Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic USA travel plans - ideas/tips/advice?

Hey guys,

I'm planning on travelling around the USA next year, after working at a summer camp. So, I just have a few questions for those of you who live in the United States, but also for anyone who's been there and would like to offer advice/tips/ideas.

1. Where do you recommend I go?

2. What do you recommend I see while there?

3. Is there any place you would advise me to stay away from?

I'm able to travel for about a month after finishing working at a camp (will probably finish at the camp - wherever it ends up being - mid-August), so I'm trying to work out a list of places/things and possible routes.

Thanks guys! I know that those of you who live in the USA will be able to provide me with some wonderful ideas/advice and tips for your home town/city/state. I look forward to reading all you have to say!

~Anna.

Anna, keep in mind that the US is Very Big. What part of the country is the camp in?

Oh, I know it's very big. But the thing is, I don't know what camp I'll be at just yet. I just want to get general ideas/advice for places that you guys enjoy - anywhere in the country, that is - and make up my mind where to go and what to see from that once I know exactly what state my camp will be in. At this point anything would be helpful!



~Anna.

I'm going to echo Lisa on this one - it's a very big country. <g>

Give us an idea of what you're looking for in general. Do you like the outdoors? History? Scenery? How much time are you going to be able to spend traveling around? How extravagant is your budget going to be? Are you traveling alone or in a group?

I'd pick a general theme (and area of the country) and go from there.

Sorry guys - guess I should know by now to be more specific.

Um... I like museums (art and things like the Museum of Natural History), I like the outdoors, though not hiking up hills. Hiking on the flat is fine.

I love food - I'm a foodie and willing to try most things. Regional dishes etc.

I'm already planning on being in NYC, LA, Washington DC and Boston at some points. San Franciso and Yosemite too. I know they're on opposite sides of the country, but I will fly between them. I suppose it's in between that I'm wondering about. Do you recommend things like the Grand Canyon? If so, would you recommend the horse treks down to the bottom - things like that? And since I like musical theatre (and general theatre) is it wise to try and get last minute cheap tickets for a show on Broadway in NYC? Has anyone found this particularly difficult?

I also like stuff to do with television and the movies, but do not want to visit celebrities houses. Ugh. Just...maybe get tickets for being in the audience of a TV show that's taping? Hmm...

I will be going to places like Disneyland/Universal Studios. I'm a kid at heart!

I love history. Any history. A friend over here recommended the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. I really enjoyed learning about civil rights in history at school, so I was wondering about this place...

I will possibly also be in Georgia, depending on whether my friend who I'll be staying with for a while moves (she and her husband are in the Air Force, though she will be getting out of it very soon as she's pregnant).

Um...what other information would you like? I'm trying to be specific. I'm sorry I wasn't originally. My budget will be roughly just over $200 USD a day. May vary depending on where I am.

I will (hopefully) mostly be travelling with a group. I hope to make friends at the camp and travel with some people for at least part of the time. I have a month in which to travel.

Thanks guys. Anything else you need to know, don't hesitate to ask. I just want any ideas at all.

~Anna.

Hey, Anna,

Is this that same friend you wanted to try and contact in this other post ?

That's cool!

Now, as for places to go, if you likes airplanes (especially the military ones), and if you pass by Dayton, OH (just north of Cincinnati, OH), they have a VERY COOL Air Force Museum there, just by the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. It's FREE, open every day from 9 to 5, they even have the old presidential airplanes. Here's the web page for the National Museum of the US Air Force .

malu

Thanks for the idea/tip, malu!

Yes, it is the same friend. I was so happy when I got in touch with her again. She's having a baby in November (a little girl apparently!) and I get to be an honourary aunt. So wherever she is, no matter what, I will be visiting and staying with her at some point during my travels. Bringing fun NZ-style gifts.

~Anna.

By the way, if you DO plan on going to the Museum, read this about visiting the Presidential and Research & Development/Flight Test Galleries (which have the presidential planes, among others, and are inside the base). To have a chance of going to see them, get to the Museum as it's opening and ask one of the Museum personnel where to sign up for the Presidential Gallery shuttle. The seats of the shuttles run out fast.

malu

I was supposed to go see the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis when I went - but we ended up having time to visit only ONE place during my trip, so that was a no-brainer: we went to Graceland. It's a cool place to see. (and you can believe I found a way to exclaim "great shades of Elvis!" while I was there)

I'm sure the Grand Canyon must be a great place to visit - haven't been there yet, but that's definitely a place I want to go to.

I'd totally suggest you visit Alaska, but that's kinda far from the rest of the country to begin with... It's so worth seeing, though. Magnificent place.

Las Vegas might be fun to see as well. I haven't yet, but it's on my list.

I believe it doesn't really matter which state you're in - you can find great things to visit anywhere in the US. It's just a question of doing a bit of research on the state or the city where you'll be. I have yet to go anywhere where there wasn't anything really fascinating to do or see.

Wouldn't it be fun if a group of us could get together and see Vegas? I'd love that. *wistful*

I've been to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, and it is very good.

Because it's so relevant, I'll add another warning about the size of the US. Also, public transportation is not always quick or easy. Ground travel times between U.S. points of interest can quickly eat up your time.

The Grand Canyon is pretty, but it's also quite out of the way. I personally wouldn't recommend that you spend the travel time or budget it would requre for you to get there.

If you love history, you can spend FOREVER in the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. (best part...they're free!) I'd seriously recommend a week in D.C. alone, unless your travel companions are the type who will eventually complain, "Another museum??!!" You can get a lot of information about the Civil Rights struggles in D.C. museums...Memphis is fun, but considering all the other places on your agenda, you might need to save it for another trip. If you do go to Memphis, you have to do the Graceland tour. Totally cheesy, but I really did gain an appreciation for the man after going there.

Musical theater exists in L.A. too (either national touring shows or permanent shows like Wicked). I love attending tv show tapings...my favorite source for free tickets is On Camera Audiences .

Oh, and if you pay full price at any amusement park, you are out of your mind. Discounts or coupons are always available.

I'll also add a plug for San Diego (my home town...but I'm not biased or anything!). You could easily spend a week there on attractions (Zoo, Sea World, Balboa Park museums, day trip to Mexico) and lying on the beach during the perfect summer weather.

Las Vegas is fun (less fun when you're dragging along a 3 year old...but hey, we had a free trip!). Summer = HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A few days would be plenty if you go. Alaska is gorgeous, but we took two weeks of driving to hit major points of interest...hard to justify based on the other items on your itinerary.

You say you want to see Boston, New York, and Washington DC. That could take up most of your month right there. If you like museums and history, allow at least a week in Washington! And you might want to squeeze Philadelphia or Baltimore in there too. You don't say how you will be traveling. One of the things I envy about the northeastern part of the U.S. is that they actually have decent train service, so you could travel between all these cities by train. That is generally not practical in the rest of the U.S. You will either have to fly between cities or spend days in a car, so I would choose 2 or 3 additional areas you want to visit and spend a week in each one. (Thirty years ago I traveled by bus, but I tried that again about five years ago and it was "the trip from hell"; I will NEVER recommend bus travel to anyone!). Once you get to your destination, public transportation is generally poor, so plan to rent a car in each city that you fly to. (Washington DC is an exception; take the Metro there.)

If you go to Georgia you may want to go another 400 miles south and visit Disney World in Florida. If you do, plan to also visit Daytona Beach and the Kennedy Space Center; you might also want to travel to the Gulf side of Florida (maybe around Clearwater?). Keep in mind that Florida is extremely hot in August, so you may have to plan your sightseeing for the morning and evening, with a stop somewhere air-conditioned in the middle of the day. On the positive side, there are sometimes very good prices available in Florida during the last part of August; I do not know if it is because it is so hot or if it is because all the children in the south have already gone back to school by then.

There's also a lot to see in the middle of the country, but because your time is short, my next recommendation would be to fly to Salt Lake City and drive to Yellowstone. You'll see some spectacular geological formations and scenery, and you can do some of the "old west" stuff like ride horses and go on a chuckwagon cookout. Then, if you really want to see LA, you can spend your remaining time in California. I have never been to Los Angeles but I have spent one day in San Francisco and it was beautiful. I only had time to drive over the Golden Gate bridge and up into some of the farm country, then that evening I rode a cable car and visited Chinatown, but I know there is a lot more than that to see. I also believe that Las Vegas, with its gambling casinos and shows, is within driving distance of Los Angeles, but someone from the west coast will have to confirm that.

Since you are a L&C fan I hate NOT to recommend visiting Kansas, but as someone who once routinely drove 400 miles across that state each week, I do not recommend it unless you are VERY interested in agriculture. (I was, but most people are not.) Do take a look at it when you fly over it; the pattern of fields, laid out in square "sections" of one mile on each side, makes the view interesting.

Keep in mind that most of the cities you have mentioned can be quite expensive. I hope you will find friends to travel with, because if you cannot find someone to split hotel costs with, you may not have enough money for sightseeing and/or transportation. On my recent trips, even to fairly low-cost areas, I have had trouble finding a hotel room for less than $80 to $125 per night, and I know cities such as New York are much more expensive than that. It is best if you can book your hotel rooms in advance on the Internet, because you will get better rates than someone who walks up and asks for a room. There are some alternative solutions such as college dormitories and youth hostels, but I have not used any of those lately so I cannot offer any advice there.

I could go on forever, but I will stop now and hope that what I have written so far is of some use. I hope it works out well and that you have a great trip.

I have to put a plug in for D.C. My favorite activity ever is hanging out at the National Gallery of Art and then walking across the street to stick my feet in the sculpture garden fountain. I could stay outside there all day!

Where in Georgia is your friend? I have a lot of military nearby, but they're mostly Army, so I was just curious...

JD

I adore Boston and I know I've mentioned it before, but I can't help but go fangirl on it. I lived there for four years and would just love the opportunity to be back. Boston in the fall (October mainly) is just amazing. The weather is cool, the people are out, there's tons of activities and the foliage is just breathtaking--especially if you walk through the posh neighborhoods in the back bay. The back bay, the charles river, the restaurants, the art museums. If it's culture you want to see Boston has it up the wazoo. The city has an elegance and a history that is hard to find anywhere else in the US. At the same time the fact that there are 50+ colleges around that area guarantees that it remain a vibrant, young city.

I sound like a tourist brochure don't I? *Sigh* I just love that city.

Moving on--I did a loop two summers ago from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon area and back through Arizona etc. The Grand Canyon didn't impress me much, it was full of people and really didn't strike me as wonderful. Interesting, but not something I'd go specifically to. However, there are a lot of other parks that make it worth visiting. In the loop I made we went to Bryce Canyon, Zion Park, Sedona (a cute town in Arizona if I'm not mistaken), and some other places. Together they made some awesome sights. So if possible I would try to hit up several locations instead of spending 4 days at the Grand Canyon and looking at it from all sides like my mother wanted so desperately to do .

But enjoy, traveling is always an adventure.

Ooh if you're in the neighborhood you should go and see Yellowstone Park! Middle of August might be a little too late for you to see bears, but there are a lot of beautiful geisers and such!

And visiting Kansas, hmm. I don't know, I don't really think you should. I've been there about 10 times now, but that's only because I have family living there. Aside from a bowling alley and a swimming pool, there is not really much there to see.

Oh and if you're interested in airplanes - they have an airventure every year up in Oshkosh. My dad dragged me over there (yes, I still travel with my folks when I'm going over to the US. But hey, if they're paying ), and I recommend buying a one-day-card and NOT the one-week-card (or you have to be REALLY into airplanes).

A few years ago (must have been the beginning of July), when I moved back from San Diego to New Hampshire, my friend and I took two weeks to travel the country by car.

Our route was: San Diego to Los Angeles to San Francisco, where we stayed for a couple of days to tour the city and visit Alcatraz. From there we went to Las Vegas, then on to the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest etc. Next planned stop was New Orleans (of course we ended up staying in additional towns along the way). From there we went to Washington, DC and last but not least Boston.

Amazingly enough that trip wasn't even all that expensive. I think we paid $1,000 each, including gas, hotels, food, and sightseeing. Of course it helped that we didn´t have to rent a car.

I have also been to Rhode Island (Tennis Hall of Fame), Florida, New York City, Niagara Falls, and Chicago.

Thankfully I lived in the US for several years to be able to make all these trips.

I love every place I have been to and I still want to see Seattle, Yosemite, Mt Rushmore, and Denver. No idea when I will be able to that though since i am back in Germany now.

I wish you a terrific time. Let us know where you have decided to go, ok?

Natascha

Wow... I come back after a few hours and look at the responses! You guys are awesome!

JD, my friend is in Grovetown. At least, that's the most recent address I have for her.

I love the suggestions so far. Especially the Smithsonian idea (which I was going to do anyway, but I think I'll have to limit myself in terms of museums... *sigh*). I also love the Boston idea - a friend over here recommended walking tours there. Has anyone done one of those?

As for Graceland, I like Elvis' songs, but I'm not so into the man himself. But if people think that the Smithsonian museums have more than enough civil rights stuff, then I'll skip Memphis. I would like to go somewhere in the south though... Just to try real barbecue. Told you I was a foodie. Or is there somewhere not in the south that you can tell me has great barbecue? Hmm...

Yellowstone might be a bit out of the way... But we'll see. I'm definitely going to Yosemite. I stayed there back in the summer of '96 in the housekeeping camp and loved it. Looking to do that again, but to stay a little longer. A day or so. We just stayed overnight, then left.

San Francisco I think will definitely be a place on my list from now on. Plenty of people have recommended it to me, including my parents who went there a few years ago.

Thank you, everyone! Any more suggestions?

~Anna.

As far as visiting Georgia . . .

This summer we had a 16-year-old exchange student from France living with us. Since I am interested in history I drove her to Cherokee, NC, which has some Native American history and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (It also has a gambling casino but we didn't go there.) She enjoyed white water rafting but for the rest she was bored, bored, bored! Back in Atlanta we took her to CNN headquarters, the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, and a Braves baseball game. She liked the Coca-Cola museum the best. I would have liked to take her to the Atlanta History Center and to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, but I knew she wasn't interested. I also wanted to take her to Destin, FL, (6 hours away) or to Orlando (8 hours away) but we couldn't find the time. Later in the summer I took a different group to Savannah, GA, and to Tybee Island (a small beach town). I enjoyed that as much as anything we did all summer.

Oh god, yes! That would be all kinds of awesome!!

OK, I'd better move away from this thread before I get overexcited and start planning things right away. *lol*