Summer Vacation Suggestions?

irvinehomeowner

irvinehomeowner

Well-known member
So where is a nice place to go with interesting things to see and the weather is not so hot during the end of June in the continental US?

(no NY or FL)
 
Can't do Canada as we would have to get passports for the kids (both below age of 7) and our miles will cover all of us for continental US flights.

I was thinking Seattle but that may be too close... and I've been there when I was a kid.
 
It's not just where you go, but how you get there...

We will be driving up to the mountains for some summer fishing, camping, and hiking. 

My father (and his father before him) was a teacher, which allowed us the luxury of (mostly) free summers - and we would take a summer drive every year.  Many times we'd go across the country to visit family in other areas.  We'd usually take a different route and by age 15 I'd gotten to nearly every state.  I remember the trips with 5-7 of us in a VW Westy; everything from tired cramped travelling on stretches of road that went forever, to "moment" views that could make JMuir, himself, stop in awe. 

While the kids are young we are trying to do the same thing and expose them to more than just the southern California lights.  Wishing you luck in getting to do the same, kimosabe.

-IR2
 
Yeah... our next one after this is probably going to be a camping trip to the Grand Canyon. But we are waiting to get the new SwaggerWagon and that is on hold until it fits in our budget... so 2011.

The wife wants to do a getaway that is "resort-like"... it's been a stressful 6 months so I can't blame her.
 
Many years ago we 8 kids and our parents would go either to the Redwoods in a large motor home, or to Lake Shasta and rent a houseboat. My last two "great trips" might work if those two don't. You can rent a SFD in Yosemite Park for a pretty cheap per diem. There was a small community of privately owned homes near the valley called Foresta. Google and you'll find it. With the amount of rain we've gotten I'm sure there will be plenty of greenery, plus river flow for WW rafting. The other place I'd recommend is the YMCA Camp Of The Rockies. It's in Estes Park. Google that as well. I'm renting this summer a 3br/2ba cabin with a full kitchen for $189 per night. The Y Camp has a million things to do for kids and adults. You can also head into Boulder or take the Coors tour (if it's still running, and you like piss flavored beer... but I digress...)

Your thoughts on the above?

Soylent Green Is People
 
Yeah... we'll do the "camping" thing sometime in the future... from what I can tell... our next one has to be some type of resort hotel destination type vacation.
 
The Awahnee at Yosemite (5 star)  or the Stanley Hotel in Estes (think The Shining) are great alternatives if you don't want to camp. Ever think about a cruise? I've seen cruises running $75 PP P/D on some reasonable boats. The only problem with cruising is the amount of extra ballast you take on from the midnight buffets. 
 
I want to do a cruise badly, there's stuff for the kids and buffets and gambling (depending) for the dad... unfortunately, the Mrs. did not enjoy her last cruise.

So Hawaii is still leading the pack although we would have to pay for an extra ticket since miles are only covered for all of us domestically. The other candidates are Chi-town, DC, Maine (but we did east coast last year) and possibly FL for the DisneyWorld/Epcot factor.

Canada could be a possibility if we could get the passports for the kids in time but I've only been to Vancouver so I don't know what other places are worth the trip.
 
Chi Town in the Summer isn't bad, but avoid DC - just like the natives do - in the Summer.

Been to Canada many times. There isn't all that much to do, relative to what the commercials say you can do up there. 

Jackson Hole Wy is "resort-y" but relatively expensive. Yellowstone is nearby so you can do that one day.

The Wisconsin Dells are very nice, but the mosquitos at that time are unreal. Mall of America is nearby which is supposed to be a real point of interest. Don't know if you want your significant other roaming 100,000,000 sf of shopping space during a vacation.

Does it have to be out of California? Why not Carmel? You've got cooler weather, SF isn't that far away, as is Monterey Bay.
 
I actually want to go to Mall of America... the wife not so much.

Preferable out of Cali as we've done mostly everything in the state... and kid friendly with cool weather would be good (which is also why FL is not so high on the list along with DC).

Gonna be 5-7 days... so it doesn't need to be local... but you've given me some good ideas... thanks.
 
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