Tips for a Historic Family Vacation

Christine Donovan, director of heritage programs at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, California, offers the following tips to help parents make the most out of a visit to a historic hotel. The Hotel del Coronado is a member of Historic Hotels of America.

Before your visit: help your children learn as much as they can about the history of the hotel and its surrounding area:

1. Visit the hotel’s website for historic information and photographs; you may also be able to purchase history books or other era-appropriate merchandise on line. It may be worthwhile to check out the area’s historical associations (especially gift shops) for additional resources.

2. Use your local library to research the destination’s regional history, perhaps adding one or two other historic sites to your vacation itinerary (for instance, San Diego boasts California’s first European settlement). The more parents know about a site and its surrounding history, the easier it will be to share that information along the way. In addition, helping children see that history is ongoing and interrelated is one of the most important history lessons of all.

3. Make an effort to learn more about the era in which a hotel was built. For example, when the Hotel del Coronado opened in 1888, wealthy vacationers stayed at the resort for months at a time, a fact that always delights today’s young visitors. Publishers such as Dover and Crabtree specialize in fun history books for kids and make it easier to understand what it was like to live during another time period. From a child’s point of view, human history, especially as it relates to children their own age, can be the most interesting history of all.

4. Pay extra attention to the history that dovetails with your own family’s interests. For instance, many historic hotels played key roles during World War II. The Del housed military pilots-in-training, but other resorts have their own fascinating World War II stories to tell, including the Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa in St. Pete Beach, Florida, and The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

5. Lots of historic hotels are featured in movies, television shows or even books, which can be enjoyed before (and after) a visit. Some Like It Hot was filmed at the Hotel del Coronado; the prom scene at the end of Twilight took place at the View Point Inn in Corbett, Oregon; the exterior of the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston is featured as the Tipton Hotel in the Disney Channel series, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody; and The Nutty Professor starring Eddie Murphy was filmed at the Millennium Biltmore in Los Angeles. Children might also enjoy reading the classic adventures of Eloise, the story of a precocious young girl who lived at The Plaza in New York during the 1950s then seeing the movie version starring Julie Andrews, which was actually filmed at the hotel.

During your visit:

1. Take part in the hotel’s special history-related activities for children and families; many historic hotels offer tours or other history-themed events.

2. Make a point to photograph your children with the hotel’s most distinctive historic features – riding in a vintage elevator or standing below an ancient gargoyle. Be sure to check out the hotel’s historic postcard collection while you’re there; you may be able to replicate a shot with your children in the forefront.

3. Strike up conversations with hotel employees, many of whom know interesting history facts such as details about a presidential visitor or even the latest ghost sighting.

4. Remember that history can be fun for all ages: Even the youngest children can enjoy simple descriptions about days gone by; older children may enjoy taking the lead in exploring the nooks and crannies of a historic property; and, teenagers may be able to tie the trip to a school history project or report.

Photos top to bottom: All photos courtesy of the Hotel Del Coronado. Opened in 1888, the Hotel del Coronado - Southern California's landmark Pacific resort - continues to captivate guests with its spectacular oceanfront setting, historic charm and world-class amenities. The Loveliest Hotel You Can Imagine: The Hotel Del's book features actual letters and drawings from a young girl's visit to the hotel in 1892. Lisle West (right) and his good friend Lee Burton celebrated at The Del after the war ended in 1945. The hotel's soaring red turret made a memorable backdrop for Marilyn Monroe when she filmed Some Like It Hot at The Del in 1958. Teens at The Del can enjoy surf lessons, special spa packages and Vibz, a new year-round hang-out for those ages 13-17. This exciting hotspot offers billiards, foosball, darts, karaoke, computers, movie-time media and, most importantly, the opportunity for teens to meet other people their own age.