A USA Family Holiday to Remember
To celebrate our daughter finishing her exams, we headed across the Atlantic for a holiday of a lifetime on the east coast of the USA. We combined some of those iconic, long‑dreamed‑of sights with a whole host of unexpected, memory‑making experiences along the way.
Discovering Washington DC
We began in Washington DC, checking into the legendary Watergate Hotel, just a short walk from the National Mall with its famous monuments and museums, and views across the Potomac River towards the Washington Monument.
Our days here were filled with culture and history: exploring the Smithsonian museums, spotting C‑3PO, R2‑D2 and Dorothy’s ruby slippers, and marvelling at the Wright Brothers’ biplane. A ride on the Washington Metro is not to be missed either, and the blissful air‑conditioning offers very welcome relief from the summer heat.
City Highlights in New York
From Washington DC we took the Amtrak train to New York City. I would thoroughly recommend the train over flying for both the views and the ease of travel.
The children absolutely loved New York. We headed up the Empire State Building, and if you can manage it, taking the stairs for the final few floors is a great way to beat some of the queues. During our visit to Ground Zero, we also made a detour to the grave of Alexander Hamilton, whose life story is so brilliantly brought to the stage in Lin‑Manuel Miranda’s award‑winning musical.
Museums, Ships and Central Park
One of our favourite afternoons was spent aboard the USS Intrepid, now a fascinating floating museum dedicated to aviation and space exploration, complete with a space shuttle, a spy plane and Concorde.
We rounded off the day with a leisurely walk through Central Park, the perfect contrast to the buzz of the city streets.
Orlando Adventures and Disney Magic
For the final week of our holiday, we flew down to Orlando and stayed in a self‑catering apartment just off International Drive. I highly recommend hiring a car here, as it gives you the freedom to explore at your own pace, and driving around Orlando is far less daunting than many people imagine.
We all reverted to kid mode and went full‑on Disney. We started with a day at Magic Kingdom, where I would definitely suggest investing in a fast‑track option: that little bit of extra spend makes a big difference to queue times and helps everyone enjoy more of the magic. Our second Disney day was at Hollywood Studios, where the Star Wars‑themed attractions were a real highlight and stepping aboard the Millennium Falcon felt like a dream come true.
A Moving Finale at Kennedy Space Center
To round off the trip, we drove out to the coast to continue the space theme at Kennedy Space Center. The reveal of the space shuttle Atlantis and the way its story is told was incredibly moving. A visit to Kennedy is an absolute must when you are in Orlando, with so many pivotal moments in human history brought together in one place.
Ready to Plan Your Own USA Adventure?
If you are considering a once‑in‑a‑lifetime family adventure to the USA, I would love to help you plan it. Get in touch and we can start designing your own unforgettable journey, tailored around the people and places that matter most to you.
