Imagine the Ideal Family Vacation

Tami Kiser invites you to ponder: if you could create (realistically) the ideal family vacation, what would it look like?

For me, the first image that comes to mind if someone asked me this question would be me reclining on a nice beach lounger with an umbrella drink in hand, beach novel in my other hand, and the children splashing gently in the waves or building sandcastles. Hubby beside me, watching the children so no one drowns. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

But there are a couple of things wrong with this scenario. First of all, it’s not realistic. Even now with my children old enough to “play” on the beach on their own, I’m still interrupted. If it’s not the younger ones asking for help catching a wave or building a sand castle, it’s complaints from the teens of “I’m bored” or “Can I just go inside to play video games?” Then I’d likely get sand in my umbrella drink.

The other thing wrong with this scenario is that although it would be nice for a while -- I’d like it for maybe a day, I’d quickly get bored and dissatisfied, too. It’s not fulfilling.

This is really not what I want from a family vacation.

What do I want?

I want to engage in laughter with the kids.
I want to explore and be in nature with the kids.
I want to engage in deeper conversations with both my husband and kids.
I want to be physically active. (I really feel better when I do.)
I want to have a break from the usual cooking and cleaning chores.
I want to attend Mass and have time to read and pray.
I want my kids to spend quality time with their siblings.
I want my teens to have fun and take a break from social media.
And as a bonus, I’d like to hang out with other adults.

Wow. Does this seem like a tall order?

For many years, my husband and I have tried to plan the ideal vacation with our large family, trying many, various things. We’ve camped. We’ve road-tripped. We’ve done cabins in the mountains, and of course, the beach house. Amusement parks, museums, ballparks, and rock concerts. We’ve had a lot of fun together. But when we look back at what brought us some of the most rewarding experiences, it would be when we attended the Marianist Family Camps, both in Topsail Beach, NC, and in Cape May, NJ.

These camps checked off many of the items I listed above for what I wanted in a family vacation. These camps also started a desire in my heart to run my own family camp. It corresponded with that other desire that my husband and I have had to open a retreat center and cultural center.

Often when God gives us a desire, it’s part of what it means to follow His will for us. So after a lot of prayer and a lot of searching, and I mean physically searching -- we found Heart Ridge Retreat and Cultural Center. Not only is this place perfect for retreats and cultural events, it is great for camps.

HeartRidge Summer Family Camp logo

The location is in the mountains in South Carolina, along the North Carolina border. There are waterfalls, hikes, and a lake on the property and many more nearby to explore. It’s not too close to any “civilization,” the stars at night shine in darkness, but in less than 45 minutes you can get to a 5 star restaurant and a T.J.Maxx.

You can read all about it here at HeartRidgeMinistries.com.

Following models and ideas from other family camps, like the Marian camps, Catholic Family Land, and Young Life family camps, we put together our own version. We’ve tried to find the right balance of time spent together with your own family, time with other families, and time alone or as a couple. We’ve tried to balance structured time with free time, erring on the side of less structure and programs, but we know that sometimes these are what fuel deeper conversations and relationships.

Vacation with teens can be difficult. We want our teens to still bond with us, yet we understand that they want to be with their peers. A family camp like this seems to give teens both of these.

Oh, and the most important part of a vacation for mom -- no cooking or cleaning. Am I right? Maybe not the most important, but certainly up on the list. We have a full-service cafeteria. Cleaning will still be required, but only a minimal amount. We won’t check to see if you made your bed.

HeartRidge camp collage, kids at waterfall, tepee, S'Mores, smiling

Another “most important” part of vacation is being able to sleep well. We have comfortable clean beds, hot showers, and air conditioning. There are bugs and creatures outside, part of the mountain experience, but you can always return to the safety of your nice, clean, and cool room.

And the most important -- I really mean it this time -- part of the camp is Jesus! We will have Mass, and confession. We also have a small Blessed Sacrament Chapel available for prayer 24 hours a day.

Our camps are about half full -- or half empty. We are taking 10-15 families per session. So if you are interested in trying this out, please visit HeartRidgeMinistries.com. We’d love to have you!

We are calling this year our Trailblazer Year and dedicating it to St. Joseph, the ultimate trailblazer.