As the spring and summer travel season begins, let’s check out some of the best destinations for the family this year. Whether searching for a great outdoor vacation, beach holiday, or just a city that offers it all, check out these recommendations.
Alabama’s Gulf Coast
The Alabama Gulf Coast offers unsurpassed beaches and something for everyone. In fact, in a world of looking for perfect spot, the Gulf Coast is one of the best for soft, white sandy beaches around. Building sand castles with the kids, hiking through one of the many wildlife trails, or just finding that perfect seafood dinner, there is a little something for everyone in this coastal paradise.
For a good hike, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, designated as one of Alabama’s 10 Most Natural Wonders offers 7,000 acres of wildlife habitat. It supports one of the finest examples of the globally imperiled coastal scrub in Alabama. Experience not only maritime forests, coastal marsh, beaches, and open water, but also an amazing habitat for a diverse number of birds.
If water is more to your liking, you might opt for a dolphin watch cruise on the Dolphin Express Cruises, which stresses that dolphins are visible year-round playing in the surf.
Seattle, Washington
The eternally youthful city of Seattle just seems to ooze cool and is always at least one-step ahead of the curve when it comes to the hip factor. It all started when the city became popular in 1962 after hosting the World’s Fair, and the building of the Space Needle — all 605 feet of it. The entire area near the Space Needle enjoys bustling crowds, but nowadays ducking into the nearby neighborhoods to experience local wine tasting tells you where the real VIP scene lies.
Washington State boasts quiet blends some of the finest wines in its local vineyards, with a number of them located in the Seattle. Enjoy weekly limo wine tours to nearby Woodinville Wine Country.
The Belltown neighborhood located just north of Downtown is another worthwhile day, or taking in Olympic Sculpture Park with, its nine acres, or a branch of the Seattle Art Museum sporting waterfalls and fishponds that give way to handmade pieces of art scattered among the grass and water features. BLVD/Roq La Rue offers another take on the Seattle art scene with surrealist pop art and some of the urban (aka forgotten) street art deeply rooted in the Seattle cultural scene.
America and its cities, countryside, beaches, and mountains offer a lot to both tourists and locals alike, and sometimes it’s better to visit someplace close to home to remember the history, culture, and heritage this country and its people have to offer.