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

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  • MissLCWolff
    MissLCWolff Posts: 69 Member
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    Everyone suggesting Northern California is right on the money--I've lived in CA my whole life and it's absolutely gorgeous, and the weather is incredibly mild in 90% of the state (warm and dry inland, cool and misty on the coasts). 10-12 days is a fairly long trip, so if you can afford to, I'd recommend renting a car and traveling through the state. If you fly into San Francisco, you can stay there for a few days, drive up through wine country for another few, stay in the Eureka area a little bit (FANTASTIC hiking opportunities, and you can see the giant redwoods), and drive back down along the coast--it's littered with cute, funky little towns.

    Of course, if you want a less active vacation, you can stay at any of these places the whole time:
    -Napa Valley
    -Santa Barbara
    -Monterey (if you really, really, really like fish-related activities. honestly, Monterey is better for day trips)
    -Santa Cruz
    -San Luis Obispo
    -The Sea Ranch (note: this is really frickin' expensive because you have to actually rent a house, but idk your financial situation)
  • SportSpork
    SportSpork Posts: 36
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    Go to WYANDOTTE IN MICHIGAN if you see an old guy named mike nagle tell him mac recommended. They have ice cream parlors like in that arthur show and stuff. really nice place.
  • ColeCake292012
    ColeCake292012 Posts: 247 Member
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    You should visit New England. So many historical sights to see, with many things relatively close to one another.

    Boston is great in so many ways, whether you want to see and enjoy the historical sites, or experience the more artsy side. There's many museums, colleges, duck rides (they go on land and sea), ferry rides, food, entertainment, etc. You could even experience the Nor-Easter Amtrak train that can take you relatively quickly and cheaply to other New England destinations. Right up the coast. :)

    Maine is where I'm from. Its known as vacationland. When you live here and experience winter for what feels like 11 months out of the year, its not so impressive. But between the mountains (New Hampshire has great scenery, too), the beautiful rocky seaside and the picturesque lighthouses, its definitely a great place to visit!

    I think New England is great, but I may just be a little biased. ;)
  • sullenbee
    sullenbee Posts: 13 Member
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    I'm partial to my home state of Michigan, because I think the Great Lakes are beautiful, and something to be experienced. However, my favorite road trips have always been out west - Utah is probably my favorite place as far as natural beauty goes. Moab is the outdoor adventurer hub, where you can visit lots of cool places. I also recommend Colorado, Seattle, Oregon, and California for natural beauty. If you are on a budget, I recommend couch surfing to enable you to hang out more places and get locals to show you around. (I host tons of foreigners here in Grand Rapids, MI) I guess it depends on the experience you want to have. Do you want to hike, camp, etc... or be in a big city. (As far as cities go, I love Chicago, New Orleans, Seattle, Portland... and even Detroit, but that I love certain cities due to my interests/budget.) I get tons of people who visit here just to check out our midwest breweries, and often do the Wisconsin/UP/Grand Rapids/Chicago loop.
  • lucyloutoo
    lucyloutoo Posts: 522 Member
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    Coming from London,New York did nothing for me, it didn't feel books enough or break enough,I might as well have stayed in Leicester square!
    However I really rate San Francisco.... lots to do and see, loved Alcatraz.
    I've also spent a few days in New Orleans, and really want to go back there, and north Carolina has given me a few decent trips, some nice scenery and good welcomes.
  • joanthemom8
    joanthemom8 Posts: 375 Member
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    Southern California is great! Go to beaches (not too crowded during the week) if you want to do Disneyland it's close by. San Diego is only about 1.5 to 2 hours away. San Francisco is only a 7 hour car drive away and Las Vegas is only about 4 hours away (by car, also). The bad thing about SoCal is that you have to have a car.... not a great public transportation area. Good luck to you!
  • sbrownallison
    sbrownallison Posts: 314 Member
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    Florida and any of the southeastern states will be humid and miserable in the summertime. Many bugs, too. California would be a terrific break from the UK for you guys, and there is so very much to do and see there. Yes, there are also many touristy areas but there's a vibrant vegan scene and many, many restaurants. You could rent a car and drive down to San Diego (from LA), where it is gorgeous. And up to San Francisco. Beautiful coastal roads with the Pacific out your car window. I'm from the Pacific Northwest where our weather is more like in the UK a good part of the year, i.e. rainy and overcast. But we love our trips to Cali.
  • WeepingAngel81
    WeepingAngel81 Posts: 2,232 Member
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    Depending on what you're looking for, there is plenty! I grew up in Florida and would never go back in August, but if you're set on it then go to Siesta Key in Sarasota. It's one of the most beautiful beaches you'll see. If you're not set on Florida and still want the beach then head to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Beaches in the summer are packed, so if you want some place more serene then head to Colorado. Estes park is gorgeous, and there are plenty of other cool places to see in Colorado. Have a fun trip!
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
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    Whel, I don't know what your into so Ill just list my favorite places that I go to in the US.
    1. High mtns in Colorado.
    2. Mammoth Lakes, CA
    3. Grand Tetons, WY
    4. Yosemite, CA
    5. Mt. Whitney, CA
    6. Grand Canyon, AZ
    7. Zion, UT
    8. Cedar Point, OH
    9. Maui, HI
    10. Alaska
    11. Virginia Beach, VA
    12. Six Flags, CA

    7674956496. Las Vegas, NV. I live here and its too damn hot.
  • MSLUC
    MSLUC Posts: 30
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    Get away from the major cities. To really see America, you need to go to " Fly over County". Try out the med-west, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, or for a really mind blowing trip, the Badlands of North Dakota. An unbelievably beautiful place. Not much for nightlife, but still worth the trip.
  • Praying_Mantis
    Praying_Mantis Posts: 239 Member
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    One really great trip that is doable in 12 days (assuming you don't mind driving) is the Great Lakes tour. Fly into Chicago, drive up through Wisconsin along the Lake Michigan Shoreline, cut through Michigan's Upper Peninsula, take the Mackinac Bridge to Mackinac Island and stay a night or two at the Grand Hotel. Then you would follow the northern shore of Lake Huron in Canada and either turn south to Toronto and Niagra Falls and finish driving through Upstate New York to NYC, or east to Montreal and turn south to drive through New England to Boston.

    August is a great time in the northern part of the US, southern part of Canada. This trip will give you beautiful scenery, history, wineries, small towns, big cities, and everything else in between.

    EarlnAbby, this sounds lovely. I live in Pacific NW; will add this to getaway places!
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
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    I love Chicago. It'll be plenty hot in August :p and so much to do!
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
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    I'm going to have to go with California on this one (although Alaska is another great option and great weather in August) Florida through the Gulf Coast is just going to be way too hot and muggy at that time of year and I don't know enough about East Coast to give any good recommendations.

    My thoughts:
    San Fransisco is pretty self explanatory, but a native might be able to clue you in to some of the more "non-touristy" options
    Take the train down the coast or drive the 1, either way is gorgeous
    Stop in the smaller towns
    Downtown LA is not the prettiest of locations but Venice, Redondo, Santa Monica and Huntington Beach are all great.
    If you are at all in to scuba diving then you NEED to take a ferry out to Catalina for a day or two, this is some of the best kelp forest diving you will ever have the opportunity to see, but yea, the water's "cold" at least compared to the nasty warm bath water you get on the gulf....
    And YES San Diego is well worth the visit, I lived in LA, not San Diego, so I don't know it as well, but it is gorgeous.
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
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    SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA! (Bring sunscreen)
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Wait, why are all the California peeps up already? Isn't it really early there?

    8 is not early
  • 77tes
    77tes Posts: 7,979 Member
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    How about Wyoming or Montana? We went to a ranch in Wyoming, many of the other guests were from Europe. You can visit cosmopolitan cities closer to home, but the wide open spaces are truly American.


    ETA I just noticed that you want vegan food, so better skip Wyoming and Montana, lol.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    I suggest:

    Colorado~ Rocky Mountain National Park

    Wyoming~ Yellowstone National Park and Tetons National Park

    Montana~ Glacier National Park

    Utah~ Arches, Bryce, Zion National Parks and tons of others

    South Dakota~ Mt. Rushmore

    Arizona~ Grand Canyon
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Wait, why are all the California peeps up already? Isn't it really early there?

    8 is not early


    On Sunday morning?!



    I guess it's all relative.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    What ever you do, DO NOT GO TO MICHIGAN, that state sucks.

    The Carolinas are wonderful. But in August they are miserable, unless you go to Asheville which is brilliant! There is a drum circle in the middle of town on Friday nights plus lots of activities that go on in and around the area. There are lots of vegan places to eat as veg is the norm. It is a mountain town so there are lots of things to do as far as exercise from hiking, biking and canoeing the river. There are also fun bars. We live in Charlotte so we go there for weekend trips, especially in the summer as it is brutally hot and humid here.

    http://www.exploreasheville.com/things-to-do/events/?e_ViewBy=month&e_sdate=8-1-2014&e_sortBy=eventDate
    http://www.visitnc.com/things-to-do
    http://www.romanticasheville.com/BlueRidgeParkway.htm

    There is a direct flight from London to Charlotte. It is 2.5 to Asheville and between 3 and 4 east coast beaches. It is also 4 hours from Charleston SC and 5 to Savannah Georgia, which is a lot of fun too.

    You will get more bang for your buck in the south than NYC. The only problem is, the public transport is not that great. We have buses and taxis and that is about it. There is one train that runs in a straight line from one end of town to the other we call the blue line, but it is not good for much but getting to and from town.

    I will be in London next Tuesday-Friday. Any advice on fun things to do (we are middle aged and do not drink) would be great!

    L

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