Family Vacation Recommendations (NF)

[sneak_e_pete]

Hi all, hoping that someone can help me. I am looking for family vacation ideas this summer. We are very flexible on dates, just want to have fun as a family. By summer time, my two boys will be 4years and 2years. We are looking for somewhere that will be all about them. I will have lots of fishing trips, so that is not a must for this trip. Any recommendations are MUCH appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

P.S. (budget...under $1,500)

[irishfield]

At that age Pete.. you can take them anywhere and they'll have a great time. They won't remember it later in life anyhow.

[Rizzo]

buy cardboard box...let them play in it...use all the money you saved to go fishing!

 

Can't think of a particular destination, but day trips like Centre Island, Santa's Village, water parks ect have always been big hits with my little guys

[bigugli]

Any place with a decent beach and water will do at that age with a sidetrip an hour down the road for something different one day.

[Pikeslayer]

1. Pitch a tent in the back yard one or two nights. Next year, they'll be ready for the real deal.

2. Go to the zoo. Lots of visuals for the kids.

3. Make sure mom gets to do what mom wants to do.

4. Do an overnight adventure in a hotel. Somewhere, anywhere.

5. Make sure mom gets to do what mom wants to do.

6. Go fishing.

[Rizzo]

Pitch a tent in the back yard one or two nights

 

that's a good one. Did that last summer with 2 of mine and they loved it. Winds were brutal at night, all the noise kept dad awake, ended up carrying them in around midnight and got a good sleep!

[ctdd2006]

I'll second Santa's Village. My boy loves it and there's lots of camping around. Good Luck.

[SmokestackLightnin]

Seeing that the Canadian dollar is strong compared to US this might be the year to take the little ones to Disney. There are packages available the may work in your budget. Seeing that they are 2 and 4 school is not a huge issue so you could sneak away a week or two before school is out and take advantage of the off-season pricing.

[adempsey]

I am not sure if you're looking for fishing+family vacation or not [i will assume you are since you posted in these forums], but I went up to Red Pine Lodge on Lake Ivanhoe near Timmins last summer for a fishing trip. Although it's somewhat remote, it was not what I expected since it was a huge trailer park with cottages - so, not my first choice for a true fishing getaway. That being said, I thought it would be a great place for a family if you also wanted to do some fishing. They have cottages along the lake in front of a really large beach. Probably the nicest I have seen at any fishing destination I have ever been too. The cottages along the lake look nice, but I stayed in an older cottage that was in the centre of the trailer park - ugh.. so I can't really comment on them. Most of the lake is in Ivanhoe provincial park and there is a river flowing out of the lake that is damned up that you can walk to and fish or just take a look. The lake itself is beautiful and is quite unique from my experiences. At the south end the lake "turns into a river" (it's actually still the lake, but it looks like a small river that goes on forever). Very pristine and the fishing is good. This is the only other lake I have ever caught true Jumbo perch.

 

Of the other family+fishing type places I have been to, there are some on Rice Lake that are nice, although they tend to be lacking in the beach department. Rice lake is great for kids since it's loaded with panfish. Rent a pontoon boat and take them panfishing, lots of fun and they are out of the sun and not in a cramped boat. I typically stay at Musky Bay Resort or Elmhirst's Resort. I have been to several others, but these two are my preference - Musky Bay is the best value I have seen anywhere to date, while Elmhirst's is "fancier" and has an indoor and outdoor pool [kinda expensive though]. Elmhirst's also has a kids program so you can get some free time with your wife [or to fish, lol]. I am not sure if your children would be old enough though, you would have to check.

 

I thought the beach+cottages at Pleasant Cove in Pointe Au Baril were nice. They also had a kids program. I'd also read the tripadvisor reviews for some additional info.

 

I have also stayed at some of the nicer places in the Muskokas - Red Leaves, Taboo. They are really nice too, but a little more difficult [or too expensive IMO] to get out in a boat fishing (unless you own your own). My daughter really liked Red Leaves. They have several indoor/outdoor pools and many other amenities/activities. It's a really nice place, although I don't remember how much it costs. Great if you like to golf too. There are other really nice family oriented typeresorts like this as well like Deerhurst, Grandview, Rocky Crest, Clevelands House, Severn.

 

Anyway, I'd highly recommend a place with: a pool, a beach, kids program and OTHER KIDS. Having other children around for your kids to play with is a nice bonus.

 

Also, I agree with the above post that they would be happy on any beach or swimming pool. Heck, even staying in a hotel was fun for me as a kid. There are a lot of places in Niagara Falls that they would love as well.

[bigbuck]

Georgian Bay, lots of places to stay, Honey harbour has a few little resorts that you can rent a cottage for under a grand for a week. You need your groceries and bedding. The Town Centre has pretty much all you need. There is a full grocery store in Coldwater. Midland is 35-40minutes away and has pretty much all the amenities. At the age of your kids, they need a beach, water to swim and splash in, a park and a store that sells freezies and ice cream. Mom and dad need a fridge, stove, bbq and a bathtub to wash off the kiddies.....and some cold tasty bevvies to enjoy by the campfire each night.