New York's Darien Lake Resort offers a kid-friendly family weekend with a theme park, water park and overnight accommodations. Children and adults can ride on the Grande Carousel, the Beary Valley Bumper Cars and the Scrambler, while braver family members dare to ride the Mind Eraser, Predator and Ranger thrill rides. When the kids are ready for some water fun, the water park offers waterslides, both big and small, gentle and rapid wave pools and Hooks Lagoon, a children's pool with slides, treehouses and other play structures. When nighttime comes, accommodation options include the Forts-O-Fun Kids Suites at the resort's Lodge on the Lake Hotel and campsites where families can pitch a tent or camp out in their RV.
Darien Lake Resort
9993 Allegheny Road
PO Box 91
Darien Center, NY 14040
585-599-2211
staydarienlake.com
Families can spend a weekend in Idaho at the Silver Mountain Resort with an indoor waterpark and a multitude of outdoor activities. Wintertime at the resort offers skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing, while the summer brings opportunities for hiking, boating, water sports and a gondola ride up the mountain to a children's play area with inflatable bouncers. At the resort's Silver Rapids Indoor Waterpark, families can learn to surf on a flowrider, ride a raft down the waterslide or float along the lazy river. For younger children, Cub Cove offers interactive water play and Minor's Island is a multi-level wet play structure. Kids can play water-basketball, hop across floating lily pads or bounce in a miniature bungee swing. At the end of the day, families can retire to a one- or two-bedroom guest suite with full kitchen.
Silver Mountain Resort
610 Bunker Ave.
Kellogg, ID 83837
866-344-2675
silvermt.com
Families can enjoy a wildlife-themed vacation trip with a daytime trip to the Downtown Aquarium and a night at the Houston Zoo with a Wild Winks sleepover experience. At the Downtown Aquarium, families will see alligators, snapping turtles, red-bellied piranhas, nurse sharks, a Pacific octopus and more. Take the aquarium's train through its 200,000-gallon shark tank and brave the 100-foot tall Ferris wheel and Lighthouse Dive ride. The sleepover at the Houston Zoo includes a variety of interactive experiences with the animals and educational activities. Guests will see giraffes, panthers, elephants, leopards, lions and more on a nighttime flashlight tour of the zoo. Guests enjoy a pizza dinner and a tent camp-out in the zoo.
Downtown Aquarium Houston
410 Bagby St.
Houston, TX 77002
713-223-3474
aquariumrestaurants.com
Houston Zoo
1513 North Macgregor
Houston, TX 77030
713-533-6500
houstonzoo.org
