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Bring the kids to Mohonk, Mackinac and more
Craving a family getaway that allows for quality time but not too much togetherness? Somewhere children can interact instead of act up? The U.S. offers a dazzling and sometimes daunting range of luxury resorts, but if you’re wondering that taking the kids could be disastrous, there are places that actually want you to bring them. Check-in to check out these vacation secrets and create family fun sensations.
Even the jaded could be jealous of this itinerary for a typical 12-year-old guest at the refreshingly traditional Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod. “Venture by boat to the outer beach, tour the lighthouse, capture natural surroundings on film and stay active with tennis, swimming, soccer and croquet. Evening activities include beach parties with bonfires, laser tag, scavenger hunts and a bowling party,” says the Inn’s recreation director Jessie Decker. Complimentary award-winning programs totally tailored to your kids volatile avocations and abilities are offered mid-June through early September.
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At the historic Mohonk Mountain House just 90 miles north of New York City, the summer Kids Club for ages two through 12, plus special teen programs, offer supervised fun in morning, afternoon and evening sessions. Discover the new Junior Naturalist program with a chance to observe soaring birds, ancient trees and Shawangunk Mountain quartz.
Product placement promos aside, Hershey, Penn., has sweet appeal for all ages. Melt over the Hotel Hershey’s "Cocoa Kids Club" for children ages five and up from Memorial Day to Labor Day with four reasonably priced sessions to choose from including trips to the Hershey Children’s Garden and Butterfly House, and meals joined by Kit Kat or York Peppermint Patty characters. Crystal Brandt, Hotel Hershey’s Director of Recreation suggests, “All guests can enjoy the complimentary signature activities such as Create your own Candy Bar Masterpiece; Hershey Kiss Hunt; and Chocolate Bingo, one of our most popular.”
According to Thomas Draths, children’s activities director at Cheeca Lodge & Spa in the sun-soaked Florida Keys, “Parents love knowing their kids are having a supervised blast while they are wining and dining in our Atlantic’s Edge restaurant. Every Friday and Saturday here are ‘Kid’s Nights Out’ from six to 10 p.m. with pizza, popcorn, snacks and G-rated movies on the 88-inch flat screen in our Camp Cheeca building.”
Given some youngsters’ enthrallment with “potty humor,” they’ll probably be thrilled that horses make “road apples” on historic, no-cars-allowed Mackinac Island, Michigan. Located in the confluence of Lakes Huron and Michigan, fast ferries or private planes are the only ways ashore. Lodging choices range from venerable inns to the granddaddy of them all—Grand Hotel. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, kids ages five through 12 can participate in group programs during lunch and dinner times including a separate kids meal, games, hayrides, tours of the butterfly houses, fudge factories and Fort Mackinac. Rates include breakfast and formal dinner daily with guests 11 years and younger staying and eating free.
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If an equine “ring ride” sounds right for your five to seven-year olds, giddy up to Rancho de los Caballeros in Wickenburg, Ariz., where the resort’s Caballeros Kid's Program has been around since 1947. Still owned and operated by the Gant family, this full-American plan resort welcomes multiple generations to its authentic yet luxurious Southwestern desert setting October to May. Counselors meet kids for breakfast, then head out to the corral, swimming, tennis clinics, hiking, scavenger hunts or crafts until lunchtime. At 6 p.m., the counselors meet the kids again for dinner and evening with games, movies, campfires or a dance while you congregate in the Dining Room & Saloon until nine, when your progeny return.
About 90 minutes north of Los Angeles, Ojai Valley Inn & Spa has been celebrating families since 1923. This AAA rated five-diamond resort features the accolade-winning year-round Camp Ojai hosting kids from five through 12 in half- or full-day sessions (including lunch) with educational activities emphasizing the area’s native Chumash Indian heritage, painting rocks gathered on the 220-acre grounds and interactive story time under the shade of century-old oak trees.
Does a vacation without in-room telephones and televisions send you into tachycardia? Take deep breaths and trust you’ll survive in the serenely satisfying environs of the Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort in Solvang, California. This 10,000-acre working ranch with 2,000 head of cattle and 100 quarterhorses has been family owned and operated since 1946. Young cowboys and cowgirls experience Kiddie Korral (ages 3-6); Lil Wranglers Club (ages 7-10); MAC (ages 11-12) and Teen Times (13-17)—complimentary programs providing supervised arts and crafts, cooperative games, visits to the Alisal Barn Yard for daily animal feedings, egg-gathering and horse grooming. Your entire clan will enjoy hay wagon, cart and horseback rides.
"Legendary Sport Fishing" is no “fish story” at Waterfall Resort located on the west coast of Alaska’s Prince of Wales Island, on the site of a 1912 cannery. An exciting 40-minute floatplane ride from Ketchikan sets the stage for a sensational getaway. The successful pursuit of trophy-winning Alaskan wild salmon and Pacific halibut rule your May-September days spent in custom North River/Alamar cabin cruisers. Summer nights are spent in comfy camaraderie in the lodge or on your cabin deck after a gourmet meal. With only 92 overnight guests on-site at any one time, the one-to-one guest to staff ratio essentially guarantees your every comfort. Just pack your jeans, hoodies and topsiders since all fishing and boating gear is included in the rates along with meals, guides and activities and fish processing. Do make time for an easy one-hour walk through the Tongass National Forest to the eponymous waterfall where you’ll see deer, mink, black bears, loons, herons, and perhaps best of all, bald eagles.
Let’s not forget the Aloha State. The Big Island’s Kahuwai Bay, Kona Village, is an 82-acre tropical paradise saturated with Hawaiian spirit of ohana (family). One hundred twenty-five individual thatch-roofed hales (bungalows) are beautifully decorated yet no televisions, radios or telephones distract. The complimentary Na Keiki (ages 5-12) activities program daily (except May and September) captivates with traditional Hawaiian arts and crafts, bamboo pole fishing, hula lessons, ukulele classes, and ti-leaf hula skirt making. Rates include three island-inspired meals daily featuring a Wednesday and Friday evening authentic luau and a Tuesday evening paniolo (cowboy) BBQ. Every night, a special children’s dinner service is provided if you want to dine in peace.
Says general manager Ulrich Krauer, “Families love knowing they can participate in so many things without worrying about added cost. Families meet one another for the first time at Kona Village, their children become friends, they can play and dine together and never be concerned about who will pay for what. And furthermore, the most amazing thing happens to families when they come to Kona Village: They actually reconnect and talk to one another!"
See our slideshow of Family Vacations.
