What great pictures! This is from a practical mom - our kids went to Disneyworld/land once they met the height requirements for all rides, Europe when they were old enough to walk everywhere and liked to see big castles and hear about the strange history, and Mexico once they were old enough to enjoy the teen camps.

But an all-inclusive would work as long as you enjoyed that type of thing.

When our kids were young from about 6 months until the oldest was 6 we would go to Vancouver Island. It's a half hour drive to the ferry, 1 1/2 hr ferry ride and then a 1 hour drive to Qualicum Beach where we always rented beach front so that we could watch the kids eat sand to their hearts content. The nice thing about this area is that the water is very shallow with great tidal pools once the tide went out.

Anything like that near you? We had two boys, close in age and sitting for great lengths of time really didn't work.

After this age it was always ski holidays which isn't appropriate for right now.

He's just so cute. Great pictures.

At that age you definitely want a home away from home, or at least a hotel with at least one separate bedroom and a kitchenette.

Ive never been and really don't know much about them, but Great Wolf Lodge was the first place that came to mind. Numerous locations throughout the US and definitely geared towards kids with water parks, etc. I'm sure you can find a zillion reviews online.

Assume you are are at or near the beach when you go to FL so a mountain lake might be a nice change of pace.

When my kids were toddlers, we spent most vacations days visiting family (we lived away from them). When they were younger (preschool), anything would excite them. We spent a night in a hotel in Indiana on our way to DC once, and our youngest could not stop talking about Indiana... how great it was... even though we had showed him the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian scene from Night at the Museum. Until they were old enough to appreciate the destination itself, our vacations were kept pretty simple.

But my younger sister has traveled extensively with her just-turned-1-year-old, having recently returned from Europe. She was still breastfeeding, and the toddler could still be carted around in the Baby Bjorn and just fell asleep whenever/wherever she wanted. My sister claimed it was an easy trip with a little one that age.

What about bringing a baby-sitter with you? Get a second hotel room for the baby-sitter and toddler. Give the baby-sitter a mix of some free day time and night time hours so she can also do some sightseeing.

“...rampaging freely and eating dirt.”

Sounds like a good buddy for Penny!

ETA: Our first vacation other than visiting family was going to Disney World when DS was 18 months old. When his usual post lunch nap time arrived we visited the sit-down attractions that were in darkened theaters and he slept. Next visit to DW we camped at Fort Wilderness which was a big hit and led to many other camping experiences throughout the next 10 years, including one to the Badlands and Black Hills with DS and a nephew as a single mom. Living in the DC area afforded other outdoor opportunities such as hiking the Appalachian Trail, Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Harpers Ferry, and Catoctin National Park. The museums in DC were also a big attraction for DS. I have a photo of him at the Mount Vernon wharf grubbing around in the dirt and one of him at the Air and Space Museum dressed out in his pilot’s flight suit ready to immerse himself in all the experience. As dad to 2 now his favorite activities are hiking in those same areas and visiting other historic sites. DIL is a willing companion too.

So any place he can run around freely and that accommodates his schedule.

and our youngest could not stop talking about Indiana... how great it was...

This is too funny but very true,kids often don't remember the things we "want" them to.

I think there are a lot of factors at play here. Where will you be traveling from, how long do you have to travel, are direct flights easy or do you prefer to drive, how much jet lag do you want to deal with (refer to question of how long do you have to travel, because no one wants to travel for a week with an 8 hour jet lag, only to acclimate to the time change only to turn around, go home, and do it again). Domestic or international? What time of year? We've travelled a lot with our two kids, now 4 and 18 months. Some trips I should have just taken the money we were going to spend and lit it on fire instead. Some trips were awesome. Some trips were just more work than fun and some were more fun than work. A few actually felt like a vacation.

When I was that little, my family only did day trips, but my parents stated they were not staying home because they had a 5th child! I don't think I traveled anywhere overnight until I was in HS. But we went to state parks, botanical gardens, small amusement parks that had kiddie rides, etc. What about something like Niagara on the Lake? Finger Lakes region of NY? Toronto harborfront?

ETA Em is adorable!!

My husband is not a huge Toronto fan. In fact, I got a ticket to one of our favorite podcasts in Montreal this summer and he doesn't even want to go up there with Emmett! I'm listening to all the advice in this thread and thinking I could take the money I'd spend on travelling elsewhere (e.g. gas or airfare) and spend it on renting a nicer cottage near home with all the amenities, but in a new area. My parents have a cottage up on the Northumberland Strait and I'm sure they'd love if we'd stay up there for a week. Emmett could eat a LOT of sand in a week!

Have you traveled to Newfoundland. There are many cabins for rent on vrbo and Airbnb. I think Emmitt would find lots of room for adventures and dirt.

Okay, I'll be straight with you. Send Emmett and you stay home. Seriously. Travelling with a toddler was exhausting. Up until age 1 they are easy, after 3 or 4 they are good, but that toddler time, it's just easier to stay home. Or, go stay at the cottage. It's familiar, it should become familiar to Emmett and maybe become a tradition, and your parents would love it. And might babysit one afternoon.

Look into "holiday camps" in Britain and Ireland. They're like a cruise on land and are usually near the beach or some other great destination for kids. Enclosed site, cabins with kitchens and bathrooms, pool, restaurant, mini-mart, playground, activities for kids etc. Lots of kids to play with and also very very safe for smaller children! Unlike a cruise, however, you have the option of getting out and exploring other local attractions. Park Resorts and Butlin's are great places to start.

Emmett would love Philadelphia and the surrounding community. (hint, hint.)

robo - If you take Emmett to PEI he could eat a bunch of red dirt and stain all of his shirts red. That's where we took our kids as they were going into grade 4 and 6 and while they no longer ate dirt they certainly stained a lot of shirts. We went to Halifax and Ottawa that trip as well. Spent July 1st in Halifax watching the fireworks but PEI was the highlight.

Oh that sweet Emmett! I just love seeing pictures of him in action! I don’t have a travel suggestion but wanted to thank you for sharing him again! He is such a delight!

He is, as everyone has mentioned, adorable. And he looks Canadian with all the wonderful things that implies to your neighbors on the south. Yes the hill photo is heart breaking. Stay in a cottage or at home and spend the vacation dollars on stuff you really want.

1- It would be great if you had access to a tween or teen relative to take with you as a sitter. You would be offering them some fun, and you and DH would get some alone time too. We did this once with a neighbor girl who was very close to our family(20 years later we are still friends even though we live in different cities now type of close)

2- Childrens museums are great!

3- Mystic Seaport is great.

4- Disney admission is free until you are older than 3!! And i really love parts of Disney as an adult.

5 - Burlington VT and the Shelburne Museum and Lake Champlain (I can probably sen a 20 YO son to babysit if needed or if it is weekend I will come)

6 - Jojoco is right, Philly is lovely. My dad essentially grew up in the Franklin Museum as his uncle was a curator and he went there for aftercare(which they didnt call that in the 50s)

7 - Upstate NY - Lake George, water, amusement parks, near Saratoga Racetrack for one day's outing, beautiful parks and lakes and hikes.

I have taken many toddlers to Pinnacles National Park (it was a National Monument when I last went, though). The Bear Gulch cave is a perfect first hike for a two-year-old. Half a mile to the cave, 1/2 mile through the cave (give 'em a flashlight; they love it), have a picnic at the reservoir, then reverse course (you can bypass 1/2 or all of the cave on the way down). In October the entire cave should be open (the bats migrate in October and March), and weather is usually still good enough for comfortable camping.

“Emmett would love Philadelphia and the surrounding community. (hint, hint.)”

A Mid-Atlantic Emmett sighting possibility?

Wanted to add that kids of all ages seem to love aquariums. Good day trip if you’re somewhere near one.

Small farms with cute animals are huge fun too. If you have a CSA, ask if you can visit.

I had four kids in six years. They traveled a lot as toddlers. Dh’s family is on the west coast and we live on the east coast so at least once a year, sometimes more, we flew across country for visits. Because flying our family was costly but necessary, we typically turned the trips into vacations rather than just visiting family. So trips to the Bay Area to visit family meant side trips to Monterey (absolute favorite aquarium, better than National Aquarium IMO), up to San Francisco to all the kid friendly tourist spots, Tahoe, Yosemite, Ano Nuevo, Bay Area Discovery Museum, and so much more. We also visited Seattle, Vancouver and Victoria with toddlers. Flew from DC to Big Island of Hawaii with 20 m/o, 4 and 5 y/o for a family reunion. I was pregnant with #4 and she still complains she’s the only one who hasn’t been to HI. Had two flight connections which helped - gave them a chance to walk off their energy. We made sure to book a condo with kitchen while dh’s childless siblings stayed at the hotel/resort. They loved the beaches, waterfalls, Volcanoes National Park, etc. We also traveled up and down the East Coast with them. We live near DC/Baltimore - lots of fun things for little ones to do at the various museums, zoos, etc.

I think for us, the key was that our kids were fairly easy going and not on a strict schedule. Because of our lifestyle, they learned to sleep anywhere but we also made sure not to let them get over tired. We made sure our trips included visits to places that were fun for toddlers. We were realistic and didn’t try to do adult things unless we had someone to watch the kids (one trip to SF to visit family included an overnight to Napa while our then only kid stayed with Grandma). I think the type of travel/vacation is highly dependent on the disposition of not only your toddler but also you and your spouse. If you are looking for something relaxing, you will most likely need to leave the toddler home or bring along a teen willing to be a sitter.

Adorable pictures! The only vacation we enjoyed when our kids were toddlers was going to a beach. They could run in the sand and not get hurt, and they always loved swimming in the pool that was on the property. ( I don’t remember it as relaxing, exactly.). But it was better than nothing, and we live in the Midwest, so seeing the ocean is always a treat. Rental properties are not safe enough, IMO, to leave a toddler with a babysitter. Pools, balconies, wires, electric sockets, etc. Oh my gosh - I’m freaking out just thinking about all the dangers. Lol.

That was us, Glad2b...always the beach. The sand and waves were like catnip for my babies. So many hours sitting in tide pools with buckets...so much sand in every crevice of my child, lol. We live in the SE so the beach is a quick 4 hour drive +/- depending on which beach. We are beach people, and going to the beach is just really such a tradition here in the South (well, I’m sure it is everywhere, lol, but we put our own stamp on it down here.)

As said above...it was NEVER like easy & totally relaxing in those days. You should have SEEN my packing list! OMG, baby gates, bed rails, monitors, plug covers, sippy cups, pack & play...I also had this awesome soft-sided toy chest we took everywhere. I was a fairly high-strung safety mom when they were little (TBH peobably still am even though they are teens, lol) so of course could never really kick back and lounge while they were awake, but the memories of kite watching and castle-making are priceless! I would buy these bags of small plastic figures (farm animals or dinos or safari) for like $1.00 and dd would spend HOURS from ages 2 to about 6 making up elaborate homes in the sand for the creatures. We brought the grandparents with us and dh & I would get occasional breaks. I am a napper, so I would always volunteer to take whichever toddler was crabby up every afternoon for their (my) nap. We always ate at family friendly beach restaurants and there’d always be a bunch of sun-kissed toddlers dancing around to the live guitar music at dinner. Such fun times! :)

Thank you all so much for the input! 4kids you are a SAINT to do so much travelling while being outnumbered by small children!! That's truly amazing.

Reading all the feedback here has helped me clarify that we will probably stick closer to home for family trips (except for Florida) and stick to rental cottages. We are going to a friend's cottage in the woods at the end of the month and I think Emmett will really enjoy eating all the dirt on the forest floor. And I will probably look into a cottage near my parents' cottage on the ocean - where they are, the water is relatively warm (for the Atlantic) and calm with miles of interesting beach so is perfect for kids! I'm guessing the sand will be extra tasty.

I am also intrigued by this idea of bringing along a baby sitter. My godchildren would be the only candidates right now and are a bit too young. Unfortunately the older one isn't much of a "carer" (she's more of a future charismatic dictator) but the younger one would be amazing in a few years.

I am more of a traveller than my husband and have done more trips over the years. I'd like to send him to California in January to attend a guitar show. He's resisting.

I had forgotten about beach toys! We live on the coast so beach visits were daily afternoon visits during the warm weather so when we went away to Qualicum all the beach toys seem to disappear from year to year. So the first stop in Qualicum was always the one=stop hardware store for that mesh bag of beach toys.

And then the next stop was the local independent grocery store for mom's treats - the best butter tarts and nanaimo bars. And then the beer store for dad.

Oh gosh the memories. You;ll make so many memories for Emmett with your holidays regardless of where you go. But at this age there is something to be said for revisiting favourite places. Just my opinion. Our kids used to call Qualicum our summer place.

Wherever you take him just make sure it's not a place where you have to stress more about what he's doing. I noticed you said he is high energy so I'd make sure he has a place to run.

Putting pressure on him to behave all the time is stressful for him and also very stressful for you.

If you can find a babysitter to bring along with the right stuff including energy patience and responsibility I would definitely go for that.

He's so young but growing so fast oh my! And such a cutie!

You will have great times at the cottages!

In the future, a trip to Legoland might be fun. Actually, the Denmark one may be closer for you, but we took our 2 and 7 yr olds to San Diego and it was great. It's kind of designed for younger kids (one thing we noticed--and appreciated--was that there was pretty much no one between the ages of 12 and 32). There's a space specifically for toddlers that was heavenly.

AND you can go to the San Diego Zoo, AND to the beach.

SO cute!!!

Friends of ours had 6 kids and they used to go camping in tents. About a half hour away from their house. The kids thought they were on a great adventure, and if they forgot anything, they just drove home to get it...

No suggestions, but that kid is still TOO CUTE!

Adorable pictures! We live in So Cal, our favorite toddler trip was mentioned by Bpath. Basically San Diego area due to the easy travel and lots of toddler friendly options - zoo, animal park, Sea World, Balboa Park and Legoland on the way home. We liked to stay at the Hilton on Mission Bay or Paradise Point Resort, that said it has been many years since we have stayed at either hotel. Other than San Diego we usually rented a place near friends on the Central Coast, Cambria or Morro Bay. Very relaxing. Once the youngest was 4 we started traveling further away from home.

Anywhere! My vacations growing up were usually camping and visiting relatives and they are some of my best memories. (I do remember those vacations not being as much fun for my mom at times, but there were four of us kids.) My brother and sister-in-law travel internationally a couple of times a year. Their 3-year old and his stroller go with them. I have been on a couple of those trips, too, and he travels really well, so that helps a lot. Likewise, my sister has 18 year old twins and they traveled all over the US and the world since they were babies.

I’m planning my next camping trip for approximately 2041.

Emmett is looking so cute!!! My baby-to-be had better 1/2 as photogenic, LOL!!

Have you guys been to Iceland? When we were there, there was a couple in the hot springs with the cutest little boy in the world. He loved being in the water. Iceland is such a nice outdoor and active vacation, he could run around all the hiking trails and would probably love swimming in the hot springs.

Late to respond and on the East coast of America so maybe not relavant. #1 ; Emmett is adorable. #2: my sons loved the caverns of the east coast. Going underground and seeing the stalactites and stalagmites were fun for him. We also went to several living museums (they have activities for kids) we always did as suggested and rented a place with a kitchen or were lucky enough to be close to a vacation home my mother owned.

Thanks for all the great suggestions!!

Beagles how are you?? Hope you’re feeling great. I forget, are you finding out the sex? I remember we discussed some boy names.

I like this pic I took last night

Robo, Em is just adorable. I could enjoy looking at his photos all day.

It has been so long since our kids and grandkids were toddlers, and my I put isn’t much different from everyone else. Living in the south, we grew up going to the beach each summer with my cousins. I have so many great memories of the Gulf coast, it is hard to recommend anything else, both for the fresh seafood and the pristine white beaches. Know, though, that it ca; get crowded and very hot in the full summer months. I’m talking too hot to walk barefoot on the sand in the middle of the day.

The north Georgia, East Tennessee, or western North Carolina mountains, from Asheville west, are wonderful places to relax. If you have someone to watch Emmett, take a gentle whitewater raft trip down the Ocoee or Nantahala. Drive the scenic Blue ridge parkway and stop to browse in some of the small towns along the way. Take some short hikes, or just let Em dig in the dirt.

OutsidePlaying We have always meant to travel up north from Florida, the way you describe it sounds so lovely! I would love to be drifting down a river right now.

Don’t laugh, but Ocean City NJ. kids love the beach and sitting along the edge of the water . He can vary his diet by eating sand instead of dirt. You can stick him on the back of a bike and ride along the boardwalk in the morning and then go back in the evening for the kiddie rides. Of course, you have to ride with him. Put him to bed and sit on the deck with a glass of wine. Just be sure to bring your own wine since OC is dry. Nice family town. I bet you could find something similar on Cape Cod. My experience was that everyone was happier when we took the kids somewhere they enjoyed.

Robo I'm feeling great, thanks for asking. Yes, it's a boy, I've known since like 8 weeks b/c we did all the NIPT testing, etc. since I'm old (36).

I was the same! Honestly I had the best pregnancy, too. Being old wasn’t a big deal at all. But I liked all the extra scans etc.

Neither of you are old! I was 34 and 36 when I had my kids and am now 66 and still don't feel old. There are a lot of us "old" moms out there. I am/was thrilled for both of you.

My sister was 44 (she thought she was in menopause - oops) when she had her third.

You know your child best, but a lot of toddlers aren't that excited to be dropped off at some kiddie program while his/her parents are doing more interesting stuff without him/her. We went to Club Med with mixed results.

I was going to say when we used to travel with kids we would always travel with our family who had kids as well. We could put them in together to daycare and they had somebody they knew with them and it seemed to work very well.

This may be more for next year but there is a lot to do in PA for kids-- a home base in Phila or the Phila suburbs would make for easy drives to the Crayola Experience, Legoland and the Strasburg Railroad -- also while our own Jococo's Longwood Gardens is not a children's venue, children love it! There are wide open spaces to walk and a magical children's garden. I don't know if they allow children-- but you'd have to make a stop at Baldwin's Book Barn also!

There is plenty to do in Phila proper too. Spruce St Harbor is just a nice place to relax with hammocks and Adirondack chairs right on the water-- and I have always loved the little parks at Washington square, Rittenhouse square, etc. Nothing more than benches and greenery but still a nice place to break from the concrete. Em is probably a little too young for the Franklin Institute but I'd check out the exhibits to be sure.

Some of these places are an hour or so from Phila.. I listed only Strasburg railroad from Lancaster but there are many other attractions there too and a vibrant downtown art/food culture that you'd never expect from a region known primarily for the amish culture.

And then of course, closer to my neck of the woods is Hershey with all its attractions.

I definitely think you could have a fun time-- crafted to your adult interests and Em's too!

You could also visit us if you come to Philly :) We're 45 minutes away and we have walking trails in our neighborhood where Emmett could enjoy lots of dirt and also neighborhood tree house I bet Emmett would love!

I always wanted to do one of those all inclusive Dude Ranch type vacations in Colorado. They are not really suitable for under age three though. Lots and lots to do for tots over three. Lots for adults as well. There is even a spa, yoga and regular to luxury accommodations. My husband was not at all interested in that ideal. We took our kids to the U.K when our youngest was four...he was a nightmare in London. Let me stress nightmare!

I know nothing of this particular ranch but am posting as an idea.

https://www.clazyu.com/kids-teens/

Our kids were happiest with some sand and water; plus some animals.

So, maybe a farm stay near a lake or just a big sand box?

Love this photo!

I like this one as well! I need a grandchild to make a little book for lol.

What is Emmett watching?

Gosh I took mine camping when they were babies...Also spent summers at the beach house.

Kids don't need much actually... and all I needed was a glass of wine. Some of my fondest memories are of those times.