(This is a two-part series, with fun things to do while on vacation with kids.)
In years before we have done fun vacation in Texas but in 2016 we ventured really far away from home. And, it was amazing.
So, last summer our family took our first BIG Epic family vacation! And, that it was. Since the kids have been born we haven't done big vacations and we have only flown with the 3 of them (one of them being my nephew, which him and his mom travel with us, my only Sister) once for an emergency trip to Detroit to see my Aunt.
But, ever since we figured out that our Dos (2) could last a couple of hours on the road, we started doing small Texas road trips, gradually building them up to last year's 12-hour road trip to Destin, Florida! Where we rented an apartment for a week and had SO much fun! Here is a list of our TOP 6 things we do to have GREAT family vacations!
Our vacation consisted of my parents, my sister, my nephew, my brother, my sister in law, my sister's friend, and us four!
1) We stop at the rest stops and make it a fun learning experience and picture opportunity:
From Texas to Florida we stopped at every state line and not only took it as a potty-kid break we also learned about the new state and took pictures, Santiago was learning about the state capitals last year so we had to stop and reiterate what each state capital was! (Texas -Austin, Louisiana-Ba-ton Rou-ge, Mississippi- Jackson, Alabama- Montgomery and finally Florida-Tallahassee)
2) We have become major beach bums, my kids LOVE the sun, sand, and ocean:
This past year the boys (my son and my nephew) were big enough to learn to body surf on their boogie boards. They loved it, Cam learned too! Everyone laid out on the beach before and after the crazy rain storms, haha. You would seriously think my kids were born on the beach, there is just something about it that gives them so much life. So we tried to live on the beach as much as we could.
3) We enjoyed the pool just as much as the beach:
Once it got too hot on the beach we would cool off in the pool or if it was too dark and we would get kicked off the beach. The kids loved the pool and the hot tub in our condo complex. My Cam was a little fish in water. We had fun and the kids practiced their swimming skills and learned to play pool games!
4) We looked into kid friendly site seeing and went out to eat and found fun places for the kids to explore!
This is usually my Husbands favorite part, our major resource is Yelp and Google, both are highly accurate at locating kid-friendly restaurants and other local kid-friendly resources. As the kids have grown we have learned to find age-appropriate sites and activities. We found the Harbor Walk Village with tons to do in Fort Walton beach.
5) We ride along with Pirates on big ships in an open sea!!!
One of our favorite parts of a past beach trip to South Padre Island here in Texas was finding a Pirate Ship with a fun adventure for kids and families. So, when we visited Destin, Florida we discovered they had one as well! Only this time we shared the experience with our whole family and it was so much fun! The kids get to become honorary pirates and dance and do a treasure hunt. It's probably one of the more expensive parts of our trip but worth it.
6) We enjoy every minute no matter how chaotic!
When you get 8 adults and 3 kids on a 12-hour trip and then try to coordinate activities and food times and likes, it can be crazy. But, no matter how crazy times get we make the most of it and enjoy every moment we get together. More than anything we make sure the kids have fun! And, that's all that matters t us all...
"Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you will look back and realize they were the BIG things!"-Anonymous
