FAMILY-FRIENDLY RESORTS FOR SUMMER AND FALL
While we’re optimistic about more countries opening up and the return of international travel on a large scale starting in the fall, there are plenty of incredible options right here in the U.S. for a family vacation this summer and into the fall. These coast-to-coast options have plenty of activities to keep kids of all ages occupied and entertained, and they represent only a few of the wonderful places to forge indelible family memories.
OCEAN HOUSE
Whether you stay in the main building or one of the multi-bedroom cottages, your family will have access to a sublime stretch of Rhode Island beach. By sea, there’s surfing and paddling lessons and fishing and yachting excursions. By land, there’s croquet on the lawn, golf, tennis (lawn and table), squash courts and bike rentals. Each month brings a new program of activities, from art classes to culinary lessons. To unwind at the end of the day, choose a treatment at the OH! Spa before taking in a movie in the cinema-quality screening room.
SALAMANDER RESORT
Just an hour from the heart of Washington, D.C. is an outdoor wonderland with a full equestrian center and zip lines. For more low-key fun, there’s bocce ball, croquet, cornhole and life-size chess on the lawn. There are indoor and outdoor pools, Sunday family-style brunch and S’mores by the firepit to cap off a perfect day. The grounds include tennis and basketball courts and a putting green, with golf privileges at a nearby course once you’ve perfected your short game. Guests can even learn to make award-winning dishes in the cooking studio using ingredients grown right in property in the culinary garden.
BLACKBERRY FARM
The A-Z list of activities at this resort in the Tennessee foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains runs from archery to yoga, and there is so much in between. Guests can practice their aim at clay shooting, improve their tracking skills with geocaching and hone their equestrian skills. After a tour of the MasterCraft factory to see how the boats are made, you can wake-board behind one or enjoy the breeze riding inside. The working farm is home to chickens, sheep and truffle dogs. It also produces some of the fresh ingredients for the resort’s signature Foothills Cuisine.
THE RESORT AT PAWS UP
With 37,000 acres of undeveloped land, this Montana escape is basically a private national park. Stay in a family cabin, lodge or tent and wear yourselves out with more than 70 activity options. See the area’s wildlife on a backcountry tour or catch some with a fly-fishing adventure in the Blackfoot River. For a faster pace, raft down the river, bike down a mountain or rappel down a rock face. Test your shooting skills on the rifle range or in paintball or get above it all with a hot air balloon ride or aerial rope course. The Junior Wrangler program and Kids Corps of Discovery will ensure your family gets the best of the great outdoors.
HOTEL DEL CORONADO
Whether you lay your head in the historic Victorian Building, in the Beach Village or in the new Cabanas, you’re just steps away from the golden sands of Coronado Beach. Weekends come bonfires on the beach with S’mores and sunset views over the Pacific. Trails allow bikers, hikers and runners to take in all the views the island has to offer, or you can get your exercise in with sweeping ocean views thanks to weekend spin classes and beach yoga. With more than 130 years of history, the Hotel del has a story to tell, and daily tours recite the legends of the hotel and the island.