Almost Canadian

We are looking to book something for 2012. Must be relatively kid friendly and we wish to stay away from Vegas or Disney.

I am thinking Washington D.C. I spent some time there while in the military and it struck me as somewhere with decent amounts of interesting things to do, as opposed to just lying on a beach, playing blackjack or hurtling down a ride. Nothing wrong with those and we have done so in the past, just looking to look at somewhere other than the usual vacation.

Don't mind driving or flying or a combination of the two if that would enhance the trip.

We are looking to spend a week or two.

Any thoughts and, if I could impose, could you please also suggest an appropriate time of year for your suggested destination.

Many thanks

Tangram

Could do Boston and NY. We enjoyed Boston and surrounding area and it's not over far to NY and that area.

On the opposite side, we also enjoyed San Francisco, Yosemite and the coast. Wine region close by and if you had to ( and I mean had to ) you could do L.A. and Disneyworld or other amusement stuff ( we didn't but one could )

dbd33

DC is a great destination, all those museums and monuments. We recently stayed here:

http://www.hotelmadera.com/

and were very pleased. If you wanted to leaven the urban worthiness of the trip you might break it up by going to DC, then taking a few days to poke around the Outer Banks, Nag's Head and the region offers beaches, lighthouse and the like. That needs beach weather, to avoid crowds I'd say go in Spring or Autumn.

Almost Canadian

Would a road trip between the two throw up anything interesting? Any good/bad times to avoid.

Almost Canadian

Thank you. We will look into that

dbd33

Something else to think about is that one can easily rent horses and go for a trail ride in most States. I enjoyed riding around Bryce Canyon enormously because of the scenery though we've had more exciting rides in AZ and MI. If one were travelling with riders who might tire of museums then setting up an afternoon on horseback might be traded for a couple of evenings of them watching the TV while one went out for dinner.

charlottyb

We spent 2 weeks last summer driving the coast road from Vancouver down to California. Our 3 kids enjoyed it, although the 15 year old did ask if he could fly and meet us there next time! Not sure he quite embraced the whole road trip thing!!!
There are stunning views, great beauty and enough stuff to do as you stop on the way. We did some camping, some cabins and some motels and went in August (that was only as my husband is the military and had to take leave then)
This year we went back to the Oregon coast as it was our favorite bit. I can highly recommend it.

Lemonfish

Agree with D.C - great museums, dining, architecture etc.

Went to Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC last year; great trip, history interesting, nice walkable cities, good food, bars, friendly and interesting people.

Couple years ago, road trip from Vegas to New Mexico, via Grand Canyon, Utah (Monument Park), Colorado. 10 days, amazing trip, would totally recommend.

tonrob

Not done the horse riding bit but will second your vote for Bryce Canyon. This is in my favourite corner of the US bar none - and includes Bryce Canyon, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands NPs, Monument Valley and more. It's the closest thing you can do to traveling to Mars but without setting foot off this planet! Utterly stunning in an unearthly sort of way. I would imagine Spring or Autumn would be the best times to go, but Google is your friend.

Canyonlands NP:

Almost Canadian

Thanks to all those that have replied. The rest of my family would love the horsey stuff, I don't know if I would. Only one way to find out.

dbd33

One of our trips into the GC was in early April. That was ideal for hiking as there was snow at the top and it was warm, rather than baking, at the bottom. The issue with that part of the world is that it's all outdoor amusements, hiking, riding, rafting, nothing wrong with that but it's a sharp contrast to museums and the like in DC.

The PCH, as mentioned above, offers some balance. Start out as far north as time allows, end up in LA where there's the Getty museum. My best trip along there was in winter, there was hardly anyone else about, it was cold but I'd been living in a cold country and could deal with that.

Almost Canadian

With the PCH how long would you recommend for the return trip? Or is it drive one way; fly the other?

dbd33

The farthest north I've been able to start is Eureka, a week from there to LA was a little more rushed than I would have liked. One of my daughters went from Vancouver to Tijuana over two weeks and thought that about the right pace but they slept in the car and so didn't have to keep driving inland to find reasonably priced accomodation. I think you have to see how much time is available, and how much you'd want to spend in San Franciso and LA, and work backwards to a starting point.

Oh, and I've never considered driving back, it's always been fly to some point, rent a convertible, fly back from another.

Almost Canadian

That's what I thought. Thank you

charlottyb

Or you can do slow PCH down and then faster i-5 home, that's what we did and it was ok. A little outlet shopping in tax free Oregon helped ease the pain!