With your kids

The Bloomington Convention & Visitors Bureau is the official marketing organization for the City of Bloomington and markets Bloomington, Minnesota, area attractions, and the surrounding communities, to visitors around the world. Bloomington is located adjacent to Minneapolis and St. Paul, just minutes from the International Airport, is the home of Mall of America, and is a premier destination for meetings, conventions, and tourism. For visitor information, special offers and to book hotel rooms online visit www.bloomingtonmn.org.

More than 42 kilometers of lakefront frame Chicago's stunning urban skyline. Here in the heart of the Midwest, the nation’s third-largest city boasts soaring skyscrapers and colorful neighborhoods against a backdrop of sandy beaches and beautiful parks. This cosmopolitan playground bursts with things to do. Sightseeing options range from Chicago icons — such as Millennium Park’s Cloud Gate, Grant Park’s Buckingham Fountain and Navy Pier’s Ferris wheel — to fascinating history and architecture tours.

The “Crown City” was designed with one thought in mind: capitalize on the area’s abundance of sun, sand, and Pacific skies. Coronado, California is an island resort community within San Diego County and champions America’s Best Beach. Over 2 million people venture to the city each year to partake in the glory of a refreshing climate, great hospitality, world-renowned restaurants, chic boutiques, unending cultural events, and endless opportunities for exploring Coronado’s outdoors.

If you love the beach and the unique seaside air, Falmouth, Massachusetts, is definitely the place to see. Ride across Cape Cod aboard the Island Queen Ferry, relax on the warm and pleasant Old Silver Beach, or take a scenic tour of the Nobska Lighthouse in this comforting city. There is plenty to do and see here, so stop by and have a blast.

Fort Lauderdale is a destination that will satisfy the well-traveled with a discriminating taste. The year-round mild temperatures make its sandy beaches an ideal relaxing spot during the daytime. At night, however, the long boulevard turns into a vibrant party mile with clubs, bars and pubs as far as the eye can see. With some of the best restaurants, shops, and boutique hotels in the state, this city is a hip explorer's paradise.

Chosen as a winter refuge by Thomas Edison at the turn of the last century, Fort Myers sits away from busier and more opulent Florida centers, maintaining the carefree, low-key atmosphere of a sea town. Assuming beach life is Fort Myers's only attraction would be a mistake: the town center boasts a vibrant street life, with a plethora of indie art galleries and interesting spots for history and science lovers. The area's natural beauty continues inland, where protected animal species take shelter among mangroves and narrow bayou bends.

Hilton Head Island, on the southern coast of South Carolina, is filled with beautiful ocean views, antebellum relics, beds of oysters, and Southern charm. Everything about the island speaks of posh sophistication with a laid back attitude. Out on the ocean waters you can see trawlers and other boats; in the canals and inlets, yachts are frequently floating and enjoying the sunny weather. Golf courses designed by some of the sport's finest players abound, as do alligators sunning themselves in sand traps and small ponds.

Once listed as number seven in Money Magazine's "Best Places to Live”, Mason continues to evolve as a thriving community. The largest city in Warren County is a hub of excitement with new businesses and attractions emerging every year, providing visitors with an array of activities to choose from. Mason boasts numerous museums, shops, attractions, and a lot more to keep you engaged. As the community expands at a rapid pace, there is always something novel and exciting happening in Mason.

The Lone Star Flag of Texas is one of the most recognizable state flags in the United States. Now travelers have the chance to explore its birthplace. Montgomery, Texas, is rife with state history, with July of 2012 marking its 175th anniversary. Founded around the Lake Creek Settlement in 1837, Montgomery now finds itself surrounding Lake Conroe. The lake serves as a focal point for much of its attraction: visitors take advantage of the friendly waters for boating, fishing, swimming, and other fun activities year-round.

Concerts, motorcycle rallies, world-class shopping, and extensive beaches all lend to Myrtle Beach’s reign as a top vacation destination in not just South Carolina, but all of the United States. Over 14 million annual visitors flock to Myrtle Beach’s subtropical climate and subtropical recreation. Countless golf courses glitter the area, along with water and amusement parks, museums, historical sites, and more. Sail the coast or relax on the soft sand of the beaches and get to know this most exciting of vacation spots.

With beautiful white sand beaches, excellent dining and a plethora of outdoor pursuits, Floridian Naples truly has it all, and more awaits outside the city limits at the Everglades National Park downstate or – closer yet – the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Naples is also known for its first-rate golf courses and deluxe boutiques, both of which give the city a well-off, prosperous air.

With a globally recognizable skyline and 8.4 million people who call it home, New York City is bursting with diversity and excitement – from the iconic attractions you've seen on TV and in the movies to hidden gems waiting to be uncovered. Each of the five boroughs – The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island – has a distinctive flavor, while individual neighborhoods maintain identities all their own.

As an Atlantic resort town, Ocean City, Maryland, has excitement in its DNA. Its various hot spots have been featured on shows spanning the Travel Channel and Discovery Channel, highlighting Ocean City’s beach fun and good local eateries.The Boardwalk maintains a constant stream of entertainment for all ages, from movies on the beach to waterfront concerts.

As the sight of the five Olympic Rings and the 1960 Winter Olympics, the eponymous Olympic Valley remains an international symbol of sportsmanship. Decades later, Olympic skiers and snowboarders still come to Olympic Valley to train on the resort's advanced ski slopes and terrain parks, while novice and intermediate skiers explore the nearby paths suited to their skill levels. Olympic Valley is the second largest ski area in the Lake Tahoe Region.

With seven of the top theme parks in one sunny location, Orlando is the theme park capital of the world. Best of all, Orlando offers new and exciting experiences for visitors each year, so there’s always a reason to return. Plan to visit the many amazing theme parks and water parks at Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and LEGOLAND Florida Resort. Come to Orlando for blockbuster rides, fabulous shopping, award-winning restaurants, spectacular museums and world-class entertainment.

Palm trees provide a periphery of greens and browns as shadows run along the otherwise snow-capped contours of the mountain ranges. It is clear to visitors why Hollywood stars took Palm Springs as their refuge during the 1920s. The resort town has long remained a getaway for the upwardly mobile—garnering the nickname of “Hollywood's Hideaway”—and has since blossomed into an accessible vacation destination for those seeking lavish leisure among a host of natural and man-made attractions.

Fluffy white clouds roll across skies that always seem to gleam in a spectrum of blue in the Poconos. The majesty continues with a palette of rustic orange in the fall, the pristine white of snowfall in the winter, and the verdant emerald of forests and hillsides in the summer. Reigning for decades as a popular vacation area for citizens of New York and New Jersey, the Pocono Mountains must be seen in person to be believed. Lakes and rivers to explore, land to hunt, and various ski resorts provide an unforgettable outdoors experience.

Also known as the City by the Bay, San Francisco is diverse, colorful and vibrant. Famous for its steep hills, Victorian houses, year-round fog, beautiful panoramic vistas and excellent cuisine, the city attracts tens of millions of visitors every year. San Francisco is enormous yet pedestrian friendly, and the famous cable cars whisk you away towards new adventures. Its eclectic mix of architecture, sandy beaches, ethnic and cultural diversity make San Francisco a great choice for a vacation.

The name Sandusky has become synonymous with Cedar Point. What once began as a beer garden bathhouse and a dance floor has grown into a massive amusement park that draws 3.5 million visitors to the area annually. Known internationally for its roller coasters, the city is also home to a vibrant boating and fishing community. Beautiful historic downtown Sandusky greets visitors with its collection of museums, shops, and restaurants.

Described by the New York Times as “a desert version of Miami's South Beach,” Scottsdale is Arizona’s biggest hit. The city is rich in culture and natural grandeur. The Scottsdale Arts District lends to proud attractions of galleries, studios, and museums, while architectural majesties like Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West supplement the city’s Western heritage. Its position on the northern stretches of the Sonoran Desert and the McDowell Mountain Range makes the Scottsdale experience a spectacular one.

Welcome to 'The Emerald City' — a blend of laid-back and progressive vibes. As Washington State's largest city, Seattle is not just the home of the iconic Space Needle, Pike Place Market, and Chihuly Garden and Glass, but also the birthplace of grunge and global coffee joints like Starbucks and Tully’s. Forget the rainy reputation; Seattle often outshines it with more sun than you'd expect!

The name “Sunriver” alone elicits images of solar-speckled waters and the coy brush of Pacific zephyrs across forests of pine trees. Expect nothing less with a visit to Sunriver, Oregon. Indulge in one of the Pacific Northwest’s hidden treasures, with the Deschutes River to its west and the enveloping Deschutes National Forest. Sunriver's residents have sought to embrace the natural landscape—evidenced through planning their community around the 3,300 acres.

Wisconsin Dells has a 150-year-history of hosting travelers who are attracted to the scenery and tranquility of the area. When coupled with the nearby area surrounding Lake Delton, it is commonly called “The Dells.” As the self-proclaimed "Waterpark Capital of the World,” The Dells has an adventure for every age on your trip. Fishing, boat tours, kayaking, waterparks, parasailing, ziplines, vertical adventures, and high-adventure amusement park rides provide excitement.