Best Places to Travel to with a 2.5-year old. X-post from Parenting

[EmilyBronte]

I am starting to think about where we will vacation next year and am wondering if anyone has ideas about where to go with a 2.5-year old. All suggestions are welcome - we're not picky!

[ManteoChik]

I see you're from western NC...have you considered the Outer Banks? You can easily rent a beach house or condo that has seperate bedrooms, living room, and kitchen which is great for kids because you can go back to the condo for naps and lunch or dinner...which also helps to offset the cost of having to go out to dinner every night. Aside from the beach there are tons of other things to do.....visit Jockey's Ridge State Park, the Elizabethan Gardens, NC Aquarium-Roanoke Island, The Lost Colony, Wright Brothers Monument, Kayaking, Dolphin Boat Tours, ect....

If you are interested in going to the OBX I'd suggest checking out
Pirate's Cove http://www.pirates-cove.com/vacation-rental-search.html

-Also, St. Augustine, FL is really pretty and very old town.....you'd be about 2 1/2 hours from Orlando and at that age...I'd suggest a trip to Seaworld over Disney.

[EmilyBronte]

I see you're from western NC...have you considered the Outer Banks?

Thank you for the idea. My DH's family owns a couple houses in Corolla, so we can go there just about anytime (aside from the fact that it's a 10-11 hour drive from where we now live). Thanks again, though. :D

I'll have to check out your St. Augustine, FL, suggestion!

[mom_to_zoe]

With our daughter, we prefer to go to places where we can rent a house or a condo, so that we have rooms to hang out in while she is napping and after she goes to bed, plus we like to prepare some of our own meals. DD and I both loves the beach, so that is where we go most of the time. In the summer, we always spend a week or two on Nantucket. It is a very family-oriented place. Lots of the restaurants are family-friendly. And we always seem to make friends with other families on the beaches. There's a wonderful Children's beach in the harbor with almost no surf and a playground. That's one of our favorite spots. I bet Cape Cod would have a very similar vibe. In the cold weather, we travel to Naples, FL, where my parents have a house. That is very family-friendly too and the Gulf of Mexico is very gentle and good for little kids to wade in.

I have friends who have rented houses in Italy and France for a week and brought their toddlers, if you are feeling more adventurous. I just can't face the idea of the plane ride and the time change.