Looking for something spectacular to do with your kids on your next family vacation? Why not take them to see some of the nation’s best natural wonders? Introduce your kids to the great outdoors, help them stay active, and have a great time exploring these five natural wonders.
Snorkel in the Florida Keys
There’s nothing quite like the first time a child experiences the colorful underwater world. The Florida Keys offer plenty of opportunities for family-friendly snorkeling, with lots of coral reefs to explore right from the beach or from a boat. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is the nation’s first underwater state park and features a number of fascinating reefs. There are several other great places to snorkel with kids in the Keys, where the water is calm and wildlife is easy to find.
Hike the Redwoods of California
Redwood National Park in California has trees that are more than 300 feet high, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty. Some of these living trees are hollow, so you can walk inside them. The National Park offers lots of kid-friendly hiking trails with features like waterfalls, boats, and horseback riding to keep them entertained.
Tour The Grand Canyon
Depending on your budget and the ages of your children, you can choose to explore the Grand Canyon by bus, on foot, on a donkey, in a hot air balloon, or by river rafting through the center of the canyon itself. If your family isn’t interested in camping in the park, find a deal on accommodations through the Hotels.com Goodshop portal and make a donation to your favorite charity at the same time. Priceline coupons and Facebook deals also give you the option to donate to the cause of your choice while you shop for lodging or transportation.
See the Geysers at Yellowstone
Yellowstone National Park provides lots of kid-friendly activities, including hiking, biking, rafting, and camping. There’s even a Junior Ranger program that guides kids through fun activities that teach them about the history, flora, and fauna of the park. The park’s main draws are the geysers that regularly erupt, spewing hot water into the sky. Other thermal features include churning mud pots, hissing steam vents, and colorful hot springs.
Swim in a Volcanic Crater
In Oregon, a collapsed volcano has created a round lake that’s considered one of North America’s greatest natural wonders. Crater Lake is a pure, blue body of water surrounded by cliffs that are nearly 2,000 feet high. Kids will love swimming and boating on the lake or hiking around it. The park also offers plenty of amenities that make family travel a breeze.
Traveling with kids can be intimidating, but national and state parks tend to be very family-friendly places that provide essentials like helpful rangers, free maps, and accessible bathrooms. It’s worth the effort to add these spots to your itinerary. Visiting a natural wonder on your vacation will leave your whole family feeling inspired and rejuvenated.
Julie Wood says
We want to tour the Grand Canyon! That would be incredible and fun to do with the kids this summer! This would be a dream vacation.