We shared this on ABC 7 Suncoast View this week (watch the full segment here), along with four holiday break vacation ideas and a simple tool to get the whole family involved in planning. Here’s the full rundown, plus a free download to take home.
Drivable in Florida
If you want to stay close, Florida’s theme parks go all in for the holidays. Epcot’s Holidays Around the World is one of our favorites, and Universal layers Christmas into the Wizarding World and beyond. If your family wants something a little quieter, St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights is stunning, with over 3 million twinkle lights strung through the historic district, and plenty of family activities built around it.
Festive East Coast City Breaks
If you want cold weather and a festive getaway without leaving the country, two East Coast favorites stand out. New York City brings the Rockefeller Center tree, ice skating right in the middle of it all, and the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular. For something slower-paced, Asheville, North Carolina, has Christmas at Biltmore‘s candlelight tours and the Omni Grove Park Inn’s National Gingerbread House Competition, both beautiful for kids and adults alike.
Christmas Markets in Europe
Europe’s Christmas markets are one of the best ways to celebrate the season as a family. Vienna, Strasbourg, Colmar, and Prague are all worth the trip. Our personal favorite is Hamburg, Germany: a small, walkable city in northeast Germany with more than 13 festive, unique Christmas markets.
Rovaniemi, Finland: Santa’s Real Village
Here’s one most families don’t know: Santa’s real village is in Rovaniemi, in Finland’s northernmost region of Lapland, right on the Arctic Circle. You can meet Santa and the elves, take a reindeer sleigh ride, ride a snowmobile, and if you’re lucky, catch the Northern Lights.
Get the Kids Involved: KeeKee’s Do, See, Eat
At KeeKee’s Big Adventures, we love getting the whole family involved in planning, including the kids. One of our favorite tools for that is our Do, See, Eat.
Once you know where you’re going, pull out some books or a map and have the whole family brainstorm: What do we want to do, see, and eat? Post it on the fridge so everyone can keep adding ideas as they come up, then vote as a family on your favorites. It’s a small thing that turns planning into part of the fun, and the kids show up already excited about what they picked.
Get more vacation planning tools and resources here. And check out our destination section for more vacation ideas.
