• ZagatSurvey U.S. Family Travel Guide
  • ZagatSurvey

ZagatSurvey U.S. Family Travel Guide, (Zagat Survey, 2004; $14.95), edited by Donna Marino, Betsy Andrews and Caren Weiner Campbell

True to Zagat form, this guide is more ratings- and list-oriented, peppers quotes from customers throughout, and gives tidbits of essential-only information on the locales and attractions listed. Organized in alphabetical order by state for easy navigation, the Zagat guide is a great reference once you’ve narrowed down your choice of destinations.

Pros

This guide’s value is in pinpointing kid-friendly places of interest (hotels, restaurants, parks, etc.) coupled with useful information—knowing in advance which restaurant is bound to have a baby-changing station is invaluable in my book—and presenting it in a no-nonsense manner. The guide gives both positive and negative experiences from real families, leaving it to you to decide if a place might suit your needs.

Plus Zagat did its homework by partnering with Parenting magazine to survey subscribers and contribute those ratings to the book. Smart move.

The book does a satisfactory job of providing a paragraph or two of introduction about each city, and physically the guide is a breeze to pack in your luggage without risk of violating any airline weight limits. I was impressed to see that even luxury hotels, such as the Ritz-Carlton, Chicago, also caters to kids: It offers adjoining and childproof rooms, cribs, strollers, babysitting services, a playground, child-sized robes, games and books (upon request) and a special welcome box (for kids) with homemade cookies. 

Cons

There are no updates scheduled for this U.S. guide, so this version is the one to get if you’re in the market. I’d also love to see a ZagatSurvey Family Guide to Europe—but according to Zagat, that is not yet in the works.

Tip

As with all Zagat guides, the address, phone number and Web site of any listing accompanies all reviews, and the rating system is coded. For attractions, C = Child appeal, A = Adult appeal, P = Public Facilities, S = Service and $ = Price, with each then assigned a numeric rating based on survey responses. Hotels and restaurants use different codes.

Worth Buying?

Zagat has built a reliable brand based on its surveys, so this is a companion guide worth having handy for family vacations.

Even if you still rationalize staying close to home with the “my kids just won’t appreciate it” argument, just remember that it is your vacation too. It may take extra preparation to cart kids to see the world’s largest Atlantic puffin colony in Iceland or to go on safari in South Africa, but at least you’re out there doing it and not daydreaming of going there…one day. While picking up a travel guide can’t guarantee catastrophe-free family travel, finding a good one is a great start and surely can help a family plan an ideal vacation.