Travelling to the US with kids in Feb?

[Themadeofpizza]

We are planning a two week trip from the UK to somewhere in the US. We will be taking a baby under 1 and 6 year old. We are wanting to go in February. Not too fussy and would be happy to stay in 1 or 2 places but I would like an "authentic" American experience.

Here are some preferences
• good food (I want to experience American food like BBQ, desserts, etc)
• things to do with kids (nothing crazy but something our 6 year old might enjoy like exploring, she loves Disney)
• keeping travel to a minimum once there (no long drives (baby hates the car) shorter flights) where possible)
• happy with most weather as long as it isn't extreme eg snow

We are considering relocating to the US or Canada so it may be worth going somewhere where it is a nice safe place to live to get a feel for the place.

I appreciate that this might seem quite random but I feel like I have been wanting to travel to the US for a while. I have been to New York twice and loved it but this was before children. We are quite chilled people so don't want to do too much sightseeing but obviously appreciate it if we can.
Thank you :-)

Much of the country is rather cold at this time of year. Did you want warmth or ok with sub zero?

The best way of seeing authentic USA is to get out of the big cities and take a road trip, something that won't suit you but I would still consider getting into small town America, you can do a loop through Southern California and Arizona, the distances may seem big but lack congestion means it will take you half the time it would here. Disneyland is smaller than Disney world but I much preferred it. I did this exact trip when mine were toddlers except I did Nevada and Utah as well!

Best bbq I've ever had was in Yuma btw, I doubt the owner still runs it though, wasn't young then.

I agree with the first post. It's going to be freezing in the North. Is that ok or do you want to go further South and be a bit warmer?

we would prefer the South for this reason

Not necessarily warmth but not freezing either so the South is probably best. Where would be good to fly to? Many thanks this is super helpful

Do you have Estas?

Do a road trip from Florida west to Texas via Orleans (or vice versa). Either hire a SUV and stop at hotels/motels or hire an RV (eg Cruise America) and camp.

Keep in mind that BBQ is fightin' words - it is not the same from place to place and people have very strong views about what is and isn't BBQ.

A friend from Tx joked that the easiest way to start a fight was to announce, 'XYZ is the best barbecue' and then walk away. I'll start: Yuma don't know from BBQ.

Do you have any idea where you might relocate? The US is an enormous country and is micro-culturally very diverse, with different regions in each state (some with different kinds of BBQ), many of which, like mine, are bigger than GB.

You might enjoy Charleston (South Carolina) in February, and you'll find plenty of BBQ (Carolina style) as well as other local specialties. It's an old city with architecture dating to the 1700s plus palm trees. You could visit Savannah, Georgia, while you're at it. It's barely 100 miles south. Neither place would be too crowded, and some hotels have an indoor pool that might be fun.

Your best bet though, ticking all your boxes (apart perhaps from authentic BBQ), is Orlando.