Best Out-of-state Vacation Destination: SouthFlorida.com

Need a break from South Florida? Our judges give you a few hints on the best places to take your kids for a fun-filled vacation.

GOLD

New York City

The Big Apple is the home of first-run shows, the Statue of Liberty, hot-dog vendors on every corner and hotels so high your window looks out on a sea of lights. Ride to the top of the Empire State Building after seeing the NYSkyRide techno film on the second floor. See famous artists at Lincoln Center and the chorus line at Radio City Music Hall. Go to the Central Park Zoo, sail model boats, check out medieval armor at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ride a Ferris wheel inside Toys "R" Us in Times Square and check out the dolls at American Girls Place. And, on Sunday morning take a joyous Harlem gospel tour followed by dim sum in Chinatown. And that's if you don't have family to visit, which is probably the reason so many of our readers vote for New York as the best place for a vacation year after year.

SILVER

America's National Parks

Our readers love Yellowstone, Yosemite and Glacier national parks for spectacular scenery and, in the East, Smoky Mountains National Park with its waterfalls and hiking. Whatever your interest -- hiking, canoeing, rafting, photography, sketching wildflowers, fishing or climbing -- America's national parks rule.

BRONZE

Colorado

Readers didn't specify winter or summer vacations, but Colorado is right for all seasons. In springtime, mountain meadows fill with wildflowers. In autumn, golden leaves contrast with a Wedgewood blue sky. In winter, mountains are smothered in powdery snow for thrilling skiing and snowboarding. Ski lifts operate in summer too, taking visitors to breathtaking lookouts and jump-off points for hang gliding. Pan for gold, see old mining towns and take white-knuckle raft rides down whitewater rivers.

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