As the peanut butter in the multigenerational sandwich that includes my young daughters and my septuagenarian and octogenarian parents, I’ve learned that one of the easiest ways to make everyone happy while traveling is checking into a hotel where trails, lakes, and wildlife can be found just outside the door.
Whether we stay at a lake or a mountainside in the United States, a tropical oceanfront jungle in Mexico, or a wildlife reserve in Kenya, being immersed in the natural world inevitably brings us all joy.
This is likely a vestige of my annual childhood summer trips to see my grandparents at their Adirondack lake house, where evenings ended on the dock under a blanket of stars. Years later, my mom started what she called the Ladybug Club with my daughters, taking them into the fresh air to look for critters, plants, and whatever else they could discover. The kids adore the outings and don their ladybug shirts proudly. For us, nature is core to the very idea of holiday.
Science backs up the bliss we all feel in such environments. There’s the Blue Mind theory that our minds enter a restorative, subtly meditative state when we’re near water, and studies show the stress-reducing effect of spending 20 to 30 minutes outside daily, the so-called nature pill. Nature can help us all, young and old alike.
National parks and other protected landscapes offer myriad ways to spend time in nature. But staying at a hotel or resort immersed in a vast natural setting means you don’t have to leave when the day is over. These eight family-friendly properties, all set on at least 3,000 acres, offer comfortable places to stay, with room for the family to hike, paddle, spot wildlife, and simply spend more time outdoors together.
Barnsley Resort
Perfect for: Large families seeking a dose of Southern charm with their nature explorations.
Price: From $523 per night
Set on 3,000 acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the recently renovated Barnsley Resort offers family-friendly and pet-friendly cottages, including multigenerational options with up to seven bedrooms. There is ample opportunity to unplug and stroll the verdant grounds, hike to scenic overlooks, and try activities ranging from archery and wing shooting to kayaking, canoeing, golf, horseback riding, and pickleball. Those in search of a slower pace can journal, float the lazy river, or explore the property’s historic ruins.
Getting there: Barnsley Resort is an hour’s drive north of Atlanta, an hour south of Chattanooga, and about one hour and 30 minutes from Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL).
Blackberry Mountain
Families can bond over outdoor adventures at Tennessee’s Blackberry Mountain.
Courtesy of Blackberry Mountain
Perfect for: Families seeking bucolic mountain escapades in an idyllic part of the United States.
Price: From $1,995 per night
Twenty minutes by car north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Blackberry Mountain is a Relais & Châteaux resort set on 5,200 acres, with 2,800 protected for conservation. The landscape of wooded valleys, rocky ridges, and sweeping overlooks invites guests to experience it all firsthand, whether by painting in the open air, hiking the property’s trail network, or paddleboarding on the pond. Included meals showcase the resort’s acclaimed cuisine, while three- to five-bedroom Mountain Homes are ideal for multiple generations. Families can also gather at the Labyrinth, a winding stone path designed for quiet reflection and open-sky views.
Getting there: It’s a 30-minute drive from McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Alcoa, Tennessee.
Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo
Relax and reset along the coast at Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo.
Courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo
Perfect for: Active generations who want to do—and taste—it all in a uniquely beautiful environment.
Price: From $1,225 per night
Travelers of all ages settle into a slower rhythm amid 3,000 acres of tropical dry forest in Mexico’s Costalegre coast. Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo is a resort property with expansive villas and even larger residences (with panoramic infinity pools and kitchens for private chef dinners) on a protected private nature reserve. Families can spend their days swimming, whale watching, going on nature walks with the resident biologist, or participating in succulent-arranging workshops and tortilla- and quesadilla-making classes in the open-air kitchen. At the farm, Rancho Lola, breakfast is served under a tree canopy, and activities include chicken-egg collecting, animal visits, and tree planting as part of the resort’s reforestation efforts.
Getting there: The resort is a 50-minute drive from Playa de Oro International Airport (ZLO) in Manzanillo, and transfers are available.
The Lodge at Primland, Auberge Collection
Gather the generations in the public areas at the Lodge at Primland, which has views of the expansive Virginia countryside.
Courtesy of the Lodge at Primland
Perfect for: Plentiful opportunities to slow down together and savor the beauty of Virginia’s Appalachian environs.
Price: From $595 per night
The Lodge at Primland is an Appalachian escape right off Virginia’s Blue Ridge Parkway, on 12,000 acres of rolling hills. The property’s six-bedroom Hawk Eye residence is ideal for hosting multiple generations, with views for days, as well as an outdoor kitchen, two hot tubs, and a games cottage. Guests of all ages can choose from fly-rod and spin-casting lessons at the Duck Pond, old-growth forest hikes, foraging exploits, a treetop ropes course, and stargazing, before gathering for s’mores around a nightly bonfire.
Getting there: The Lodge at Primland is a 90-minute drive from Greensboro’s Piedmont Triad Airport (GSO) and two hours from Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport (ROA) in Virginia.
The Ranch at Rock Creek
This could be your view at Montana’s Ranch at Rock Creek.
Courtesy of Ranch at Rock Creek
Perfect for: Wild West–style fun across abundant landscapes and adventure for every member of the family.
Price: From $2,829 per night, all inclusive
Amid expansive Montana skies and 6,600 acres of native landscape, the Ranch at Rock Creek offers multibedroom cottages and accommodations such as the 3,329-square-foot Bear House, complete with a private outdoor hot tub. Seasonal ranch cuisine is served throughout the day, and guests have the option of a wagon ride to a remote pond-side cowboy breakfast. Activities for all ages include painting in nature, sapphire mining, biking, fly fishing, and cross-country skiing. For quieter moments, family members can retreat to the spa or quiet riverside hammocks.
Getting there: Missoula International Airport (MSO) is a 90-minute drive, and Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) is two and a half hours away by car.
Segera Retreat
You’ll have direct access to wildlife while staying at Segera Retreat in Kenya.
Courtesy of Segera Retreat
Perfect for: Animal enthusiasts of all ages, from safari first-timers to old-timers.
Price: From $1,980 per person per night
Kenya’s 50,000-acre Segera Retreat is well suited to multigenerational families, who can climb into the safari vehicle for close-up wildlife sightings. As much as the nature retreat encourages togetherness—in part through gorgeous family-style meals adapted to meet each member’s food preferences—the affable staff, who adore playing with kids, also make it easy to break off into smaller groups, too.
Accommodations designed for families (such as as a four-bedroom villa with a private pool), all set within an electrified border, overlook open landscapes where giraffes, elephants, and other animals regularly pass by. Beyond game drives, guests can join farm tours, try beading, and plant indigenous trees that capture atmospheric carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. Bonus: Littles are always welcome in the kitchen for scoops of homemade ice cream.
Getting there: Segera offers 50-minute charter flights directly from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport (WIL) to its own airstrip.
Related: The 20 Best African Safari Camps
Vermejo, a Ted Turner Reserve
The 558,000-acre Vermejo is the ideal place for families to disconnect from their devices.
Courtesy of Ted Turner Reserve
Perfect for: Multigen groups who want to go big without going too far.
Price: From $1,600 per night
Set on 558,000 acres in New Mexico (twice the size of Grand Teton National Park), Vermejo, a Ted Turner Reserve, is ideal for a screen-free immersion in nature for all ages. Historic cottages, mountain cabins, the 10-bedroom Turner House, and a 1908 stone mansion accommodate groups of all sizes, while all-inclusive stays offer guided experiences ranging from nature walks, horseback riding, and high-country UTV tours to insect hunts, wildlife viewing, and winter ice fishing. With bison roaming the shortgrass prairie, elk in the high country, and bald eagles flying overhead, the reserve offers a distinctly North American take on the safari.
Getting there: The reserve is a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Colorado Springs and four and a half hours from both Denver and Albuquerque.
Wilderness Reserve
Wilderness Reserve in the U.K. is for wild swimming, bird-watching, and escaping from reality.
Courtesy of Wilderness Reserve
Perfect for: Experiences ranging from proper to wild that involve the whole family.
Price: From $535 per night
Six thousand acres of restored parkland, woodland, and lakes in Suffolk, England, make up Wilderness Reserve, a long-term rewilding and conservation project with cottages and manor homes that comfortably sleep large families—even groups needing up to 18 bedrooms. Days revolve around the outdoors, whether that means bird-watching (there are some 150 species around), falconry, wild swimming, or tag archery, often with the property’s wildlife specialists and ecologists. Families can gather for shared meals, wooden-spoon–carving workshops, walks through wildflower meadows, and evening bonfires.
Getting there: Transfers from the nearest train station, Darsham, or airport, Norwich (NWI), can be arranged. The drive from London is about two hours.
