The Best Part About Big Family Vacations

There’s nothing quite like big family vacations. Every year, my whole family heads to the beach in North Carolina. We pile into one big house with sandy floors and not nearly enough bathrooms. Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles, Sisters & brothers, and Cousins all roll up in carloads. coolers take over the porch. Wet towels are draped everywhere. Everyone talks over each other yet somehow we all hear everything. From the start, it feels like summer turned all the way up. Grandparents settle into their favorite chairs. Toddlers find the mud before their shoes come off. Teenagers pretend to stay detached, glued to their phones, but it never lasts.

Cousins, Chaos, and Cannonballs

Soon enough, the cousins settle into their rhythm…ages one to twenty, each doing their own thing. The little ones wobble around with snacks in both hands. The younger kids race through the beach house like it’s their job. The preteens and teen girls lounge on beach towels, swapping playlists and book recommendations. Some help in the kitchen, chopping fruit or stirring something sweet. They all end up laughing together playing in the pool. and by bedtime, no matter where they started, everyone is passed out. It’s the magic that happens on family vacations.

The Table Is Where the Memories Live

Meanwhile, the kitchen never sleeps. Someone’s always cooking, taste testing, or claiming their casserole “won’t taste right without real Duke’s mayo.” Every meal turns into a family meeting. The table overflows with food and stories. You sit down to eat, but stay for the laughter. We talk about who moved where, who’s doing what, and who still burns toast. We remember old friends, lost pets, and summers that feel like yesterday. Grandma laughs, an Uncle exaggerates, and everyone else chimes in with “That ain’t how I remember it!”

Porch Talks and Late Night Laughs

After dinner, the porch calls. One by one, the adults fall into the rocking chairs while the kids crash, scattered across couches and bunk beds. By then, the sun is low, the air is thick, and the citronella candles are fighting a losing battle. Naturally, the stories start flowing as easily as the sweet tea and whatever someone’s sipping in a red Solo cup. Meanwhile, the grown ups swap tales, and argue, loudly, about card game rules that mysteriously change every year. Inevitably, somebody brings up that one family trip no one dares forget, usually with a dramatic pause and a knowing grin. In those moments, under that wide Carolina sky, it feels like time slows down just for us.

The Beautiful, Predictable Chaos

Yes, someone always snores. And someone always forgets a toothbrush. This year, that someone was me, not just my own, but all my kids’ too. Somehow, my husband was the only one who remembered his. Naturally, that led to some laughs and a last minute run to the store. Then there are the card games. We play all kinds of games all week long, usually until someone wins so often they won’t let anyone forget it. In addition, we always do puzzles. Every year, every night, there’s a puzzle on the table and someone trying to hide the last piece. These are the stories we’ll laugh about next year. And the year after that. It’s all part of the magic.

Why We Keep Coming Back

So what’s the best part of big family vacations? It’s the noise, the love, the messy joy of everyone under one roof. It’s watching generations overlap, old stories retold beside new ones. It’s the sweetness of banana pudding and the sting of sunburn and the sound of your mama saying, “Just five more minutes, y’all.”

You head home a little tired, a little full, and a lot grateful. And before the bags are unpacked, someone’s already planning the next few family vacations. Lord help us all.