Customer Reviews

Frommer's 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I had high expectations for this book but they fell flat. First, the layout is o.k. but not great. Areas are grouped by categories such as "Out and About" and "On the Water." As the book covers the world, I think it might have been better to be laid out geographically and maybe cross-referenced. As for the selections, they are very diverse. Some make sense but some I really don't feel are appropraite for children, except for maybe the very well travelled child. For example, number 397 is Mount Fuji: Scaling the Symbol of Japan. The age range is 8 and up. The author writes, "Take a shortcut directly to Kawaguchiko's Fifth Stage by bus from Shinjuku Station (be sure to book in advance); the trip takes about 2 1/2 hours. From this starting point it's about a 6 hour climb to the summit, with another 3 hours to make the descent; at the top, a 1-hour hiking trail circles the crater. The highlight of the classic Fuji Climb is to watch the sunrise from the peak, which in summer means being there by 4:30 am." I was hoping for more "kid friendly" suggestions. I don't think I'll be visiting number 280 "Hiroshima: The Original Ground Zero" or number 277 "The D-Day Beaches of Normandy" with my son anytime soon. Perhaps the child that is a huge history buff would understand the significance.

The positives are that the author provides good detail for each area with tips and tricks, good hotel, airport and contact information, and age ranges. There are some very unique groupings which make for an interesting read.

The negatives are that is it is an unrealistic travel guide for the average family, the "Why They'll Thank You" is weak, and it still didn't help me decide what to do next summer!

I'm surprised by the number of negative reviews of this book so I thought I would offer my own counterpoint. This is the best list I've found of aspirational places to take children. The only comparable list book I've found is the ever-popular 1000 Places to See Before You Die, which isn't oriented around kids at all. Of course they will all want to go to Disney World, but this is a different type of list. These are places that kids should visit to understand more about the world, how people behave, how science works, and what life is like for people who aren't always like themselves. It is not a list of fun places to take little kids.

We've been lucky enough to have visited 97 of the places with our kids, now aged 15 and 20. It's been a blessing to us to be able to visit places like Thailand, which is wonderful, and the Great Barrier Reef and indeed Mount Fuji and Hiroshima. People in Japan take many kids ages 8 to 10 to the muesum at Hiroshima; it's a fantastically well done museum about a topic that every kid--and adult--should understand. The only one of the places that really didn't give us much of a thrill was Agate Fossil Beds in Nebraska. My guess is that the authors HAD to pick something in Nebraska. We just used the book to pick #97 which was the Spy Museum in Washington DC -- a great spot we hadn't heard of.

The only reason I don't give this book 5 stars is that it really could benefit from a geographical cross-reference. Many items do offer a list of items nearby which is helpful.

So maybe it is easier to take kids to Disney World, but think about these places too. A terrific book to think about for a lifetime of travel with your family.

Wow, was I disappointed when I cracked this book open. My two main complaints are layout and site selections. I cannot believe that sites are grouped by general similarity rather than geography. The geographical index at the back of the book just does not satisfy me. Any book like this should be organized from a geographical standpoint in my opinion. You will be required to look at the geographical index at the back of the book to find anything specific. I was hoping the book focused on the US or let's be wild and say North America. While I did not count them up, I would guesstimate that almost half of the sites are outside of North America. You would have to be extremely wealthy to visit many of these places and a fair number really are not place where I would want to take "kids" as they would only appeal to high school age or above. There are better books out there - in this case the Internet would serve you better.

I put off the purchase of the book based on the other reviews. I purchased a fodors family travel book instead. I hated that book so I decided to go back with my gut instinct and purchased this one. I gave it five stars because I thought the other reviews were harsh and unjust. I don't feel the sections need to be in any particular order. Start at page one and read. Mark or just take note of the destinations that interest you. I don't think the destinations are unrealistic. If disney or a caribbean cruise is your idea of the ultimate family vacation then this is not the book for you. I don't say this offend anyone it is just that you may need to consider a different book for your needs. I do plan to take my kids to Asia, Africa, South America and so forth. You need not be wealthy to do so.

I was excited to get this book a year ago and spent many delighted hours thumbing through it. We've gone to probably just shy of 25 of the places listed (all in the U.S). The kids have had the best time. There is a geographical index in the back that list the places by state or country location which is helpful. We've grouped together several listed activities into one trip. If you have an adventurous spirit, I think you'll love this book. This isn't the only travel book you'll ever need,either. While there is some very basic information on where to fly into and where to stay, it isn't enough to get by on. I think this book should be thought of more as an idea book rather than a travel guide.

Other reviewers have really given this book a bum rap. True, the layout is a bit confusing--a better world map, along with appropriate cross-references by geographic location, would have been helpful--but it is filled with quite a lot of useful and realistic travel destinations.

Your child may not be up to visiting Mount Fuji or the D-Day beaches. Then again, maybe she or he will! I took my child to Verdun (recommended in this book) at age six, and the stark cost and meaning of modern war has stayed with him. Personally, I think the author deserves kudos for urging parents to aim high--to destinations that have genuine cultural and educational value--rather than just spouting the putrid Disneyworld-type destinations that far too many families consider to be appropriate family travel.

That said, unlike Patricia Schultz's 1,000 Places to See Before You Die (which reviewers, for some arcane reason, seem to love), the destinations recommended in this book are almost all within the normal financial range of the average middle-class family. Moreover, for those with less adventurous tastes, it contains plenty of museums and other mainstream kid-friendly destinations. For family travel off the beaten track, I highly recommend this book.

I was disappointed in this book. I did not get the feeling that the author had been to many of these locations. I have traveled exstensively with my children, and prior to being a parent. I was not very inspired with the generalities of the authors comments.

I had really hoped for more realistic ideas to go on vacation with my three children, one elementary age, preschooler, and toddler. I expected the book to leave out ideas for my toddler, but was surprised to see a lot of the suggestions left out my preschooler as well.
The books layout could have been better, by placing vacations spots by location, rather than 'Weird & Wonderful' or 'Windows on History'. I guess Frommer's makes up for this with the geographical index at the end of the book.
It seemed the book could have been condensed a little, like instead of listing Chicago's museums seperatly in different catagories, just list the city then list the must see museums and zoo.
Some of the suggestions were just silly. I'm probably not taking my kids to Cambodia, Guatemala, or Thailand. (unless we had relatives there) And they left out Disney World. Everyone wants to take their kids to Disney World before they grow up!
There were some good suggestions, but not as many that we can afford that i thought there would be.

While this book is packed with information, it isn't laid out in a way that is of any practical use. As others have mentioned, the expectations of children and what they are able to handle are unrealistic. My 8 year old will not climb a mountain for 6 hours at a steep grade only to enter into below-freezing wind chill temperatures and wait for a sunrise. A three year old truly is not fun on a 16 hour bus trip, no matter how "family friendly" the company running it is. Also, the book does not explain WHY I should take my child to each place. When I saw the book, I assumed Frommers had an extensive decision-making process where only the top 500 would be listed. Having read the book, it feels more like they had a dartboard and took 500 shots. About 70% of the places were destinations only history-minded adults would appreciate. I had my teenager and his friends thumb through the book and the concensus was that most items were not of any interest to them. Lastly, to not organize the items geographically was a huge mistake. This is one book that needs to be rewritten by people with children and families in mind.

I have twin 5-year olds and we travel every chance we get, from local treats, National Parks, and campouts, to the Smithsonian, old forts, and amusement parks, but I found it hard to take this book seriously when Disney World is actually not one of the 500 places to take your kids before they grow up but the Museo del in Prado in Spain is (recommended for ages 6 and over...having been there, the 7,000 paintings, although lovely, will not hold the attention of a 6-year old...unless he was born in a leap year). You can add the Louvre, or Borobudur, or the Huntington Library for that matter. I have been to 212 of the places in this book -- many of them worth mentioning for older people. I am a fan of educational trips and stops, but a little fun is also necessary for the young ones, and this book makes it near impossible to actually plan a trip that drifts along from the locations in this book. And really, Disney is the happiest place on Earth (I swear I don't work for them....but ask your kid -- Disney or the Hermitage?)