Looking for some fun vacation ideas for next year. Any suggestions? Would prefer to stay in the US.

OUt of U.s. Rarotonga

In U.S. in the summer, Pacific Northwest by far.

In the winter, California, Arizona, Florida

lake powell

I had a great time in Yellowstone with BF. It was our first trip together.

I love the Pacific NW- There's something mysterious and enchanting about WA and AK.

So-Cal is fantastic- Plenty to do and see, plus you can just bum around on the beach if nothing else pans out.

Colorado (it's my home state) never fails to be enjoyable.

You have to give a better idea of where you wan to go and what you want to do before I can give specifics.

Yellowstone N.P. right around Labor Day, there are hardly any crowds at that time.

been to Yellowstone several times and live near glacier national. I was thinking about a nice adult vacation for a middle aged, non drinking couple.

Anyone been to Acadia national park?

First time I took the family to Denver, to see a Broncos game. None of us had ever been to a pro-football game before. We had a blast.

I also loved Yellowstone and going to Houston to see the Kennedy Space Center. There is tons to do down there and I loved Texas.

Love New England, Orlando if you like theme parks. I also love northern Minnesota at "the lake"

Most memorable ones in the U.S. (outside of southern Utah, the vacation in the backyard):

Yellowstone in the winter, cross country skiing. Silence. Beauty. Nature. Solitude. Unforgettable.

Key West, take the high-speed catamaran to snorkel the Dry Tortugas. Take in some delightfully bawdy (and talented) drag shows along Duval. Enjoy the island lifestyle. Visit Hemingway House, climb the lighthouse, eat great food.

Yosemite or Hawaii.

made a general itinerary, but nothing set in stone. Drove down to Luray Caverns VA, along the Skyline drive, visited Graceland, picked up the old Route 66. Wound up in Natchez Mississippi for "Pilgrimage" weekend, when they dress up Gone with the Wind style and open the big houses for tours. drove along the Texas Panhandle, had a huge steak in Amarillo, up to the Grand Canyon, along 66 until I reached Hollywood, where I spent a week doing movie sightseeing and went up the Pacific Coast Highway to Santa Barbara. Drove all night across the Nevada desert so I could make it to SLC for the 2007 Exmo conference. All kinds of things I would have done if I had more time (and money) could have driven all the way up the PCH to San Francisco, driven through the Sierras, Glacier National Park, never been to Chicago, all kinds of stuff. I did something more modest back in '95 where I took two weeks, and drove up the Hudson River Valley, through the Catskills, made a huge loop through the Adirondacks, before crossing the Berkshires to end up in Newport, RI and doing the mansions. Just found a clean, cheap motel around 7PM, only splurged on the occasional fancy dinner, even stopped at a laundromat halfway along to save on luggage space. Fun, easy-going, and no pressure. Liked it much better than those organized bus trips where you had to be here at a certain time, get back on the bus now, we have to leave, 5 more things to do this afternoon with no choice in the matter. I say pack light, pick a compass direction, and just see where the road takes you. Unless it's to the Jello belt. Screw that.

In May, my wife and I took the kids to Orlando to all the Disney parks. We had an absolute blast! It was a great choice because we have young kids who get bored very easily. Honestly, the best part of the trip was seeing the pure joy on our kids' faces as they experienced everything!

What is your idea of fun, deco?

If you like natural beauty and charming cities, and don't mind crossing the border, I live in a city that tourists seem to love for those reasons. Victoria, BC. Lots of cultural events and it's very pretty. And plenty of outdoor recreation if that appeals.

I know you prefer to stay in the US but another Canadian suggestion would be Quebec City, Quebec. Beautiful.

love Victoria BC! Been there a couple of times

And you never called me???? ;-)

Here ya go, reminisce: http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/web-cam/

and it was our escape for a long time.

My daughter works in Alaska--has for 6 summers for Princess Cruises up at Mt. McKinley/Denali. I've been up to Denali twice and my brother took my boyfriend and I on a cruise up the Alaskan coast this summer. I LOVE Alaska. It was my dream all my life.

Best time to go is September. Flights are much cheaper then. Rental cars drop from $700 a week to $200 a week. There is less rain and you get to see the fall colors. I'd live in Alaska if I could.

I also agree with the Pacific Northwest. I had friends in Seattle for a long time and made 8 trips there. Then I went with my ex and my kids to the coast of Oregon and Washington. It was the best trip we went on as a family.

Been to Yellowstone dozens of times (given that my ex is from Rexburg).

One of my other favorite trips--2 years ago my boyfriend took me to Mt. Rushmore. The Black Hills are BEAUTIFUL. I loved it there.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/2013 11:47PM by cl2.

I was at Acadia park. I can't say much because we were there during an unusual heat wave. It was 102º.However, I did make a point of eating lobster every day I was in Maine. Even McDonalds had lobster rolls. There's a lot of pink granite there that's kind of unusual.

While in Maine the things I remember most was there were no hotels. We stayed in a place that was over the top of someone's garage. It was nice, but kind of strange.

I love Kennebunkport, even though it was a bit depressing while I was there. It was the day that John Jr. disappeared. The whole town was freaking out.

If you live near Glacier National, don't expect anything that's even close. I'm from Oregon, and Maine was a big let down. Even the ocean seemed a big boring. It didn't have that fabulous fresh ocean smell. The redeeming thing was lobster.

Being from Oregon, I forgot to say the Oregon coast. we rent a house there every summer for a couple of weeks. I love it there in August and September. We usually stay in Manzanita.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2013 12:06AM by Mia.

I was in Acadia 10 years ago. The weather was not hot, but I can see why that would make there very uncomfortable. My wife and I went on a carriage on the carriage roads, hiked up the mountains, had lobster (only once though, dang it), went on a boat tour, looked at lighthouses and cemeteries, camped and got eaten alive by mosquitoes. Great time. I'd like to do it again.

Favorite places to go for me are still the Oregon coast and southern Utah.

We live in Washington and enjoy going to Parksville, BC. It is on the est coast of Vancouver island and the beach there is incredible.

The Oregon coast is also always perfect.

What do you like to do?

in the US but like visiting another world:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/tongass/recreation

Yellowstone. Loved it. Everyone should go at least once.

The Oregon Coast, a little place out of Rockaway called Twin Rocks. It was a tradition in our family (growing up) to rent a little cabin for a few days or a week. One of our cabins is now protected!
We used to rent it for $2 a night!
It was always a total get-a-way.

I want to go back. My husband's wish was to visit again but became too ill to travel.
So, I'm going to get there, next year, I hope and revisit our old haunts!

There is no other place I want to visit, except relatives, which I have planned!

I think I know the cabins you are talking about. It's on the bay so it's a little protected from the weather. I really enjoy riding my bike along Tillamook bay there for that reason. And then there is stopping in Garibaldi to get a shrimp or crab cocktail.

I love it up there. Enjoy your trip up there next year, Susie!

tilt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think I know the cabins you are talking about.
> It's on the bay so it's a little protected from
> the weather. I really enjoy riding my bike along
> Tillamook bay there for that reason. And then
> there is stopping in Garibaldi to get a shrimp or
> crab cocktail.
>
> I love it up there. Enjoy your trip up there next
> year, Susie!


These cabins are right in front of Twin Rocks, (very very long beach and dunes), across from Friends Camp and Conference center, in between the Jetty and Rockaway. We got there through Tillamook. And went to Garibaldi also and a bunch of other little places. .\ I took my husband all through that area, and found out well into our marriage that he had gone fishing out on a sand island when he was a kid. I could have seen him!
Another trip is on my Bucket List. Have a relative with a combo up near Seaside. One of my favorite areas is Astoria.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2013 01:04AM by SusieQ#1.

we had some great vacations in depoe bay Oregon. great times, wonderful area. loved crabbing.

My wife and I took a trip to the San Juan Islands and spent three days exploring Orcas Island, snorkeling, and hiking. I could spend my entire life like that.

I grew up in Oregon and spent so much time on the coast that I'm jaded. It's about the last place I'd like to go. But if you love a good drive, San Francisco to Santa Barbara, or vice versa is a great trip. The Hearst Castle is fabulous. San Simeon is fun. San Louis Obisbo is a wonderful college town. Passo Robles. Sigh . . .

Devoted Exmo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I grew up in Oregon and spent so much time on the
> coast that I'm jaded. It's about the last place
> I'd like to go. But if you love a good drive, San
> Francisco to Santa Barbara, or vice versa is a
> great trip. The Hearst Castle is fabulous. San
> Simeon is fun. San Louis Obisbo is a wonderful
> college town. Passo Robles. Sigh . . .


I was born and raised in Portland. Joined the LDS Church there.
Live in the Goleta area for three plus decades, now in North Santa Barbara County , been to all the places you mentioned. Nice area. Love this part of CA.

IMO everyone should go to Rarotonga once in their life.
It's like going back in time. It cost $3 a minute to go online.
I don't know why you would want to though. No phones, Not any TV worth watching. The roads (what few there are) are paved with coral. The mormons are there, but I don't think they're all that welcome. Saw a few hand painted signs saying NO MORONS!
Everyone goes to church on Sunday though. I don't think they care what church you go to.

It's very laid back. No stop lights, no traffic. No big resorts. NO fast food places. We paid about $100 a night for a room right on the beach. The natives treat you like you're their best friend. The jail lets everyone out at 5pm so they can go home for dinner.

I went there in February when the flowers were in bloom. It's surrounded by a coral reef so you don't have to worry about sharks. The tropical fish are amazing.

If you go, cut loose for the flight to Aitutuki. Go on the snorkel excursion. It was worth every penny. We went out on a boat that took us snorkeling to some amazing places. They fixed lunch on the boat. The pulled over to a little island and picked palm leaves to weave the bowls they served our lunch of grilled tuna and tropical fruit in.

The water we swam in was about 90º, it was fabulous. Swarming with all colors and kinds of tropical fish.

The one and only downfall to the whole thing was that it takes 10 hours to fly there from LA.

There's also plenty to see and do within 3-5 hours

Mesa Verde, The Durango-Silverton Narrow Gage Railroad, Chaco Canyon, Santa Fe, ABQ, Route 66, Wolf Creek, Canyon De Chelly, Flagstaff...

Our family is a little weird and we like off beat stuff. So whenever we're going on a trip anywhere in the US, we check Roadside America for really quaint, odd places to see in the area we're visiting. We've seen some really fun and interesting things.

Once we were driving across Montana on a multi-state trip and wanted to stop and see "the world's largest steer". It was in a museum in Baker, MT. We just thought it would be a fun place to get out of the car and stretch our legs. But the woman who ran the museum took us to see all the other buildings she has that house a lot more strange and wonderful stuff. We ended up spending over an hour there. So fun!

Wherever you go, check for a Roadside America side trip to add interest. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

We love New Orleans and southern Louisiana. We always do a sunset swamp tour on an airboat which is loads of fun. Also love the Redneck Riviera - the Florida panhandle and Alabama coast. Beautiful beaches and a Waffle House on every street corner!

We've been all over the world.

But Lake Tahoe in the winter time was one of our best vacations EVER.

We sat in Harrah's restaurant and looked out as it started to snow.
THE BEST.