Natured themed vacations are great for the whole family – there’s plenty of space for all of you, and there’s plenty to do out there in the great outdoors. After all, you’ve got that whole forest behind the campsite to explore, or you’ve got that walking trail to traipse down, and introduce your kids to new, colorful plants, and wild animals they’ve never seen before.
But if you’ve been camping before, in a standard campsite, and you want to mix things up a little for a vacation this year or in the future, make sure you take into account that many other nature themed vacations exist out there. You can even stay in a local hotel or hostel and still be on an eco friendly and nature rich break!
So, let’s go into a few examples of what you can with your family, when trying to bring more nature and the feel of the great outdoors into your adventures. A family vacation deserves to be a bit special, and a lot of fun, and these are some great ideas for making sure of that!
Nature Themed Vacations That Are Great For Bonding As A Family:
Visit a National Park
A national park is one of the best ways to get your kids out and about and introduced to nature; they usually have plenty of family friendly activities on, and your kids will never get bored with all that space to run around in.
One of the best family friendly national parks to take your kids to is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s a part of the Appalachian trail, and to walk that is on so many people’s bucket lists, so why not get the kids started early? Not to mention there are some great places to stay around the area, with easy access to the parts of the park where you want to go. You don’t want to be trailing toddlers around when you’ve only got a small room in a hostel to get back to, so be sure to visit sites like smokymountainvacationinfo.com for the first pick of the best rooms that your kids will love to bed down in!
And you don’t just have to stay in the US for a good national park to visit – there are plenty all around the world, and if you want to take your family off on a plane journey, you can spend a good couple of weeks within a whole number of national parks in other countries. For example:
You can take the kids to visit Loch Lomond and Trossachs in Scotland, which is a mystical place filled with culture, and the kids will love going out on the water and visiting the big aquarium nearby. It’s a great place for adults who love watersports too, so get out there on your boat, whether you’re paddling or using a motor. Not to mention just how gentle the hiking trails can be, which are perfect for little legs!
Try a Famous Walking Trail
Walking trails are good for stretching the legs, and really building up some muscles in them. When your kids do little else other than staying inside with the TV or their games, this is a great way to get them out and about with enough impact to carry them for the whole summer. But don’t just take them along to any walking trail – make sure you’ve got a famous one in mind, that’s perfect for families to dawdle along depending on how distracted you all get by the sites. Plus, we’ve got a couple of suggestions for you!
Take the kids along to Colorado, and walk along the Mount Falcon Castle Trail! It’s an easy hike, with plenty to see along the way, and the kids will love marveling at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in the distance! Let them snap some shots, or sit down and draw a picture with their crayons. Plus, the kids will love to explore the ruins of the old mansion at the top of the trail, which can be a fun mystery for the adults as well!
Or you could take them to the Bear Mountain Loop Trail, if you’re in the New York Area. It does require a little bit of climbing skills, but that’s what kids love to do when they’re young! They love to get involved and do amazing things, and you’ll love watching them scramble up a couple small rocks near the top of the trail and take a good snapshot of them.
Have Fun at a Family Friendly Ranch
Ranch vacations have become very popular in recent years, and taking the kids along to see a working ranch where all kinds of animals are kept could make them very happy. And when you’ve got a whole ranch to make use of, you can be sure that both you and the kids are never going to get bored. There are usually all kinds of fun activities on offer, because ranch owners know that the kids love to get involved.
You can try out horse riding for the very first time, with famous programs such as the one held at Latigo Ranch in Colorado. Skilled trainers will take you along at your own pace, but with enough challenge to keep both you and the kids interested as you go.
And it doesn’t just stop at horse riding either! When on a ranch vacation, you can take the kids fishing for the first time, as there’ll be plenty of lakes around depending on where you go. You can also try out hiking around the ranch, and you can take part in the day to day work of the place too, such as driving cattle, going on cart rides as a family, as well as eating home cooked breakfasts in the morning, made entirely using products from the ranch itself. What could be better to enjoy as a family than that?
Take the Kids to the Beach
Now, we all know the power of a good beach vacation, and just how nice and relaxing it can be to get out in the water, and sunbathe on a comfy towel on the beach front itself. However, when you’ve got kids to take along with you, you need to have a few more activities on offer to keep them interested, and that’s why it’s important to know where the family friendly beaches are.
They’re dotted around the coastline of the US, and seeing as there’s a lot of coast to be getting on with, you’re going to want to take your time seeing everything a good family friendly beach has to offer. Most of all, you’re going to want plenty of sand to play in, but you’re also going to want beach vendors offering activities.
You could start with a beach like Santa Cruz Beach, thanks to the amount of seaside activities and amusements on offer. If a beach has a good boardwalk bordering it, you know you and your kids are in for a treat when the sun is out and blazing down on you!
Where are You Going to Take Your Kids Next?
A good family friendly, nature themed vacation could be right around the corner. Where are you going to take your kids, to make sure they’re getting back to nature and basking in the glory of the great outdoors? Be sure to start with the suggestions we’ve listed above if you’re in need of a bit of inspiration, and never be afraid to try something new!