7 Magnificent Family Destinations in the U.S. to Explore
Recent years have been challenging ones for families to travel around the United States. 2023 provides a new opportunity for families to explore. But where to go? To assist with this process of planning a trip and picking a destination, The Traveling American suggests seven magnificent places for families to visit in 2023 and thereafter:
1. Yosemite National Park, California
Yosemite National Park, located near the eastern border of California in the Sierra Nevada mountains, is known for its sheer mountains, alpine wilderness, tall sequoia trees and spectacular waterfalls. The unique geologic landscape of this popular natural park emerged from hundreds of millions of years of geologic activity. Visionaries like Abraham Lincoln, John Muir, and Teddy Roosevelt recognized that the unique natural resources of Yosemite should be set aside for public use and conserved for the future generations. Although the park is as large as the state of Rhode Island, the most popular places for visitors are in Yosemite Valley at the center of the park or at the Mariposa Grove near the south entrance.
There are special attractions and activities for adults and children to enjoy at Yosemite. Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Falls can be viewed from elevated locations or visited by taking trails to the base of the falls from the valley. Watching torrents of water emerge from the top of the cliffs and plunge down granite walls for thousands of feet before crashing onto the rocks below is a thrilling experience. Similarly, gazing at the 8800-foot-high granite rock formation known as half dome created by receding glaciers or looking up at the sheer rock face of El Capitan rising 3,590 ft above Yosemite Valley is exciting for photographers and nature lovers. It is not unusual to spot climbers attempting to scale El Capitan with spikes or free climbing to the top.
Young adults and children will also find outdoor activities to enjoy at Yosemite. Mirror Lake is a seasonal lake located in a canyon near the valley which is known for its beautiful setting and used as a swimming hole when filled with runoff water from the mountains during the late spring and summer. Meanwhile, hikers will find exciting places in the park for exercise, wildlife sightings, and observation such as the giant sequoia trees located at Mariposa Grove. There are streams and rivers for rafting also.
2. Nashville, Tennessee
Greater Nashville is an ideal family place to visit, even for people who are not big country music fans. The focus on entertainment percolates throughout the community creating a relaxing atmosphere for tourists. One place that is at the heart of the Nashville experience is the Grand Ole Opry. The modern Opry theater is located about ten miles outside of town. It provides the audience and performers with a top-notch entertainment experience. For generations, the Opry stage has served as the place for legends and newcomers of country music to sing songs at shows held throughout the week. Another exciting place to visit is Nashville's Broadway, a long street in the center of downtown full of clubs, where bands and solo artists perform all day long seeking recognition or recording contracts. People walk up and down the street listening to shows going on in the windows of various clubs, enjoying the restaurants and shops, and buying souvenirs and clothes.
Other places people of all ages visit are the music museums. These include the large Country Music Hall of Fame where thousands of pieces of memorabilia and videos about country music stars such as Elvis and Taylor Swift are on display. Other people like the Johnny Cash Museum which effectively presents information on the background and diverse recordings of the Man in Black. There are famous local eateries which feature everything from hot chicken to barbecue, ribs, and ice cream. For those seeking outdoor activities there is a lot to do around the revitalized Cumberland riverfront including walking trails, historic sites, and the General Jackson showboat cruise.
Some families combine visits to the downtown attractions with a stay at the Gaylord Opryland Resort, a hotel with 2888 rooms which is adjacent to the Grand Ole Opry, a cinema complex, and a 200-store mall. Guests of the resort may purchase access to a 217,000 square foot indoor and outdoor water park known as the Soundwaves which includes everything from water slides to a large wave pool, lazy rivers, and other water related amenities.
Other Family Activities Nearby- Two popular places within seventy-five miles of Nashville are the Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky and the Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage Mansion and Museum close to Nashville.
3. Kennedy Space Center – Titusville, Florida
After decades of slow progress and public indifference, space is cool again. People sense that a new age of exploration is dawning that will include a return to the moon, landings on Mars, private space flights, and further proof of hundreds of Earth like planets scattered around the galaxy. With corporations and NASA creating opportunities for jobs and scientific study, this is an exciting time to introduce older children and teenagers to the sense of wonderment that prior generations had about space exploration by taking a trip to the Kennedy Space Center.
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s complex is on an island off the east coast of Florida. The space center is a working space facility with tours and exhibits that link NASA’s historic accomplishments in space with future plans. The huge rockets, historic capsules and interactive displays show the chronology of the space race and the moon landings. Other exhibits and films emphasize the triumphs and tragedies of the space shuttle program. Bus tours also visit the launch pads used for historic missions and ongoing private commercial flights.
Other Family Activities Nearby – Titusville is located only 90 minutes from the theme parks of Orlando and is close to the Port Canaveral cruise terminal.
Read more about the Kennedy Space Center →
4. Santa Monica and Venice Beach, California
Santa Monica and Venice Beach are two places that offer people from around the country a slice of the special ambiance and lifestyle of southern California. These adjoining seaside towns located close to Los Angeles International Airport embody the creative spirit and cultural diversity of the region. Santa Monica is a popular and expensive residential community known for the century old Santa Monica Pier. The pier extends almost a half mile into the Pacific and features everything from an amusement park with carnival style games to a famous carousel with artfully crafted horses. A few blocks inland from the pier is the Third Street Promenade with two hundred stylish retailers along with renowned dining and entertainment.
Venice Beach, which begins just south of Santa Monica, is a bit more edgy. There is always something interesting to see or do during the daytime along the 1.5-mile concrete boardwalk that runs along the beach. In addition to boutique shops, beach hangouts, and restaurants, tourists enjoy watching street performers, weightlifters, skateboarders, and musicians display their talents all around the beach. People consider Venice Beach to be one of the best surfing spots in the Los Angeles area particularly if you want to be seen. Despite this bohemian culture, the attractiveness of the area has endured for decades.
Other Family Activities Nearby – Other family activities to pursue near Santa Monica in the Los Angeles region include touring Hollywood, driving up the coast to visit Santa Barbara and the wine country, or going to Universal Studios or Disneyland.
Read more about these California destinations →
5. Park City, Utah
Park City serves as a center for cultural, outdoors and entertainment activities for visitors to the beautiful Wasatch Mountains in Utah. In addition to attracting the rich and famous to dozens of ski slopes and the Sundance Film Festival in the winter, Park City is a fun place for families to explore year-round for a weekend or day trip from Salt Lake City.
There are three special features about Park City that make it an interesting place to visit. First, the setting is very picturesque. Park City is located at an elevation of seven thousand feet and thickly wooded mountains rise in every direction from the city. The valley beneath the mountains and trails cut through the mountains provide great scenery for bike riding, hiking or horseback riding during warmer weather.
Second, the Historic Main Street of Park City has something for everyone. Main Street climbs halfway up the mountain and along the way there are shops, restaurants, cafes, and entertainment venues housed in replicas of structures from the original frontier town. The shopping options include high end national brands, outfitters for outdoors and winter activities, and locally owned boutiques. The 19th century mining heritage of the town is displayed at the Park City Museum which features period exhibits, films, and interactive displays.
Third, the ski resorts and winter sports activities in Park City have a national reputation. Places like the Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort have hundreds of trails, a ski school, and other amenities. The nearby Utah Olympic Park leftover from the 2002 Winter games has a ski jump and other facilities. Visitors there can experience a modified bobsled, go tubing on a ski run, ride a zipline, or watch freestyle skiers soar into a splash pool.
Other Family Activities Nearby - Salt Lake City is only 45 minutes away and has attractions of its own worth exploring for a day or two.
6. Gettysburg National Battlefield, Pennsylvania
Perhaps no site in the United States captures the public fascination with the Civil War and enhances the nation’s ongoing quest for equality as much as the National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This expansive national park consists of six thousand acres of rolling hills, farmland, and more than 1300 monuments to the battle. Fifty thousand American soldiers were killed or wounded at Gettysburg, but the Union Army regained the initiative in the war as the Confederate Army was forced to retreat to the south after the battle.
Gettysburg has eight thousand residents and excellent facilities for families including an impressive visitors center and museum, guided tours, modern and historic lodging options, and other recreation and entertainment opportunities nearby. The museum experience starts with a twenty-minute film which explains the background of the battle. People can then walk-through personalized exhibits which effectively bring to life the weapons, soldiers, and stories of the July 1863 battle.
Driving around the battlefield by car or taking a tour of the key sites is worthwhile to understanding the three-day battle. Some of the most frequently visited sites are the elevated positions at Round Top and Devil’s Den, and at Cemetery Ridge where the Union forces repulsed the fury of Pickett’s charge of 12,000 Confederate infantry and cavalry. There are monuments both large and small throughout the park commemorating regiments from various states as well as statues of the leading generals who commanded troops there.
Family activities at Gettysburg extend beyond the battlefield to sites in town which commemorate Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Other people may enjoy joining one of the tours which visit sites featuring “The Ghosts of Gettysburg” or going to other interactive attractions such as the Gettysburg Heritage Center and the land of Little Horses.
Other Family Activities Nearby – The large Hershey Park amusement park is fifty miles away as is the large settlement of the Amish community in Lancaster County.
7. Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown in upstate New York is synonymous with the Baseball Hall of Fame. Unlike some other “tourist towns,” it is an interesting village of 10,000 people with spotless houses, family restaurants and inns, downtown sports shops of all kinds, and friendly residents. These qualities and the beauty of the surrounding Lake Otesaga make it not only a pilgrimage location for baseball fans but an excellent family destination to visit throughout the spring, summer, and fall.
Baseball is still “the straw that stirs the drink” in Cooperstown and the Hall of Fame Museum on Main Street presents a detailed history of the star players, historic events and teams that have defined the game for the past 150 years. There are locker displays for each of thirty major league teams and a plague room with busts and information about the accomplishments of the more than 330 inductees of the Hall. One of the more interesting displays at the Museum is a section dedicated to Babe Ruth which effectively conveys his unprecedented fame among the public and the influence he had on the game.
In addition to be a very walkable community, visitors to Cooperstown will enjoy taking a ride on the Glimmerglass Queen ferry which travels around parts of 11-mile-long Lake Otesaga. This bright blue lake is surrounded mostly by state parks and land owned by a land trust, making it clean and attractive. Another attraction is the beautiful Otesaga Resort Hotel which has a beautiful porch for relaxing and taking in the ambiance of the site, indoor and outdoor dining, and the Leatherstocking Golf Course along the shore of the lake. '