7 Places to Take Your Toddler to on Your Next Family Vacation
It’s Never Too Early to Start Traveling
Planning a family vacation can be difficult, especially when the kids are small. It’s not always easy to find somewhere that will please both the adults and the little one in the party, but those places do exist!
Here are some of the best family vacations with toddlers.
Walt Disney World, FL
This is an obvious one, and probably the first place that springs to mind when thinking of toddler-friendly vacation destinations. With four theme parks, two water parks, over 20 resorts, and a huge shopping and dining district, Walt Disney World is over 40 square miles of pure toddler delight!
There are countless rides, shows and attractions to keep little ones busy, and parents are sure to get caught up in the fun. Really, what adult isn’t just a big Disney kid at heart?!
Magic Kingdom should be your first stop, where the whole family can soar with Dumbo, eat dinner in Cinderella’s Castle, and of course, meet Mickey and Minnie! If your little one can keep up, don’t forget to stay for the Happily Ever After fireworks nighttime show — the ultimate way to cap off a day at the most magical place on earth!
New York City, NY
New York City isn’t somewhere you might typically think to take a toddler, but we’ve taken both of our boys at an early age, and they’ve absolutely loved it! The noise, sights and smells of the city are enough to keep a toddler occupied and interested as it is, but the city is just bursting with things for little ones to do.
On the Upper West Side, you’ll find The Children’s Museum of Manhattan: five floors of hands-on, interactive exhibits including an outdoor water play area. In the West Village, take your little one to the Children’s Museum of Art, where they can color, paint, play with play-dough and bounce around in an enormous ball pit!
If the weather is fine, Central Park is a haven for toddlers, with numerous playgrounds, a sailing pond, a zoo and even a carousel! Be sure to save time for an authentic New York City bagel at Ess-a-bagel, and a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery!
Kids love nothing more than spending the day playing in the sand and water. These are the best family beach vacations in the world!
San Diego, CA
We took our eldest son to San Diego when he was 18 months old, and we found it to be the most wonderful place to take a vacation with a toddler! There is so much to do in the city, and we found it to be a very family-friendly place to visit.
Begin your trip with a visit to the world-famous San Diego Zoo to see their adorable pandas and koala bears, before heading over to the neighboring Balboa Park to explore their many gardens and museums. Take a trip to Mission Beach so your little one can put their toes in the Pacific Ocean, and be sure to find time to visit the USS Midway, where the whole family can spend hours exploring the huge aircraft carrier.
If you have a rental car, drive out to La Jolla to visit the Birch Aquarium where your toddler can (gently!) touch a starfish, and don’t forget to drive along the coast to see those sea lions! San Diego is a place that really does have something to offer the whole family.
