Need a Beach

Head to Lake Michigan (on the Michigan side). Tons of beautiful clean beaches and not too far for you. Warren Dunes State Park is awesome and has huge dunes!! Clean fresh water and clean sand and no jelly fish or sharks!!

Ocean City, New Jersey is a very family-friendly town as it's still to this day alcohol-free. That doesn't mean that you can't buy whatever you want outside of town & bring it to your rented house or hotel room, just that it is not served or sold anywhere on the island. The boardwalk is great fun, also.

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware has a great down-town area and the beaches are free. There are fantastic restaurants & lots of shopping as well as a boardwalk with rides.

You are not far from Lake Michigan beaches (west side of Michigan)... the whole coast line is spectacular... the cities quaint and family friendly... the sand and water are stunningly beautiful. I really think a trip with your girls to the west side of Michigan would be the perfect place to go and has all of the things you would want/need. The Warren Dunes (south) and the Sleeping Bear dunes (north) are amazing.... you really can't go wrong. Have fun and bravo to you for venturing out with your girls! If you want any more specific ideas of beaches in Michigan, just send me a message and I can help you further. There is a lot of good info on the web though.

Ocean City, MD is my favorite each spot! It's got a great boardwalk with an amusement park, lots of shops and a Ripleys Believe it or not Museum. There are lots of places to eat and do things like boat rides and putt putt golf within walking distance!

We have been to Michigan 2 times so far. It is so incredibly different from the Chicago area. We went to Warren Dunes both times and Silver Beach in St Joseph also. They are only about 15 minutes apart so if you stay in the middle of there, easy access. Of course, there are hotels closer to either. Silver Beach has a spray park area that is awesome. It is really just a large circle area with sprinkers that go off into a full on spray shower every 10 ot 15 minutes. Also, across the street is a carousel that was rebuilt. The building is new and I think there is a restaurant there as well. Then above the hill is a children's museum. And an ice cream shop that is just sooooo good. And it is not as expensive as those we have around here. The area is totally walkable also. My kids love going there. We also took a day up to South Haven, 20 minutes on the expressway. Gorgeous. and all only about a little over an hour from Chicago.

Destin, FL. There's no place like it.

I second Rehobeth Beach, DE. We went last summer with our then 3 and 4 year old and had a blast. Very Clean!!

Have fun!

I personally like Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, but if you are looking for something where you will not have to drive anywhere once you are there, you might look into Hilton Head, South Carolina. I was there several years ago, but I hear it hasn't changed much. You can rent bikes when you get there, and pedal anywhere you want to go. It's really beautiful.

For the least amount of stress and running around, I would recommend a cruise or an all-inclusive resort. The US resorts are rarely all-inclusive. We've travelled abroad with our daughter since she was 6 months old and have never had a problem. Don't let leaving the country intimidate you. Vacationstogo.com gives you free quotes on all-inclusives with flights for one-stop shopping. They do cruises too. Both cruises and resorts will have kids clubs with loads of activities, and some of the resorts even have small waterparks on site, like the Rose Hall Hilton in Jamaica, or the Great Parnassus in Cancun. The Royal Carribbean boats and Carnival are best with kids. Have fun!

Love LOVE Bethany Beach, DE. Sea Colony is a nice resort with stores, town, boardwalk within walking distance.

Check out www.resortquest.com to book a condo. We usually stay in O. of the oceanfront buildings. Very nice, family oriented, snow cones on the pool patio, hot dog stand by the pool, etc. Kids activities, fitness programs, etc.

Good Morning S.; We own a couple of resort condos in Panama City Beach Florida that are perfect for what you're looking for. We have a lot of mom and daughter guests that stay with us. I hope that this isn't sounding like a sales pitch, as I know a lot of these answers moms are giving lately are to sell a product. Most people in the midwest haven't even heard of Panama City Beach, which is sad as it has the most beautiful beaches in Florida, along with being the closest to us (IL), 15 hour drive or use the new airport, now offering Southwest Airline flights (reasonable). The Gulf Coast ocean waters are emerald/blue green, and the beaches have soft, white sand. One of the newest resorts is designed for children. Splash, has a small water park built into the resort, along with a lazy river, dive in movie theater, miniature bowling/game room, fitness center, two oceanfront pools, snack shops, ice cream shop, gift shop.
Each of these resorts has enough amenities that can keep your family happy without ever leaving the resort. But if you wanted to take a drive everything is within close proximity. There's the new Pier Park Shopping Mall, with a disney like theme, that has over 100 retail shops, along with tons of restaurants, movie theaters, fun things for kids.
We're from the southwest suburbs and have traveled most everywhere as our children were growing up and only wish that we had a place like this back then. We have a website with pictures and more information at www.funbeachcondos.com Email me at ____@____.com if you have any other questions. L.

Warren Dunes! Awesome Lake Michigan beach and not a long drive! Anything along the southeast shore of Lake Michigan would be fun.

Depending on how far you want to go, there is always western Michigan on Lake Michigan like some others have suggested, or you can go for the ocean. We lived in MA for 11 years before moving back to MI and loved going to Cape Cod in the summers. Fabulous beaches and tons of family fun. We also have a time share on Block Island (part of Rhode Island, near Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket) where we vacation for a week every summer - also has great beaches and plenty of other outdoor activities.