledge, Sauder Village (Ohio), Lake Erie at Sterling State Park, Warren Dunes State Park, and Fort Wayne Children's Zoo (Indiana).

The Ledges at Fitzgerald Park in Grand Ledge

Number 2: The Smoky Mountains

Full disclosure: my husband and I love the mountains and are training our children in the way they should go… That being said, we’ve taken them to the Smokies numerous times. It’s going to be tough to condense my favorite things in the Smoky Mountains into one paragraph, but I’ll give it my best shot!

Smoky Mountain National Park is a given. There is so much to explore within the national park, but Kuwoki (formerly Clingman’s Dome) is a must do. Kuwoki is the highest peak east of the Mississippi, and can be reached by a paved (yet steep) walkway. We ended up in the clouds and that was so fun! Cades Cove was also a fun spot within the Smoky Mountain National Park. While here we saw numerous black bears, a baby coyote, and a fox. Cades Cove is rich in history, and for the most part, you drive from spot to spot so walking doesn’t get overwhelming for little legs. Sliding Rock is a 60-foot natural water slide in the Psigah National Forest and is one of the most memorable things my older two kids have ever done! Get ready to overcome fears and plunge into freezing cold water!

Cave tours are plentiful in the Appalachian region and I highly recommend going on one if it fits your budget! We visited the Tuckaleechee Caverns when we were in Tennessee last summer and it was so fun! It’s a privately owned cavern and felt more “natural” and rustic than my other cavern experience (Luray Caverns).

When visiting the Smokies, we have stayed in both Gatlinburg, Tennessee and just outside of Asheville, North Carolina. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are definitely an experience, but they are also LOADED with tourist attractions. As a family who traveled on a budget, we decided on one tourist attraction and it was to Wonderworks. The stem-based museum was worth the money we spent because we were literally there all day and it was fun for everyone. It also checked off the rock climbing and ropes course wishes off the kids lists without an additional expense.

(Clearly I didn’t keep that one to a paragraph. Sorry not sorry. But if you want more information, I’m happy to talk about the smokies for hours!)

Cave tours are plentiful in the Appalachian region!

Number 1: Outer Banks, North Carolina

How could somewhere top the Smokies? I know, I asked myself the same question, but then I remembered this is a list of FAMILY vacations and not my personal favorites list. I put the Outer Banks as number one because it’s been the place we’ve visited with the most diversity of FREE activities to do. If you weren’t obsessed with Nicholas Sparks in your early 20s like I was, you may not have even heard of the Outer Banks, so I’ll bring you up to speed. The Outer Banks are a string of barrier islands along the coast of North Carolina - and clearly the perfect spot to fall in love (LOL!). If you’re planning a trip to the Outer Banks, we highly recommend a visit to the Wright Brothers National Monument, making as many stops as you possibly can along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and flying kites at Jockey Ridge State Park. Our favorite spot to swim was near Corolla, NC where we got to watch dolphins splash around for a good five minutes or so while we watched from the jelly-fish littered beach! This trip felt like luxury, but was probably one of the least expensive trips we’ve taken because we banked on the free, outdoor activities that were in the area.

Outer Banks, North Carolina

As I sat down to write this I thought it would be a quick little recommendations list, but as you can see, I get excited about family vacations! I used to think they were so out of reach for us (full transparency we are NOT rich), but over the last couple of years I have devoted a lot of time and research into figuring out how I can take my family on adventures without breaking our bank. Any time anyone wants to have a chit chat about planning a trip, I’d be happy to provide the coffee and my past experience!