066 5 of Our Favorite Cities and What to Do There

There are so many amazing cities to visit in the United States and today our family is sharing five of our favorite destinations. I asked each family member to choose one of their favorite US cities and highlight things they loved doing when we visited that city to share with your today. Is one of our favorites one of your favorites too? Join us to learn about places we feel make great family vacation destinations and what you can do when you visit these cities.

We’ve recorded a podcast with each member of our family choosing one favorite city in the United States and sharing what she/he loved to do there.

What is your favorite US city to visit? I’d love to have you come on the podcast to share it with us! Just send me a message through our contact page and let me know what city you’d like to talk about! I’d love to hear from you.

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Although it was a tough choice have each person in our family just choose one city, I think that we came up with a great list that I hope will inspire some destination inspiration for you and your family.

Audrey’s Pick: Nashville, Tenessee

Audrey’s pick was Nashville which is a fabulous city for families, especially those who love music. Here’s a look at things Audrey says you won’t want to miss on your visit to Nashville.

Country Music! Check out a Nashville music calendar to see who will be performing while you are In town. With multiple concerts every night, there is sure to be something amazing.
Live on the Green is a series of free outdoor summer concerts.
Johnny Cash Museum
Frist Art Museum. Be sure to go upstairs and create your own art with paint and other supplies.
Country Music Hall of Fame.
Eat some hot chicken. Try Hattie B’s Hot Chicken and Prince’s Hot Chicken.

Hannah’s Pick: New Orleans, Lousiana

National World War 2 Museum. Plan to spend a few hours if possible.
Mardi Gras World. This is a working factory that creates parade floats for Mardi Gras. You can learn about Mardi Gras history, see floats being made, and look at pieces of floats. Great place to get some fun pictures.
Night Ghost Tour. This might be skipped if you have young or easily spooked kids but it was fun for our family and friends who were with us. The youngest in our group was 9 years old. This is a walking tour where you learn about NOLA history and hear some entertaining ghost stories along the way.
Don’t forget to stop at Cafe du Monde for a pile or two of beignets. Soft & pillowy fried dough topped with powdered sugar!

Max’s Pick: San Fransisco, California

Visit Ghirardelli Square’s Ice Cream Shop and get a brownie sundae. This is the best brownie sundae we’ve ever had. Plus there are free chocolate samples when you enter the store!
Go to Alcatraz. Purchase tickets as soon as you have the dates for your visit as tickets do sell out. Be sure to listen to the included audio tour when former guards and prisoners provide the narration.
Warriors Game. The boys in our family are always up to going to a sporting event so a Warriors game was a great way for them to spend an evening.

Ward’s Pick: San Diego, California

Beaches. It may seem obvious but San Diego is a great destination to enjoy some beach time. A few of our favorite beaches at South Ponto, Moonlight Beach, and Ocean Beach. If you want lots of details on making a great beach day for your family, listen to our podcast episode How to Create the Perfect Beach Day for Your Family with Jenna McDowell. Jenna is based in San Diego and shares her favorite beaches along with many other great ideas.
Legoland. If you will be traveling with younger kids, this is a great amusement park to spend a day.
Carlsbad Strawberry Fields. You pick the most delicious and juicy strawberries. This is a really fun activity for kids (and adults!) or all ages. If you don’t feel like doing the picking, they also have an option to pick up fresh strawberries at their fruit stand.
Fuel up with tacos at The Taco Stand. Our favorite location is in Encinitas but there are a few In San Diego. Stop by Handel’s for some delicious ice cream and try Ward’s favorite flavor: Graham Central Station.

Max and his cousin at a Chicago Cubs game in 2011.

Lisa’s Pick: Chicago, Illinois

Take an Architectural Boat Tour right through the city. We suggest taking it at night so you can enjoy the city lights but the daytime tour is great too.
Go on a walk through Millenium Park and be sure to stop by the Bean sculpture to snap some pictures.
Enjoy the great summer American pastime of baseball at Wrigley Field at a Chicago Cubs game.
Tour around the city on bikes. We used Bobby’s Bike Tours when we were there and really enjoyed the ride.

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