Vacation Destinations

[NeedMoreFans]

My wife and I have decided next year, we are taking a vacation (without our daughter), so someplace in the U.S. we can fly to. Personally, I want to go someplace neither of us have ever been to before. That rules out...

 

Vegas

San Fran

Colorado

Arizona

Florida

Yellowstone

Hawaii

Black Hills

Smoky Mountains

St. Louis

Chicago

Cleveland

 

My short list of destinations are Pacific Northwest, New York/New England, or Washington, DC (though I am planning a school trip to DC next school year). Where have you all gone where there is enough to see/do for 5-7 days? We are not stationary vacationers...we see as much as possible, so a beach destination is not appealing to us. We are also not "foodies," so we really don't care about cuisine. Thanks for the input.

[GAME05]

i think i remember a Napa Valley wine tours thread on here a while back.

 

isn't Canada as cheap as flying around the US? Montreal is a great party city and Newfoundland has some excellent hiking. and Whitehorse is gorgeous. Labrador not so much.

 

the Starlight Express (i believe) is a passenger train that runs up Highway 1 from Portland to Seattle and is one of the best train rides in the US.

[pitchleague]

Utah, believe it or not, is beautiful. A trip to Salt Lake City is great, then rent a car and travel to Bryce Canyon, Zion, Canyonlands (better than the Grand Canyon in my opinion), and Arches in a big loop.

 

Lots of hikes, lots of natural beauty, lots of extreme temperature changes. (July 4th, 2000 we woke up at Bryce Canyon to freezing temperatures and icicles on the fences around a farm. It was 97-degrees by 11 am.)

 

I'd go back to Utah in a heartbeat. Luckily, I can if I really wanted to since it's practically a day trip for us.

[nate82]

How about Vancouver. If you like some of the outdoors type of things like hiking that would be interesting. Plus there are other things you can do like Whale watching.

[Schlitz001]

Glacier National Park. End of discussion.

 

I also really like pitchleagues Utah destinations. I'm a very outdoor oriented vacationer. What time of year are you going?

[Baldkin]

Houseboat. Lake Powell.

http://www.travelvista.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Lake-Powell-1.jpg

Best. Vacation. Ever.

 

This also ties in with the Utah suggestion.

[GAME05]

your wife can read "Travels with Charley" while you read "On the Road" and then you just get in a car and go, and see where things take you.

 

....but hopefully to Lake Powell, because that looks incredible.

[JoeHova]

I once heard that Dubuque, Iowa was very scenic. Apparently, one of the convenience stores there recently acquired a new dumpster that is well worth checking out (it could also possibly double as lodgings for an enterprising traveler). I was also told that the Hormel plant is especially nice, as these things go. Apparently Dubuque is a very desirable vacation spot. I can't vouch for any of this personally, unfortunately. It's just what I was told. You can bet I plan on visiting as soon as I can though.

[Funketown]

I once heard that Dubuque, Iowa was very scenic. Apparently, one of the convenience stores there recently acquired a new dumpster that is well worth checking out (it could also possibly double as lodgings for an enterprising traveler). I was also told that the Hormel plant is especially nice, as these things go. Apparently Dubuque is a very desirable vacation spot. I can't vouch for any of this personally, unfortunately. It's just what I was told. You can bet I plan on visiting as soon as I can though.

 

Having driven through Dubuque on my way from Cedar Rapids to Madison at least two dozen times, I must say it is a lovely little town. The Hardee's on 151 has a bathroom that is consistently clean, and you don't even have to enter the second door into the restaurant to use it, so you never feel guilty not buying anything. Gas prices are fairly cheap, and at least one of the stations sells a lovely wine called "Boone's Farm" that you could enjoy on a romantic evening at the Greyhound track.

[LouisEly]

I'll second Glacier National Park and Utah. Along those lines, I'll also strongly recommend Lake Tahoe as it is year-round - great snow sports from Thanksgiving through March/April, and lots of hiking/biking/boating/zip lines in the summer/fall. If you're into gambling, there's casinos on the Nevada side. You could couple that with a Napa winery tour as they are about a 3.5 hour drive from each other, and there's river rafting directly between the two north of Sacramento. I once spent almost an entire day driving around Lake Tahoe with two friends just stopping at random places, bars, and restaurants - Gar Woods in Carnelian Bay and Pete & Peter's in Tahoe City are must-stops.

 

If you want to do New England you could do a fall trip to Boston for some history, head to Vermont/New Hampshire for the leaves changing color, stop in Lake Placid for a little Olympic history, and shoot over to Niagara Falls. Make sure to have your passport, as the Canadian side is much nicer (better view, nice hotels/casinos). But you can see everything you need to see in Niagara Falls in a day.

[hawing]

My short list of destinations are Pacific Northwest, New York/New England, or Washington, DC (though I am planning a school trip to DC next school year).

 

Though I don't know you much outside of the internets, I think you would like Seattle and environs. Plus time it well and you could catch a ballgame at Safeco and have an awesome salmon sandwich (unless you don't like salmon). PM me if you decide on that area and I'd be happy to share with you what we did on our trip there.

 

Also - if you go to DC with Mrs. NMF before your school trip, you will not run out of things to see. Will. Not. I mean, dude, you're a history teacher. Plus you'll be that much more acclimated to the place when you do take your school trip. (Also, time it well and you could catch a ballgame at Nationals Park, which is no Safeco, but is OK.)

 

Consider the good ideas you're getting in this thread, but your short list is kind of like your gut reaction for what you want to do - don't discount it.

 

Edit: I should add that I'm not a foodie either, but that salmon sandwich was the bomb.

[CheezWizHed]

I'll second Glacier National Park and Utah.

Third! Arches was cool (although not in temps). Salt Lake City and the Mormon Tab (and said choir). The lake itself was "meh".

 

Glacier was gorgeous, I've heard the Canadian side is more beautiful. We went to Glacier and Yellowstone on one trip. I'd go back to Glacier (not to disparage Yellowstone, but Glacier was that much better). But you have to like hiking for there to be "a lot" to do. Its not nearly as "touristy" as Yellowstone (which is why I like it) but you can find some really awesome views...

 

Two things on my bucket list:

- Grand Canyon/Brewer ST trip (probably Rocky Mountain Park on the way)

- East Coast Civil War tour - want my kids to be a little older for that one.

 

And I'm considering adding Yosemite Park to the list...

[NeedMoreFans]

We'd most likely be going in the summer, so we're over a year away from any potential trip. Part of me wants to take like 8 days to do Vancouver/Seattle or Seattle/Portland (probably not enough time to do all 3). The Utah parks are also appealing, as is Glacier. We have decided on a couple trips we will take once our family is a bit older, and Yosemite is on that list (as is another Yellowstone trip, which maybe we'll hit Glacier then).

 

On a somewhat related note...I drive through Dubuque quite often, and have spent a weekend there. Believe it or not, it is a neat little city. They now have the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, and I remember there was a trolly tour of the downtown area which was sort of entertaining.

[TooLiveBrew]

If you do decide to visit Portland (soon or later on), shoot me a PM for sure. I'm obviously no lifetime resident, but I'd love to help make sure you see the stuff you'd be interested to see

 

[Brewtacular]

Hong Kong. It's just unimaginably beautiful on the surrounding islands and the topography is hard to grasp. You can also head over to Macau which has much more gambling than Vegas.

[trwi7]

I second Portland or Seattle. If you go to Portland, Multnomah Falls is a must.

[JimH5]

I am very partial toward New York and New England.

 

If you can make it during a special city event (NY marathon, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, etc.) even better. The city is great. Cooperstown is a few hours drive away, as are lots of Ivy League campuses, Vermont, Boston, Philadelphia...

 

You would never run out of things to do..

[GAME05]

there's always the few-day cruise from Seattle/Vancouver up to Alaska. and being that you don't like to sit, there are a ton of side excursions that you could take. if you're into paddling and nature, i forgot the name, but there's a reserve near the Vancouver area that's one of the best rivers in North America to go down.

 

popular in travel now isn't so much to pick a specific destination, but to pick an activity or two that you really want to do, and then go to whatever place offers the best resources for that.

[craigharmann]

I second Portland or Seattle. If you go to Portland, Multnomah Falls is a must.

 

Yes, Multnomah Falls, Mt. St. Helens, going to the coast. There's lots to do in Portland. There are some times I miss living out there.

[CheezWizHed]

I was also told that the Hormel plant is especially nice, as these things go.

 

Well, might as well go to the one in Austin, MN then. And go to the SPAM museum. Its free. Yes, we have a picture of the wall of SPAM.

 

if you're into paddling and nature...

 

The BWCA and Quetico!

[LouisEly]

I second Portland or Seattle. If you go to Portland, Multnomah Falls is a must.

 

Third! And if you go to Multnomah Falls or Portland you must go to/stay at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale. It's just amazing. An old country hotel (supposedly haunted) with a brewery, several bars (including the famous "Little Red Shed", possibly the smallest bar you will ever see), restaurants, a spa, a movie theatre, glassblowing, picnic areas, and a little pitch & putt course. You can literally have a bar crawl on the property. You could earmark two days just for this property alone.

[GormanHarvey]

Grand Teton National Park is my favorite place I have visited

[Teatoe993]

And if you go to Multnomah Falls or Portland you must go to/stay at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale. It's just amazing. An old country hotel (supposedly haunted) with a brewery, several bars (including the famous "Little Red Shed", possibly the smallest bar you will ever see), restaurants, a spa, a movie theatre, glassblowing, picnic areas, and a little pitch & putt course. You can literally have a bar crawl on the property. You could earmark two days just for this property alone.

 

I just stayed at McMenamins Edgefield three weeks ago. Lovely place. I also honeymooned in Seattle and Vancouver a couple years ago.

A northwest vacation of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia sounds like a great idea for a good week or more. Lots to do whether it's out in nature or in the city.

[jimmyjeromehardy7]

Since the northwest is becoming a hot topic in this thread, we are planning a week long vacation over the 4th this year flying into Seattle , taking in a Mariners game and driving midweek to Portland then flying out of Portland. We are thinking a week (Sat to Sat) with 17 month old twins. Anything that you recommend we see or do.

[NeedMoreFans]

with 17 month old twins.

 

I haven't told my wife, but I want to go somewhere this summer (and perhaps next), but I'd suggest taking our 14 month old (assuming we go in July, that's how old she'd be). I'm not sure about traveling with a young one, but it has been done.