As the school year comes to a close, it’s time to start thinking about how your family wants to spend its summer. Of course, many families may have already been planning this summer’s trip for the last two years, but not all of us are that thorough. Besides, you may want to put together an impromptu trip with a little extra time or money that’s been discovered. There are so many amazing things out there to do. You could book a cruise, go to the beach, visit family, or just about anything else you can wrap your head around. What about using your family vacation to point the kids (or maybe yourself) in a direction that’s a little more faith oriented? We’ve put together a few great Christian family trip ideas that will give you some options this summer.
Have you ever been to a Christian music festival? You might be surprised to know that there are quite a few out there for you to visit. There’s nothing wrong with checking out a Christian concert in your town, but these music festivals allow you to see several artists in the same location. With most of the events taking place during the weekend, you might not even have to take any time off of work. One thing to keep in mind is that many of these festivals take place in rural areas, so there might be some kind of camping component to consider. An RV family road trip may be a little retro, but some kind of recreational vehicle might be worth looking into renting. After a long day or two of listening to your favorite Christian music out in the sun, you may want something stronger than nylon separating you and the great outdoors.
Whichever way you want to handle the lodging, Christian music festivals are a great opportunity for a fun-filled weekend that’s safe for the whole Christian family. Even if music isn’t your thing, many of these festivals offer other forms of entertainment. The Creation Festival in Washington has a rodeo, an on-location summer camp for youth, and a skate park. Other festivals tend to have water parks, art galleries, missions opportunities, and more. Your Christian family trip can start with hours of live music and end with a long list of other fun activities. This is also a great environment for learning more about faith as many festivals invite speakers as well as musicians.
As far as cost is concerned, some Christian music festivals are free. Even the ones that charge admission are generally pretty affordable. A three-day festival ticket might cost around the same as a one-day pass to Disney World. You will need to keep those lodging costs in mind as well. Different festivals have different policies when it comes to camping or parking RVs, but most are very accommodating. Worst case scenario, you might have to find a hotel 15 miles down the road.
One of the best ways to encourage your family to get serious about faith is to do mission work together. When we are out on the mission field, we learn so many new things about ourselves, our beliefs, and what it means to have community. If you have young children, you may want to consider mission projects that are close to home. Serving as a missionary on foreign soil, even on a short-term basis, can be difficult. With familiar surroundings, it might be easier on you and the kids. You could also consider opportunities that involve physical work, block parties, or other activities that don’t involve your children having to engage in long conversations with strangers. If your kids happen to be comfortable with having those spiritual conversations, that’s great! You know your kids best, but perhaps you could talk with them about how comfortable they are with serving before putting too much on their shoulders.
If you have older kids who are good with traveling through airports, talking through translators, or similar scenarios that pop up during international missions, then you might want to consider heading overseas. No matter where you go, there is work to be done for the kingdom of God. If you decide to go turn a mission trip into a Christian family trip, there’s not really one destination that’s more important than others. It’s about serving, teaching your children to serve, and engaging in the amazing work that God is doing.
America has a rich history that for centuries has walked hand in hand with the Christian faith. If you’re looking to share both of those things with your family, you may want to consider traveling to many of the country’s historical sites and monuments. Depending on where you live, there may be a lot of these. For instance, if you live on the east coast, especially in the Northeast, there is a lot of information and historical locations that date back to the 17th and 18th century. Given the religious climate of that time, many of these markers and exhibits have a Christian aspect to them.
Learning history may not be as easy of a sell to young kids as a trip to a theme park, but there is a lot to learn. If your area doesn’t have much history, you might consider taking a trip to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Charleston, or New York where there is more than enough to go around. Discover the identities of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, learn more about the early American church, or just have fun taking in the sights with your family. History is all around you and it can in fact be fun.
If history isn’t your thing, how about nature? The National Park Service was implemented just over 100 years ago and has been maintaining our beautiful American parks all of that time. Just like how historical sites favor the east coast, national parks are much more common in the western half of the United States. To be fair, many historical sites and monuments are also considered part of this system.
Why not use this summer to visit wonderful places like Yosemite National Park or see Mt. Rushmore? There is a historical aspect to many of these places, but you can also appreciate the beauty of the creation that God has set before us. Knowing the creativity and power that God wielded in creating these sites is a faith affirming reminder that will strengthen the faith of your Christian family. An added bonus is that most of these places are very cheap to visit. For example, Mt. Rushmore is free to visit and you only have to pay $10 for parking. Granted you have to drive up to South Dakota to see the place, but most national parks are only a couple of hours away from the nearest major city.
Maybe you don’t want to drive longer than your average daily commute to have a fun Christian family trip this summer. It’s possible! Ruling out people who live out in the middle of nowhere, your family probably has some really cool things to see within an hour of your home. There are likely a number of historical or natural areas that will allow you to do some of the same things you would do in the categories above. Find a hiking trail, have a picnic, visit a local museum, or see how you can help out with ministry opportunities at church. Most importantly of all, use these experiences to have spiritual discussions that will enrich your faith and bring your family closer together.
Another great trip for your Christian family would be to visit the K-LOVE Fan Awards in Nashville, TN. Combined with the history and entertainment that the Music City provides, the Fan Awards brings your favorite Christian artists and personalities all together under one roof for the ultimate fan experience. Find out how you can attend by clicking below.
We know that making travel plans for you and your family can be a bit of a hassle. That’s why we wrote our own Nashville Travel Guide to help you out. Tennessee’s state capital is one of the fastest-growing cities in America, so come see what all the fuss is about.
