If you could go anywhere in the US...

[Jengerbread88]

...what are your must-see places?

My family is saving for a big trip around America in a couple of years (once dad retires).

What stops should we hit?

We're already talking about Washington, D.C., The National Sequoia Forest in CA, the Seattle area and the surrounding pretty nature-y parts, The Grand Canyon, the Florida Keys, Yellowstone, Yosemite, etc.

First off, are we going to too many park places? Aren't they all basically the same? And second off, what are we missing? What do you think deserves a stop?

[julifish]

We're a big fan of parks so I say that you should definitely see some parks in each part of the country you visit. Check out the National Park pass that is good for a year to see if it will save you $$. Also, most National Parks have a Jr. Ranger program if you are taking kids these programs are awesome and keep things fun!

Outside DC there is Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. It is fabulous when the leaves are changing and the cabins/lodge they have in the park is fun to stay out. We really enjoying hiking and spotting animals when we visited with the kids. In the valley below there is also a cool cavern to visit.

Outside Seattle, in Tacoma is a really great zoo...Point Definace Zoo. Not a huge zoo but the location is amazing!

In Fla if you are going to go to the Keys check out Pennycamp State Park - great snorkeling and diving and a cool glass bottom boat ride. Key West is like no where else! I would also spend some time in Ft. Myers or Sanabel Island. It's so relaxing and the water is warm pretty much year round. On the East coast St. Augustine and Daytona Beach are must sees.

Hubs and I really enjoyed Savannah and the drive from Jacksonville, FLa to Savannah was great. We stopped at lots of little islands and parks on the way up and back. There is lots of great history and beautiful homes in Savannah. Outside Savannah is Tybee Island. We kayaked here last summer and had a dolphin swim right up to our kayak. We also were able to kayak to the beach and enjoy some time in the ocean and exploring a lighthouse.

What other kinds of things to you like to do? There are lots of cool books in the library that point out neat places to stop along the way once you plan your route...like the largest ball of string, wig wam motels, odd statues, etc. Have fun planning your trip!!!

[marlathrall]

Between the Grand Canyon and Northern Cali make sure you stop and see Lake Tahoe. It's beautiful.

That sounds like an amazing trip!

[pewtertm]

No, the parks are all unique!

Seattle/Puget Sound area...head up to Anacortes and ride the Washington State Ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor. You can go to orca watching at Lime Kiln State Park. Rainier is gorgeous, and Mt. St. Helens is very interesting...both very different experiences. Olympic National Park is home to the Hoh Rainforest (and Forks...was a very nice little town before the sparkly vampire stuff...hopefully it hasn't been ruined by a bunch of tourists).

Yellowstone...of course Geysers, hot springs, bison. Grand Teton NP nearby. Float trips on the Snake River.

Grand Canyon...if you are visiting in the summer, the North Rim is so much nicer IMO...it's cooler. Greener. Much less crowded. You don't get the 'traditional' views that you get on the South Rim. I've been to both (South Rim during trip to Phoenix; North Rim during trip to Vegas).

DC is great because so much is free. Lodging isn't necessarily cheap, but just about everything you will want to see is free. I'd like to go back, and also make time for trips to Hershey and Amish Country.

San Antonio Missions...not just the Alamo. There are 4 other Spanish missions around town. Plus you've got the Riverwalk (gorgeous at Christmastime), the El Mercado, and lots of great Tex-Mex food

Places I haven't been but would love to see:
Savannah, GA

Durango-Silverton Railroad in Colorado near Mesa Verde National Park. This is supposed to be our next big family vacation...we'll see

Acadia NP...always wanted to go to Maine...lighthouses, lobster shanties, cruises (or ferry to Nova Scotia).

Mt. Rushmore and Deadwood, SD (this is on our list of new places to visit)

Crater Lake in southern Oregon (if you're driving from CA to Seattle, why not?) Riding a mail boat on the Rogue River (as in The River Wild w/Meryl Streep). Staying at Out 'n About Treesort!

[mariewilcox]

My parents took us 3 times around the US when we were kids (I was 10, 12, and 14). The things I would love to see again and take Cheyanne to are:

Yellowstone/Grand Tetons (Wyoming)
Glacier Nat'l Park (Montana)
Olympia/Vancouver/Seattle (Washington State)
The Oregon coast
Sequoia/Redwoods
Yosemite
San Diego/Escondido (Wild Animal Park, Seaworld, Zoo, Balboa Park, Old Town, just to name a very few things in that area to do)
Grand Canyon
Bryce Canyon/Zion/Salt Lake City (Utah)
Dinosaur Nat'l Monument/Mesa Verde (Colorado)
Blue Ridge Parkway
Shenandoah Nat'l Park
Acadia Nat'l Park (Maine)

And no, the parks are definitely not all the same. They are all very different and very beautiful. I have more, but that's my "short list" - LOL

[jessica31876]

If you come to Florida go to St. Augustine. Also Sanibel Island. It is beautiful. Aside from there the one place I really really want to go is Hawaii. Id love to go there and my niece lives there now she told me if we come within the next two years we have a place to stay. Problem is I dont fly. Maybe one day though I will get up the nerve.

[marlathrall]

Originally Posted by jessica31876

If you come to Florida go to St. Augustine. Also Sanibel Island. It is beautiful. Aside from there the one place I really really want to go is Hawaii. Id love to go there and my niece lives there now she told me if we come within the next two years we have a place to stay. Problem is I dont fly. Maybe one day though I will get up the nerve.

You better get up the nerve, because Hawaii is so worth it. Seriously, I didn't want to leave and almost cried when I had to get on the plane to come home. I swear it's where my soul belongs. Lol.

[joelsgirl]

Don't miss Charleston, SC. It's the coolest place I've ever been! {in America, I mean. ; )}

[lovely1m]

Mt Rushmore & Deadwood, SD
Badlands and Medora, ND
Glacier National Park, MT (haven't been to this one, but hope, too)

[MandaT]

Originally Posted by jessica31876

Problem is I dont fly. Maybe one day though I will get up the nerve.

You can so do it. Hubby said he would never, ever fly either. In June, we flew to Las Vegas. He did fine and really loved seeing the earth from the sky.

My 'must get to' places:

Grand Tetons/Yellowstone (Montana & Wyoming in general)
Rockie Mtns (& pretty much just all of Colorado)
Alaska
Oregon Coast (the whole thing, I've been to the south end lots of times, & up north once, but we want to drive the whole thing)
Somewhere on the 'east' coast in the fall
The mid-west, during planting & harvest
Pretty much any rural "cowboy" town

[g8rbeckie]

I definitely suggest splitting the US up into 2 trips...I think you'd need a full month to see the entire US and still manage to enjoy yourselves along the way. Heck, think about it - you could see 10 major cities at 3 days apiece and still blow a whole month (I'm not a city girl, but you SHOULD spend 3 days apiece in places like San Diego, New York, Washington, etc.

What if you did one trip in the spring/fall for the "warm places", basically all the non-mountain places, LOL. THen you could do the mountain stuff and the pacific NW in the summer (when you certainly don't want to go to florida unless you plan to stay in a bathing suit the whole time!).

Sounds like a really awesome trip though - can't wait to hear whta you guys decide!

ALso - just have to ask - you're planning to drive all around the US with a TODDLER?

[marlathrall]

Originally Posted by apphotos

Pretty much any rural "cowboy" town

Lets switch houses for a weak! I will go to Northern Cali and you can come to the Oklahoma Panhandle... Think Pioneer Women except even more rural. We've got tractors AND cows!

I'm a big road trip girl... The winter before last we drove to Vegas for New Years, then to Lake Tahoe where my hubby proposed on the top of a mountain. Then last March we drove to Lake Havasu and played on the water for three days. Hopefully we will make it to FL this winter to see my grandparents.

I'm going to have to keep checking this thread for ideas.

[kristijoy]

Here's my list of things I've visited and think are really worth doing again!

1. The Southwest Parks: Big driving trip to Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion. We even went to Santa Fe and then up into Estes park Colorado.

2. East Coast History Tour: Washington DC, Virginia (Monticello etc...), Gettysburg, Boston Freedom Walk

3. I totally LOVED our trip to Chicago. TONS of amazing museums. Then drive down to Springfield and see all the Lincoln stuff. Amazing Lincoln museum in Springfield, his house, and living history area.

4. The next big one I want to do is Alaska. I think when we go, we'll probably do a cruise with lots of off-shore excursions to Denali park, historical towns, etc..

[MandaT]

Originally Posted by marlathrall

Lets switch houses for a weak! I will go to Northern Cali and you can come to the Oklahoma Panhandle... Think Pioneer Women except even more rural. We've got tractors AND cows!

I'm going to have to keep checking this thread for ideas.

Sounds perfect!! Don't get me wrong we live in a 'rural, hick-town, farming/ranching area', but I'd love to experience it somewhere else too. We have lots of tractors & cows too. I'm working on a 'western' lifestyle portfolio, so ruraly-cowboy stuff =

[Jengerbread88]

Originally Posted by g8rbeckie

I definitely suggest splitting the US up into 2 trips...I think you'd need a full month to see the entire US and still manage to enjoy yourselves along the way. Heck, think about it - you could see 10 major cities at 3 days apiece and still blow a whole month (I'm not a city girl, but you SHOULD spend 3 days apiece in places like San Diego, New York, Washington, etc.

We're planning on it being a 3.5 month trip. My dad will have just retired, my mom works from home (and can do the summer months of her job even away from home), I'll just be finished with school at the same time... we're planning on my brother's entire vacation to be on the road, basically.

My parents are in the process of getting an RV right now (my uncle has one and they're negotiating price), so at least with Zach (even being a toddler), we wouldn't have him just sitting in a car the entire time... it's a little different having the RV, I think... Hopefully. Lol

[AmberK]

The ONE place in the US that I want to visit is Hawaii. But you can't get there in an RV. :P

[Jengerbread88]

Originally Posted by AmberK

The ONE place in the US that I want to visit is Hawaii. But you can't get there in an RV. :P

Lol, as soon as mom said we were taking an RV, I said "Well that settles it. Let's go to Hawaii!"

[origami]

I would love to see the Pacific Northwest, as I've never been.

I haven't been to Wyoming either, but would love to go there.

We thought Carlsbad Caverns was amazing!

Louisiana is unlike anywhere else we've ever visited in the US! Amazing food, fascinating culture, and it's beginning to rebuild. (We visited before Katrina.)

[LenaGardner]

San Francisco, Savannah, Charleston...I've been a lot of places in the US and those are three of my faves

[digideb]

Niagra
San Francisco
Savannah
Rocky Mountain National Park

of what you mentioned in your original post, I've been to Grand Canyon & the National Sequoia Forest. Both are AMAZING!!

[scrap2day]

This trip sounds like a lot of fun -- and it is going to make one awesome adventure album!

P.S. I wouldn't be nervous about taking a toddler (especially in an RV -- and I've never travelled in an RV). As long as you are prepared with toys and snacks. Singing was always big in my car, plus I had kids music to play. Now you can even play dvds. Plus, many tend to nap on long rides. Just plan some down time for out of the car seat moving around. Have fun!

[scrapmonkey]

Besides the other places others mentioned that I would second (Blue Ridge Parkway, Colorado, DC, Hershey PA), here are my suggestions:
1. Boston -great kid's science museum, the Freedom Trail, and cool shopping in Faneuil Hall.
2. if in the summer, then Cape Cod and spend a day at the beach there, maybe near the dunes.
3. if in the early fall, Vermont - the changing of the leaves is just stunning there, and so are the covered bridges (hopefully there are some left after Irene).
4. Connecticut/Mystic area - there is an old time seaport village and a cool aquarium (and a couple of casinos nearby if you are tired of sightseeing)
5. San Antonio and/or Austin TX - San Antonio has the Missions and the Alamo and the River Walk, but Austin has some great public parks and outdoor stuff to do. I wouldn't go in the summer, but any other time is nice. If you are that way and want another thing to do, go to Galveston Island - it has beaches and Moody Gardens.

We are still wanting to go to Louisville (Muhammed Ali Museum and the Zoo), St. Louis, Chicago and the Cleveland area (Rock n Roll Hall of Fame), but those are all about a day's drive (or less) away from us.