Taking the Kids: An adventure closer to home this summer
-- Teach the grandkids (as young as five) a thing or two with a Road Scholar intergenerationaladventure. You can search for dinosaur fossils in Utah, explore California's High Sierra, go to "camp" in the Adirondacks or explore Revolutionary History in Boston. There are dozens of trips to choose from, many less than $1,000 for nearly a week.
-- Calling all fourth-graders and their families. Not only are they free this school year at national parks, but fourth-graders are free on Austin Adventuresluxury family vacations. You can explore Yellowstone, the Black Hills, Utah Bryce and Zion Canyon, among other places, with other families and, I can tell you from personal experience, guides make the experience stress-free for parents and grandparents.
-- Opt for a campground. If getting all the gear and sleeping on the ground in a tent isn't your idea of a vacation, consider that many campgrounds have cabins with everything you need. KOA Campgrounds have more than 4,000 camping cabins, some downright luxurious, that sleep six and start at just $120 a night across North America.
-- See your dollar stretch in Canada where a U.S. dollar is worth $1.29 in Canadian currency. You'll feel like you are in Europe in Quebec City -- the only walled city north of Mexico. Practice your rusty French and shop and eat till you drop in Montrealwhere you have your pick of museums, festivals (check out the Just for Laughs Festival) and outdoor fun. I'm a fan of British Columbia, which offers so many options to hike, kayak, fish, bike ride, see wildlife and more. Stay at a guest ranch or a nice hotel in Whistler where, given the strength of the U.S. dollar, you are guaranteed a bargain.
-- Summer is a great time to hit a snow resort. You'll find great deals on lodging and as much, if not more, to do in the mountains as in winter. This June, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service, Epic Discovery is launching in Vail Mountain, Colorado, and Heavenly Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe, California, a first-of-its-kind on-mountain summer adventure with everything from zip lines to wildlife trail explorations and "learn-through-play" activities.
Feeling better now?
========
(For more Taking the Kids, just named one of the country's top family travel websites by Parents Magazine, visit www.takingthekids.com and follow @takingthekids on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.)
(c) 2016 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
