Appalachian Mountain Club Adventures. New England.
Beginning at age five, kids can participate in pond studies, GPS treasure hunts, forest ecology lessons, and wildlife watching and tracking activities.
It is all part of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s family camp and adventure programs. In beautiful outdoor settings in New Hampshire and Maine, the whole family will learn outdoor skills and safety tips.
Also, participate in flat water canoeing, nature walks and even a day hike to a backcountry hut. Spend the night in a bunk room or your family’s own private quarters.
Contact: (603)466-2727; www.outdoors.org/adventure_camps.
Caneel Bay, St Johns Virgin Islands.
Once a favored getaway for Laurance Rockefeller and family, this 170-acre island paradise is tucked within the Virgin Islands National Park, a protection made possible by Rockefellar’s land donation to the government in 1956. Today, family travelers can hike park trails and swim, snorkel, dive, kayak and sail in the pristine waters of the resort’s bays and inlets. Youngsters can enjoy a complimentary kids club experience while parents opt for tennis, relaxation on one of seven beaches or a massage in an open-air cabana. Plein aire art classes are also available for the creatively inclined. Contact: 340-776-6111; RosewoodResorts.com/en/caneelbay
Grab the sunscreen.
Pack the pail and shovel. Gather the towels and beach books. It’s time to head to the shore.
As readers share their favorite beach vacations, here are five to consider:
Club Med, Punta Cana. Dominican Republic.
“There was something about relaxing on that beautiful stretch of white sand beach with the coconut palms swaying in the breeze. I think about it all the time,” muses Dayton, Ohio based Diana Duncan. Her two children loved the children’s club that included a slew of age appropriate activities. Diana and her husband Matt took to the trapeze, learning circus skills, when not kayaking, playing tennis or building sand castles on the beach with the kids. “My only regret,” admits Duncan, “is that I ate way too much of their famous white chocolate bread!”
Contact: 1 (888) WEB CLUB; www.clubmed.us/cm/resort-punta-cana-dominican-rep_p-115-l-US-v-PCAC-ac-vh.html
Bal Harbour, FL.
Susan and Rich Andrews have been traveling to South Florida every year for decades. “Our long time family favorite is Bal Harbour because there is something for everyone.” A luxurious enclave, families take to the wide open beaches, walking paths and chic but comfortable ambience. Upscale restaurants and shopping abound. The newly-launched Bal Harbour Kids Beach Camp is a collaborative partnership with the Miami Children’s Museum, and available to guests of both the Sea View Hotel and ONE Bal Harbour Resort & Spa, as well as village residents and their guests. Children have the opportunity to paint, learn about international cuisine, music and how to grow a garden.
Contact: 1.800.847.9222; www.balharbourflorida.com
Sag Harbor, NY.
“My favorite beach is still my home town stretch of sand here on Long Island,” explained Sharon Elizabeth. “The beaches on the east end of Long Island are some of the most magnificent in the world. My favorite is Sagg Beach, near Sagaponack.” According to Elizabeth, Sagg Beach is pristine, wide and a great place for family picnics and relaxing days playing in the surf. Located near the historic whaling port of Sag Harbor, the area, widely known as “The Hamptons”, offers plenty of water-related recreation as well as top-notch dining, museums, parks and bike paths. Contact: 631-725-0011; www.SagHarborGuide.com; www.sagharborchamber.com/beaches.htm
Destin, FL.
When I was a child, we spent many a holiday on the white beaches of Destin and my memories are so wonderful,” explains Mary Ellis, who makes her home in Milwaukee, WI. “As a result I was quick to take my own three children to this pristine location where there is so much for families to do! Between snorkeling, hiking, diving and just relaxing on the 24 miles of powder-soft white beaches, our family vacation never seems quite long enough,” says Ellis.
Contact: (800) 322-3319 ;www.destin-fwb.com/Beaches/
Cannon Beach, OR
Maxie Wade has long enjoyed flying kites with her kids on this wide beach on the north coast of Oregon where gulls float overhead and bon-fires melt s’mores and keep the sea breeze chill at bay. Cold water temperatures mean swimmers may only get ankle deep. Rather, families gather to collect shells, explore tide pools, watch the storms roll in or stroll the day away enjoying the salt air. Just off shore and towering 235 feet over the beach, Haystack Rock, is a unique monolith. Home to nesting seabirds, it is one of the largest sea stacks on America’s Pacific Coast.. Contact: 503) 436-2623; www.cannonbeach.org.
Sit on a dock. Watch the waves roll in.
Here are five ways you take a bay vacation.
1 Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.
The largest estuary in the United States is 200 miles long and bordered by the Susquehanna River on the North and the Atlantic Ocean on the south. Visitors to Maryland and Virginia will find their way to the bay for kayaking, sailing, windsurfing and feasting on the region’s famous blue crabs, oysters and clams. Stay in Annapolis — home of the U.S. Naval Academy as well as restaurants, shops and museums — or in one of dozens of small, historic towns that dot the shoreline.
Contact: visitannapolis.org; visitmaryland.org; virginia.org
2 Bay of Fundy, Canada.
You’ll find this stretch of water on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Known as home to the highest tidal range in the world, you’ll learn about what it means when the seawater flow from one tide cycle equals the combined flow of the world’s freshwater rivers. Expect a dramatic coastline with scenic hiking trails, national and provincial parks, lighthouses and cozy harbors. Visit museums and artist studios and feast on a bounty of local seafood.
Contact: 1-800-895-1177; fundyfun.com
3 San Francisco Bay.
What is being called the world’s largest light sculpture now shines nightly above the famous bay that shelters one of the country’s most exuberant cities. As part of a 75th anniversary celebration, the 1.8-mile west span of the Bay Bridge has been dressed up with 25,000 LED lights that will entertain locals and visitors for the next two years. The public art installation, designed by Leo Villareal, can be turned on and off from his laptop and gives new life to the span that has long played second fiddle to the flashier Golden Gate Bridge nearby. The free light show is visible from boat tours, parks and restaurants along the shoreline.
Contact: sanfrancisco.travel; hotelvitale.com.
4 Biscayne Bay, Florida. In 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon sailed into what he called a “bright, great bay.” He would certainly be in awe of how the region has developed. The largest estuary on the coast of southeastern Florida is now home to the Port of Miami and Biscayne National Park, and it is a popular location for sailing, boating, snorkeling, fishing, sunbathing and swimming. A visit to this sunny destination offers families the chance to blend the best that nature has to offer with the big-city vibe and variety of Miami.
Contact: nps.gov/bisc/naturescience/biscaynebay.htm; miamiandbeaches.com
5 Half Moon Bay, California. This small California enclave is an ideal spot for a relaxing getaway. Appreciate the surf crashing on a craggy coastline. Visit the historic main street for shopping, galleries and restaurants where nearby farms showcase their fresh offerings. The state’s magnificent redwood forest is a short drive away. There, you and your family can hike and picnic under the canopy of awe-inspiring trees. Stay in small seaside inns or more luxurious cliff-side digs.
Contact: visithalfmoonbay.org
