Top Autism-Friendly Vacation Spots

Does the thought of going on vacation with your child with autism stress you out? Taking an individual with ASD away from their familiar environment and routine, to a place that may not understand their unique needs is no idea of a vacation for most parents. But thankfully there are many theme parks and resorts that are taking extra steps to create autism-friendly vacation destinations. In addition, there are also several cities throughout America that are Certified Autism Destinations (CADs). There really are places that are fun for everyone, including kids with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental needs. 

Here’s our list of the top autism-friendly vacation spots: 

Theme Parks –  

Sesame Place®  

As the first theme park in the world to be designated as a Certified Autism Center (CAC), Sesame Place is a perfect place to enjoy a variety of fun rides, shows and activities for every member of your family. They have earned this designation from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). Sesame Place currently has two locations – one in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and the other in San Diego, California. Both locations are recognized for their thorough training of their employees on autism, sensory awareness, social skills, communication, motor skills, emotional awareness and much more! 

On top of their trained staff, the park also has quiet rooms, noise-canceling headphones and low-sensory areas. They also provide low-sensory parade viewings, special character dining accommodations and meet-and-greets with Julia, Sesame Street’s first character with autism.  

LEGOLAND Resorts 

Located outside Orlando, LEGOLAND Florida added new features in 2017 to become an autism-friendly destination. LEGOLAND New York and LEGOLAND California followed suit shortly after. They created quiet rooms for families to take a break, equipped with noise-cancelling headphones, weighted blankets and LEGO building tables. The resort also offers a “blue hero pass” for guests on the spectrum. The pass allows the guest and their family expedited access to popular attractions. 

In addition to specialized training to equip their new employees with skills to more effectively interact with guests on the autism spectrum, the LEGOLAND Training & Development team created social stories to provide an illustrated, step-by-step walk-through of every theme park ride and show. This allows guests to know ahead of time what rides have loud noises, periods of darkness, bright lights or other elements that might be overwhelming for some. All of these special touches make LEGOLAND stand out as an autism-friendly vacation spot. 

Peppa Pig Theme Park in Orlando, Florida 

Adjacent to LEGOLAND Florida, this special park, created in 2022, is not only great for young children who have never been to a theme park, but also for children with disabilities! The park is partnered with the IBCCES and is an accredited CAS, offering many useful tools to optimize the experience of those on the spectrum. These tools include similar ones to what LEGOLAND offers, such as a “Hero Access Pass”, which allows guests who have trouble waiting in lines expedited access to popular attractions, and downloadable sensory and accessibility guides. Check out this new and fun park that your child is guaranteed to enjoy! 

Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 

Situated in the Smoky Mountains, Dollywood features a natural environment with lots of trees for shade, creeks running through the park, and a less crowded feel than many theme parks. Even with this setting, employees observed parents using bathrooms to try to calm overstimulated kids. As a result, the Dollywood team set out to create a haven for families that needed a break. In 2016 they added a Calming Room, which includes items like weighted blankets, fiber optic strands, a teepee and comfy soft places to relax. In 2017 they added a Calming Corner at its water park. Dollywood has certainly shown why they are an autism-friendly vacation spot. 

Tradewinds Resort in St. Petersburg, Florida 

Recognized as an autism-friendly resort by the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, Tradewinds Resort on St. Pete Beach offers a wonderful vacation get-away for families who have a child with autism. At check-in they have room safety kits that provide parents with a door alarm, outlet covers and more. Additionally, they offer temporary safety tattoos, highlighting how this resort has thought of many details other places have not. Furthermore, their popular Konk Club (“Kids Only, No Kidding”) staff are trained in autism awareness.  Parents can plan with the staff before they arrive to make their child’s visit as fun and stress-free as possible.  They also created a downloadable social story to prepare kids for their vacation stay at the resort. 

Cities and Other Locations –  

Surfside Beach, South Carolina 

Proud to be named the world’s first official autism-friendly destination, Surfside Beach, South Carolina is a perfect choice for families wanting a beach vacation that provides specialized options for their child with autism. Located south of Myrtle Beach on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, Surfside Beach is unique in what they do not have – loud or overstimulating boardwalks and crowded beaches. They also partnered with CAN (Champion Autism Network) to create the CAN Card. Showing the CAN Card is a subtle way to let participating attractions, restaurants, hotels and resorts know that they have a family member with autism. Participating businesses are trained in how to accommodate the variety of needs a child with autism can have. 

Visalia, California 

Visalia, a Certified Autism Destination, offers several attractions, hotels, and businesses that are Certified Autism Centers, CACs, (specially trained through IBCCES). Whether your child likes going to the museum or simply exploring a downtown area, there is plenty to do for all members of the family in this city. Find out more over on the Visalia’s tourism site. 

Mesa, Arizona 

Mesa, recognized as the country’s first Autism Certified City, is similar to Visalia in that it is filled with CACs. In addition, the city encourages the option of a Live Life Limitless Passport, a digital passport “that serves as a tour of the destination”, providing all locations and attractions within the city that are CACs through text and email. Discover more about what this special city has to offer on their website.  

High Point, North Carolina 

High Point, the first CAD on the east coast of the country, offers endless options for the whole family. With a variety of autism-friendly attractions, restaurants, and lodging options, High Point is prepared to host your family’s vacation. The High Point website has even taken some of the planning stress off your shoulders by preparing an itinerary of what to do and when to do it! Or you can customize the itinerary to your family’s specific interests. Visit the city’s website to learn more.  

Additional Resources 

We hope these ideas for autism-friendly vacation spots help you to plan a get-away that your entire family will enjoy! To find a more expansive list of IBCCES-verified autism-friendly destinations, visit Autism Travel. We also wrote a companion blog post to this one, which includes destinations closer to Michigan, as well as international destinations. 

Please let us know in the comments if you’ve found another park, resort, or destination that was perfect for your family! 

More Autism Friendly Vacation Ideas

autism friendly vacation

Our blog post – Top 5 Autism Friendly Vacation Spots – was one of our highest trafficked posts for that year. So with more hotels, resorts and theme parks making efforts to provide an enjoyable and safe experience for families impacted by autism, we decided to do a follow-up post with even more autism friendly vacation ideas.

That previous post included Sesame Place®, LEGOLAND Florida, Surfside Beach, South Carolina, Dollywood and Tradewinds Resort. We also did an addendum to share about VillaKey, provider of autism friendly vacation rentals in Florida.

Thankfully we are seeing lots of places becoming “autism friendly” – and when they make these efforts they are creating inclusive places for everyone to enjoy. Hotels, resorts and theme parks are providing training for their staff about autism. They are creating quiet rooms and sensory rooms for individuals who get overwhelmed and need a place to relax. They are adding safety measures for kids who are prone to wander. All of these thoughtful efforts benefit families with an autistic child, but also kids with Down syndrome and even typical kids. By doing so, they are opening up vacation opportunities for families who never dreamed of going to some of these places.

So here are a few more autism friendly vacation ideas to add to your list.

Heading to Florida

Disney World – Orlando 

Disney World is a destination for many families with young children. For those with an autistic child, Disney has some accommodations to help make your time there more enjoyable. If you are considering a vacation there, look into their Disability Access Service Pass that allows pass holders to avoid lines at rides. They also have Disney’s Strollers as Wheelchairs program, which is a special safety measure for kids who wander, or who need a familiar seat to feel safe and secure. For qualifying children, this program allows kids to remain in their strollers while on a ride or visiting an attraction. Disney also offers a visual guide of the park for individuals with disabilities that you can download before you go. There are a number of additional accommodations for individuals with autism, like Rider Switch, Break Areas and Companion Restrooms.

Discovery Cove – Orlando 

Earlier this year Discovery Cove, Orlando became a Certified Autism Center. Discovery Cove is SeaWorld’s all-inclusive family resort. They have created accommodations and supports for individuals with autism and other sensory needs. As explained on their website – staff receive specialized training to ensure all guests have an enjoyable experience. Training focuses on: sensory awareness, motor skills, autism overview, program development, social skills, communication, environment, and emotional awareness. They offer a Sensory Guide that provides details on their attractions and how a person with sensory issues may respond to each experience so that families can plan accordingly. Another benefit Discovery Cove offers is they limit the number of daily attendance of 1,000 guests. So crowd control is built into how they operate.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex – Merritt Island

In 2023, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex became an IBCCES Certified Autism Center. Located just East of Orlando, this unique NASA experience provides a comprehensive Sensory Guide to help plan your visit with sensory-sensitive individuals or children. It also offers complimentary noise-reduction headphones on a first-come, first-served basis to those with hearing sensitivities. Explore the various adventures this attraction presents, guaranteed to pique the interest of every family member.

Closer to Home

Cedar Point

At just over 2 hours away from Metro Detroit, Cedar Point’s autism accommodations can provide for a great get-away for families. Known as the Roller Coaster Capital of the World, they also provide some great services for families with an autistic child or other disabilities. They offer a Parent Swap ride program and KidTrack is a wristband program if your child is known to wander. There is a Family Care Center and other places for a quiet place to take a break and cool down. Additionally, there are several Family Restroom facilities for those who need support. You can download the Cedar Point mobile app to check on ride wait times, attraction accessibility, events and more. And for overnight stays there is Cedar Point’s Hotel Breakers that provides many features to make it a fun get-away.

Hersheypark

For a little bit longer trip but still a doable drive for a long weekend, Hersheypark is about 7 hours from Metro Detroit. They partnered with Parent to Parent of Pennsylvania to make sure their park and attractions are accessible to individuals with disabilities. One feature is their Ride Accessibility Questionnaire – families can answer some questions to receive a detailed list of the rides and attractions suited for your personal family situation. They have several Quiet Areas throughout the park to provide a private place for those who may become over stimulated. Additionally, guests can download a Rider Safety & Accessibility Guide ahead of their visit. And if you have dietary restrictions, you can learn about their allergen information and dining options.

Going Above and Beyond

Morgan’s Wonderland

A park designed to cater almost exclusively to children with special needs? That’s Morgan’s Wonderland, in San Antonio, Texas! It is the world’s first “Ultra Accessible Theme Park”. The park offers an impressive number of traditional and adaptive rides, swings, and activities to suit all ages. Additionally, they have a Sensory Village, and entertainment that teaches messages of inclusion and kindness. And most importantly, children with special needs, including autism, receive free admission! It may be time to start planning a Texas vacation.

International Adventure

Beaches® Resorts

Beaches® is the first IBCCES (International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Studies) and Autism Certified resort company. Their resort locations in Jamaica and the Turks and Caicos islands offer specialized service to families with children with autism and other special needs. These services include mealtime accommodations such as custom dietary needs, kids camps for children of all abilities, and staff trained in autism needs, sensory awareness, motor skills, and more. Additionally, Beaches® partners with Sesame Street® and Autism and offers activities with Julia, the first Sesame Street® character with autism.

Shannon Airport, Ireland

If you’re thinking of traveling through Ireland, be sure to consider Shannon Airport as a thoroughfare! Ireland’s Shannon Airport provides an awareness program for kids with special needs, ensuring a smooth airport experience. Through this program, kids and those with special needs can access a 24-hour sensory room.

In conclusion, many resorts, theme parks and hotels are understanding the needs of autistic individuals. So we hope these autism friendly vacation ideas help spark your imagination to plan a get-away for your family that everyone will enjoy! And let us know if you’ve found another vacation spot that was perfect for your family.

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