Alabama

              Have you ever wanted to take a large Family trip to the beach but didn’t know what to do once you got there? Well, it turns out this can be a great vacation. Some members will just want to sit on the beach and do nothing for a whole week! Others just cannot sit still that long. Fortunately for those of you who like enjoying themselves, there are plenty of things to do instead of waiting with your family member who just wants to hang at the beach.

1. Visit the Blue Angels.

              The Blue Angels are a part of the navy and Marine Corps formed in 1946 by the US. A couple years ago, my family and a few others went on a vacation to this place. While some families hung back to enjoy the beach, others ventured out to visit this amazing group. If you have a child or anyone who is sensitive to loud noises, you may want to bring earplugs along. You can also explore parts of planes and have the opportunity to get in things. Here is a video of them to check out.

2. Making Dinner or Going Out

              If you would like to rent a house with a kitchen in it, your family members can make dinners for each other. If this isn’t your style, going to a restaurant is another option. Again, some people stayed back for dinner while my family and a few others went to this restaurant called The Hang Out and had a lot of fun. You get to enjoy live music and your little ones can play in the bubbles. Another restaurant you can go to is McGuire’s. This is an Irish pub where money is hanging from the walls and ceiling. While I was there, I had the ice-cream burger, but sadly, this is not on the menu anymore.

3. Going for Helicopter Rides

              If your more of the adventurous type, you will be happy to know that you can do helicopter rides and look down on houses. My aunt, brother and I had the experience of doing this and it was a lot of fun. While inside, we flew down the coast and also over the house we had rented. An interesting thing we learned on that ride was that our pilot was from St. Louis. You can choose different ride lengths. The ride that we experienced was 30 minutes long.

4. Going to the Pool or Ocean

              You maybe the type of family that loves to swim. What better way to do this then renting a house with a pool on the beach? When we went with my grandpa, he had rented a house with a pool build in. All you had to do was walk out onto the deck and boom… the pool was there! It even had benches that you could sit on. We had a super fun time floating in an innertube. Some of the families put a sheet on top and watched a movie called Finding Nemo, while others hung back inside. If for some reason, you would like to go to the ocean, this was right next to the pool.

Rainbow Trout and Game Ranch

              If for some reason your family doesn’t like the beach but still likes being by the water, another great place is called Rainbow Trout and Game Ranch. You can have a lot of fun, relax, and enjoy the outdoors.

1. Fishing

              Do you have family members that love to cast their pole in the water and just wait patiently for a fish to bite? Well, you’re in luck because Rainbow Trout and Game Ranch has lots of these fishing holes around. My family has been there twice and every time, we have caught fish. Even if you are not very patient, it may only take a little bit to catch them in this stocked spring creek. If you would like to take the fish home and clean them, you can, or if you don’t feel comfortable, you can have the fish cleaned at the fish house. They offer a number of other activities that we didn’t have the opportunity to do:

https://www.rockbridgemo.com/things-to-do

Utah

              If your family is still adventurous, you could always try Park City Utah as a vacation spot. I had the experience of going with a group called http://dgckids.org/ While there, a camp called Camp Abilities had us doing adaptive sports like white water rafting and a ropes course. I remember doing the ropes course and after I got down, someone said, “Andrew, you climbed all the way to the top, weren’t you scared?” I replied back, “No I wasn’t because I couldn’t see how high I was!” If you also like music, there is a concert in the park you can check out that is absolutely free.

Breckenridge Colorado

              If you’re still the adventure family, another vacation spot to check out is the state of Colorado. I had the privilege to go thanks to this same organization. While there, I had the experience of going white water rafting, paddle boarding, climbed an actual rock face instead of a climbing wall and much more. I even had the experience of participating in the rocky Mountain State Games and winning a metal in the shot put for the farthest throw!

No Barriers

              If you’ve got a family member who really loves adventure and technology, then look no farther than No Barriers! I had the experience to go when it came to Copper Mountain Colorado with The Delta Gamma Center for Children with Visual Impairments. I had a fantastic time doing activities such as adaptive skateboarding, swimming and many others. I also had the experience of listening to life-changing speakers. Here is a video of co-founder Eric Weihenmayer talking about this amazing experience!

Trout Lodge

              If you’re the type of family that is looking for a weekend getaway, then look no farther than YMCA Trout Lodge. They have a buffet where families can go and eat. you can also stay in a hotel room or in cabins out in the woods. When I went with the Delta Gamma group, we did a lot of activities. Here are some of them: Archery, outdoor rock climbing, horseback riding, arts and crafts, hay ride, bond fire and many others. If you would like more info or to book a vacation, please visit this link:

http://www.ymcaoftheozarks.org/

              Many people may have different views on where to go for vacation and that’s okay. Whether it be traveling to the beach and just hanging out, waiting for that perfect fish to capture and take home to cook, hanging from a rock face suspended in midair, hiking in the mountains at Colorado or anything else you can think of. When planning for a vacation, it’s always nice to get family members opinion of where they would like to go!