Family vacations: Top four destinations to take your kids on vacation

There are so many great places to take your kids on vacation that narrowing it down to four is going to be difficult. However, in order to have a great family vacation, there should be activities that will satisfy everyone.

Kids love theme parks, but there are so many other activities that kids enjoy such as camping, swimming, hiking, fishing, tubing, and rafting. For those who would like to give their kids a fun-filled vacation while getting them back to nature, head for the mountains.

#1. The Great Smokey Mountains:

These awesome mountains are breathtaking and offer a number of kid-friendly sports. There are several family vacation rentals to choose from including authentic log cabins near flowing trout streams. These mountains are littered with kid-friendly camping grounds which cater to recreational vehicles, pop-ups or plain ole pup-tents.

Great Smokey Mountains

Great Smokey Mountains

Gather the kids around a campfire in the evening and roast marsh mellows with the sound of a bubbling trout stream in the background. Peruse the many nature trails, cameras in hand, to capture the natural beauty of the forest with all its incredible wildlife. Climb or drive up the mountain and let the kids tube or raft their way back down along one of the many trout streams.

#2. Yosemite National Park:

Giant trees, which have stood for centuries, litter the beautiful Yosemite National Park among arching waterfalls, trout streams and breathtaking scenery. This mountainous region is also a kid-friendly vacation spot for camping, hiking, tubing, and all that goes along with a nature-filled vacation.

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park

Watch the kids go beneath a flowing waterfall. Let them taste the clean water as it flows off the mountain. Strap on the backpacks and explore the nature trails and experience the natural beauty of this lovely area. Imagine the looks on their faces when they see a tree so huge that cars actually drive through an opening at the base of it.

#3. The Grand Canyon:

This world famous natural wonder has endless possibilities for kid-friendly activities that go along with all mountain vacations. Watch them traverse the canyon on the back of a mule as they soak up all the raw beauty that the Grand Canyon has to offer.

Grand Canyon, Toroweap Point

Grand Canyon, Toroweap Point

Let them listen to the howling winds, echoing around the vast walls of the canyon. At the bottom, they will see the beautiful Colorado River which offers all of the kid-friendly activities associated with the great outdoors. Kids especially love the Navajo gift shops featuring genuine Navajo tools, arrowheads, and dream most popular activity in this beautiful region, aside from camping, fishing, tubing and hiking, is rafting. Cruise down the winding roads of Colorado and watch as you pass a rushing trout stream for the huge rafts carrying laughing people down the mountain. With each toss of the raft you’ll hear squeals and jeers as the swiftly moving raft swirls over white water rapids. Rest assured, when your kids see that, they’ll be begging you for a ride down the mountain on a raft.

#4. The Hoover Dam:

The rolling mountains around the Hoover Dam are spectacular, running as far as the eye can see. Lake Mead surrounds the Dam with some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. Keep the camera ready for mountain goats who meander around the sides of the mountains.

Take them to the Hoover Dam and let them learn the incredible history associated with its construction. The dam is littered with tiny chipmunks who are so accustomed to tourists, they’ll come right up to the kids and eat out of their hands. Lake mead offers the same nature-filled activities kids love such as camping, swimming, boating, and more.

Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam

While theme parks offer a lot of entertainment for kids, they’re not very educational or productive. Ridding a theme park ride around a medal track is not nearly as fulfilling as experiencing the rush of a trout stream, the closeness of family around the campfire or the breathtaking views the mountains can offer.

Head for the mountains and let your kids experience the raw beauty of the Lord’s creation. Jesus created everything in existence (Col. 1:16). And as they look upon the reflection of His greatness, ask them to imagine what heaven must be like!