Favorite budget-friendly family vacations

If you ask my children to name a favorite family vacation, without a doubt, they would list Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas among their favorite vacation memories. It was 1996 and we had two kids in private school at the time, so needless to say, we needed a budget-friendly vacation. My husband had been to Petit Jean on family vacations when he was growing up and since the lodging was at a State Park and it was within driving distance of Austin, we thought it might fit the budget. He is the designated vacation planner of our family, so he set forth to research the options of possible kid-friendly activities nearby. He then brought the whole family together for a family meeting to involve the kids in the planning of the trip. At the time, they were 8, 6, and 3 years old. During the family meeting, each child could pick an activity for one day. The activities ranged from horseback riding, hiking, digging for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park, and even an alligator farm. (Note: Scroll over some of the activities for clickable links.)

The first half of the trip, we stayed in a cabin at Mather Lodge which is on the premises of Petit Jean State Park. There is a swimming pool, playground, dozens of hiking trails, and sweeping panoramic views. Trust me folks, this is not your average State Park. The last half of the trip, we rented an A-frame cabin at Lake Ouachita State Park. In fact, the vintage clip above was taken on a pontoon boat we rented one day while on Lake Ouachita. For years, we have withheld the footage at the end of the clip from the grandparents (where the kids are driving the boat), fearing parental chastisement. And if you fall into the nervous-nelly category, rest assured that we were not going fast enough to be in any real danger. As you can see in our new family photo on the right, they are none the worse for wear, some 13 years later. :)

If you live within driving range of Arkansas and are looking for a budget-friendly family vacation, check out some of the links above. If your kids are young, you just can't beat it for the price. In fact, I share a humorous story in one of my books about a conversation between my daughter and one of her school friends that took place just weeks shy of the summer vacation where the clip above was taken. The school year was wrapping up, and she had invited a friend over to play after school. Like many of the kids who attended my children's private school, "budget" was not likely a word in this child's family vocabulary. "Vacation home" maybe, but not "budget." Anyway, on the way home, I asked Paige's little friend (they were 6 years old at the time) if her family was going on vacation that summer. Her friend immediately spoke up and said, "Yes Ma'am. We are going to Disney World and we're going to stay in the Disney Hotel and eat breakfast with the Disney characters!" Mercy, I thought to myself...why did I even ask?!

I glanced in my rear view mirror to see if Paige looked disappointed over this revelation of a world unknown to her...the world of not-so-budget-friendly vacations. To my surprise, she was smiling from ear-to-ear and immediately piped up, "Well, guess where MY family is going this summer?" Oh boy, I thought, here it comes! Her friend, curious as to what could possibly top a Disney World, stay-at-a-5-star-resort-and-eat-as-many-funnel-cakes-and-dipping-dots-as-you-want kind of vacation, said, "Where?" Paige, with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning said, "Arkkkkannnnnsaaaaaas!" After that, she began to spill out the exciting itinerary that had been voted on during our family meeting, one activity at a time, barely gasping for air in between each activity. "We're going hiking, and swimming, and digging for diamonds. Oh, and horseback riding, and to a real-live alligator farm! We're staying in a cabin at a State Park, and, and,...." To this day, I can still remember her friend's response: "Wow, you are SO lucky! When I get home, I'm going to ask my mom and dad if we can go to Arkansas instead of Disney World!" It's all a matter of perspective, people...and how you sell it to your kids!

What are some of your favorite budget-friendly family vacations?