Best Summer Vacations in the USA for Families

Looking for summer vacation ideas for your family? The United States is full of natural beauty in the great outdoors, charming small towns, fun and exciting cities, laid-back beach towns, epic national parks, and kitschy amusement parks.

This country is so vast and full of diverse travel destinations, that it’s almost impossible to fit in everything on your family’s bucket list in the short time your kids live at home.

Summer vacation is a time of freedom and flexibility, along with beautiful sunny weather all over the country, which means it’s a great time to check off the destinations you dream of visiting.

Whether you’re looking for a road trip, a city break, an outdoor adventure, or a relaxing beach getaway, I’ve got some suggestions for you on this list!

Our family has traveled all over the USA in search of the best vacation spots for families with babies and toddlers, elementary-age kids, or even families with older kids.

By the way, this is my favorite travel rewards credit card to start traveling with points and miles. I love that you can transfer the points to tons of airlines to easily book directly with the airline! If you’re starting to plan your summer vacation, earning points and miles is one of the best ways to start cutting costs so you can travel more!

Here are the best summer vacation spots in the United States that the whole family will enjoy.

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Summer Vacation Ideas for Families in the United States

It’s summertime! The kids have off school, and you’re ready to spend some quality time together. Most families have a little bit more time to spend in a destination during the summer months than during spring break, so you can really pack your itinerary full of fun activities for the whole family.

Here are my top recommendations for a memorable family vacation this summer!

Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Orlando

Orlando, FL

Orlando is a popular vacation destination for a reason! Its world-class theme parks and proximity to beautiful beaches make it an excellent option for families.

For many families, taking the kids to Walt Disney World is a bucket list trip. There are for parks within Disney World to choose from: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Kids 2 and under and free, so if you’re taking a toddler to Disney World, you’ll likely want to spend the most time in Magic Kingdom, while older kids will love Hollywood Studios and Epcot. Animal Kingdom is fun for all ages with plenty of shows and unique theming around the park.

If you have any Harry Potter fans in your family, consider adding Universal Orlando Resort to your itinerary to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. You can do the entire Wizarding World in a day, but if you want to explore the other worlds and attractions within the park, you should probably stretch your visit to 2 days.

summer vacation in the USA LEGOLAND Florida.jpg

summer vacation with kids LEGOLAND Florida.jpg

Discovery Cove Orlando is a park in Orlando that often flies under the radar. It’s not exactly an all inclusive resort, but rather an all-inclusive DAY resort! Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks are served all day long, plus you have incredible animal encounters and aquatic experiences like snorkeling, swimming with dolphins, and feeding tropical birds.

If you don’t mind driving a bit, you could also add LEGOLAND Florida to your trip if you have a LEGO enthusiast in the family. This park is specifically geared toward kids ages 2-12, and my 7-year-old son had the best time of his life during his birthday visit to the park. Stay in the LEGOLAND Hotel (we did Pirate Island) for the full experience if you can! We found this park to be significantly less crowded and much more relaxing than any of the other theme parks!

Combine your theme park trips with a beach vacation at any of the sandy beaches within a few hour's drive of Orlando!

Schoolhouse Beach on Washington Island in Door County has the coolest sandstone rocks instead of sand

Door County, WI

Door County, Wisconsin is not a hidden gem within the Midwest, but it’s relatively unknown throughout the rest of the country!

Known as the “Cape Cod of the Midwest,” you’ll find lots of outdoor activities, especially within the beautiful state parks along the Door Peninsula, classic Wisconsin supper clubs, great shopping at local boutiques, and a variety of cherry-flavored foods and beverages! Door County is known for its cherry trees, so be sure to bring home a bottle of cherry wine or try a cherry donut on your trip.

Our family especially loved camping on Washington Island off the coast of Door County where you can find 2 lavender farms and one of the most unique beaches in the world! Instead of sand, you’ll find smooth limestone rocks lining the lake’s edge.

Be sure to also explore Peninsula State Park and Cave Point County Park for dramatic cliffs lining Lake Michigan.

The weather in Door County is gorgeous during the summer; warm, but with a breeze coming off the lake. And Lake Michigan is so large it really feels like a coastal getaway!

views of Gatlinburg Tennessee from the Gatlinburg Space Needle

Gatlinburg, TN

Gatlinburg is such a fun and family-friendly summer vacation spot!

It’s a gateway city to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so outdoor-loving families will have plenty to do there, and the city itself offers heart-pumping adventure, excellent shopping, and live music in the summer with Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales.

Our family stopped one summer on a cross-country drive from Florida to Wisconsin. I couldn’t get over how idyllic the views were, and there were so many kid-friendly activities for our young family! There’s mini golfing, going to the top of the Gatlinburg Space Needle, a trolley, and even an aquarium.

3-4 days is the perfect amount of time in Gatlinburg, so you could easily hit multiple destinations on a summer road trip! Consider Asheville, North Carolina, which is less than 2 hours away, or even Nashville, which is just under 4 hours away.

Whether you visit just Gatlinburg on your summer vacation or combine it with another city, you’ll enjoy the peaceful mountain views and the family-friendly adventure this city offers!

Read my Family Travel Guide to Gatlinburg here!

Views of Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park, South Dakota

South Dakota road trip

A family road trip through the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota is a quintessential summer vacation in the United States!

It offers everything from wildlife to history, national parks and state parks to paleontology, a dash of the wild west, and a whole lot of fun.

Whenever someone asks me for recommendations for trips to take with young children, this is often my first recommendation. We made the best memories in South Dakota, and it was our first big trip after having our 4th child. The kids were 8, 6, 4, and 1, and all of them had a blast!

We based ourselves at an Airbnb in Rapid City, but staying in Custer or Keystone would be more central to most of the destinations you’ll likely want to visit.

You can see Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial, spend a day in Custer State Park feeding the begging burros, hiking, and searching for bison, take a cave tour at Wind Cave National Park, dig for mammoth bones at Mammoth Dig Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota, and see the majesty of the rock formations at Badlands National Park.

Check out my Kid-Friendly South Dakota Family Vacation Road Trip Itinerary here!

Myrtle Beach, SC

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina brings up the best childhood memories for me. My family was involved in competitive dance, and our Nationals were held in Myrtle Beach every summer.

That means my family of 8 (yes, I have 5 sisters) would load up into the family Ram van and make the 16-hour drive from southern Wisconsin to Myrtle Beach, and spend a week between the convention center and enjoying our favorite spots in this coastal town.

Of course, you’ll want to spend time on the beach making sand castles and playing in the ocean, but there are plenty of other fun things to do, too!

We would spend evenings wandering around Broadway at the Beach grabbing dinner or shopping. It’s a large outdoor shopping center, but you can also find attractions like a water park, jet skis, a Broadway theater, Top Golf, an aquarium, and parks everywhere for little ones!

More things to do in Myrtle Beach include Alligator Adventure, a pirate cruise, and nearby state parks!

Washington D.C.

When I was a kid my family took a vacation to Washington D.C. and it was one of the most memorable trips of my life! I can’t wait to take my own kids to see this educational and fun destination.

One of the most family-friendly things about DC is that there are so many free things to do, especially free museums on the National Mall. This includes the National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and many more!

Of course, you can’t visit DC without visiting the Lincoln Memorial, the US Capitol Building, the White House, and the Washington Monument. You can also take a day trip out to Mount Vernon to see George Washington’s former home.

I think summer is a great time to visit this destination because you’ll have plenty of time to explore and see everything you want to see! Yes, it gets hot and humid in DC, but that’s pretty much true of most of the destinations on this list. Just be sure to step inside a museum with air conditioning when the heat gets to be too much!

epic views on the lake in Big Canoe, Georgia

North Georgia Mountains

One of the most underrated summer vacation destinations I’ve ever experienced was getting a cabin in the North Georgia Mountains. Our extended family rented a vacation home in Big Canoe one summer, and we had an incredible time hiking, swimming, boating, and sitting on our patio enjoying the mountain views.

This is the perfect place to go if you want to avoid crowds and stifling heat. The mountains were peaceful and idyllic.

This would be an excellent option if you’re looking for a multigenerational summer vacation destination. There are charming shops in the small towns, easy outdoor activities like hiking and horseback riding, and plenty of wineries to choose from. People of every age and with all different interests will be able to find something to do here!

As I mentioned, we stayed in Big Canoe, but there are so many small towns to choose from in Georgia’s Blue Ridge!

Colorado Springs, CO

In college, I had the opportunity to chaperone a student trip to Colorado Springs, CO, and it was the ideal summer destination! With warm, sunny days and cool evenings, impressive mountain views, and so many activities for families, you can’t go wrong with a Colorado Springs summer vacation!

Hike through the red rocks of Garden of the Gods, take the Cog Railroad up to the top of Pike’s Peak, tour the Air Force Academy, see the Olympic Training Center, and stop by the town of Manitou Springs.

This is the perfect destination for families that enjoy the outdoors. You don’t have to be experienced hikers to find beautiful trails to try with your kids in Colorado Springs!

A lookout point in New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia

New River Gorge, WV

New River Gorge in West Virginia is the newest national park in the United States and an underrated summer vacation spot!

Not only is there ample opportunity for outdoor adventure including hiking, biking, white water rafting, and ziplining, but you can also learn about the culture and history of West Virginia by taking a tour of a coal mine and walking around the recreated coal camp to see how coal miners used to live.

We took this tour with our kids at the Exhibition Coal Mine in Beckley, WV, and it was one of the most interesting experiences we’ve had in our travels. This region of the country doesn’t get a lot of attention, but it’s truly such a hidden gem.

Read Visiting New River Gorge National Park with Little Kids

our family at the Southernmost Point in the Continental USA in Key West, Florida

Florida Keys

The Florida Keys is another vacation spot I always give to families that want to stay in the United States for their vacation, but are looking for something that feels like the Caribbean.

After living in the northeast part of Florida for 5 years, I can attest that Key West and the Florida Keys feel like a tropical island destination and are very different from the rest of Florida. The culture is laid back, and everything runs on island time. No one is in a rush!

The Keys are famous for sport fishing and snorkeling, but even if neither of those activities interests you, I would still recommend spending some time here.

Visit the Southernmost Point in the Continental United States, see Ernest Hemmingway’s old house, try some Cuban coffee, and watch the sunset celebration at Mallory Square.

Read my Key West Family Travel Guide and my Tips for Visiting Dry Tortugas National Park with Kids, which is one of the most remote national parks in the U.S.located off the coast of Key West.

At the Columbia River Gorge before we had kids!

Portland, OR

Before we had kids, we still got to travel for spring break since both my husband and I are teachers! We had friends living out in Oregon and decided to head west to visit them for a week. It was still a little chilly in spring, but summer would be the perfect time to visit this region of the country!

I would recommend getting outside of the city for some outdoor adventure while in Oregon to see what makes the state unique.

We visited Depoe Bay on the coast, but you could also road trip up the coast to the famous Canon Beach. We also hiked Silver Falls State Park and did some scenic drives in the Columbia River Gorge. The landscape is stunning in this part of the country!

This is a great summer vacation destination for families that love the outdoors, don’t mind milder temperatures, and want to avoid crowds.

We loved this trip as a young married couple, and I hope to recreate it someday with my kids in tow!

St. Louis, MO

St. Louis is fairly central in the United States, making it a great road trip destination from many other states. We loved our summer trip to St. Louis with the kids!

We saw the Gateway Arch, visited the museum underneath, and took the tram all the way to the top! The view from up there was incredible, and we learned so much about the history of St. Louis as a city that was the gateway to the West.

Other than the Gateway Arch, you can visit many of the free and family-friendly attractions in St. Louis. The St. Louis Zoo, Science Center, and Grant’s Farm are all free to visit, and super fun for kids!

If you don’t want to spend your entire vacation in St. Louis, you can copy our midwest road trip itinerary. We spent a few days in St. Louis, then drove just over an hour to Springfield, IL to learn all about President Abraham Lincoln. We only stayed there for a night, then drove to Chicago to explore that city for a few nights.

Ready my St. Louis Travel Guide for Families, 30 Things to Do in Chicago with Kids, and Things to Do in Springfield, Illinois with Kids!

Niagara Falls, NY

As a child, one of our competitive dance trips took us to Buffalo, New York, so of course we had to add on a side trip to Niagara Falls! Niagara is only 20 minutes from Buffalo, so it was easy enough to add that on. We also drove over to the Canadian side and bought some maple syrup to bring home!

Take the Maid of the Mist boat ride to get up close and personal with the falls. You’ll definitely get wet, so wear your poncho!

You can also visit Cave of the Winds and see the falls from the inside. This is also an activity where you’ll get soaked, so maybe bring a change of clothes!

Amelia Island, FL

Amelia Island, Florida is one of the most relaxing and family-friendly vacation destinations I can think of! Compared with the rest of Florida, it somehow manages to stay under the radar, so it never feels too crowded.

Amelia Island is a barrier island just north of Jacksonville, Florida, and it remains relatively undisturbed. There’s even more of a Southern feel to this destination since it’s so close to Georgia, which sets it apart from the rest of Florida.

This is the perfect summer vacation destination if you want warm weather, beaches, a hammock, and no crowds. You can book a stay at one of the beautiful resorts on the island where you can swim and eat the majority of your meals.

If you feel like meandering into town, Fernandina Beach has a quaint downtown area with ice cream shops, toy stores, restaurants, and boutiques.

Fort Clinch State Park has a historical fort to explore, as well as plenty of nature trails and outdoor activities to participate in.

Read 10 Reasons the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort is Perfect for a Family Vacation.

Nashville, TN

Nashville is certainly a popular destination for summer vacation, but with good reason! Our whole family enjoyed a visit to Music City and learned so much about country music while we were there!

The Old Town Trolley Tour was a great way to kick off our trip so we could get acquainted with some of the city’s main attractions like Centennial Park, the murals in the Gulch neighborhood, and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Of course, you’ll want to make time for legendary sites like the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry. And you can even visit a Honky Tonk on Broadway Avenue during the day, as many of the honky tonks are family-friendly before a certain time.

Nashville is also known for Hot Chicken, so be sure to try some there. But you can also make the kids happy with some local sweets, too! Goo Goo Clusters originated in Nashville, so stop by the store and pick some up. We also really loved the 5 Layer Donuts at Five Daughters Bakery.

Read What to Do in Nashville with Kids where you can find my favorite photo spot in the city, along with many other suggestions for summer vacation activities in Nashville.

Santa Barbara, CA

There are a lot of incredible summer vacation destinations in California, but Santa Barbara is one of my personal favorites!

The weather is warm but not too hot, you’ve got beaches and mountains, beautiful Spanish architecture, and whitewashed buildings in the downtown area, and there are plenty of family-friendly activities to do!

A few things we enjoyed were taking the Old Town Trolley tour, visiting the Missions, going to MOXI - Wolf Museum of Exploration and Innovation (a fantastic children’s museum), Stearn’s Wharf at sunset, renting a surrey, and visiting the Historic Courthouse.

You could add on day trips to Channel Islands National Park, Solvang - the Danish city that looks like it’s straight out of a fairy tale, or even Malibu to extend your trip into a real summer vacation.

Read What to Do in Santa Barbara with Kids!

Boston, MA

Boston is an idyllic city in the summertime and is full of history and super easy to get around. When I was in college my family took a summer vacation trip to Boston, and it was one of our most memorable family trips!

You’ll have no shortage of educational and historic sites to visit with your kids, including the Freedom Trail, Plymouth, Lexington, Concord, and the Boston Tea Party Ships.

But you don’t have to spend your entire summer vacation learning! You can visit Fenway Park, take a whale-watching tour, go to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, ride a Swan Boat, and more!

Don’t forget to wander the Harvard campus! In fact, I think this is where I purchased the last Harry Potter book when it came out while we were on vacation!

Sanibel Island, FL

Sanibel Island is the perfect family getaway for families who want to live the island life for a few days. Wake up at sunrise and search for seashells on the beach, because Sanibel has some of the world’s best shelling beaches. Then spend the day swimming, eating ice cream, and riding bikes around the island.

If you want to do something different, there is a wildlife refuge on the island, or you could do a dolphin excursion, visit the Shell Museum, or take a ferry to Cayo Costa.

I particularly enjoyed visiting Cabbage Key via boat, which is the inspiration for Jimmy Buffett’s song “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” So you pretty much have to order a cheeseburger at the restaurant there.

We also took the kids to Fort Myers and Lovers Key State Park where we got to see some dead sunbleached trees along the shoreline. The driftwood forest was so beautiful, decorated with seashells by former visitors.

Read my Family Travel Guide to the Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel, along with Tips for A Budget-Friendly Fort Myers and Sanibel Island Family Getaway.

Savannah, GA

Savannah, Georgia is a family-friendly and very walkable destination to visit for your summer vacation. Though this charming southern city will likely be hot and humid during your visit, you can find shade under the elegant live oak trees and make plenty of stops for ice cream (we loved Leopold’s).

The city is designed around 23 historic squares where you’ll find historic houses and churches, park benches, towering live oak trees, and beautiful fountains. We took an Old Town Trolley tour during our visit and got a great overview of the squares on the tour.

Kids will love Forsyth Park, so be sure to stop there and see the iconic fountain and play on the gigantic playground.

Add time in your itinerary to just wander the city and admire the historic homes. Savannah is a city that takes it slow, so enjoy the leisurely pace while you’re there.

If you want to add some beach time to your summer vacation, you could easily split your time between Savannah and Tybee Island.

Read A Guide to Savannah with Kids.

Wisconsin Dells, WI

What kid wouldn’t want to take a vacation in a place called the Waterpark Capital of the World? While Wisconsin Dells is widely known for its water parks, a lot of people don’t realize that outside of the kitschy and touristy downtown, there are actually breathtaking rivers, slot canyons, rock formations, and parks around the Wisconsin Dells.

The Upper Dells Boat Tour is a must-do during your time in the Dells, as it’s the only way to visit Witch’s Gulch slot canyon. A Duck Boat tour is fun, too, as it takes you from land to water and back again.

Feed the deer at the Deer Park, play a few rounds of mini golf, and go hiking at Mirror Lake State Park or Devil’s Lake State Park nearby.

And, of course, splash and slide all day long at both indoor and outdoor waterparks. The Kalahari Resort and Chula Vista Resort are two of our top picks!