Mini-vacations have several advantages over long, expensive vacations for families. Without breaking your budget, you can take two or three mini-vacations in the southeast throughout the course of the summer. They give the kids something to look forward to and don’t last so long that they get bored and want to go home. You can spend two to four nights in a fabulous place with a lot of activities and go home tired and satisfied. Most places have kitchens, so you can reduce costs even more by cooking breakfast and dinner and enjoy lunch in a restaurant.
Mini-Vacation Idea #1 – Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, North Carolina
The suites are spacious and offer several options for families. They all sleep at least four and some sleep six comfortably. Some have whirlpools in the suite and fantastic bunking options for kids with in-suite caves and tents. Every guest receives indoor waterpark passes for their entire stay, and this alone could keep children occupied most of the time, but that’s not all. There are activities and crafts for young children, several live-action adventure games, an ice cream parlor spa for kids and much, much more. There are several dining options including lunch available right in the water park. While the kids are having fun, mom can get a deep massage or facial at the spa and relax and rejuvenate too.
Mini-Vacation Idea #2 – Gaylord Opryland Resort Nashville, Tennessee
The spacious guest rooms sleep from three to six comfortably and many have views of the gorgeous atrium that has a splendid waterfall. There are also junior and deluxe suits with parlor and sleeping area. There is an indoor swimming pool, two outdoor swimming pools and shops in the atrium. The atrium is like an indoor wonderland with a riverboat ride that winds through the indoor garden. The resort has a fitness room, golf links and a spa. They offer several dining options including Italian, Mexican, steakhouse and pizza and burgers for the kids. Nashville, Tennessee is the home of country music, and the resort is perfectly located for a night at the Opry with live musical entertainment from the top stars.
Learn more about visiting Opryland Resort in Nashville here.
Mini-Vacation Idea #3 – Gulf Shores, Alabama
Gulf Shores, Alabama offers the ultimate beach and water sport vacation. There is boating and diving as well as cruises for fishing or dolphin sighting. You can fish in the Gulf waters or in the deep sea. Alabama has some of the best outdoor activities for a day away from the beach. There is backcountry hiking, biking and bird-watching. There is a large selection of accommodation options including beach houses, condos, camping and RVs many of which are pet-friendly. For outdoor thrills, there is zip lining in the Gulf State Park as well as fascinating history lessons in the Historic Fort Morgan.
Mini-Vacation Idea #4 – Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
Learn more about visiting Mammoth Cave here
Mini-Vacation Idea #5 – Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia
The activities at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain cover a wide range of outdoor adventures. From golf to TreeTop Adventure, and a fantastic beach with watersports, there is something for everyone. Robin Lake Beach offers water skiing, wakeboarding and tubing as well as a relaxing day on the sandy beach. TreeTop Adventures offers several thrilling zip lining courses The Day Butterfly Center is one of the largest in North America with at least 1,000 butterflies at any given time. Accommodation includes the Mountain Creek Inn, Southern Pine Cottages, Mountain Creek Villas and Vacation homes and the main lodge and spa. There are many restaurants as well as special dining events and picnics available.
Mini-vacations are usually six to eight hours away by car. No expensive flights and wasted time in airports. A road trip can be great fun if you plan ahead, relax and try to make it part of the vacation.
Some tips for making a road trip with kids a little easier are:
- Start early morning to arrive before the kids get too tired
- Start after dinner and let the kids sleep during the ride
- Stop every two hours for exercise or food whether you need to or not
- Bring games for the older children and make sure the electronic games are charged
- Pack healthy snacks, water, a flashlight and a first aid kit
- Anti-motion sickness medication if required
Have you been to any of these Southern vacation destinations? Do you have one to add to the list? Share in the comments below.
We love Gulf Shores. We rented a house through Gulf Shores Rentals and had some of the best seafood ever there! The kids and my husband saw a couple of stingrays and I saw dolphins almost every morning. It was absolute paradise! We haven’t been to Callaway Gardens or Great Wolf Lodge yet but want to go soon. Which would you recommend trying first? We have three kids, 4, 7, and 9 years old.
We saw a lot of dolphins when we went to Gulf Shores too! It’s hard to choose whether you should go to Callaway Gardens or Great Wolf Lodge first. They are both a lot of fun for your children’s ages. Callaway Gardens has a lot of different kinds of things to do while Great Wolf Lodge does as well, but mostly indoors. I would reserve a stay at Great Wolf Lodge for Winter when it’s too cold to be outdoors and go to Callaway Gardens in the Spring or Summer.