Help me decide where in the USA to visit next summer!

effanieix

Hi everyone, was just wondering if anyone could suggest a good destination in the US to visit next August (2015). My partner and I are 21 and 25, we're from the UK and would love to visit the US... but there are so many places to choose from it's difficult to decide! We've briefly looked into Florida, California and New York, but thought I'd ask here and see if I could get some advice from people who actually live in the US, who can maybe recommend states/places that are interesting and maybe not so typically touristy.

We would just love somewhere with hot weather, interesting stuff to see and do (vague but we are open to any kind of place!), with nice bars and with good vegan food available!

Any suggestions would be lovely, thank you in advance

EmbraceTheDarkSide

How long are you going to be here for?

sentaruu

if you plan on hitting a beach, go to cali or florida, but if you want the opportunity to explore a wide range of cultures nyc is awesome.

Lesa_Sass

For sure NOT Florida in August, too darn hot and humid.

New York or New England is nice in August, or if you can bare the plane ride, take the train from Washington down through California wine country. North California is brilliant too.

What exactly are you looking to do here? Do you want to be on beach? On a mountain or in a city? That is what will determine where you should go.

Atlanta is good option for nice bars and restaurants plus culture.

melaniecheeks

Given that it's such a HUGE place, it's going to be hard to narrow down.

But let's start with the vegan food part. I reckon your best bet is New York, or else Los Angeles. You could do the golden triangle of LA, San Fran and Vegas.

When I visited Florida I found it difficult to find veggies.....

effanieix

How long are you going to be here for?

10-12 days, maybe a little longer if I can make the budget stretch that far!

Lesa_Sass

How long are you going to be here for?

10-12 days, maybe a little longer if I can make the budget stretch that far!

New York City is EXPENSIVE, I am talking London expensive but you can stay outside of the city and take the subway or bus into town. At your age, you would love it but I do want to stress again how expensive it can be, especially for 10 to 12 days.

Atlanta may also be worth checking into. It is nice sized city but way cheaper than NY. It has a lot of things to do.

Galatea_Stone

Given that it's such a HUGE place, it's going to be hard to narrow down.

But let's start with the vegan food part. I reckon your best bet is New York, or else Los Angeles. You could do the golden triangle of LA, San Fran and Vegas.

When I visited Florida I found it difficult to find veggies.....

Veggies are plentiful and cheap in Florida. We have thousands of farmer's markets because we grow so much produce. Stay out of chain restaurants, and veggies are everywhere.

That being said, Florida in August is what I imagine hell would be like if it was humid. NYC smells like urine the most in August, and Las Vegas will cause sunburn if you stand outside for more than 3 minutes. I've spent way too much time in all three of these places in the Summer, and really can't recommend them. Unfortunately, if August is the only time you can travel and you don't foresee a Christmas trip to the US anytime in your future (these three places are best at Christmas), then go to NYC and just get used to the smell.

I would visit San Francisco and drive around the area and go to Napa Valley. That is probably my favorite part of this country any time of the year.

sentaruu

How long are you going to be here for?

10-12 days, maybe a little longer if I can make the budget stretch that far!

New York City is EXPENSIVE, I am talking London expensive but you can stay outside of the city and take the subway or bus into town. At your age, you would love it but I do want to stress again how expensive it can be, especially for 10 to 12 days.

Atlanta may also be worth checking into. It is nice sized city but way cheaper than NY. It has a lot of things to do.

there are tons of things to do outside of the city as well, less than 50 miles out of the city and there are hiking trails in beautiful state parks and wineries, boating, beaches Etc... but you are right. it does get expensive in NY

SunofaBeach14

Given that it's such a HUGE place, it's going to be hard to narrow down.

But let's start with the vegan food part. I reckon your best bet is New York, or else Los Angeles. You could do the golden triangle of LA, San Fran and Vegas.

When I visited Florida I found it difficult to find veggies.....

Veggies are plentiful and cheap in Florida. We have thousands of farmer's markets because we grow so much produce. Stay out of chain restaurants, and veggies are everywhere.

That being said, Florida in August is what I imagine hell would be like if it was humid. NYC smells like urine the most in August, and Las Vegas will cause sunburn if you stand outside for more than 3 minutes. I've spent way too much time in all three of these places in the Summer, and really can't recommend them. Unfortunately, if August is the only time you can travel and you don't foresee a Christmas trip to the US anytime in your future (these three places are best at Christmas), then go to NYC and just get used to the smell.

I would visit San Francisco and drive around the area and go to Napa Valley. That is probably my favorite part of this country any time of the year.

If you truly love the beach, then Florida in August is great, but if you're from the U.K. then you will find it incredibly hot.

I'll definitely second the Napa Valley/Sonoma County idea.

EmbraceTheDarkSide

Honestly, it all depends on whether you want to visit a lot of places and get a little taste of it all or go to a few places (or one place) and really experience it there.

My guess is that it is the former. I would recommend (depending on your budget) to go to New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and LA. Each has something distinct for you to experience.

MyChocolateDiet

CALIFORNIA!

Athena53

My favorite area of California is San Diego- it's just beautiful. I've also found it much easier to find healthy meal options in CA; there are so many vegans and vegetarians that menus have more choices for them. California wine country a close second.

GingerLolita

I'd vote for New York since I can personally vouch for the availability of vegan food, but you should seek out places online beforehand, as not every place to eat has lots of vegan options. Also, all chain restaurants in NY are required to list calories, but I'm not sure about the other cities. There's a lot of variety as far as activities, including typical tourist stuff, but certainly much more.

DawnieB1977

I'm English, but my sister and I went to the US in 2003. We started off in San Francisco, then rented a car and drove to LA, then went on to Vegas, and flew back from there. In SF we did the usual tourist things - walked around, went on a tram, visited Alcatraz, did a bay cruise, went to Fisherman's Wharf, went to Golden Gate park etc. I really loved it there because you can walk a lot and explore.

Driving to LA was lovely too, on the Pacific Coast Highway. If I did it again I'd stop off for longer in Santa Cruz. We did spend the night in a little cabin in Big Sur somewhere (I think. That wasn't booked in advance.)

LA itself was a bit disappointing, so I'd spend less time there. We stayed near Venice Beach, and it was nice hiring a bike to cycle around there. Santa Monica was worth a visit. Hollywood was a big let down.

Vegas was definitely worth a visit, but I'm not sure I'd go back there.

I'd like to have headed further South, to San Diego, as I've heard it's lovely there.

If I went to the US again, I'd like to go to New England.

aqualeo1

In august it's gonna be warm everywhere. Florida in August is brutally hot & humid.
I say California if you want laid back beaches. NYC if you like excitement and culture.
New England is nice in the summer too .

laserturkey

Alaska is fantastic in August.

I live in the Kansas City area, which is very hot and humid in August, and not generally thought of as a big tourist destination. We do have some unique attractions though, such as the Steamboat Arabia Museum showcasing a Missouri River paddleboat that sank in 1856 and was excavated from beneath a farmer's field in the 1990's.

It is possible to take a coast-to-coast trip by rail, with stops along the way. I don't know how expensive this is, or how long it takes, but my aunt and cousins did this a number of years ago and had a great time. They scheduled extended layovers in several cities to visit family and friends, so they made a whole summer of it.

Nebraska has the Strategic Air Command museum, if you're interested in aviation or military history. Omaha, Nebraska has a really amazingly great zoo.

links_slayer

Vegas, duh.

SunofaBeach14

My favorite area of California is San Diego- it's just beautiful. I've also found it much easier to find healthy meal options in CA; there are so many vegans and vegetarians that menus have more choices for them. California wine country a close second.

I'm sorry, but on what planet is San Diego a tourist destination?

KBjimAZ

Come to Arizona.
Fly in to Phoenix, but stay in Flagstaff.
Visit the Grand Canyon, but invest the extra time to go to the less touristy North Rim.
Take a day and go to Sedona for a Pink Jeep tour of red rock country.
Spend a couple of days in Phoenix (you said hot weather, right?) stay at any of the cool resorts and take a spa day.

VeronicaG2B

Myrtle Beach has great weather, bars, and golfing!