When I was 8 my family took a trip to Branson, Missouri. Specifically to Silver Dollar City. It was Spring and the weather was still bearable. Things were great and then the rains came. It was a massive downpour that lasted for several hours. I remember it fondly as we were in a cave at the time and instead of taking the tram out, we had to walk up stairs covered in rushing water. So why was this my favorite family trip?
After we made it out of the cave and my folks determined that the rain wasn't stopping anytime soon, they opted to not let it ruin our day. Dad purchased cool giant blue ponchos for us to wear and after checking out a fudge making demonstration, I remember sitting under a rocky overhang with all 4 of us, just munching away on those recently made snacks.
We watched it rain and talked, saw how the water ran down the rocks and flooded through the giant park. I didn't see a national landmark that day and there weren't any major family revelations, but I did spend quality time that was forever remembered. Coincidentally I've taken a poncho into that cave with me every time since and still think fondly of what must have been a million stairs to an 8 year old!
What's your favorite childhood family trip? Where'd you go and what made it so special? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
(Image: Flickr member ishane licensed for use by Creative Commons)
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Nomade Express Slee...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
How to Make Buckwheat Soba Noodles from Scratch
Disney World is the easy answer. That is still a hit with my now grown up family. Especially the trip they didn't tell us til we were sitting on the plane to Orlando decked out in Disney gear and still had no clue what was going on!
As far as more unconventional, we didn't have a lot of money so we used to drive to/ camp in the Smokey Mountains a lot. I loved those trips so much. Getting to sleep in a tent, we always got to go to Gatlinburg, TN and go to Rock City (sounds lame but was surprisingly fun!)
I was 16, and my parents took me and my three siblings on a road trip. We saw a sign for this place called Rock City, some kind of odd park. I think it might have been in South Carolina, but I'm not sure.
It was a strange place, a long walking path through rock formations, across swaying bridges, and tiny paths between enormous rocks. It was a spontaneous stop on our trip, and ended up being our favorite.
Rock City, BambiJo, from what I remember is in Tennessee. If you go to the Smokeys there's signs EVERYWHERE for it. So touristy but actually a blast.
rock city is in chattanooga, tn on lookout mountain :)
Wallowa Lake, camping. I was about nine. It’s beautiful, and we made a point to only eat at local diners in the tiny little towns in the area. We had an endless number of things go wrong that drive adults nuts but thrill a kid: Massive thunder/lighting/rain storms that flooded the tent one night and kept us inside the tent for an entire day, for example. My parents still can’t believe it was my favorite vacation.
Hahaha! Thanks for reminding me of our family trip to Silver Dollar City...I must have been close to 8 or 10. Fire in the hole!!!