• Ohio, kings island: The beach water park and the quiet boating along the little Miami rivers are main attractions of Kings island. The amusement island has more than 80 rides and features 14 world class roller coasters. Among the coasters the most famous is the Diamondblack, the tallest and fastest of all of them. It is an amazing 230feet tall, 80 mph travelling screaming roller coaster over a mile of wavy steel tracks that end in a water splash. The Firehawk and the Beast are adrenaline doses for even the strongest coaster enthusiast. The planet snoopy of kings island has earned the renown of the best kids area in the world for eight consecutive years. You can meet Charlie Brown and Snoopy the dog of PEANUTS fame in the planet. The water theme park is called Boomerang bay and it houses more than 40 fun filled water rides. Besides the theme park, the canoeing down the scenic Miami river and the train ride along the Lebanon Mason Monroe railroad will be an amazing experience for the kids. The kids will also learn about the 2000 years old Hopewell culture of Ohio.

• Florida, Tampa howl-o scream: The event runs during October, the entry fee is $69.95 and the fear of these seven haunted houses is so great that you have to scream as if you are inside the most eerie ghoulish nightmare. The anecdotes that guide the tour are testimony to the scare that will make you howl.

• Laurel islands, Pennsylvania: This really beautiful 1960s amusement park has not given out to modern rides. If you want to go back to the golden oldies and the dizzy childhood memories give the old park at Pennsylvania a visit. The Idle wind park is really an ideal family destination for a beautiful evening. The idlewind park is actually a carefully selected conglomeration of seven creative themes that guide the kids and the parents alike through seven thoughtful stages of the mind. The adjacent Caddie Shak family fun park and the Yogi bear’s Jellystone park also add to the amusement in the vacations with the kids. The quiet river town of Confluence will let you quietly go through the roads where your past childhood and your kids present fulfill each other in a sublime enriching way. Confluence is the place where, “mountains touch rivers.”

The X carat theme park on the Mayan Riviera, south of Cancun is an ecological theme park houses attractions like a butterfly park, dolphin friendships, an underground river swim and an ancient Mayan habitat. Guided Mayan cultural tours over the park will tell you and your kid about the great mysteries of this ancient civilization of the world. The Costa Maya sea beaches at the southern end of Mexico can be an amazing experience for the kids as well as the parents. The Uvero and the Majahual beaches are free from swarms of tourists and will fill you with a sense of serene tranquility. The Chinchorro reef underwater national park will leave everyone spellbound as this place houses several ancient shipwrecks and is one of the largest barrier reefs of the planet.

The Puerto Morelos town on the Mayan Riviera in Yucatan is a simple slow paced town, with a great town square that is decorated with great curio shops and delicious Mexican restaurants. Beautiful coral reefs along its coast surround the town of Puerto Morelos. The safe calm waters of the shallow reefs around the town are safe even for the very young of the kids. A number of guided tours cover the excursion to the coral reefs throughout the day. The Puerto Vallarta, along the Mexican Western coast has been a tourist spot way back since the nineteenth century. There is a vast water park called splash and the kids will love the dolphins show and the sea lions show. The vibrant beaches of Puerto Vallarta will fill you and your family with an amazing colorful energy.

The lovely island of Cozumel is another great family destination for vacation with kids. It can be reached by a ferry ride from the maya Riviera town Playa del Carmen. This island is probably the safest place in Mexico with crime being non existent. The shallow pools at the Chankanaab park and the tide pools of the Chen Rio beach are great attractions for the kids. The many rock caves along the beach will transpire the kids away to a world of sublime natural beauty.

With the weakening economy, more and more families are forced to trim the fat off their yearly vacation plans and instead choose a more economical getaway. Although many families this past year chose to stay at home, some families bravely headed out in the family car with their children crammed in the backseat. The first hour or so may pass by swiftly – but as any parent knows who has gone on a long road trip, each hour can feel like an eternity with tired, cranky and bored children in the backseat!

If your vacation plans have you taking the long scenic route towards your destination, you’ll be saving plenty of money in airfare, but you’ll need to think ahead in order to keep your kids happy and entertained. So how can you keep your children distracted during those multiple hour road trips? Simple: just use these tips and tricks, and your children will be happy for the entire trip!

1. Break out classic road trip games – they were invented for a reason! Have your kids try to see if they can spot a license plate from every state, and keep score – this will keep them interested for a prolonged period of time. Another great road trip game is “I Spy”, in which everyone takes turns guessing at a certain object or landmark using only the clues provided by the person who is “it”. However, objects that are in the car or on the horizon for a few minutes (like a large landmark) are the only acceptable objects; it’s not fair to guess for an object that passed by on the highway seconds ago!

2. Bring your child’s favorite electronics. Although electronics like video games can have a bit of a negative impact on your child’s health (for example, interrupting sleep schedules, causing a lack of exercise, etc.), they’re practically lifesavers on a road trip. Buy a portable DVD player and brings lots of movies that will keep your children distracted. You’ll be so thankful for the peace and quiet!

3. In addition to electronics, bring plenty of fun snacks. Many kids get cranky on long road trips due to hunger, but you can nip this problem in the bud by bringing along fun and healthy snacks to keep them over until lunch or dinner. Crackers and granola are great snacks that are healthy and delicious too!

4. Of course, no child, no matter how much he or she likes road trips, is able to stay in a car for a prolonged period of time. Once you recognize this, you’ll be able to better handle your child when he or she becomes cranky or restless. Plan on making lots of side trips along the way – in fact, why not make them part of the overall vacation itself? See if there are any fun landmarks en route to your final destination, and use the opportunity to stretch your legs. Your kids will be grateful for the rest, and you’ll enjoy avoiding yet another cranky mood.

5. Heap loads of praise on your children for making it through hourly blocks without making a fuss. They’ll be so proud of themselves that they’ll continue their behavior in order to earn more compliments!

But above all these things, what’s the most important thing to bring along on a road trip with children? Easy: the understanding that no matter how much you plan ahead, you’ll never be 100% prepared for everything. Children have a wild and wonderful way of turning an itinerary into a free-for-all; yet that’s just part of the adventure that is raising children.

Family trips allow family members to spend good quality time with each other and make life-long memories. However, some families avoid trips because they don’t know how to plan the trip successfully. Follow these 5 tips for planning a  family trip and you will have an amazing time.

1. Plan your trip a head of time and not at the last minute. This allows you time to save up plenty of money and to find exactly where you want to go. When choosing your destination take into consideration the weather.

2. After you have decided on a location that everyone agrees on you want to find hotels within the area of your destination. By planning your trip a head of time this allows you to save up money to get a nicer hotel.

3. Next you can use the internet or books to find tourist destinations. By doing this a head of time you save yourself the hassle of trying to figure out what to do once you get there. When looking for things to do take into consideration the people that are going. This will insure fun for everyone going.

4. When the time comes to go on your trip you must decide on how you want to get there. If your destination is far away it is suggested to take a plane. Of course, this cost more but you will get there way faster. If you do decide to drive you need to figure out if you are going to use your own car, a rental, or a rv. It is best to rent a vehicle, by doing this you will not put unnecessary miles on your car.

5. When traveling it is smart to pack food such as sandwiches. This saves money and time. Also, if you are traveling with kids bring along items such as books, games etc. to keep them content, this will make your job of driving a whole lot easier.Once you arrive at your destination check into your hotel, enjoy your site seeing, and have fun making memories that will last a lifetime.                                                                                                                                           Daniel Brantley enjoys taking vacations with his family, bonding and making lifetime memories.

.

There’s still time before the snows hit to point your RV toward Colorado for a most excellent family adventure. From camping in the Rocky Mountains to digging for dinosaur bones & climbing into cool cliff dwellings at the Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado will go down in your family book of memorable trips as one of the best.

Before we go further, here are some RV places you should know about:

* Rent your RV in Denver through Nolan’s’ RV Rentals.
* If you own your RV, Mattas Marine & RV, an RV supply & service store in Grand Junction might come in handy.
* Enjoy the hot springs at the Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa in Alamosa.
* Many hotels, like the Royal Gorge Jellystone Park Camp Resort in Canon City or the Heron Lake RV Park in Fort Collins have many facilities available to you during your stay there, including laundry room, playground, picnic areas, pools and children’s activity programs.
* Otherwise, head for the campgrounds dotting Colorado & park your RV amongst the trees!

Colorado has more than 500 mountain peaks throughout the state. The highest point of the state (and the entire Rocky Mountains for that matter) is Mt. Elbert which has an elevation of 14,440 feet. Veer east from the southern Rocky Mountains and you’ll find the Colorado Eastern Plains. These plains are a section of the Great Plains within Colorado with elevation ranges of more than 3000 feet to 6562 feet. The lands are used primarily for dry land farming or ranching, though you’ll find occasional irrigation farming. The drive to the west takes you to some notable peaks like Longs Peak, Mount Evans, Pikes Peak and the Spanish Peaks.

Continue to the interior of the Rocky Mountains and you’ll see several large parks. One of which is the North Park, east of the Continental Divide. The North Park is a high basin that surrounds a wide valley in Jackson County. In its vicinity are the waters of the North Platte River, Michigan River, Illinois River and Canadian River. On the west side of the Continental Divide is the Middle Park, located in the Grand County. Then there’s South Park, with the South Platte River as its water source.

Driving west to east in Colorado allows your family to see the state’s desert-like basins, alpine mountains and the vast Great Plains. You will also get to see Pike’s Peak, the mountain in the front range of the Rocky Mountains, and just 10 miles from here is the Colorado Springs.

Be sure to drive by Denver, the capital and the most populous city in Colorado. Take a stop and enjoy its parks and gardens. If you have time, seize the opportunity to visit the Forney Transportation Museum where your family will get to see hundreds of cars and other modes of transportation.

The Denver Merchandise Mart is also worth a stop. Your kids will love to join in the Denver Kids Expo. Admission to this expo is just $9 for adults and kids are free of charge…and parking is also free!

Your family will enjoy more scenic drives near Denver – Golden, Boulder and Fort Collins. The drive from Golden to Boulder via Highway 93 will thrill the kids with all its twists and turns.

Nearly every city your travel through will offer a fun kid-oriented activity. From kid-friendly activities like the Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center in Westminster, or the Collage Children’s Museum in Boulder, to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, your RV Road Trip will take you from one adventure to another.