We started taking little getaways to celebrate our girls’ birthdays in lieu of parties when they were young, and it’s become one of our family’s favorite traditions!! Last year our oldest chose a birthday party instead of a trip, but this year she chose the trip. As they get older we’ll continue to include them in discussions about how to celebrate that year. Their birthdays are in January (today!) and September, and my husband and I both have May birthdays. Because they’re spread throughout the year, it gives us little trips to look forward to (and something for them to plan as their birthdays get closer!) … and actually this year our youngest kind of got both! We happened to be visiting all of our families and friends in Minnesota so we surprised her with a celebration during our stay at @Great Wolf Lodge This is what our 6-year old’s birthday getaway looked like: 📍Destination: Monterey, CA @VisitCalifornia 🏨Hotel: InterContinental the Clement Monterey Day One: 🦦Monterey Bay Aquarium @MontereyBayAquarium ($59.95/adult, $44.95/child) - This was our first visit and we were SHOCKED!! This place was absolutely incredible! So much so that we actually upgraded our tickets to a membership before we left!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND Day Two: 🦀Tide Pools at Alisomar Beach (FREE) - We love tide pools, and the California Central Coast has some incredible ones!! We looked up low tide before we went (1:30 PM) and visited the tide pools then to optimize our experience!! We saw some incredible things, include a number of sea stars!! 🚗17-mile Drive ($11.75/vehicle) - this is one of THE BEST stretches of West Coast coastline. A MUST DO if you’re in this area! 🏊♀️Hotel Hot Tub (FREE) Day Three: 🛝Dennis the Menace Playground (FREE) Each month in 2024, I’m going to be showcasing a destination in California that is perfect for kids and families! For January I’ll be sharing why Monterey is a perfect weekend getaway, including where to stay and what to do! If you want quick weekend getaway ideas, be sure to follow me to see each month’s spotlight destination! #visitcalifornia #familytravel #californiatravel #travelcalifornia #ihghotels #ihghotelsandresorts #californiatrip #californiagetaway #weekendtrip #monterey #montereybay #montereybayaquarium #kidsactivities #familyactivities #travelwithkids