Amethyst Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Looking for ideas. Just in the very very early stages of starting to begin to ponder the possibility of a hope of a car trip in the US. So...we live in PA. Would probably have about 10 days. Would like to see various sites, not just drive to Florida, stay there, drive back. I'm thinking more along the lines of: go to some naturey place (eg. Blue Ridge Mountains), go to some city place (eg. Chicago), go to some history place (eg. Laura Ingalls Wilder houses), go to some plain old fun place (eg. Harry Potter World). But I have no real ideas (those were just examples. I don't have any plans or desires for any of them). What I really want to know is, where are the very best places that you have vacationed? Let's try to keep it east of the Rockies. My kids are 19, 17, 15, and will be 12. TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 What time of year were you considering? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakimberly Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Well, I live in Florida and there is a TON to do here- between Kennedy Space Center, Blue Spring State Park (swim with manatees), Disney, Universal, any number of beaches, airboat rides, nature preserve @ Merritt Island, SeaWorld, the Clearwater dolphin @ the hospital (from Dolphin Tale) and this is all just within an hour or so of Orlando... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 We just returned from a trip your family may enjoy. We went to coastal South Carolina. We even drove through the Blue Ridge mountains to get there :001_smile:. Our naturey part consisted of camping two nights, on the ocean, in Hunting Island State Park. Edisto Island State Park is also great. Even if you don't want to camp, I'd definitely recommend visiting one, if not both, of these parks. Hunting Island has awesome tide pools and Edisto is known for incredible shelling. We got bags of huge conch sells. We visited the Charleston area for two days and definitely could have spent even more time there. So. much. history. Revolutionary War, Civil War, Gullah culture. Charleston is just a great, walkable city. Great food, too. We also hit Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC on our way out of the state. Riverbanks is one of the best zoos we've ever been to, and we've been to quite a few! This is our second visit to SC and I can definitely say we'll be back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 What time of year were you considering? It would have to be summer. Mid-June until late August. We'll have 2 in college in August so that's the limiting factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 Well, I live in Florida and there is a TON to do here- between Kennedy Space Center, Blue Spring State Park (swim with manatees), Disney, Universal, any number of beaches, airboat rides, nature preserve @ Merritt Island, SeaWorld, the Clearwater dolphin @ the hospital (from Dolphin Tale) and this is all just within an hour or so of Orlando... You're right there does seem to be a ton to do in Florida. It kind of feels like we would need a whole week there. For this trip, I'm hoping to get around a little more. But maybe we'll pick one of those things if we end up heading south. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 We just returned from a trip your family may enjoy. We went to coastal South Carolina. We even drove through the Blue Ridge mountains to get there :001_smile:. Our naturey part consisted of camping two nights, on the ocean, in Hunting Island State Park. Edisto Island State Park is also great. Even if you don't want to camp, I'd definitely recommend visiting one, if not both, of these parks. Hunting Island has awesome tide pools and Edisto is known for incredible shelling. We got bags of huge conch sells. We visited the Charleston area for two days and definitely could have spent even more time there. So. much. history. Revolutionary War, Civil War, Gullah culture. Charleston is just a great, walkable city. Great food, too. We also hit Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC on our way out of the state. Riverbanks is one of the best zoos we've ever been to, and we've been to quite a few! This is our second visit to SC and I can definitely say we'll be back! That does sound like a good trip. And it includes the ocean! I love the ocean. I didn't think we would include that in this trip since I was imagining heading west, but maybe heading south is the way to go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon H in IL Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Maybe August isn't the right time to visit, but I loved traveling in Arkansas. Beautiful Ozark Mountains, picturesque scenery everywhere. Lots of fun history and outdoors stuff to do. Fall and spring are delicious. Summer, not so much, but then I'm a wimp about humidity. Iowa is great too. Amana Colonies, especially. Buy a quilt as a souvenir! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 New England! nature: beach, mountains, woods history: um, New England. :) particularly the Revolutionary War. And Plimoth Plantation. literature: authors' homes! all over the place! music: Boston Pops! math / science: go visit MIT. :) weather: Not too hot to be out-doors in the summer - you can even camp quite comfortably at, say, a lighthouse in Maine. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dahliarw Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Last year we did Williamsburg (both Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens - you could go further south to the historical triangle as well) and then to DC (which is self-explanatory) and Baltimore. It'd be easy to extend this trip in anly direction (in our case we ended in Pittsburgh to visit my dh's grandmother). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Whitewater rafting on the New River in WV, Blackwater Falls in WV, Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown in VA, Busch Gardens, the Outbanks in NC, the Wright Brothers Memorial and Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia is a great zoo. Ashville, NC is beautiful. There are places to do lots of hiking around Ashville. If you like country music, Nashville, is a fun place to go. Stone Mountain Georgia, Six Flags and the underground in Atlanta are fun. I met dh in Myrtle Beach so that is a favorite as well. If you have any questions, I have at one time or another been to all of these places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 smokey mountains, Tennessee? Boston, Plymoth Plantation, Cape Cod, and perhaps western MA Maine all kinds of places on the coast, spend some time on Mt Desert Is. beach and bike riding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 You all are helping me tremendously. Because even if I decide not to do the idea you suggest, it is helping me narrow down what I want out of a trip. It is also pointing out to me that we have indeed done some traveling. We have been up and down the coast a little bit. We visited friends in Maine last summer. We've been to DC and Williamsburg. So, what I'm noticing is that I'd really like to head westward to areas we've not explored. Last night I thought of that island in Lake Michigan where there are no cars - anyone know what I'm talking about? And then maybe Chicago for some big city stuff. And then - we've talked about this for years - how about a riverboat down the Mississippi? Has anyone ever done that? Then I'd still need ideas for the car ride back home, so keep these ideas coming! Thanks so much to all of you that responded so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Mackinac Island! That's the island off of Michigan. I was just coming to post that as a possibility. It is gorgeous. It isn't open year round - so make sure you check that out. And, as long as you are so close, you might as well go into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and see Taquemanon Falls (I know I spelled that wrong) and Pictured Rocks. We like Sault Ste. Marie as well - take the boat tour of the locks. Beautiful! Other fun things in MI - Frankenmuth, Detroit (yes, really! Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village, Detroit Art Museum), Traverse City, etc. MI has some absolutely gorgeous beaches. If you start in MI, you could drive up through the Upper Peninsula and into WI and into Chicago. That would be a really fun trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 You all are helping me tremendously. Because even if I decide not to do the idea you suggest, it is helping me narrow down what I want out of a trip. It is also pointing out to me that we have indeed done some traveling. We have been up and down the coast a little bit. We visited friends in Maine last summer. We've been to DC and Williamsburg. So, what I'm noticing is that I'd really like to head westward to areas we've not explored. Last night I thought of that island in Lake Michigan where there are no cars - anyone know what I'm talking about? And then maybe Chicago for some big city stuff. And then - we've talked about this for years - how about a riverboat down the Mississippi? Has anyone ever done that? Then I'd still need ideas for the car ride back home, so keep these ideas coming! Thanks so much to all of you that responded so far! Since you've done a bit to the east and south, how about north and west? Start at the Finger Lakes in NY, head to Lake Ontario, then Niagara Falls and continue following the Great Lakes around until you've seen all 5 of them (we also stopped and waded in each at parks along the way). You could keep heading west and see the headwaters of the Mississippi. We camped along it on our first western trip. Pending how far you want to go, Badlands NP is in SD - fairly near Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse as well as a couple of caves (haven't done the caves). On the way home drop a little further south and hit more states/sights as you have time. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 Since you've done a bit to the east and south, how about north and west? Start at the Finger Lakes in NY, head to Lake Ontario, then Niagara Falls and continue following the Great Lakes around until you've seen all 5 of them (we also stopped and waded in each at parks along the way). You could keep heading west and see the headwaters of the Mississippi. We camped along it on our first western trip. Pending how far you want to go, Badlands NP is in SD - fairly near Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse as well as a couple of caves (haven't done the caves). On the way home drop a little further south and hit more states/sights as you have time. Just a thought. This is sounds like a really good plan. However we used to live in the Fingers Lakes area. And we've been to Niagara Falls a couple of times. But I like the idea of possibly cutting into part of Canada if we decide to do the upper peninsula of Michigan. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 This is sounds like a really good plan. However we used to live in the Fingers Lakes area. And we've been to Niagara Falls a couple of times. But I like the idea of possibly cutting into part of Canada if we decide to do the upper peninsula of Michigan. Thanks! You could easily "start" the trip at the point where it becomes new. This would allow you to have more time further west and/or south on the rest. Coupling it with Mackinac sounds fun to me... ;) (I haven't been to Mackinac, but it is very appealing.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Well I could probably list a dozen weeks like that that I think would be fun. :-D My kids are too little to travel without it being a huge pain, so all i can do is plan future trips. What about Boston, Plimouth Plantation, Six Flags New Engand,white water rafting in western MA, Mystic CT, and a beach/park in Rhode Island? Those are some of my favorite New England places. Or heading more south, head down the Delmarva Peninsula and you can see Chincoteague/Assateague Islands, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Virginia Beach, Kitty Hawk/Outer Banks, and I'm sure there's more good stuff south of there, but that's as far as I remember clearly. Or just keep going to Florida and pick a couple of the 10,000 things there are to do there. If you do this one, I'd go earlier rather than later, since it will be uncomfortably hot for us northerners in the deep south in summer. Going west and starting at Chicago you could easily spend a week or a month circling the great lakes. Or even just Lake Michigan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 If I were you, I'd head west in the summer. I'd head straight to the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. There, you can ride bikes and hike through the mountains, see the gorgeous wild flowers in the meadows, and pray you don't get stuck in the middle of a herd of bison. You'll see bears, too. There's shows and fun restaurants and shops in Jackson Hole. And canoeing on Snake River is a must do. Then, head toward a dude ranch to really learn to live. Horseback riding, fishing, star gazing, and cattle roping will be on the day's schedule. Finally, hit Yellowstone and be wowed by the geysers, hot springs, and more wildlife. We went on this trip with Adventures by Disney. It was the best vacation we've ever had. We drove from Florida in about 3 1/2 days to get there. http://www.adventuresbydisney.com/north-america/wyoming-vacations/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 22, 2012 Author Share Posted March 22, 2012 Finally, hit Yellowstone and be wowed by the geysers, hot springs, and more wildlife. We went on this trip with Adventures by Disney. It was the best vacation we've ever had. We drove from Florida in about 3 1/2 days to get there. http://www.adventuresbydisney.com/north-america/wyoming-vacations/ This sounds really cool. It might be a little farther and a little longer than we would be able to do though. I'll check out the website for other ideas though. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 22, 2012 Author Share Posted March 22, 2012 I'm starting to consider including the Blue Ridge Mountains in our sojourn. My parents, who have traveled a lot, have talked breathlessly of the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Skyline Drive. But they are campers. We are hikers, but not campers. Has anyone stayed anywhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains and can recommend a place to stay that is not camping? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 22, 2012 Author Share Posted March 22, 2012 Another question... Which of these cities would you rather visit and what is there to do there? Columbus, OH; Dayton, OH; Cincinnati, OH; Lexington, KY; Pittsburgh, PA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I'd second Charleston. The Outer Banks. Jamestown. We were pleasantly surprised by Louisville and Pittsburgh last year. If you do go to Mackinac, I've heard the Ford museum is fabulous and just outside of Detroit. Indianapolis is supposed to have a great kids (all ages) museum. Cincinnati is having the only Pompeii artifacts exhibit tour in North America. They have some good museums and the aquarium in KY (just minutes away). The aquarium is expensive. The Reds baseball team. The Bengals might be warming up by then too. Columbus has the best library, the best children's museum (COSI--although we love it, I'd dispute Parents magazine's calling it the best), and the #1 zoo (home of Jack Hanna). There's tons of little things to do like a small, but free, geological museum at Ohio State. Ohio State is either #1 or #2 in the country as for size. Like other cities there are some great parks--a new Audobon park, a nice downtown with play zone fountains and a merry go round. I could go on.... Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Forgot to mention of your four, I'd chose Pittsburgh over my hometown of Columbus. So much to do there. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I was going to second Michigan. We were quite surprised with how nice and fun it was on our trip last year. We went to Meijer Sculpture Gardens which were fantastic, Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes. There is also Mackinac Island and the Henry Ford Museum that was mentioned. We had a lovely time. If you wanted to do a Kentucky trip you could do Cumberland Falls, Mammoth Cave, the Shaker Museum near Lexington, a bourbon distillery, the Horse Museum in Lexington. You could also visit Louisville and see the Kentucky Derby museum and the Louisville slugger bats being made. Kentucky is pretty hot in the summer with a lot of ticks. You may want to keep that in mind. Cincinnati is not far away and they have a fabulous Underground Railroad Museum. Indianapolis has Connor Prairie which is neat. Obviously I like history. I think the Blue Ridge section of North Carolina is beautiful. You could visit the Asheville area and hike one of the many waterfalls in the area. Biltmore is neat. There is a lot of small town charm there and in the neighboring communities. If you travel south to get there, you could stop at Harpers Ferry, WV which is a beautiful town with some nice historic stuff. You could also stop in Charlottesville, NC and see the University of Virginia, Monticello, and the other President's home whose name escapes me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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