Family Vacation Ideas and Help for Family Vacations

For anyone who wants to take their kids on a family vacation to New York City, here is my first-person account of the trip of a lifetime:

We love NY! The Michaels boys visit the pilot on the return trip from the Big Apple.

When my in-laws said they wanted to take our two sons to see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, I must admit I cringed at the thought.

“I cannot take these two kids to the grocery store, how am I going to take them to New York City to sit through a tour of Ellis Island?” I asked my husband.

What I learned is that children surprise you in the most unusual ways. They LOVED our New York pilgrimage. Since we had plans to stay at the Ritz-Carlton, Battery Park, we knew they would have space to run around once we arrived from the airport.

We packed their baseball mitts and a ball so we could play catch in Battery Park. What a way to start this wonderful adventure.

With views of the Statue of Liberty, teddy bears and video games in our room, the boys never wanted to leave. And then, to make the trip even better, a hotel staffer knocked our door to deliver a foot-high CHOCOLATE Statue of Liberty!

My sister-in-law made a very creative scavenger hunt for the kids. They each had a computer-generated list of landmarks, flags and search-and-find items that they would circle along the way. When we were waiting in line for the ferry, the boys happily chased the pigeons in the park while I shopped for souvenirs from street vendors. We were all totally happy and content.

They put on the audio tour headphones, sat next to their grandpa and learned about how their ancestors arrived here in our country.

While many people say that New York isn't easy to navigate with kids, I found the total opposite to be true. I loved that we could pop into a corner cafe or grocery shop for snacks. The kids loved to buy big hot dogs and drinks on the go.

The novelty of hopping into a bright yellow taxi is huge memory-making event for a 5-year-old from Florida, who is not only fascinated by skyscrapers, but mesmerized by the graffiti on the walls.