Family vacations are a chance to create special memories and we’ve all missed them in the last year or so.
As KOALA looks forward to helping families plan their 2021 vacations, we’ve taken a look at some of the most popular vacation destinations in the U.S. We’ve ranked them according to a number of family-friendly factors, including which are perfect for social distancing in the post-pandemic world.
From idyllic beach resorts to iconic cities and everything in between, we’ve analyzed the best family-friendly destinations for your next vacation in the United States, based on the following factors:
8.38 out of 10 for family friendliness
It’s perhaps no surprise that so many of the destinations on our list are found in the Aloha State of Hawaii, with its gorgeous beaches and tropical climate. In the suburbs of the capital, Honolulu, is the neighborhood of Waikiki, which came first in our ranking. Known for its high-rise hotels along the shoreline, Waikiki attracts surfers from around the world but it was also the destination on our list with the highest proportion of child-friendly restaurants and attractions that are good for kids, such as the Honolulu Zoo and Waikiki Aquarium.
8.27 out of 10 for family friendliness
Also in Hawaii, Wailea is known for its luxurious resorts and it scored highly for a number of factors in our ranking, including its nature attractions (primarily its amazing beaches) and low crime rate of just 10.2 offenses per 1,000 people making it perfect for just generally getting away from the trappings of modern life
7.4 out of 10 for family friendliness
Sanibel Island is located off the coast of Lee County in Southwest Florida. Much like the top two destinations on our ranking, Sanibel is famous for its beaches, which have gentle, kid-friendly waves and beautiful shells that wash ashore from the Gulf of Mexico. On top of this, Sanibel was the safest of the destinations we evaluated, with a crime rate of just 6.4 per 1,000 people. It was also the warmest, with an average annual temperature of 74.6˚F.
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% of attractions listed as being 'good for kids' % of attractions listed as 'nature & parks' % of restaurant listed as being 'child-friendly' Crime rate per 1,000 people Average accommodation price per night Average annual temperature (˚F) Annual rainfall (in) Overall score|
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If your family loves to get out there and explore the natural beauty of the United States, then you’re in luck. The USA is home to some of the most spectacular and fascinating national parks in the world. Here are the ones we rated as the best, based on the following factors:
6.58 out of 10 for family friendliness
If you like beach time and natural discovery, the tropical paradise of the Virgin Islands National Park is an easy choice. Situated on the Caribbean island of St. John — but still part of the United States — the forest-filled, reef-fringed park has a far higher average annual temperature (79.2˚F) than mainland national parks, and scored high in most categories. The exception: acres per visitor, since the park only covers around 15,000 acres and welcomes around 167,000 people a year.
6.39 out of 10 for family friendliness
In second place is Redwood National Park, encompassing forests, beaches, and grasslands along the coast of Northern California. Redwood is primarily known for the huge ancient trees that give the park its name, and scored particularly high for nature attractions. There are scenic drives and plenty of trails to explore at Fern Canyon, Elk Prairie, and Lady Bird Johnson Grove.
6.26 out of 10 for family friendliness
Named after a large bend in the Rio Grande, Big Bend in Texas takes third place in our ranking. Located in the Chihuahuan Desert, Big Bend was one of the driest and warmest parks in our ranking, but it also has plenty of amazing things to see and do. The park encompasses the entire Chisos mountain range, with attractions such as the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, Sam Nail Ranch, Santa Elena Canyon, and Langford Hot Springs.
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Acres per visitor % of attractions listed as being 'good for kids' % of attractions listed as 'nature & parks' Average annual temperature (˚F) Annual rainfall (in) Overall score|
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For both sections of our ranking, we analyzed each destination/national park on the factors below. We gave each destination a normalized score out of ten for each factor, before taking a final average score across each factor. The ranking factors and sources used for each are listed below.
The best family-friendly destinations
‘Good for kids’ attractions ‘Nature and parks’ attractions ‘Child-friendly’ restaurants
Each of the above was sourced from TripAdvisor, taking the total number of each and calculating it as a percentage of the total number of attractions or restaurants in that area.
Crime rate
The crime rate per 1,000 people sourced from AreaVibes (converted from crime rate per 100,000 people).
Average accommodation price per night
The average cost for a one-night hotel stay, sourced from Koala’s own internal data.
Average annual temperature Annual rainfall
Both sourced from Climate-Data.org.
The best family-friendly national parks
Acres per visitor
The number of acres of space for each annual visitor to each park, calculated using the National Park Service’s Annual Park Ranking Report for Recreation Visits in 2020 and Land Resources Division Summary of Acreage.
‘Good for kids’ attractions ‘Nature and parks’ attractions
Both of the above was sourced from TripAdvisor, taking the total number of each and calculating it as a percentage of the total number of attractions in that park.
Average annual temperature Annual rainfall
Both sourced from Climate-Data.org.
