Up at the crack of dawn, ready to roll down the highway for the annual family vacation — remember when everyone packed into the car, the folks up front and the pillow-toting kids slumbering in the backseat because Dad insisted an early start would get you to the destination sooner?

Back then, vacations meant old-timey log cabins tucked in a wooded area by a lake. By night, fireside chats with the occasional raccoon sighting made for great bedtime stories. By day, hikes and lake dips became fodder years later for nostalgic dreams.

Today there’s a growing trend of capturing the essence of distant memories and perhaps a simpler time. Many iconic destinations have held mass appeal since President Teddy Roosevelt first walked the secluded swath of Yellowstone National Park.

Most of these haunts haven’t changed much, save for a nip or tuck here and there and, of course, a bow to modern amenities. Plenty of these experiences cross niche markets like experiential or senior travel. Grandparents head back with their grandkids while executives head out on nature retreats. Personalization is huge, and so is the demand for authenticity.

ACROSS AMERICA, VINTAGE has huge street cred. Just take a look at the roster of annual fairs, flea markets and authentic street festivals as vendors and collectors unite.

The Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone National
Park © Joseph
Helfenberger | Dreamstime.com

For the great outdoors, the U.S. National Park Service maintains a host of spots to turn back the clock. Xanterra Parks and Resorts, the biggest operator of lodges and concessions in national parks like Yellowstone National Park and Zion National Park, joined the “made in America” movement. Find nationally produced traditional gift shop items and set your smartphone clock by Old Faithful. Most park buildings post prediction times of the historic geyser’s eruptions.

For sleep, nothing beats the iconic American Airstream camper trailer. Check out a cluster of them at The Shady Dell trailer park in Arizona for a mid-century slumber. KOA rents out a bunch of the iconic chrome four-wheeler rigs at specified campgrounds across the country. Retro campers can’t get enough at state parks, either. Kentucky is home to a slew of river stone-faced gems, many located in the Daniel Boone National Forest with BYOL (bring your own linen) at some lodgings.

Think camping extraordinaire in the tree-lush Adirondacks. Once owned by the Vanderbilts, Lake Kora’s historic lakefront property is a classic throwback with lodgings mired in nature but offers plenty of luxury for the modern-day camper, including a gourmet chef on the premises. Connect with the company’s BeautifulPlaces concierge to arrange the dream-come-true vacation.

“Bookings are up for this type of camping as people really want off-the-grid getaways,” says Arlene Winnick, communications director, BeautifulPlaces — who adds that VIPs particularly crave privacy and luxury.

On the posh side, industrialists of the day demonstrated their love of nature. Among the Fortune 500 companies, Laurance Rockefeller of the Rockefeller oil and banking dynasty created a fabulous bungalow seaside haven inside Virgin Islands National Park, a park he established on St. John. Unplug in the ultimate nature sanctuary — no phones, no televisions and accessible only by boat. Immerse in Mother Nature at Caneel Bay and watch the surf roll in on Hawksnest Beach. The fabulous ’50s architecture meshes seamlessly with the recreational activities: tennis, hiking, water sports and, of course, the sumptuous sundown candle-lit dinners.

At Colonial Williamsburg, watch history unfold as interpreters re-enact the olden days. Kids can dress up and participate in activities such as planting seeds and learning traditional salutes. Sip tea with a costumed interpreter, play the piano and spend hours wandering the massive site housing countless buildings like the Governor’s Palace. This fully restored living museum, another project with a Rockefeller connection (Laurance’s father, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., restored one of the nation’s treasures), casts its spell on the history buff’s imagination and remains a favorite destination for young and old.

The Leave It to Beaver cast would probably approve walking the streets of historic Palm Springs, sprawling in mid-century homes and manicured lawns. Sign up for a walking tour, dine at the renowned Melvyn’s Restaurant, order a dry martini Rat Pack-style and hit the golf greens once graced by funny man Bob Hope, legendary in these parts along with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and other Hollywood greats.

Retro amusement park hubs like New York’s Coney Island are swinging back post-Hurricane Sandy. Roller coasters, Nathan’s famous hot dogs and the lively midways are Americana classics in this vivid pop culture landscape. Watch for the return of the legendary Thunderbolt roller coaster at Luna Park at Coney Island this year.

By the Wreck Bar at Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel, visitors sight mermaids in a thrilling underwater swim show called the MeduSirena, staged since the 1950s, and organizers report there’s no shortage of them. Expect a vintage act on Friday and Saturday nights.

Lovers of Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull head to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Wyoming to rekindle the Western era. Crowds flock here for powwows, museum treks and family programs. For Old West fun and cowboy re-enactments in Yuma, Ariz., groups dress up as cowboys and replay gun-toting skills at the annual Gathering of the Gunfighters held at the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park.

Empty-nesters rekindle the old days in a throwback trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. Not just budget- and family-friendly, high luxe meets its match. Overnight at the posh Marina Inn at Grande Dunes, a AAA 4-diamond award-winner, and rewind time along Myrtle Beach’s 60 miles of yesteryear. Peaches Corner, Myrtle Beach’s oldest eatery, serves its famous burgers and shakes on the boardwalk; and Fat Harold’s offers free shag dancing lessons on Tuesday nights.

Door County, Wisc., is synonymous with nostalgia. Old-fashioned crowd-pleasers — like a family-run vintage drive-in movie theater — bustle in summer as the family-packed vehicles line up for a spot. By day, cycle across the quaint towns and take a break at one of the cafés or ice cream shops that dot Green Bay and the Lake Michigan shoreline.

BRITANNIA ALSO RULES for old-fashioned fun. The Downton Abbey TV craze translates into some doozy holidays; in the United Kingdom, you can act like a laird or enjoy refined relaxation like actress Maggie Smith’s dowager countess.

Scotland’s been vintage vacation territory for TV’s Crawley family and even Queen Elizabeth. Seemingly around the bend from the royal summer home of Balmoral Castle in Cairngorms National Park deep in the Highlands is another wondrous locale, the Strathspey Estate, also located in the park. While the house was built in the 18th century, expect comfy lodgings big on tartan carpets, roaring fires and fabulous river-view nooks. With the country promoting Homecoming Scotland 2014, dare to vacation like the Scots. The Highlands exude pure bliss.

The Historic Houses Association represents 1,500 homes, castles and gardens sprinkled across Britain, many owned by dukes and duchesses, boasting modern amenities and sumptuous settings. About 300 HHA houses are open to the public for day visitors.

Pick any major city across the U.K. and find classic vacations that tug at the heartstrings. London’s huge roster of attractions includes some fabulous, inspiring old haunts. Head to the Grosvenor House for afternoon tea and later enjoy a shaken-not-stirred martini at Dukes, where James Bond creator Ian Fleming was a regular. The former earned “The Tea Guild Special Award of Excellence 2013” for its exceptional experience, while high-brow publications laud the latter as “The hotel bar which some say concocts one of the world’s best martinis.”

On Burgh Island off England’s south Devon Coast, a posh hotel aptly named after the isle has attracted glitterati like Edward and Wallis Windsor since the Roaring Twenties. Sit in the Palm Court at the Peacock Bar for cocktails and classic tales. Suites bear the names of pre-War guests — Noel Coward and Agatha Christie among them — and the modern menu changes daily.

Quintessentially English, the Cotswolds revs up its vintage tours with the Best of Britain on four favorite routes. Rent bespoke vintage wear, get behind the wheel of a classic car and roll out the map to pick your classic road trip.

Health spas kick up the options, too. In Jane Austen country, Bath (the city synonymous with Roman baths and the U.K.’s No. 1 spa destination) prepares to welcome Britain’s first natural thermal spa hotel, the 5-star Gainsborough Bath Spa, which will open this year in the heart of Bath, an ideal spot for city sightseeing.

Canadian-based Porter Airlines’ flight crew sport 1950s-inspired uniforms. © Porter Airlines

WITH VINTAGE VACATIONS, getting there is half the fun. Some companies foster elegance in their classic approach to travel. Airlines in the fashionable ’50s saw passengers and crew dressed to the nines. Porter Airlines, a Canadian company, looks to regal haute air travel as cabin crew — donned in 1950s-inspired wear designed by Canadian fashion house Pink Tartan — dish out snacks and offer libations for their short hauls.

The ultimate river cruise harks back to a time when indulging in leisure meant a long, slow journey sailing past breathtaking scenery. These days, time-starved travelers still wish to cruise but without the long voyages. Splurge on shorter jaunts to match memorable discoveries.

Ever since Thomas Cook took passengers on a magical cruise down the Nile River in the 1800s, travelers have had a love affair with Ancient Egypt. The stretch between Aswan and Luxor passes ancient temples, the wondrous desert and Bedouin villages clinging to the riverbanks. U.S.-owned Sonesta Collection’s Sonesta Amirat Dahabeya offers an unparalleled luxury cruise experience. Find bow-tied dining service, gourmet cuisine and customized day excursions with an Egyptologist. The traditional small vessel reminiscent of luxury cruises in the 1920s is furnished in teak with Occidental themes. It’s the classic Nile River cruise at its best.

In Europe, Uniworld River Cruises, the award-winning U.S. company offering boutique luxury cruises along legendary waterways, continues to push the envelope in its flawless portfolio and fleet. Expect white-gloved dinner service, exceptional cuisine, the finest wines and custom-made furnishings that mirror the haute living.

Rail travel once held huge glamour, too. Passengers clad in their Sunday best marveled at the new steam engine technology as they peered at the storybook countryside from plush cabins. The Orient-Express from Paris to İstanbul was the highly sought-after ticket of the day before World War I. Lovers of Agatha Christie’s iconic novel Murder on the Orient Express are in for a treat. Recreate the ambience on a classic British Pullman or Northern Belle and embark on a shortened rail route aboard the Venice-Simplon Orient-Express.

Those stainless steel, streamlined rail cabins from the 1950s are fabulous when traveling VIA Rail Canada’s The Canadian. The cross-country rail journey features an exceptional dining car and a glass-roofed vista dome car ideal for critter-watching in Banff and the Rockies.

With the abundant collection of yesteryear journeys, that trip down memory lane doesn’t sound old-fashioned after all.