MOMania

By LM

April 4, 2007 9:17 AM | Link to this

We lived on St. Pete Beach when I was a child, from about 5yo to 9yo. Those years on the beach were by far the best years of my childhood. Which is surprising since my mom was married to “ROY”

The beach helped my Mom keep her sanity, allowed my brother and I time outside away from the drama. Taught me the beauty of a sunset, the joy of finding a perfect shell, how to swim, and be alone.

This last fall I took my daughter and Mother back to St. Pete. This was the first trip back in 12 years. It still has a small town feel, the beaches are good and there are still some small hotels along the beach that are not too expensive to rent.

My SO’s parents own a condo in Panama City Beach. IMO, Panama is loud, teeming with young adults who have no respect for others. The beaches are nice, the condo is very convienent to the beach and there are few mega units near our end of the beach, but just to run into town to get a few items took some of the joy out of the trip for me.

I also lived in Myrtle Beach, SC from 1986 to 1990. Again the beach is nice, but it gets so crowded durning the season it really detracts from the “R&R” of having a vacation. Also, very crowded with young adults, not as bad as PCB, but not a lot of fun with young children. Off season the town closed down.

By Keith

April 4, 2007 9:25 AM | Link to this

Thanks LM! I will definitely look into St. Pete.

By Kerry

April 4, 2007 10:19 AM | Link to this

LM-My dad’s family lives in St. Pete. It is actually pretty nice down there with a lot of great beaches to go to. It’s never very crowded at any that we’ve visited. Fort DeSoto in St Pete was actually voted a top ten beach a few years ago.

My family usually goes to Kentucky Lake for vacation. We’ve been going for about 10 years with about 6 other families. Some are from Georgia and some from Missouri. It’s a camping trip, so you’d have to enjoy that kind of thing. This year we’re going to a lake in Tennessee though (make the drive a little closer for the GA folks) and we’re renting cabins (yeah air conditioning!). It’s always a fun time. Don’t have to worry about a thing. Just be lazy and lay out or go fishing or enjoy a boat ride. Good times.

By Jennifer

April 4, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this

We went to St. George Island, Florida, last year and absolutely loved it. Our girls were 2 and 4 so they didn’t need the busy activities of more commercial beaches. Most rentals there are homes, many have private pools. I highly recommend SGI for families with small kids.

By ChrisD

April 4, 2007 10:55 AM | Link to this

Mexico Beach, FL. It’s not grown up yet so it’s peaceful. Yet it’s only 30 minutes from Panama City so there’s plenty of good restaurants and nightlife if you want.

By Political Mongrel

April 4, 2007 11:02 AM | Link to this

Wherever you go, build in time to relax, be patient with one another, don’t drag everyone along at a breakneck pace. A vacation should be a release from stress, but it’s often more strain than staying at home. Plan for contingencies and delays the best you can IN ADVANCE. Organize and make checklists and pack whatever you can IN ADVANCE. Don’t stuff to capacity and weight limits and then load up on souvenirs. Plan for the most enjoyment, not the most things you can see and do. Remember when things go wrong (and you will) how much you love your family.

By nurse&mother

April 4, 2007 11:05 AM | Link to this

My late brother lived in Destin, Florida until he passed away. He moved there when there were only sand dunes. Now it is so overcrowded! There are some beautiful beaches if you can put up with all the people.

My favorite vacation experience is a Disney Cruise. It is all inclusive. They have a kid’s club that is awesome! You should check it out. We had a blast a few years ago. We plan to go on another in two years when the baby is potty trained and can go to the kid’s club. My husband and I agreed that was one of our most memorable vacations.

We also like to go to Colorado skiing every year. I haven’t gone the last two years because I’ve been pregnant and the baby was just a year old this winter. The rest of the family went without us. Next year the baby will stay with my mother while we go. Children must be three and potty trained to stay in ski school.

By ED

April 4, 2007 11:13 AM | Link to this

MY PARENTS USED TO TAKE ME AND MY SISTER TO SEAGROVE BEACH,FL.. IT IS BETWEEN PANAMA CITY AND DESTIN. IT HAS THE SAME BEUTIFUL BEACH AS PCB WITHOUT ALL OF THE TRAFFIC AND LOUD ANNOYING TEENS. THERE ARE MANY RENTAL OPTIONS INCLUDING THE SEASIDE COMMUNITY (WHERE PART OF “THE TRUMAN SHOW” WAS FILMED).I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO ANY FAMILY, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH YOUNG CHILDREN. IT WILL BE THE FIRST BEACH MY CHILDREN WILL SEE, HOPEFULLY THIS SUMMER OR EARLY FALL. TRY IT ! YOU WONT BE DISSAPPOINTED!

By I'll Be The One

April 4, 2007 11:26 AM | Link to this

What makes a great family vacation? Leaving the family at home. ; )

Oh come on…somebody had to say it.

By Fine of Hearing

April 4, 2007 11:27 AM | Link to this

Psst…ED…all caps is considered yelling. We’re not hard of hearing.

By LM

April 4, 2007 12:00 PM | Link to this

We(DD, SO and I) have not been on a vacation in several years. We are planning a trail riding trip with our friends, at Fort Mountain. Our friends have a teenage son, neigher child likes the other. It makes for very uncomfortable meals. I would love a vacation without the teenagers. Now that would be relaxing and restfull!

By ginger

April 4, 2007 12:35 PM | Link to this

Well, I accidentally found the best family vacation spot ever. I had been going there long before I had children. It is a private beach with private cabins. It is in a state-run nature preserve and those who owned homes there prior to the state taking over were allowed to keep their properties. Nature abounds and there is no “man-made” fun, such as kiosks on the beach renting things for ocean fun or boardwalks or putt-putt golf. But there is plenty to do what with all the fishing and wildlife and swimming with porpoises and nature walks, etc. And it is absolutely private. The kids love it and we have a lot of fun and a lot of relaxation. My family has over the years, and still does, occasionally join us at the beach. We enjoy sharing the place with those who love it as much as we do. Where is it, you may ask? Well, while I would love to turn everyone on to this wonderful place, houses for rent are so few and far between that I cannot share the location for fear that it would get too popular and I would not be able to get a place there. If you ever run across it, though, you will certainly recognize it as the best beach in the world!!!!

By luvs2teach

April 4, 2007 1:21 PM | Link to this

We’ve spent time at 4 major beach destinations and all have their pros and cons…

Hilton Head ( gone twice, hotel each time) - not too far, nice beaches, plenty to do, but fairly pricy

St. George, FL ( 4 times - rented houses)- 7-8 hour drive, nice beach, but my kids got stung by jellyfish in the water, lots of seaweed at certain times, not a lot of development, but also not a lot to do other than go to the beach - mostly houses for rent, not too many condos or hotels

Emerald Isle, NC (4 times - rented houses) - also 7-8 hour drive, beautiful beach, not a lot of development on Emerald Isle itself, but lots to do and see up the road in Atlantic Beach

Tybee Island, GA (3 times - rented houses)- shortest drive, decent beach with a huge difference between high and low tide (beach nearly disappears at high tide) - high tide can be a little scary at the north end of the beach. Recommend staying mid-beach - safest water, and least crowding - all the hotels and condos are at the south end. Very reasonably priced, but they have some high end stuff as well - good amount of things to do.

Good luck - you can find out a lot about all these places online - every house we’ve rented in the last five years we’ve done online.

By charles

April 4, 2007 1:39 PM | Link to this

christmas and easter are a perfect time for extended family visits-other times could be reserved for your family -try the gulf coast sometimes-the beaches are much more attractive than the east coast- we have a beach house in mexico beach fla. -great place for the family ciao

By pws

April 4, 2007 1:55 PM | Link to this

Keith, you should try the beach at St Pete, or even at St George Island, because it’s a different beach experience. The sand is much whiter on the Gulf side, it isn’t grey like it is at St Simon and that side of Georgia. The sane almost looks like sugar on the Gulf side.

The downside to St George is that there isn’t much to do except go to the beach, but you can take a day and explore the little town of Appalachicola, where the ice machine was invented.

By Tina

April 4, 2007 2:15 PM | Link to this

We rented a house at Kiawah Island last May and really enjoyed the proximity to Charleston. There’s a cool children’s museum there. The only downside to the Kiawah thing was that we didn’t rent through the “Kiawah Island” rental agency, but rather a local real estate agency that manages local rentals. Kiawah has figured out that it can exclude swimming pool and (most) playground privleges by offering that exclusively though their rental agency to try to force you to rent from them. It’s a big disappointment, since we don’t really like spending a lot of time on the sand, and would have enjoyed some pool time as well with the (then) three year old and (then) three month old.

By Jen

April 4, 2007 2:42 PM | Link to this

Man, I posted a long one about two beaches but it’s never shown up.

Even though I don’t put on a bathing suit anymore I still love the beach in a pair pair of linen capris and tank shirt.

Google Navarre Beach, FL and Fort Pickens, FL.

Beautiful beaches with different agendas. One’s for relaxation on a private beach and the other is for camping on the beach….

By Boomer

April 4, 2007 3:02 PM | Link to this

Mexico Beach on the Florida Panhandle. Definitely still family friendly. Still close to Panama City. Having lived at Panama City Beach I can tell you it is very family friendly in the off seasons between college spring break and the end of school and also after Labor Day.

By ED

April 4, 2007 3:35 PM | Link to this

dear fine of hearing, i didn’t realize this was a forum for bashing people. maybe you should focus on what people are writing, and not how they are writing. I APOLOGIZE TO ALL OF THOSE I HAVE OFFENDED! FIND A LIFE, CAPS DON’T MATTER! oh, i am so sorry, i did it again. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY FINE OF HEARING. sincerely, ed

By duma$$

April 4, 2007 3:54 PM | Link to this

OK THANKS ED!

By Erin

April 4, 2007 3:58 PM | Link to this

I LOVE St. Simon’s Island … I do consider it a great place for a vacation - as a single, as a couple, for a honeymoon or anything else, for that matter.

My parents actually DID go on a honeymoon there. I remember going as a little kid and then again years later as an adult and fell in love with the place all over again.

Anyway, I digress.

Other vacation spots? Folly Beach or Myrtle Beach, if you don’t mind ginormous crowds. I’d stay well away from Panama City during Spring Break season, but I guess at other times it’d be fun.

Destin is nice. And — also staying away during Spring Break, South Padre Island in Texas is fun, too. They have a big water-park (Schlitterbahn!) down there which is a wonderful thing for the kids.

I can’t think of other beach-related places I like right off hand.

By Tina

April 4, 2007 5:09 PM | Link to this

@ED:

I agree that Seagrove Beach is beautiful. Three friends and I took our four kids there for a week when they turned one. Apparently the Publix at Watercolor had just opened, so that was a lifesaver. I had one complaint about going to the Panhandle. The bugs smashed all over my car were really annoying, and in part, a deterrent for future visits there.

By mom3boys

April 4, 2007 5:42 PM | Link to this

Our favorite family beach is Gulf Shores, Alabama. It’s not too crowded, the beach is beautiful, and there is plenty to do. Outlets are nearby, there is deep sea fishing, dolphin cruises, and wonderful restaurants. My favorite is Sea N Suds. You have the options of hotels, condos, or houses for rent. The prices are significantly lower than Destin and Panama City and the crowds are much smaller!

By HB

April 4, 2007 5:59 PM | Link to this

I grew up in Glynn County, love visiting often, but am wondering — why are you looking for another family-friendly beach? If you still plan to visit SSI several times each year, why not try something new? Maybe plan a mountain vacation — ski in winter or hike in summer. Or maybe a new city each year with museums, zoos, parks the kids will like. How about a lake where watersports are more kid-friendly since there are no rip tides or alligators?

And if there’s a danger of not having any free time when you do visit SSI, do what I do. Lie. I let a very small group of people, who I can count on to respect any plans I have, know when I’ll arrive. I tell everyone else I’m arriving 2 days later. That gives me two whole days that people won’t drop in unexpectedly to do whatever I want to do…

By Cletus Snow

April 4, 2007 6:41 PM | Link to this

Try Fort Myers Fl. you wont waste your vacation anywhere else again.

By Keith

April 4, 2007 6:48 PM | Link to this

Brilliant idea HB! We might have to try sneaking onto the island a couple of days earlier than our family expects next time we visit. We will always love St. Simons.

We actually do head to the mountains quite a bit on summer weekends — have camped, cabined and done a lot of hiking there. Our kids have even trekked a bit on the Appalachian Trail (Blood Mountain, Ga.) We enjoy going to Lake Oconee, and we have done a big trip to Washington, DC so the kids can see where their folks used to work and live before the grey hairs started sprouting on our heads.

But I’m a beach girl at heart, so vacation means beach to me — which is why we’re looking for a seaside holiday spot of our own.

Thanks to everyone for so many great suggestions on beach locations. And HB, if you see a family wearing dark glasses and trying to act invisible next time you’re on SSI, you’ll know it’s the Still family!

By georgia

April 5, 2007 10:19 AM | Link to this

Club Med in South Florida, Sandpiper Resort, was the best family vacation we ever took. ALL inclusive, LOTS of activities for the kiddies of all ages. So much to do, but on the other hand, a little expensive. But remember, it is all inclusive.

We went with a huge group of 40 friends/family. We never hear any of the kids saying “I’m bored, there’s nothing to do”. WE NEVER SAW THE KIDS. They had so many activities, and were constantly kept busy by the GO’s (camp counselor). The parents were able to relax and enjoy themselves. Very stressfree. And we never opened out wallets. Anything we asked for was provided with a smile. We never hear the word NO from anyone employee down there. They bent over backwards for their guests. I would go again in a heartbeat!!!!

Next to that - Any cruise. We took a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas, and it wasn’t long enough. But there is plenty to do on those ships for all ages. This year, 7 day Alaskan cruise and three days in Seattle….

I agree with the Florida beaches. Destin is way to crowded, the traffic is a nightmare. Panama City Beach, once you get off the “Miracle Mile” and head down Thomas Drive, very family oriented. I took two 16 year old girls last summer and we never got bored.

Also, I am looking foward to visiting St. George Island. I have several co-workers who just love it down there. There isn’t much to do, but with little kids, all you really need is beach time…….

Good Luck!!!

By ED SUCKS

April 6, 2007 7:20 AM | Link to this

ED, you’re a loser.

By Casey

April 6, 2007 7:23 AM | Link to this

Interesting topic. I have the absolute best beach ever. We go every year, have been going for about the past 12 years. It’s mainly adults, with a few kids - actually well behaived. The sand is soft and pure, the ocean gorgeous - and I’ve never seen seaweed in the water. There are only three hotels there (2 of them are new, within the past 5 years) and they usually have vacancies. Nightlife and entertainment for the evenings is only about 30 minutes away.

Honestly, you couldn’t ask for anything better. Therefore, why the he11 would I tell you people about it and ruin it for me? Get a life!

By JJ

April 6, 2007 8:42 AM | Link to this

Casey your last comment was uncalled for. Why did you have to end with such a nasty post?

By Casey

April 6, 2007 9:35 AM | Link to this

JJ - I spoke the truth. What about the truth don’t you like?

By Jennifer

April 6, 2007 9:44 AM | Link to this

Cruising is economical compared to other vacations if you do your shopping! Royal Caribbean has a great children’s program and is way less expensive than Disney. Sure, you don’t have the Disney shows but there is plenty of fun for everyone and always something new to do.

By bellamomma

April 6, 2007 11:44 AM | Link to this

Tybee Island, Fernadina FL, Check out the GA coast, there are lots of places other than St. Simmons. St. Augustine is really nice too.

As a kid we went to Hilton Head Island every year. Our family lived on Tybee so we stayed there a night or two and then went on to Hilton Head.

Seaside in FL is amazing. I can’t even describe it. But it is $$$$. Worth it though.

I have moved to South Georgia so the FL border is only 10 miles south of me. we go to Fernadina alot. there are only three hotels there I think. It is really quiet.

By bellamomma

April 6, 2007 11:45 AM | Link to this

Tybee Island, Fernadina FL, Check out the GA coast, there are lots of places other than St. Simmons. St. Augustine is really nice too.

As a kid we went to Hilton Head Island every year. Our family lived on Tybee so we stayed there a night or two and then went on to Hilton Head.

Seaside in FL is amazing. I can’t even describe it. But it is $$$$. Worth it though.

I have moved to South Georgia so the FL border is only 10 miles south of me. we go to Fernadina alot. there are only three hotels there I think. It is really quiet.

By bellamomma

April 6, 2007 11:51 AM | Link to this

Ocean walk in Daytona. It is like a little community in three buildings. Amazing for kids. We left once the whole week we were there.

By ginger

April 13, 2007 2:15 PM | Link to this

Re: Casey: Why do you think that it is okay for a person to say rude things by characterizing it as “the truth” or “just being real.” When did it become impossible to tell “the truth” or “be real” without being rude and obnoxious about it?

I said basically the same thing as you did about my vacation spot, which was “the truth,” without being rude. Who didn’t love you enough to teach you to be polite or to have any social graces? Poor thing, bless your heart.