Thread: Cheap US Travel Destinations?

I'd really like to start saving for a family vacation for next Summer, but I have no clue as to where we should all go. What are some cheap travel destinations in the US? I don't want to spend a fortune on a trip, but I want it to be fun, exciting and for there to be plenty of things to see and do while we are there. We are in Kentucky and I don't want to go all the way across the country, if that helps with the whole "How far are you willing to travel?" question. Also, there are 4 of us, 2 adults, a preteen and baby, so there needs to be activities that even the kids can enjoy. My daughter will be 12 and my son will be about 1.5 by next Summer so obviously the destination needs to be very kid friendly.

Four days and not a single recommendation? Nothing at all? I guess I'll be relying on my own research for this one then.

So I just read this post today. Have you considered a hiking/camping type trip. You could probably borrow some of the gear you don't have. I think camping is a really fun way to spend time together as a family. If you go up a mountain or something you can get a total change of climate. I'm not sure where specifically. I just think that the old family trip to a national park or campground can be a lot of fun.

Jezebella, that is just what I was thinking too! Some of my favorite vacation memories as a kid were from camping trips. Finding gear isn't too hard, and if the whole idea of "roughing it" isn't exactly what you had in mind, maybe look into borrowing an RV, or renting one. I don't know what sort of price range that would be, but it could be a consideration, especially if you can find someone you know who has one!

Also, as far as locations are concerned, I would definitely suggest Virginia, Specifically Chincoteague Island. I nver have been myself, but a friend of mine went recently and came back saying how much she loved it. It was a small town atmosphere, not incredibly touristy and there are wild ponies! Or just make this a day trip and spend the rest of your time in a city by the coast of Virginia! You then should definitely have lots of activities and things to do for the kids, plus the beach for the days when you don't have anything else planned!

Originally Posted by arianadawn

Jezebella, that is just what I was thinking too! Some of my favorite vacation memories as a kid were from camping trips. Finding gear isn't too hard, and if the whole idea of "roughing it" isn't exactly what you had in mind, maybe look into borrowing an RV, or renting one. I don't know what sort of price range that would be, but it could be a consideration, especially if you can find someone you know who has one!

Also, as far as locations are concerned, I would definitely suggest Virginia, Specifically Chincoteague Island. I nver have been myself, but a friend of mine went recently and came back saying how much she loved it. It was a small town atmosphere, not incredibly touristy and there are wild ponies! Or just make this a day trip and spend the rest of your time in a city by the coast of Virginia! You then should definitely have lots of activities and things to do for the kids, plus the beach for the days when you don't have anything else planned!

Virginia would definitely be doable for us, since it wouldn't be too long of a road trip. I'm just wondering how my youngest would do on a camping trip or even a road trip in general. He is very "set in his ways" so to speak. He's 9 months old right now and he has only 1 place he will sleep. If you lay him down anywhere unfamiliar, he just cries all night. We have a campground about 45 minutes from where we live now, so I would probably need to try a night or two there to see if it would even work. Since he'll be a little older by next summer, I'm hoping he grows out of his pickyness stage, in regards to sleep arrangements at least.

I (obviously) don't know where in Kentucky you are, but if it's not too much of a drive, I would highly recommend Chattanooga, TN. Most things to do there are reasonably priced and very kid friendly, but not so kid-friendly that the adults are miserable.

I would recommend staying downtown and walking everywhere. There is a beautiful aquarium, a minor league baseball stadium, and tons of restaurants downtown. Chattanooga also has a great shuttle system (that's free!) and my kids like riding the shuttles as much as anything. There's also an IMAX theatre that we always visit.

You'll have to drive, but you could also go to Rock City and the Incline Railway while you're there. I really can't say enough about Chattanooga. I live about two hours away and we visit at least three times a year. It's just a friendly little town, that's really not all that little. It's a fun place to go. Highly recommend it.

Originally Posted by mth76

I (obviously) don't know where in Kentucky you are, but if it's not too much of a drive, I would highly recommend Chattanooga, TN. Most things to do there are reasonably priced and very kid friendly, but not so kid-friendly that the adults are miserable.

I would recommend staying downtown and walking everywhere. There is a beautiful aquarium, a minor league baseball stadium, and tons of restaurants downtown. Chattanooga also has a great shuttle system (that's free!) and my kids like riding the shuttles as much as anything. There's also an IMAX theatre that we always visit.

You'll have to drive, but you could also go to Rock City and the Incline Railway while you're there. I really can't say enough about Chattanooga. I live about two hours away and we visit at least three times a year. It's just a friendly little town, that's really not all that little. It's a fun place to go. Highly recommend it.

I've been to Chattanooga, TN, but I was in my early teens and obviously mad that I was away from my friends at home. I didn't realize it had so much to offer though. Chattanooga would definitely be a doable trip for us. My daughter is a foodie in the making so she would love all the restaurant options. My son is fascinated by fish, so the aquarium would be perfect for him. Thanks for the suggestion! I think I'll sit down with my fiancee and do a little online research about the area and discuss a potential trip for next year.

Chattanooga or Gatlinburg are great options for family vacations. Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge has a bunch of activities and entertainment for families. It's basically a long strip, and if I'm remembering correctly, there's even hotels within walking distance. Plus, you're not stuck doing lots of indoor activities, there's a bunch of free hiking trails to waterfalls, etc. And it's about 2.5 hours from Chattanooga, so you could potentially spend a day there if you want. I think it'd be a great option for both the kids, as a 12 year old obviously has different ideas of fun than a baby.

Daytona Beach or St. Augustine, FL might be one to consider also. Both are northern FL locations, so the drive isn't too bad from KY. The beach is a great place for young kids and older ones, and the Florida sunsets would make for romantic moments with your fiance. Daytona Beach has a lot to do, but a lot of the "family" attractions they advertise aren't really great for 1.5 year olds. St. Augustine is a really neat, historical little town on the beach, filled with history-based attractions and ghost stories. Both are about an hour from each other, and I like both.

IMO, I wouldn't go camping with a 1.5 year old. It's just asking for a bad time, LOL. I wouldn't even take my boyfriend's four-year-old camping... camping activities like hiking, fishing, sleeping outside, etc, aren't fun for little kids and end up being a pain for the parents.

Originally Posted by lenachristine

I've been to Chattanooga, TN, but I was in my early teens and obviously mad that I was away from my friends at home. I didn't realize it had so much to offer though. Chattanooga would definitely be a doable trip for us. My daughter is a foodie in the making so she would love all the restaurant options. My son is fascinated by fish, so the aquarium would be perfect for him. Thanks for the suggestion! I think I'll sit down with my fiancee and do a little online research about the area and discuss a potential trip for next year.

I think they built the aquarium about 20 years ago and then the downtown just kind of "grew up" around it. It's just a fun, kicked-back kind of place. I know I sound like I work for their Chamber of Commerce, but I really don't, I just love Chattanooga! It's a great place.

Just a little tip if you do decide to go. The aquarium tickets are expensive, I can't remember how much, but they aren't cheap. However, for some reason the membership is very reasonable, for a family of 4 it's $115 and it's tax deductable. (I know because we just renewed ours.) It also gets you discounts at the IMAX and gift shop. So, if you're going to be there for a few days it might be worth it to just go ahead and buy the membership, especially if your son loves fish. That way you could go as much as you want. (And it would always put my kids to sleep when they were little, so that could be naptime for your little one. ha!)

Oh, and there is an awesome childrens' museum in the downtown area, too. Your 12 year old woud be bored to death, but your little one will love it.

Look into it, knowing the ages of your kids, I really think you would enjoy it. However if you go and your son is bored and drives you crazy, please don't blame me!!

What about Branson, Missouri? I recently went there for a long weekend had more than enough activities to choose from. There is a theme park, kayaking, boating, museums, and art galleries. There are also a ton of live shows. We're talking everything from magic shows, to musicals, to concerts, to circuses. It wouldn't be hard to entertain your kids there. Also, the fire hydrants are painted like dalmatians. That alone was worth the visit.

I didn't spend a lot of money in Branson, but my attitude might be different if I had a big family. I'm sure there are discounts for young children though.

I noticed you were interested in saving money, and regardless of the destination you choose, you can probably save money by contacting that city's tourism department or chamber of commerce. Generally, they will send brochures with free maps and information about tourist points of interest. These often contain coupons and other discounts as well.

How about a house swap? There's no way I'd try and do a camping trip with such a young child...its just too much to take on, I'd wait until he's potty trained. But a house swap with a family in Chicago, Cincy, Indy, Nashville? Plenty to see and do but still a place to wash sippy cups and get a good night's sleep. I bet there's lots of families that would like the chance to tour the Bluegrass state and have a little down time. I'd check out the exchanges and see what was available.

Las Vegas is cheap. I'll tell you why its cheap. You get to stay in downtown Las Vegas for thirty dollars a night for hotel fees. Now that is a good deal for Las Vegas. If you're staying here with lots of people then it will work out well. You can stay here for a long time. I guess you can spend three hundred dollars on hotel rooms and still have plenty of money left for other things. Las Vegas is where you need to be. I think its a cheap vacation and a great place to be with everyone else also. How about California? They're so cheap to stay in and there are many things to do with kids like Disneyland or Six Flags Magic Mountain. How about Hollywood and Universal studio and the beach. There are so many beaches there, you will love to swim there with your kids. How about Mexico? You get to go out of state but you will love it there. It's gorgeous and cost close to nothing.

There are many places to go and see that don't cost a lot of money. What about the Columbus Ohio or Sandusky area. Columbus is a fun city to explore and they have COSI. A great inexpensive place to take the kids. The Lake Erie area in Sandusky is beautiful and they have Cedar Point. If that isn't your interests - try West Virginia. It is gorgeous here. You could camp and go hiking, swimming, white water rafting, zip line, etc.

I think the best US travel destination you can do afford-ably is las vegas to san bernardino bus. It's really a comfortable ride.

They usually are appropriate especially when we talk of new york city niagara falls tour is something which appeals to the moment big time and gives us a lot to take care of.

I think the best place to visit in cheap rate is Albany ,GA. it best attraction tourist place to visiting and many things to do that in Albanya.

Maybe you're right markwarn but i believe that Harlingen, Texas is also a very cheap place to live around the United States.
I have spend dome days of my life in Harlingen, Texas and there were huge difference between the things of there and the other
cities of United States's Cities.

I am going to share the names of some affordable destination of USA. Where visitors can have visit there at less prices and could make their tour remember able.


Salt Lake City
Tampa
Orlando
Las Vegas
San Antonio

I really like to appreciate your information, but I would like to prefer Orlando to have a tour. It is very nice city in Florida. It provided us a large number of places where we can enjoy a lot of mesmerising places. I have been there once in my whole life and had great time in this place. I will love to go there again and again.

I will like to recommend Las Vegas for having a memorable tour because it offers a lot of attractive places for enjoyment. I have traveled there about few time ago with my family and find there really nice time. I enjoyed there many of its gorgious destinatins like Bellagio, The Mirage, Fremont Street Experience and Mob Museum. I will like to go there again whenever I got chance.

Las vegas is also a nice option to have a tour to explore. My father have been visited there once in his life during his Business tours. He also explored there alluring destinations which grab the attention of others towards it. I will also try to go there on my future.