Spain/Germany

Corinne: Nerja is a charming seaside town near Malaga(see Rick Steves' recommendations) and I think the kids would love climbing the stairs from the "Balcony of Europe" down to the beach below. Antequera is about 30 minutes north through beautiful country. Their prehistoric dolmens are impressive, and I liked the Lobo Park wolf sanctuary there, where you can see wolves up close (through fences, of course). At the top of Antequera is a park with a playground, paths and great views over the countryside and across to the well-preserved Moorish fort, which they might also enjoy climbing around inside.

Thanks. sounds like good suggestions.

Just north of Antequerra is Fuente de Piedra, and just outside the town is a lake nicknamed the Pink Lagoon because of the flamingos. I was there in mid-February and there were a couple hundred birds, but the locals told me that by April there are thousands, and the lake becomes a sea of pink.

For Stuttgart there's a lot of great options going on then. The Spring fest (fruehlingsfest) starts April 20, it's just like Oktoberfest but in the spring. Besides the usual Mercedes and Porsche factory tours and museums, there's tons of great museums in the area. Ludwigsburg palace is a great place with English tours and a lovely town. A good day trip is Heidelberg castle and town or a day trip to Meersburg castle and town. In the vicinity are the great towns of Weil der Stadt, Esslingen and Tuebingen, both easily reachable on the s-bahn train system. There's also loads of other castles and palaces around: Hohenzollern, Burg Liechtenstein, Schloss Solitude, ruins Hirsau Abbey and so many more. Shopping in downtown Koeningstrasse is fun, also the high-end outlets at Metzingen (which has direct bus service from downtown STR). Great restaurants for adults in STR are: Oggi, The Cube, Brunnerz, Block House, Busnauerhof im Wildpfadstuble.

Kathy is stealing my gig! Her suggestions are generally excellent although I disagree with some of the restaurant suggestions. Those places are all quite nice and I've eaten at them, but for a tourist I'd suggest going to a Weinstube or Besen to get some real authentic Swabian food, not an expensive steak (which will always be better back in the U.S.) I'll get to specific suggestions in a minute. Is there a particular reason behind staying in Stuttgart? I'm just curious as it's not generally a hub of international tourists. It's a fine city with lots of daytripping options, but if you have a full free week I would consider staying in two different places - maybe a few days in Munich? Or heading up and seeing the Rhine or Mosel valley? The Black Forest is right here, and you can reach Strasbourg, France via TGV train as a day trip but it would be nicer, in my opinion, to do a night or two so you could check out Colmar as well. For a very nice Swabian dinner, Schellenturm is pricey but great atmopshere and food. For the cheaper version of really quality Swabian food, take the U1 or U14 tram to Bihlplatz and check out Heslacher Weinstube (closed on Sunday, reservations a very good idea - reservations a really good idea at any restaurant in Stuttgart to be honest). Other good Weinstuben include Froelich in the Bean Quarter and the Stuttgarter Staefle in the West part of the city, all easily accessible by a few minute S or U Bahn ride from the center. If it's open, City Besen is a really unique (and cheap) experience. If the weather is nice, do a vineyard hike above Unter/Oberturkheim and don't forget to visit the Biergarten im Schlossgarten!

Corinne, Great that you'll be motorised, have the flexibility and have a week's time! Numerous places you could access from Stuttgart, esp. by car. although I did them by train, but not all. There is Sigmaringen an der Donau, Tübingen, Hechingen, even Marbach am Neckar to visit a real German cultural site. Going south of Stuttgart beyond Eßlingen is where the Stauffenberg Schloß is in the Albstadt area.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. My father was born in Stuttgart so I am going to see some family roots and heritage. I am hoping we will be able to find a B and B to stay at to get some more culture.