The United States has so much to see and do, you could holiday here for the rest of your life. But, your kids are going to grow up, so before they do start turning their noses up at family vacations, you should try to fit in some memorable ones. Watching the fresh and pure eyes of your young ones light up on seeing some of the America’s most beautiful natural phenomena is something to be cherished, but so is laughing together until your sides split in adventure-packed trips, which is why we have suggestions for any kind of family vacation spots you’re after. 

What kid doesn’t love climbing trees? While they’re still naturally agile, let them have a run around these monstrously sized, majestic formations. In the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, your little ones can crawl through the hollows of sequoias. Wildlife is in abundance too: potentially feast your eyes on Roosevelt elk grazing in Elk Meadow, yellow banana slugs on the path to Trillium Falls, and anemones and sea stars on one of the coastal trails.

Debauchery can be found in this city for those who seek it, but it is actually a very family-friendly location. The Mardi Gras spirit lasts all year long; there's lots of free PG-rated fun in festive Jackson Square where magicians, jugglers, mimes, and jazz bands make kids think they’re at a birthday party. A short stroll along the Mississippi River will find you at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium. If you’re not all-zooed out at this stage, hop on the St. Charles streetcar to the gorgeous Garden District and the Audubon Zoo, where you can check out a rare white tiger.

Bets are, one of your kids has been at least intrigued by dinosaurs. No one can be unimpressed that this park has some of the best-preserved dinosaur tracks in the world. Rangers lead track tours through the Paluxy riverbed (best in late summer when water is shallowest), so prepare to get wet. Be blown away by the giant footprints made by duck-billed dinos, three-toed meat-eaters, and brontosaurus types and then swim in the Blue Hole upstream, where more tracks line the ledge. Mixing activity and history!

Alaska's stunning icebergs and vast spaces of barren wilderness should be seen sooner rather than later. For one, because our glaciers currently have a looming expiry date, and two, because you just shouldn’t wait to witness this beauty. Cruise through Glacier Bay to see Alaska at its best. Princess Cruises is one option to go with, which also offers organized swims and movies under the stars in their packages. On port days, visit historic gold mining towns or go dogsledding!

Perhaps you have a budding astronaut in the household. Even if you don't, everyone will enjoy this anyway! Here you can feel what it's like to rocket into the stratosphere on the Shuttle Launch Experience flight simulator. Also available are mission control tours, lunch dates with astronauts or training with one in family Astronaut Training Experience (ATX) programs. Cool, right?

For an active family in need of some winter respite, look no further. The ski and boarding instruction is first-rate here. For example, Snowmass offers the widest range of children’s programs at Treehouse Adventure Center: childcare for kids 8 weeks and up; and ski lessons starting at age 2 1/2. There’s even Beginner Magic ski instruction for novice adults. At Vail, kids can get tips from Olympian Lindsey Vonn and at Beaver Creek the fun never stops with ski parades, family ice skating nights and snowshoe tours.

This trip will have your family feel like you’ve jumped back in time to the 1620s, when the pilgrims arrived here from England on the Mayflower. What’s great about the Mayflower II, a full-sized replica of the original ship, is that costumed actors recreate what it was like when the colonists first set foot on American soil, making it easier for kids to follow and enjoy while they’re being educated in 17th century history. Meet with farmers, cooks, blacksmiths at their dwellings of the time, and also with Native Americans at the Wampanoag Homesite.

Make your kids’ year by telling them you’re taking them to the waterpark capital of the world. With 18 indoor/outdoor options and more than 200 gnarly slides, your kids will shrivel like raisins in refusal to get out. Noah's Ark Waterpark is America's largest, but there’s also the wet and wild resorts, like the African-themed Kalahari (the Sahara Sidewinders loop-de-loop slides essentially drop you through the roof) or Mt. Olympus (the Lost City of Atlantis water fortress has slides, geysers and monster dump buckets). What are ya’ll waiting for?

America's very first national park, with the highest concentration of geysers in the world, deserves a visit from you and the kids. Instead of watching TV, have your kids watch Old Faithful shoot steam sky-high. More thrilling than a video game, maybe. Stinky mud pots and multi-colored hot springs (check out the flower-shaped Morning Glory Pool) are also on the agenda.

Kids are far more likely to take interest in the birthplace of the American Revolution if they’re actually there and not just reading about it. They will have so much such fun following this 2 ½-mile red-brick road, they won’t even realize they’re learning. Start the trail at Boston Commons, passing Granary Burying Grounds, the Boston Massacre Site, and Paul Revere’s House. Also, at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, kids can reenact the revolt by hurling tethered tea crates into Boston Harbor.

These dunes are so good that walking down them is barely possible; running or rolling is nearly required, which will surely provide a great laugh for the whole clan! After scaling down these 500-feet high dunes which tower over Lake Michigan, reward yourselves with a swim at Esch Road Beach.

Located in the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, this museum traces the civil rights movement, from slave times to present day. Boarding a replica of Rosa Parks' bus or seeing lunch counters where sit-ins were held enables you as a parent to introduce younger children to concepts such as tolerance and racism.

There’s no excuse for not finding time to see one of the seven natural wonders of the world. This great gorge is 277 miles long and 6,000 feet deep in some spots, with rocks that are millions of years old. Bike along the South Rim (rent wheels from Bright Angel at the visitor center) or hike into the canyon on free ranger-led tours to spot fossils, lizards, and California Condors. Must we mention the photo opportunities!?

This national park could be the winner of scenery: Epic waterfalls and near vertical granite cliffs will impress even the most stubborn of angsty teens. A free park shuttle makes everybody’s lives easier navigating this sweeping park, but if your family is quite familiar with the great outdoors, dare yourselves to hike the Mist Trail alongside Vernal Falls, climbing 600 steps to the top. If drifting down a lazy river is more your bag, go tubing down the calm Merced (rentals at Curry Village).

Families of beach bums, we’ve found the destination. We all collected seashells when we were younger, right? Top all of these childhood experiences of your own by bringing your kids here, where millions wash up on these Gulf coast barrier islands. Animals-wise, you can watch for dolphins right off shore, or if you visit Sanibel's J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, you’ll meet alligators, manatees and roseate spoonbills.

For another sea-themed vay-cay, Monterey’s aquarium and Monterey itself is unmissable. The tanks in the aquarium are designed in such a way that kids can get impressively close up to sharks and stingrays. The playful otters are a treat for all family members, while the feeding frenzy that divers initiate with the fish in the Open Sea and Kept Forest tanks is exhilarating. The Jellies Experience, where neon jellyfish float against a black light background, will bring the grandparents back to the psychedelic 70s! As if that’s not enough, outside on the deck overlooking the Pacific, you might spot humpbacks, orcas and gray or blue whales cruising by in the open waters.

Your whole family will have to lift their jaws off the ground after seeing this American landmark (it borders New York), due to the six million cubic feet of water that thunders over the massive falls every minute. Bring your passport, so you can view them from the Canadian and American sides; to visit both, just cross Rainbow Bridge. Board the Maid of the Mist boat from either shore to get up close and personal with the raging water (ponchos are provided). Rainbows at day and fireworks at night complete the experience.

If you’re a musically inclined family, you will love this museum, regardless of what genres you all prefer. From bayou blues or R&B to Beatlemania to heavy metal to hip hop, they’ve got it all covered here. This glass-walled museum is filled with fun memorabilia (view Michael Jackson’s sequined glove and a Lady Gaga dress), cool concert films, and interactive exhibits.

Children, being generally fit, may be able to handle the steep (practically vertical) hills better than us parents! But, they'd probably enjoy taking the old-fashioned cable car more - so you're getting off lucky! Hop on at the main station on Powell & Market Streets (beside Union Square), where either the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines shuttle you across the city and down to the Bay. En route you'll be spoilt with views of the water, skyline, and Victorian homes (the Painted Ladies and the home from Mrs. Doubtfire are a must-see). Powell-Mason drops you two blocks from Fisherman's Wharf; here, pick up a sourdough bowl of chowder and check out the seals lounging on decks!

Allow us to introduce the world's most perfect park for toddlers and preschoolers. Everything in this manageable theme park is specially scaled to young fans of Elmo and the gang, just so they don’t get left out at Universal Studios. Spend half of your time on water attractions like The Count's Splash Castle (sprinklers, fountains tipping buckets; the whole works), Big Bird's Rambling River, and the Teeny Tiny Tidal Wave pool. Reenergize and then get stuck into the rest: climb Cookie Mountain, ride the Flyin' Fish and Peek-a-Bug, and saunter around the Sesame Neighborhood (for character meet-ups!) The fun is endless.

Bring your kids to this historic memorial site as a way to help them better understand the significance of this tragedy. Twin reflecting pools with waterfalls sit in the footprints of the original World Trade Center towers are surrounded by bronze panels etched with victims’ names. It is a beautiful construction and the area is always unusually quiet and peaceful for bustling New York. Visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum, which honors those who lost their lives that day. The memorial is close to Battery Park, where you can catch ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Particularly given how contentious an issue immigration is in recent years, your kids will benefit from seeing one of America’s most recognizable and enduring symbols of freedom. Ferry over to both the statue and Ellis Island for one price (purchase tickets online or at the Battery Park terminal in Manhattan). Park rangers are on hand for information and tours, while you can also climb inside the Statue all the way up into the crown (reservation is necessary and one should be in good physical health if they wish to ascend.)

Two massive volcanoes are on Hawaii Island, including Kilauea, one of the world's most active. Trails take you past steam vents, black lava rock, and enormous craters, guaranteeing a flamin' good time. Click here for more info on hikes. While in Hawaii, do some family surfing! If you're in the area, Waikiki Beach is where the sport is said to be born.

Maybe the ideal vacation activity for you and your little leaguers means incorporating sport, or at least honoring America's national one. In this museum, there are scavenger hunts, reading sessions with baseball Hall of Famers, a fun multimedia show about the game's history, and so much more. Visit this shrine for your family's favorite past-time and increase your knowledge while having a blast.

How would this list be complete without it? As clichéd as it is, dreams do come true here, like having your kids meet their cartoon heroes. Between that, entertainment in the form of shows and fireworks, rollercoaster rides for all ages, and a setting that's purely magical to roam around, the day can be nothing but short of perfect. For park suggestions based on age, keep this as your bible.