Tolstoy once wrote, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” If he had lived through the past year, he might have added, “And each family that lives through a pandemic copes in its own way.” Some racked up millions of steps circumnavigating their neighborhoods; others tested new recipes every night; almost all got really into streaming shows. Now, with many of us beginning to plan post-vaccine summer vacations, we’ve collected 10 adventures, each one tailored to the particular “pandemic persona” your family formed. There’s something here to make just about every kind of family happy— perhaps proving the first part of Tolstoy’s maxim wrong after all?
1. If your family has become even more pet-centric…
Then book a stay at the Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile in Kanab, Utah. Here, animals are the guests of honor, thanks to in-room cubbies and snuggling areas, a dog park with a splash zone, and a shop brimming with treats, toys, and souvenirs. Dogs may not be allowed on most of the trails in nearby Zion National Park, but while you’re off sightseeing, the hotel staff can walk or watch your pets. And those who want to make a new furry friend should visit the hotel’s sister property, the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. The pioneering no-kill animal refuge, founded in 1984, is home to as many as 1,600 dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, and pigs at a time. Take a tour, volunteer, or even adopt a new pet—your pooch or kitty will appreciate the company when you have to go back to school or the office.
bestfriendsroadhouse.org; bestfriends.org
2. If your family has been collecting backyard creepy crawlers…
Then head to the country’s newest national park, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Officially upgraded from a national river in December, this West Virginia woodland oasis has long been an underrated playground for rock climbing, hiking, and whitewater rafting; it’s also a habitat for bald eagles, river otters, and black bears. Some of the coolest residents of Appalachia’s longest, deepest gorge, however, are its slimiest: The area is one of the best places in the world to see salamanders, so keep your eyes peeled for species like the red-spotted newt, which looks like a gummy candy, or the ultra-elusive eastern hell-bender, America’s largest salamander, which grows up to 2 feet long. Don’t want your kids saying h-e-double-hockey-sticks? Teach them one of the animal’s many nicknames: grampus, Allegheny alligator, devil dog, old lasagna sides, or—you might never hear the end of this one—snot otter.
nps.gov/neri
3. If your family has been building a home aquarium…
Then do a deep dive at Hawaii’s updated Four Seasons Resort Hualālai. The hotel has long been beloved for its 1.8 million–gallon swimmable aquarium, King’s Pond (pictured above), which is carved into lava rock and home to more than 3,000 fish, and earlier this year the resort debuted the Kumu Kai Marine Center, where a team of marine biologists leads courses both at a touch tank and outside. Hit the beach to learn about the resident population of honu (green sea turtles), or explore tide pools to find sea stars, hermit crabs, octopi, and more. Back at King’s Pond, families can help feed Kainalu, the resort’s spotted eagle ray (his favorite foods are shrimp and mussels), before cooling off in the new infinity pool. Be sure to open your eyes underwater to spot local artist Alex Gupton’s pool-bottom sculptures depicting Kainalu and a sea turtle.
fourseasons.com/hualalai
4. If your family has been watching cartoons every day…
Then meet the characters in real life at the all-inclusive Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya, which is set to open next month. With its rip-roaring water park and oodles of activities, this beachfront playground perfectly captures the frenetic and zany pace of its namesake network. Have breakfast in your PJs with Dora the Explorer and the PAW Patrol crew, grab a slice at a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle–themed pizzeria, or even compete in a Double Dare–style competition in front of a live studio audience. For a truly Nicktacular experience, reserve a themed Signature Suite, such as the 3,000-square-foot penthouse Pineapple Suite, inspired by SpongeBob’s underwater abode.
karismahotels.com
5. If your family has been setting up mini-golf challenges around the house…
Then tee off at Big Cedar Lodge, a rustic-luxe resort in the Missouri Ozarks. The property is home to 77 holes spread across five courses designed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tiger Woods, whose design firm opened its first public course in the U.S., Payne’s Valley, here last fall. That last course boasts a unique 19th “bonus hole” (pictured above), with a green located on a tiny island surrounded by limestone outcroppings and a lake stocked with trout and largemouth bass. (Did we mention that Bass Pro Shops founder and CEO Johnny Morris created the resort?) Younger kids have non-golf options—ropes courses, laser tag, go-karts—plus a putt-putt course where you have to shoot through, yes, an enormous bass.
bigcedar.com
6. If your family has been digging into your vinyl collection…
Then take a spin through the National Museum of African American Music, which opened across the street from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in January. Proving once and for all that Music City isn’t just a country town, the museum spans 400 years of Black music history, from spirituals and hymns through jazz, R&B, and hip-hop, and is home to more than 1,600 artifacts, including one of Louis Armstrong’s trumpets and a stage outfit worn by TLC’s Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. The “Roots and Streams” digital displays in each gallery illustrate the connections between 363 artists, allowing visitors to draw a direct line from Aretha Franklin to Beyoncé or Tupac Shakur to Kendrick Lamar. Best of all, you and the kids can put the vocal harmonies (or battle rap lyrics) you’ve been practicing to the test in the museum’s interactive sound booths. nmaam.org
7. If your family has been putting on makeshift theater performances…
Then plan a pilgrimage to New York City. Broadway shows are still on hold, unfortunately, but New York state has compensated with the NY PopsUp festival, which sees stars such as Nathan Lane (that’s Timon to the kiddos) and tap-dancer Ayodele Casel perform for tiny audiences in parks, on street corners, and at other nontraditional venues. Shakespeare in the Park, meanwhile, returns to Central Park’s Delacorte Theater with a vibrant retelling of The Merry Wives of Windsor from Jocelyn Bioh, who sets the play in the West African immigrant community of South Harlem. Finally, for those with older kids and teens who felt the impact of the social upheaval of the last year, the Brooklyn Academy of Music is putting on Aleshea Harris’s What to Send Up When It Goes Down, an experimental play about racism in America, in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.
nypopsup.com; publictheater.org; bam.org
8. If your family has watched (and rewatched) every second of the Marvel cinematic universe…
Then find your Infinity Stones at Disney California Adventure Park’s Avengers Campus. Opening this month, the “land” comprises attractions including the thrilling Guardians of the Galaxy—Mission: Breakout! and WEB Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure, in which guests help Peter Parker wrangle a mob of rapidly replicating Spider-Bots. Elsewhere on the campus, you can watch Doctor Strange practice the mystic arts at the Ancient Sanctum, order tiny and giant foods alike at the Ant-Man-inspired Pym Test Kitchen, and suit up with high-tech gear at WEB Suppliers. Tony Stark would be proud.
disneyland.disney.go.com
9. If your family has been pitching a tent in the yard every night…
Then get your clan together for a reunion at the new Terramor Outdoor Resort in Bar Harbor, Maine. The digs are decidedly more glam than your Dick’s Sporting Goods clearance-aisle setup: Tents include private fire rings and cozy beds topped with Pendleton blankets and Frette linens. Kids will love making s’mores around the campfire and playing bocce and cornhole on the lawn, while adults can go bird-watching, join in guided stargazing, or even indulge in a whiskey or wine tasting. If you’re up for a little adventure—and aren’t we all, at this point?—you’re mere minutes from Acadia National Park, a 47,000-acre coastal wonderland where you can hike, bike, fish, and spot harbor seals and porcupines.
terramoroutdoorresort.com
10. If your family has prepared every recipe in your cookbook collection…
Then enjoy a meal cooked by someone else (for a welcome change!) at Baha Mar in the Bahamas. The luxe yet family-friendly beach resort recently welcomed the first restaurant in the Caribbean from chef Daniel Boulud, where you can sample the French master’s take on tropical-tinged seafood (think citrus-cured hamachi with hearts of palm and watermelon). Openings slated for this summer, mean-while, include a Marcus Samuelsson restaurant and an outpost of the Sugar Factory brasserie and candy shop chain (pictured). If dining out again inspires your family to take its cuisine up a notch, sign up for a cooking lesson with Bahamian chef Mike Davis at The Kitchen at Baha Mar: Adults can learn how to roll maki and master shrimp and grits, while “tiny chefs” can show off their artistic skills decorating unicorn cookies. Bon appétit!
bahamar.com
Next Up: Why Every Mom Should Book a Trip to Miraval Berkshires
