When I write about travel, it’s usually from the couples or solo traveler perspective. But I also love traveling with my six-year-old daughter. Let’s be honest, though, traveling with her means that my priorities change, a lot.

I always try to make sure that I take her places that are immersive and fun for her age range. And of course, other factors like safety, kid-friendly excursions, and a wider range of kid-friendly food options matter — because my daughter is firmly in her chicken tenders era.

Sometimes these priorities mean staying at resort complexes with tons of different activities in one convenient place, including accommodations. City trips with popular children’s destinations like museums or immersive experiences — and being a tourist in my own region— are great too, though. With all that in mind, here are eight of the best summer trips for families.

The Kartrite — Monticello, NY

The lazy river and water slide tubes at the Kartrite, courtesy of The Kartrite

Water parks are always a must-do summer excursion, and The Kartrite, about an hour and a half north of Manhattan by car, offers a lot of variety in one completely indoor water park and resort. Billed as New York’s largest indoor waterpark, it certainly lives up to the hype. When you book a stay here, it automatically includes a minimum of four water park passes.

When I went, we also enjoyed access to the cabanas inside the water park dome. While not a necessity, it’s nice to have a dedicated space to stow your belongings. Plus, you have a waitress where you can order food and drinks (and adult bevvies for those of age), and relax between trips down the multitude of water slides and the lazy river.

When the water park closes nightly at 7:00 PM, your family can enjoy six on-site restaurants, and plenty of activities including: a bowling alley, arcade, rock climbing wall, and an aerial ropes course. Nightly movies every evening in the lobby, and a fire pit outside for making s’mores round out the activities.

Mall of America — Minneapolis, MN

I know, how can a mall be a vacation destination? But the Mall of America (MOA for short) is a true destination. Not only is it the largest mall in the US, but it’s also home to an amusement park, a variety of experiential excursions, and has hotels that offer direct mall access.

I’m originally from the Midwest, but this summer was my first time at the mall. I took my daughter here last month for a group trip and we had an amazing time.

First, it’s less than 10 minutes from the Minneapolis International Airport, which is actually in Bloomington — not Minneapolis. While this is super convenient, because the mall is massive, you’ll need to plan for more than a couple of days in town if you want to also venture into Minneapolis proper.

What to Do

MOA has an actual amusement park in the center of it, Nickelodeon Universe, with 27 adventure rides. While it skews more towards rollercoasters than gentle rides, it took us about four hours for the kids to try most (not even all) of the rides. If we didn’t have dinner reservations, we probably would have spent another two hours in the park.

We spent two full days at MOA — Nickelodeon on our first day, Moose Mountain Adventure Golf and Crayola Experience on the second day. Mini golf moves at a pretty good pace but does have some tricky greens even for the adults. But the Crayola Experience was the biggest second-day highlight for me.

Again, these excursions can take a lot of time so you’ll want to plan accordingly.

Little ones will love the immersive art activities at Crayola Experience in Mall of America

This place is large and so much fun — even for adults. You can make your own crayons, make custom crayon labels (I may or may not have made three of my own), create drip art using melted crayons, take photos that you can color in with crayons, and of course learn all about the cool world of Crayola. Kids can also enjoy the play areas, and if you live in Minneapolis or are here for a birthday, you can book the venue for birthday parties.

Where to Stay

MOA has two hotels that offer direct lobby access to the mall atrium, the Radisson Blu Mall of America and the JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America. We stayed at the Radisson Blu Mall of America and I love that they have a cute in-room kid’s package called the Fort Blu Kids Camping Experience. When you arrive at your room, there’s a pop-up tent set up with cute little items for the kids including a stuffed log toy, camping gear, a journal, a book, and a plush Marty the Moose.

Other nice onsite amenities include the indoor saltwater pool which stays open fairly late and FireLake Grill, an on-site farm to table restaurant featuring dishes prepared from locally sourced ingredients — and a pretty phenomenal cocktail and mocktail menu. One stand out thing about this restaurant is that the kids menu features salmon. That was a major hit with the kids.

Boston, MA

If you don’t want to spend your entire vacation in an enclosed space, Boston is a great option. You might not instantly think “family trip” when you picture it, but this Massachusetts city has plenty to keep little ones engaged.

I took my daughter here for spring break to visit family and loved the fact that this is a foodie town with commendable public transportation and a laid back pace. I say commendable because being from New York, our mass transit is pretty extensive and it’s hard to top that even when I travel abroad.

What to Do

For foodies, you might not know that Boston has its own Little Saigon, a district in the Dorchester area which has a wide array of tasty Vietnamese restaurants. Boston has a lot of food options even if you’re not into Vietnamese cuisine, though. There are also fantastic brunch spots in the more central part of the city near the famous Boston Common park.

Enjoy an electrifying demonstration at the Boston Museum of Science

Aside from eating our way around the city, Boston’s Museum of Science is an immersive experience that’s the perfect way to encourage STEAM learning without making it feel like a traditional lesson. From robot dogs that trot up and down a course to a live show complete with lightening, Tesla coils, and a Van de Graaff generator, there’s plenty to hold everyone’s attention. Just be aware that the “Lightening!” show gets loud, so if you’re with kids that are easily startled, this might be too intense for them.

We were only in Boston for two full days — one of which was Easter — so we weren’t able to do a ton. But the city has Duck Boat amphibious tour rides, the Boston Children’s Museum, the Boston Tea Party Museum, the Franklin Park Zoo, the New England Aquarium, the interactive WNDR Museum, and View Boston at the Prudential Tower. And of course, with a professional football, basketball, and baseball team, you can catch a game depending on the time of year.

Where to Stay

Obviously since I have family in Boston, I normally stay with them. But for this past trip, I wanted some me-time. I opted to spend part of my trip at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza for a mom-cation. Located one block away from Boston Common, this hotel is equal parts historic and convenient. It’s located near concert venues and nightlife districts if you’re planning on attending any of those activities.

Spacious corner suites at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza

The art deco building’s origins hail from 1927 when it was The Statler Hotel. For many decades it was the largest independent hotel in New England and the eighth largest in the world. It was the destination for celebrities, US presidents, and once even had a radio station that broadcast from the penthouse.

Since I spent most of my time sightseeing with my family, I didn’t get to explore the hotel as much as I normally would. But I appreciated that there was an expansive lobby bar and restaurant, a connected pub restaurant on the ground floor, and a lux Italian restaurant that’s perfect for date nights or celebrations.

This pet friendly hotel also has a massive fitness center, and it’s perfect for pampering and indulging yourself. Each room comes complete with plush robes and slippers so you can unwind and binge on guilty reality TV shows in your room.

New York, NY

Yes, I live in the New York metro, but this region is seriously ideal if you have kids. There’s a wide array of excursions across the city (and in surrounding areas) from more traditional sightseeing to unique activities. The only thing you need to decide is what is age appropriate for your group.

What To Do

Because I’m also a parenting writer, I’m often invited to a wide array of kid-friendly activities at popular exhibits that are absolutely perfect for keeping my six-year-old daughter entertained.

Get silly with slime at Sloomoo Institute in Soho

Here are a few easy options for younger kids that only take a couple of hours at most, will hold their attention, and are easy add-ons to an existing New York itinerary. The SlooMoo Institute in Soho allows little ones to get elbow-deep into slime. They can even make a custom tub of the gooey stuff and choose everything from texture to color, scent, and even add-ins if they love a good ASMR experience.

Further uptown in the Flatiron District, the Camp store features a rotating exhibit. Currently, Trolls x Camp is on display. It includes a dance party, a salon, and a life sized Trolls play area that’s perfect for pint-sized fans. I’ve taken my daughter twice and it’s a very adorable experience, complete with a boy band tribute concert in the end. If you saw the last Trolls movie, you’ll understand why.

If you’re catching the tour boats to the Statue of Liberty, that means you’ll be in Battery Park. Stop by the SeaGlass Carousel located in Manhattan’s southernmost park. Instead of horses, it features tropical fish that don’t just go up and down, but also spin and light up. Considering the tickets are just $6 each, it’s super affordable and something you’ll want to post to your socials. This little attraction is often overlooked, so there’s a good chance you won’t have to wait in a line very long — if at all.

Other Family Vacation Ideas

There are so many places to take the kids and have fun for the whole family, it’s hard to list them all! But here are a few more options to consider.

Great Wolf Lodge

If The Kartrite sounds appealing but you don’t live in (or plan to visit) New York or surrounding areas, then Great Wolf Lodge is the perfect alternative. This chain of indoor waterpark resorts boasts over 20 locations across the US and Canada, most within one to two hours of a major city. Like The Kartrite, there’s lodging, other non-waterpark activities to enjoy, onsite dining options, and a variety of daily events.

Jellystone Park

For a family-friendly adventure that lets you connect with nature without roughing it, consider Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts. Named for the popular picnic basket-stealing character, this camp-resort has over 75 locations across North America including near popular National Parks like Zion, Utah.

What sets it apart is that you have a range of accommodation choices including glamping for more sophisticated campers, cabins for larger groups, and even Conestoga wagons if you want a more unique experience. Some locations do have waterparks, but they all offer indoor activities like theaters, recreation rooms, escape rooms and more. And yes, with a name like Jellystone, you can expect to see Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, Cindy Bear and Ranger Smith stop by.

American Dream — Meadowlands, NJ

The best way to describe the American Dream mall is as the Mall of America’s younger sibling. Located in the Meadowlands in New Jersey, by Giants Stadium, it pretty much mirrors the MOA experience of shopping, dining, and attractions, in one contained space. It’s a quick trip from New York if you’re visiting the area.

There’s also a Nickelodeon Universe here but unlike MOA, American Dream also has the Dreamworks Water Park and Big Snow, North America’s first and only indoor real-snow year-round ski and snow resort. There are no on-site hotels, but there are plenty in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Sesame Place

If you have younger children Sesame Place is another great themed amusement park where Elmo, Oscar, Big Bird, and friends are sure to delight your little ones. There are 11 locations total but only two (Philadelphia and San Diego) are stand-alone parks. The remaining are miniature versions found in companion United Parks such as SeaWorld or Busch Gardens.

I’ve been to Sesame Place Philadelphia and the Sesame Place in SeaWorld Orlando. The Philadelphia location is mainly a waterpark but does have plenty of non-aquatic rides. Meanwhile the SeaWorld location has a splash space and mini amusement rides. All of them usually incorporate the daily parades which you won’t want to miss. Also note, Sesame Place Philadelphia and San Diego are currently the only amusement parks in the US that are Certified Autism Centers.

Which Family Vacation is Right for You?

Planning a family vacation takes a lot of work as you try to find a location that appeals to everyone, is within your budget, fairly easy to reach, and ultimately fun. There are so many options and I prioritized the ones that give you “the most bang for your buck.”

For summer travelers, outdoor or waterpark-focused options like The Kartrite, Great Wolf Lodge, Jellystone Parks and Sesame Place are fantastic with plenty to keep you occupied for day trips or a weekend getaway. If you’re not into water parks, Mall of America, other parts of American Dream, and even city trips to New York and Boston are excellent options with plenty of activities for travelers of all ages.