Beach for Fall Break ?

[mmbrad02]

When you ask my six year old where she wants to go for fall break,s he says "I want to get on a plane and go to Disney". Me too, Me too.

But it's not in the budget this year. We are in KY for reference point and was planning a driving trip to the beach. Florida panhandle is a possibility but that is as far into Florida as we would want to go. Anyone have any experience with the Atlantic coast in mid October? (trip would be 10/7-10/12). Is Myrtle Beach warm enough to enjoy? Hilton Head? The idea is to utilize the beach (aka, she play in the sand) and try to find a place with a decent pool/lazy river that would be warm enough to use. Nothing fancy, as this is a budget conscious trip, but luckily things are less expensive in the fall it seems.

 

[kydisneyfans]

We just returned to KY from Virginia Beach.
The water is cold there already. Don't consider anything north of SC.
South Carolina can get cool in October.

I'd personally head to the Panama City/Destin or Gulf Shores, AL areas.
That depends on what part of KY you are from. You can get to Hilton Head/Myrtle from Corbin in 7 hours, but from Paducah it's closer to 12. You can get to Panama City from Bowling Green in 8 hours, but from Ashland it's 14.

It also depends on traffic, fall break is big travel time for I65 and I75.

Also remember, October remains Hurricane season. Matthew hit Florida during that time frame last year.

 

[Lvsdisney]

I just looked up averages online. The average ocean temp in Hilton Head in October is 73, and the average air temp (high) is 77. Just some food for thought.
I personally love the beach and would be happy with those temps. But it's really up to you and your family!

Disney has their Hilton Head resort. I've never been, but I wonder if they keep their pools heated like WDW?

 

[heather13]

We were considering the panhandle this Oct but managed to swing Disney (thanks to my mom paying for the ticket portion).
Lots of VRBO and AirBnb options for very reasonable prices. Really anything along 30A (road follows the beach between Panama City & Destin) will be perfect. You'll be at least within walking distance of the ocean and there are loads of restaurants and shopping nearby. We're in Indianapolis and I found it tough for a one day trip when my kids were really young (3 & 5) but they could totally do it now at around 11 hours.

 

[HeatherC]

What about Myrtle Beach? We love Hilton Head, but MB has a lot more resorts with both indoor and outdoor heated pools in case the weather doesn't cooperate. Or if you don't care abou the beach, what abou the big water parks in Wisconsin Dells?

 

[findmewdw]

We live in KY too. My family has vacationed the first week of October at Gulf Shores & Perdido Key area some. Most often the weather is really nice at this time, however, there have been a few times it was rainy and chilly. Can always check the weather and book closer to the date. I've been able to find rooms with pretty good prices a few days out from travel. MY DD went around the middle of Oct last year for her college break and it was so cold that she kept her sweatshirt on instead of a bathing suit. Just hard to tell. Good luck!

 

[kymom99]

I went to tybee island last year the first week of October and it was unusually hot and humid. But they are underwater right now, so...

 

[mmbrad02]

Thanks everyone! We are in central KY and have gone to the Panhandle (Fort Walton one year, and PCB another) before and then also this year we went to Myrtle for a couple of days in route to Savannah. Our daughters is 6 and is a relatively good traveler, so either of these locations works fine for us. We were leaning toward Myrtle for the easy drive and it is a smidge closer, but concerned about the lower temps as we realize it’s a further north than the panhandle. Our previous trips the Panhandle have been in September and we found that to be perfect, but now that our daughter is in school, we are limited to her fall break week. I think we will just continue to watch and wait on the weather for now. An alternative idea has been a few days in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area.

 

[heather13]

From your location you could also do Hershey Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Atlanta, Williamsburg, New Orleans, Niagara Falls / Toronto, or definitely Gatlinburg (which is absolutely stunning in the fall). All are within a reasonable drive and while none of those are the beach, they have great things for kids. And every one of those could be last minute based on the weather. With the exception of a weekend cabin in Gatlinburg you should be able to easily find a hotel option every place else.

 

[DoraDoug]

Myrtle Beach in October is one of the best times to be here. The water temps haven't dropped much and the tourists are gone. My MIL always tries to visit around that time because of those two reasons. With a 6 year old, have you stayed at Dunes Village on the northern end of MB? They have 2 indoor water parks, an outdoor lazy river, and the ocean right there. We usually try to stay a weekend there every December for birthday celebrations. My kids absolutely love it and we are locals! Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[mmbrad02]

Thanks everyone for your replies! We ended up opting to split a condo with my parents and we will be visiting Gulf Shores for the first time. We are pretty excited