How will your family vacation this summer? Here are five ideas:
1. Spoil yourselves in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla.: Expect a warm welcome and impeccable service when you check into Acqualina Resort & Spa. This ultra-luxury property is on 4 1/2 beachside acres between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Opt for your favorite water sports, build sand castles or take a stroll on the beach. Oceanfront accommodations include spacious rooms and suites with up to four bedrooms. Contact: acqualinaresort.com
2. Learn a new sport at Beaches in Turks and Caicos Islands: During a family holiday, your crew can learn to scuba dive, become certified sailors and balance on a stand-up paddle board. Refuel between outings at any of 21 restaurants. The family-focused, all-inclusive resort makes sampling new activities and unfamiliar taste treats possible. Contact: beaches.com
3. Wonder at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood: If you and your family are fans of the boy wizard, this is your season. The recent opening of California’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter means chocolate frogs and Butterbeer are among your culinary options. Young muggles and wizards can experience the Flight of the Hippogriff, Universal Studios Hollywood’s first outdoor roller coaster. Across the pond in England, global tour operator City Wonders now offers “The Making of Harry Potter,” a behind-the-scenes guided tour of original sets, props and costumes from all eight Potter films. Contact: universalstudioshollywood.com/harrypotter; citywonders.com
4. Get inspired at the Exploratorium in San Francisco: More than 600 exhibits, housed on 3.3 acres, will encourage every member of the family to see the world differently. The learning lab encourages creativity and tinkering as a means of expanding perceptions. Kids can create a marble machine, study plankton populations or check out an upside-down world in this “mad scientist’s penny arcade.” Contact: exploratorium.edu
