It's that time of year when you sit down at the dining room table and start the same old argument with your significant other. The one I like to call "No, I don't wanna go there again. We went there laaaaast year." Ever notice that just TALKING about your family's summer road trip makes you sound like your kids when you're actually ON said road trip?
To borrow a classic phrase from my childhood or, well, Vanilla Ice, "stop, collaborate, and listen!" Throw out his list. Throw out your list. It's time to start fresh. I'm talking a list of family-friendly summer road trip destinations you've probably never heard of, but SHOULD visit:
Redwood National Park in California -- Home to the world's tallest trees.
The Woodstock Museum in Bethel, New York -- Home to the 1969 music festival that changed the world.
Gatorland in Orlando, Florida -- Who needs the big theme parks when you can visit the alligator capital of the world?
Lake Tahoe -- The spot where Nevada and California meet.
The Golden Gate in San Francisco, California -- The second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States.
Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota -- Exactly what the name describes, folks.
Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania -- A "kingdom" for kids, it's an amusement park.
Salem Witch Museum in Salem, Massachusetts -- Recounting the historic trials of so-called witches in the 1600s.
Fairyland in Oakland, California -- A 10-acre park that brings children's literature to life.
Flushing Meadows Park in Corona, Queens, New York -- You thought Manhattan? You thought wrong. This park has a zoo in the park, a carousel, and the New York Hall of Science.
Chincoteague Island, Virginia -- Land of the wild ponies.
Bedrock City in Williams, Arizona -- Lifesize model of the city of the Flintstones.
The Everglades, Florida -- Teeming with wildlife that can't be seen anywhere else.
Santa's Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire -- Where it's Christmas all year long.
EdVenture in Columbia, South Carolina -- Home to Eddie, the world's biggest kid (we're talking 40 feet).
Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska -- The UK has Stonehenge. Western Nebraska has Carhenge.
May Natural History Museum of the Tropics in Colorado Springs, Colorado -- If you have a bug fiend, this is the place for you.
Wisconsin Dells -- Waterpark capital of the world.
So what's on your list? They might be old for you, but they're new for us. We told you ours, so spill! Where should we go this summer?
Image via ambism/Flickr
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Comments 46
We wanted to hit up Dinosaur National Park in Dinosaur, Colorado on our way to our new house, but time won't allow. But we'll do it later, for sure. Real dinosaur fossils and all. It's cool!
We are going to the Oregon coast, with plans to hit the Aquarium in Newport, and we are planning on driving down to see the Redwoods at the end of our vacation. We have some friends in the Coos Bay area who know their way around the Redwoods, so we will be staying with them and then driving down all together, probably stay a night down that way before heading home. If you are in the northwestern part of Oregon make plans to stop in Tillamook for the cheese.
I have heard about all these places but have never been there.
Skip Dutch Wonderland. It's all MEH. But we have little old time parks, like Knoebels and Del Grossos that are much more fun.
Santa's Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire would be so nice to visit. Here in Michigan we have Bronners in Frankenmuth, Michigan. I love it there. Its also Christmas year round as well.
We're heading to Vegas this summer. It's not a hidden destination, but it sure is fun.
These sound cool... so far we have a camping trip on the books (in Michigan).
I guess there is something to be said for tradition, we have gone to the same little town in Florida fo 35 years. My husband went there every year when he was growing up, and so did his mother when she was a child. New Smyrna Beach Florida. Nothing to do, and for us, that's the charm.