Xplorie’s Top 3 Destinations for Fun Family Travel
May 3, 2022
Family travel is one of the top booking trends for 2022. After a long two years of homeschooling, remote work, and putting all family vacations and reunions on hold – families are taking time to live in the moment, embrace new experiences, and reconnect with loved ones after a long season of time apart.
Kids (and parents!) love the excitement of a vacation – exploring new places, adventures in the great outdoors, educational fun outside the classroom, and the anticipation of a memorable family road trip or flight, and it just got a whole lot easier to travel on planes with kids!
Picking the right accommodation and destination can make or break your family vacation. Cranky kids aren’t fun travel companions and a good night’s sleep is key to a happy family vacation. Vacation rentals are the most popular choice for family travel – a home away from home that allows some sense of routine (if needed!), kitchens for home-cooked meals, separate sleeping areas, family-friendly amenities for downtime and play, and personalized guest services.
Our Top 3 Destinations for Fun Family Travel are travel destinations that promise no chance of boredom, meltdowns, or tantrums, offer affordable and luxury family rentals, and boast attractions, tours, and activities that will keep everyone from the tiniest tots to gram and gramps busy, engaged and happy on their family vacation.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
With year-round sunny skies, 60-miles of white-sand beaches and calm ocean waves along the Grand Strand, a bustling boardwalk with rides and amusements, and endless attractions and activities for all ages, Myrtle Beach continually tops the list of the best family vacation destinations in the US!
The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk boasts 1.2-miles of oceanfront attractions, water parks and amusements arcades, endless candy stores, creameries, family-friendly restaurants, and hours of fun that’ll make the kids forget their tech gadgets! The biggest family attraction in Myrtle Beach are the miles of beautiful beaches and waterways – from sand and surf on the bustling boardwalk shoreline and secluded natural beaches in South Carolina’s coastal state parks to dolphin cruises and pirate adventures on the waterways, Myrtle Beach ticks all the boxes for a family beach vacation.
The Broadway Grand Prix is one of the most exciting family attractions in Myrtle Beach with rides for toddlers, rookies, intermediates, and pro racers, and plenty pint-size attractions for the little ones. Racing enthusiasts can choose from seven unique go-kart tracks including a family track with double seater go-karts, a kids track for little ones to drive alone, a junior racer track and super-fast tracks for the speedsters.
Aside from the thrills, twists and turns on the race tracks, there’s a cool kids zone with a whimsical car carousel and tiny tot rides, an all-new Grand Prix Arcade with 20,000 sq ft of games, a max flight simulator, two challenging 18-hole mini-golf courses, and classic bumper cars.
For family accommodation in Myrtle Beach, look to Escape Property Management with a selection of over 70 affordable and luxury Myrtle Beach vacation rentals. Rental options for families range from easy lock-and-leave oceanfront condos with onsite resort amenities for families on the go – to spacious family homes with private pools, professional kitchens, beach and baby gear, and a virtual concierge to help your plan your free Xplorie activities for each day of your stay.
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Rehoboth Beach is known as the “Nation’s Summer Capital”, a traditional beach destination for families with sand and surf, nature preserves and state parks, old-school amusements, and family-friendly eateries on the Rehoboth Boardwalk, and a timeless small-town appeal that draws families back year after year.
A vacation in Rehoboth Beach will get the toddlers and teens excited! Spend hours playing in the sun, sand, and surf – cruising the ocean in a banana boat, parasailing above the coastline, learning to surf, paddleboarding the bay, or treat the kids to an ice cream or pizza cruise! From the beach, head to the mile-long boardwalk lined with shops, eateries, and good old-fashioned fun.
Nature loving families have miles of quiet trails for hiking and biking through the forests, wetlands and coastal dunes at Cape Henlopen State Park, aquariums and touch tanks at the Seaside Nature Center, and endless outdoor recreation and water activities at Delaware Seashore State Park (the kids will love chasing the ghost crabs!).
Jolly Roger Amusement Parks is our favorite family attractions in the Delaware Beaches area and will entertain the whole crew from morning till night! Jolly Roger Splash Mountain Waterpark has attractions for all ages with kiddie pools, a lazy lagoon family activity pool, and thrilling water coasters and slides for the brave. Satisfy the need for speed at Jolly Roger SpeedWorld (the largest go-kart facility on the East Coast!) and end your day of family fun with unlimited night rides at Jolly Roger at 30th Street with amusement rides, mini-golf, antique train rides, and plenty fun memories to take home.
Long & Foster Vacation Rentals represent 3,500+ vacation rental homes and condos in over 14 locations on the east coast – from affordable oceanfront condos for a budget-friendly family break to luxury beach homes with kid-inspired bunkrooms, gourmet kitchens, private pools, and hot tubs, and welcoming gathering areas to bring the entire extended family (including Fido!) to Rehoboth Beach.
Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Our favorite destination for nature-loving families lies in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee. The charming mountain towns of Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg offer the perfect balance for families traveling with kids with world-famous attractions and dinner shows along with the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg Parkways, and space to move, play, and adventure in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Split your vacation time between water parks, theme parks, adventure ziplines and interactive kid-friendly museums and whitewater rafting, kayaking, horseriding, hiking, mountain biking and wildlife viewing. You can ride the roller coasters, hike to a secluded waterfall, and indulge in a southern-style feast and top-tapping country at the most festive dinner attraction in the world all in one day!
One of the newest attractions in the Smokies is the Rocky Top Mountain Coaster, the longest coaster in east Tennessee and the first in the world with four uplifts and four drops. It’s a one of a kind experience traveling up to 30mph with thrilling 360 degree twists, hairpin turns, tunnels and curves, and you in the drivers seat controlling the speed! Rocky Top Mountain Coaster is the ultimate family experience – kids as young as three can cruise with an adult and the teens (16+) can set their own speed for a thrilling ride through 20 acres of spectacular Smoky Mountain scenery.
Find the best cabins in the Smokies at Hearthside Cabin Rentals. From studio-style log cabins for small families to grand mountain lodges with 20+ bedrooms, private swimming pools, outdoor entertainment areas, arcade games, theater rooms, oversized kitchens, and so much more – for the ultimate family reunion in the Smokies.
