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Scenic Gatlinburg, TN is a popular year-round vacation destination, but not one that Christina Miltsch couldn’t have chosen on her own.
“I’m a beach girl,” she smiles. “But my aunt set it all up. She worked her whole life and said, ‘I really want to do a family reunion.’ “
It had been about 20 years since their extended family got together for a cruise. For years, her aunt, Trish Floyd, saved money and cashed in timeshare credits so they can get together last summer.
“Seven families got to go, and she paid for it all,” Miltsch said. “I literally cannot express how grateful I am to my aunt. It’s been in the works for a long time.”
Trying to find a place that caters to large groups spanning multiple generations can be a herculean task, but not all destinations are created equal. Places like Gatlinburg – just outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park – and Orlando have built-in options for everyone.
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go big
Joseph Greene hopes his family reunion in Tampa next year will be their biggest yet, and they’re already big.
“The average turnout is around 100,” he said, noting that many other trace their lineage goes back to his great-great-grandparents, Reecie and Isom Hardnett.
Every two years, their descendants gather for a Hardnett family reunion, although they skipped last year due to the pandemic.
“I have cousins that I haven’t seen or met, and I think that’s kind of sad,” Greene said. He is proud to be close to much of his family and wants the same for his children. “We want to make sure we always stay connected.”
Usually there is a whole organizing committee for their meetings, but he takes care of it the most this time with training in event planning.
He’s already locked up in a hotel and a weekend full of activities, including a get-together, a beach and a day at Busch Gardens, where they’ll all be wearing matching t-shirts. He’s secured a group admission rate to the park and found a place where they can share a meal, but he doesn’t expect everyone to stay together all day.
“You can go there and do your own thing, but we want to get together at least once and eat and pray at the same time,” he said.
Her family is doing everything they can for reunions, but Greene says others don’t have to follow their lead.
“You don’t have to do much,” he said. “It could be one day, just for a simple picnic. We added things over time.”
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Separate
Mitsch’s extended family separated during the day but shared dinner every night of their reunion.
“As there were seven nights, each family took one night and we had dinner,” she said.
She did Mexican one night. His mother made lasagna. Another family organized a barbecue. After dinner, they all hung out together.
“It was a great time to regroup and come together and talk about what we all did that day,” she said.
She appreciated the flexibility, noting how difficult it can be to juggle everyone’s interests and budgets in multiple households.
“My sister and I are as opposite as the day is long,” she said. “All she wanted was to be in nature, and all I wanted was to go shopping, and we could do that and still go on vacations together and have a great time.”
Her son loved Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and several family members enjoyed Dollywood at nearby Pigeon Forge.
“Boy, I was blown away by the park,” she said. “It was clean. It was beautiful. The music was peaceful. You could smell Dolly.”
Everyone paid for their own park tickets there, which added up, but Mitsch said it was worth every penny.
“I’ve done every roller coaster twice,” she said. “And seeing the smile on my aunt’s face…seeing the smile on her face was everything.”
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Build links
Nancy Voellm rode her fair share of coasters during a reunion with her husband’s side of the family in Walt Disney World during the summer.
“My husband doesn’t ride roller coasters and my little ones are still a little scared,” she said, so she accompanied her extended family’s teenagers.
The self-proclaimed Disney lovers pointed to everything from rides to restaurant reservations at all four parks.
“I’m that person. When I know I have (60) days to book, I’m on the phone or online (first thing),” she said. “I would check every day to see if there were any cancellations.”
Travel agencies can help families plan a Disney vacation for free, but for those who want to do it themselves, Voellm says communication is key.
“My husband and I were on the same page of ‘OK, this is what I do, this is what you do. Now send this text to the family to see if this is what they are interested in,’ ” she says. “We’re lucky everyone is on board with anything.”
Six families shared an Airbnb.
“The house had a pool in the backyard, so the kids enjoyed the pool a lot,” she said. “Honestly, we were more worried about what we could do with the kids during downtime, but the kids were so happy to see their cousins that they were just playing, following the older cousins . They were doing their own thing.”
Voellm was thrilled the kids remembered their first family reunion last year in Lake Tahoe. She enjoys watching their relationship grow, knowing how close her husband is to his family, even though they live far apart.
“I think they just wanted to be together and enjoy their time together no matter what they were doing,” she said.
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