What's next???

Several people have asked me if we are going on another Disney Cruise next year. Or another trip to Disney World.

And as much as I'd like to say, "Yes!", it's "No". For a few reasons.

#1--a Disney Cruise does not fit into our budget every year. This was our most expensive family vacation to date.

#2--my family lives in another state. If we only went to Disney World or on a Disney Cruise every year, I'd never see them.

#3--I want my kids to experience other places too, not just Disney.

So what's our vacation for 2013?

We are going to Colorado!

I grew up there (mostly). My family is there.  We went there for a week last year for my 20th high school reunion. We've been to Denver twice as a family in the last few years, and I went there just a few weeks ago with my daughter (she's still young enough to fly on my lap for free).

But this time, we will be renting a house in the mountains near Pikes Peak in the Colorado Springs area. We will still see my family (they are about an hour away from where we are staying) but we will also visit several attractions that I haven't been to since I was a young kid.

We will take a train to the top of Pikes Peak:

Visit Santa at the North Pole:

See the breathtaking views at The Royal Gorge, our country's highest suspension bridge:

Hike at the Garden of the Gods:

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo:

Maybe visit the Air Force Academy, the Olympic Training Center, go ATVing...we haven't nailed down everything yet.

To save money, we will be driving there (about 13 hours) instead of flying and cooking most breakfasts and dinners at our rental house.  I'm hoping to buy some tickets to several of these attractions online in the months before our trip so that we can spread out the cost a little.

If you've been to this area before, what are some other attractions you recommend?