apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We drove with some friends (each of our children was 2 at the time) last summer to Montreal from NYC. The kids were great in the car, it felt European without the long flight, great food & culture. No beaches, but the weather was beautiful (this was in May) and we "climbed" Mt. Real. We stayed in a B&B in a quiet neighborhood with a playground, so if the kids woke early we could take them somewhere quickly & easily without disturbing the other the guests. It was one of our best vacations.

I would recommend Portugal
- great culture
- sleepy beach towns
- great food
- relatively inexpensive

If you're open to the US, how about San Francisco? Guaranteed fantastic food & restaurants, beautiful architecture and landscapes, beaches, hiking, culture, plenty of parks and playgrounds for the kids.
After having lived there for eight years (sans kids), we just returned for a visit there with our two year old daughter...it was great and we all had a blast...such a beautiful city-it made me wonder why we ever left!

We absolutely LOVE anywhere along the Northern California/Oregon coast. We recently took a trip revolving around the many microbreweries of the region and always found wonderful little towns with many things to do. You could possibly begin in San Francisco and go all the way up the coastline. Its absolutely picturesque.

I agree with pronetowonder, I was going to suggest Portland. Great food, culture, largest Japanese Garden outside of Japan, small nice zoo (with a small train for the kids), one hour from the coast, and fantastic people watching as a city full of hipsters, artists, musicians and free-spirits. There are amazing waterfalls on the Columbia Gorge right outside the city (less than an hour away), and Forest Park is the largest urban park in the U.S. right next to the heart of the city if you want a short, beautiful hike through old, mossy trees.

I second Portugal! For all the reasons Kelly mentioned. We had our second best beach vacation ever there. (#1 was Vieques in Puerto Rico, which could also be a great spot for you.) We didn't have children yet when we went. But now we have a little one and would love to go back to the same spot. We stayed in Tavira and checked out the entire Algarve region, as well as Seville, in easy day trips.

Quebec isn't just Montreal or Quebec City (much lovelier and smaller), there are places such as Tadoussac, which is set next to a Fjord at the mouth of the Saguenay River. Stay at the Hotel Tadoussac, a historic property used for "Hotel New Hampshire".

http://www.hoteltadoussac.com/en/the_hotel/index.html

Driving from Quebec city, you will go through the Charlevoix region, which is rich in artistic communities (with great hotels and restaurants). American 19th and early 20th century industrialists built their summer homes in places such as Malbaie to escape the summer heat of the cities, and the places are still surprisingly unknown.

Another amazing place to go, a bit off the beaten track, is Newfoundland. A number of movies have been shot there in recent years, and there are now great places to stay (some Hollywood-types have also bought houses there). There are great music festivals, and lots of places to explore. It feels like a different world.

http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/#

These are great! Thank you so much for all of the ideas so far. It's also nice to hear suggestions on specific spots to hit in each locale.

I would say New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

We are actually leaving tomorrow morning for the tour. You would get so many worlds of culture in such a little area.

While most of these recommendations sound wonderful, I must question the entries where driving takes a precedent.
My toddler would never sit in the car long enough for us to take a picturesque road trip. In my opinion, destinations with the least amount of driving work best for toddlers.

kellybeegee,

You'd be surprised how well driving vacations work with toddlers!

We have 2 children, and both of them are very wriggly, high-energy kids, but both do very well on driving vacations. We found that comfortable seats make a HUGE difference; our son used to max out at about 2 hours in the car, but since we changed his seat to a Maxi-Cosi (priori-fix) he can go all day. We also bring an iPod for tunes or short cartoons, a portable dvd-player (more for our 5 year-old), good car food, some new toys, and we are set. Stopping along the way to play in a park lets them stretch their legs.

Give it a try -- it's a great way to travel, since you are in complete control, unlike on a plane or train.

Mexico City is the greatest place in the world. Don't fear it. Stay in Polanco for a few days and go to Oaxaca to the beach

I'm in San Francisco, and man oh man, there are now tons and tons of Eurovisitors at parks and playgrounds. Every time I'm at Koret, I end up smalltalking with moms in the sandpits, and they're all out-of-towners! I guess San Francisco is a good idea.

Another thought -- Prague.

It's about a 7-8 hour direct flight from NYC, and our kids love it.

We always rent an apartment from
http://www.prague-city-apartments.cz/
(you can even find an apartment to accommodate all of you).

Besides the fun of riding the trams (I was always told that was how Einstein came up with the theory of relativity, when he was sitting on tram in Prague), the metro, visiting palaces and chateaux (many in Prague, and many just outside, worth a drive, like Karlstejn), there is the Prague Zoo, which was named the 7th best in the world by Forbes Magazine, and which is different than any other zoo we have been to (our kids loved it, and so did we), kids tend to like the dumplings, and adults the beer.

http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/children_entertainment.html

http://www.travelforkids.com/Funtodo/Czech_Republic/prague.htm

A great place to eat with children in the summer is the restaurant in the Zofin Palace on Slovansky Island in Prague; in the summer, they have a marquee set up in back, complete with a play area for the kids (and there is a playground just next to it). They make fresh fruit juices, and the roast duck is the best I have ever had -

http://www.vitejte.cz/objekt.php?oid=697&j=en

And everything is (relatively) cheap!
(if you go anywhere in Europe, get a hop pop diaper bag/booster seat)

I second the Mexico recommendation. Mexico City and Oaxaca are both wonderful (and very different), but don't let visions of Spring Break in Cancun scare you away from the rest of the Yucatan, which is absolutely gorgeous--great snorkeling, super-cool Mayan ruins, and food that's pretty good (though nowhere near as delicious as what you'll get in Oaxaca.)

I was going to recommend what tydog17 said - Vieques, Puerto Rico.

We recently went there with another couple and brought our toddlers and had a great time. Vieques is a small, non-resort-y island with beautiful beaches and boasts the world's best bioluminescent bay. It's a truly incredible experience, and (I think) worth a trip there just for a swim in the glowing water.

The only seemingly bad thing about the trip was that our pale Oregon skin wasn't used to that much sun.

If you wind up going to Portland, I would highly recommend staying at the Kennedy School, which I loved myself, but I think would be really fun for the kids. It's very laid back and fun - seemed pretty kid friendly to me.

-Portland, Ore./Cannon Beach (Ditto on staying at The Kennedy School in Portland).
-Vancouver, B.C./Whistler (which is great in summer and winter)
-Newport, Rhode Island