40 must-see places to take your kids before they're grown

[VegasBella]

Today.com lists 40 places they think you should take your kids to see. They include things like national parks, monuments to American history, theme parks and other interesting places.

http://www.today.com/parents/40-must-see-places-take-your-kids-they-re-grown-t74481

I think 40 is a little too many for this kind of list. Assuming you take two vacations a year during Summers you wouldn't even be able to see all these things, you would have to take 3-4 per year. And every one would have to be different. I think there's something to be said for repeat visits to the same place - you can learn and see different things the second or third or fourth time around.

Anyway, I was kind of surprised to see how many places on this list we've already taken our son to or had planned to take him soon.

What would you add or subtract to this list?

 

[vacationhopeful]

Kids do not need to fly off the distant lands or to visit Disney World and other amusement parks. National Parks, museums, art galleries, science museums (hand on places) ... to understand the past & where we came from, the beauty of nature, the element of change and how humans are effected by things we have done in the past and what could happen in the future.

 

[stmartinfan]

We travelled lots with our kids, who are now in their 20, and have visited 17 places on the list. I would definitely add Washington, DC., as well as many places in Europe, like Paris, England (Stone Henge, for example), Amsterdam, and parts of Germany. We did Wisconsin Dells because it's a short drive for us; a fun time, but I wouldn't put it on list like this, especially if I was traveling across country to it.

For my child with learning disabilities, actually seeing places she was going to study helped her learn in a way that classroom instruction couldn't do on its own.

 

[WinniWoman]

The French Quarter? Uh- why?

Ok on Sesame Place- LOL!

The Galapagos? Mucho dinero...

 

[pedro47]

Sounds more liked a wish list for adults.

 

[isisdave]

This list includes a lot of natural wonders, and they're great places to which kids should be introduced. I'll hope they become motivated to maintain them.

I wouldn't take a child on a trip across the country to visit an amusement park, though. If you're going to be near one for another reason, fine. These days, when you're lucky to get on six rides in your $125 day, and lunch is $30, it's just not worth it.

This list didn't seem to have a lot in the category of "heroic people." I'd put some sites that honor courage before the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

And finally, any child who sees even half of these will be in the top 1% of privileged children in the world, and won't have been shown that very fact. Make sure to visit a few less-developed countries, and that they see the parts of Washington DC, St Louis, Detroit, and LA where the Dream has not yet arrived.

And I'd add the Peace Arch on I-5 at the US-Canada border; Sequoia NP; any national cemetery but especially Arlington; a few days in a desert (maybe on the way to Grand Canyon); most anywhere in Montana or Idaho; the Big 5 parks in Utah; maybe the Alamo; Barcelona and Rome and ... hmm, this would be a long list.

 

[onenotesamba]

I completely understand why traveling abroad with kids is cost-prohibitive for the vast majority of families. But I also have a strongly-held view that it's really important to inform the lives of young people that the world around them is much more complex and diverse than what they can experience in the US.

I'd have loved to see a list that had more affordable international destinations than the Galapagos for families mixed in, here. Even the Cayman Islands are pricier than other Caribbean destinations. You could take a family to Cancun, and visit Chichen Itza and have an amazing cultural experience for a lot less than going to Grand Cayman.

 

[vacationhopeful]

I completely understand why traveling abroad with kids is cost-prohibitive for the vast majority of families. But I also have a strongly-held view that it's really important to inform the lives of young people that the world ...<snip>.

I used to HOST exchange students from France ... the program I was associated with had SUMMER stays for 4 weeks. I think I hosted over 8 kids .. some girls and a few boys who where HS kids between just turned 16 to almost 19. The students came with me to work and saw a lot as I am a landlord. The day I had eviction court the 2 French girls got up in the gallery and CHEERED when I won my case ... and the judge "HELD" them until court was over. I explained the French girls had seen too much US TV and the judge explained he had landed on Normandy Beach during WWII.

My cost to HOST the summer exchange students was some food to feed them, gas to transport them to their weekly group program for the day and the extra room air conditioner to cool them. I would take them down 1 weekend to my sister's house outside of Washington, DC and another weekend to a vacation home.

Host an exchange student during the summer ... it was worth it. But your kids must have a mature attitude and you need to do some prep work way before these exchange kids show up. High school kids can be evil ... elementary kids can be interested ... the middle school child are a toss up.

 

[Elan]

A more practical and useful list would be 20-25 places in the continental US.

ETA: Maybe a couple fun places, a few major cities, a few historical sites and the rest national parks.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[VegasBella]

And finally, any child who sees even half of these will be in the top 1% of privileged children in the world, and won't have been shown that very fact. Make sure to visit a few less-developed countries, and that they see the parts of Washington DC, St Louis, Detroit, and LA where the Dream has not yet arrived.

Agree.

I would have liked to see on the list some service oriented trips. In my family we take an annual trip to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary where we volunteer with the animals. When I was a teen my family took a trip where we did a Habitat for Humanity type of thing in Mexico that really opened my eyes. I know that this type of volunteerism isn't always actually helpful and it's often not the best use of resources (for instance, some organizations might be better served just hiring staff than relying on fickle volunteers who need to be trained, managed, and whose work often has to be redone correctly) but I think the experience for the volunteer can be invaluable, transformative.

You could take a family to Cancun, and visit Chichen Itza and have an amazing cultural experience for a lot less than going to Grand Cayman.

Cancun is on our list for when our son is a few years older, when his Spanish is better and when he will have a better understanding of history.

A more practical and useful list would be 20-25 places in the continental US.

ETA: Maybe a couple fun places, a few major cities, a few historical sites and the rest national parks.

Totally agree. I felt like the list should be something doable for more average families. Maybe even two lists, one that's more accessible for people on the east of the US and one for people on the west.

 

[VegasBella]

The French Quarter? Uh- why?

The French Quarter is more than Bourbon Street. You can visit during the day time, you know?

Tons of history there. Last year we took our son there (this year when we went to NOLA we didn't go to the Quarter) and here's what my son did and saw:
- watched live street performers doing exciting dances and magic tricks
- saw all the artists and crafters at Jackson square
- shopped at the French market and ate some food
- watched the Mardi Gras dog parade, Barkus
- watched the boats pass and birdwatched
- ate lunch at a West African restaurant, Bennachin

Next year we will visit the butterfly and insectarium, which is located in the Quarter. And we might do a kids tour: http://www.frenchquartourkids.com

 

[PamMo]

I've always wondered why writers for magazines and websites make up these lists? I guess we're all curious to know how we "measure up" to someone else.

I bet we could come up with a W-A-Y better (meaningful) list of places to take your children! Some places I'd like to see every child experience are: libraries, zoos, parks, museums, art galleries, aquariums, live theater performances, a working farm, a university campus, mountains, an ocean, forest, cave, the night sky filled with stars, a desert, a railroad yard, fire station, a construction site, a pond, power plant, a harbor, airport... My list might seem silly to you, but working with children for years, I know that something as simple as going to the local library or visiting a zoo can be as foreign as a trip to the Cayman Islands - yet hold much more significance in a child's life.

 

[ronandjoan]

We travelled lots with our kids, , .

>>>and they learned in a way that classroom instruction couldn't do on its own

YEP! "My son actually asked one year, How come I know where all the places are no one else in class does?"

I said, "where have we been the last year? " HAHA

 

[onenotesamba]

I've always wondered why writers for magazines and websites make up these lists? I guess we're all curious to know how we "measure up" to someone else.

A lot of it has to do with digital marketing and click-bait. Earlier this year, my husband and I launched a travel business (which, apparently, I'm not supposed to mention, here, because that would be advertising), but the thrust of our business is that we've got a website where we write about unique and transformative travel experiences that we've had on vacation, and then direct the web traffic to our consulting business, where we put together bespoke, custom itineraries for people or groups (so, basically, we're travel agents). What we've learned from launching our website is that anything with a number gets clicks. We've tried to keep it reasonable. 5 Places to Visit in 2017. 6 Ways to See Canada on it's 150th Birthday, etc. But having a "listicle" gets clickthroughs, for sure. Looking at the analytics of our site, those are the articles that get the most traffic, and when we speak to clients, they frequently reference those posts -- "I know you said that Botswana is on your top 5 list this year, and we want a safari, so can you help us?"

So, maybe people are trying to measure up--to see whether they've been to any of those places or done any of those things, but from personal experience, I think many of them are legitimately looking for inspiration for their next amazing vacation.