Visiting US - non boaty

[cmedsailor]

Please forgive me for asking a question not related to boats.
So here it goes: I am planning of visiting the US next summer for around 2 weeks. Myself, wife and two kids 9 and 7. We have never been there. Any suggestions on what to visit?
Thanks and apologies again.

PS: With 2 kids Las Vegas is out of question!

 

[Twister_Ken]

That's a bit like an American saying they're visiting Yurp and asking for recommends. Too open ended. One thing I would say is its BIG. Distances are huge, so don't plan too much or you'll spend loads of time travelling. Pick a region and do it in detail.

 

[Sandy]

Any suggestions on what to visit?

Yellowstone National Park.

 

[Skysail]

With kids of that age: Florida. Lots to do and see. Most other places are sightseeing, though fantastic if you can keep the kids happy - San Francisco, Yosemite, New England, NY, Washington.... etc etc

Agree with sticking to a region.

 

[cmedsailor]

OK, 2 weeks is very little, it's a HUUUUUGE place and costs is always an issue.
I would prefer if we stay in the East side of the US though I really don't know if we can classify "East side" as a "region" in the US.
Most probably we would fly to New York (because I personally do want to see NY). Getting a domestic flight from NY to say Florida and from Florida back to Europe, if not very expensive (comparing to fly to and back from NY) could be an option to consider.
Yes, I am not helping much but US for me is just an unknown part of the planet!

 

[rafiki_]

With kids of that age: Florida. Lots to do and see. Most other places are sightseeing, though fantastic if you can keep the kids happy - San Francisco, Yosemite, New England, NY, Washington.... etc etc

Agree with sticking to a region.

+1 for Florida. Fantastic place for children, both young and old. Suggest a week in Orlando doing Disney, Universal and Seaworld, then a week chilling on the coast, Clearwater, Naples, Fort Lauderdale. Best time to go is before the end of May, as it gets quite wet and humid after that. Alternative is West Coast, where you have the original Disneyland near LA. LA is not very nice but further northm the Big Sur, Monterey, Carmel and San Francisco are great.

 

[Salty John]

With kids that age I'd say fly into Orlando and do the Disneyworld thing as well as the beaches and the Space Center. I wouldn't be doing that in August and September, though, because of the heat, humidity and hurricane threat.

New York and north to the New England area is interesting. I'd be concerned about keeping kids occupied unless they're good at sightseeing.

If you want to keep on the move rather than stick to one location you could consider driving the east coast from New York to south Florida, taking in Chesapeake Bay, DC, Charleston, Savannah etc. About 1300 miles from NY to Miami.

 

[LittleShip]

With Kids it's easy..............

Florida and do Disney world when my son was around that age we stayed at Kissime (sp) never had one complaint from him about being bored.
There use to be a classic car night when all the guys drive around showing their cars off. plus there is a fair

Tom

 

[Reverend Ludd]

+1 one the Florida Disney.
You could look at Virgin Holidays.

 

[GrahamHR]

Yes, definitely Downtown Orlando, but don't limit yourselves just to the Disney parks; the Universal Parks and Seaworld are well worth visiting ( Plus Busch Gardens in Tampa). We usually stay in apartments on International Drive South, easy to drive to all the parks from there.. Get into the parks for opening time to minimise time wasted in queues. Research Theme Park tickets as there are some excellent savings to be made by using combi tickets.

 

[ithet]

I will reply by firstly saying how we do USA. To us the US is all about travel and flexibility, so we never book our on-the-road accommodation prior to the trip, and we only have an outline of when we will be at certain places. We choose Motels as we go or sometimes just a day or two ahead (if you can get them the AAA offices have useful guides and you will find lots of tourist listing/voucher sheets around) but we always ask to see the rooms before staying. Obviously at somewhere specific (e.g. NY, Orlando or a beach resort) we do book, but always try and do so direct or via the actual hotel/motel chain's website. Wherever one goes there is loads to see but there can be much travelling between so the car becomes a living space.

If going to NY I would think that a trip taking in New England, Washington DC, Niagara, Boston would be a starting point. NY to Florida sounds a lot for two weeks sightseeing with kids, but I have not tried it myself (Oh but I see you said domestic flight - you might be able to book Orlando via NY with a stopover?). A good way to get a suggested itinerary is to see what the set tours for Flydrive do.

Are you intent on doing Disney World? If so then as suggested already this is usually a trip in itself (and a different type of holiday especially with kids) and I would suggest just concentrating on Florida - perhaps staring with a few days at beach (Miami?) then few days travelling around Everglades, the Keys, Gulf Coast then up to Orlando with days out to other parks and Space Centre. We have done this.

Personally, we also love the desert as it is so different from anywhere in Europe. Have spent time travelling around Arizona and Nevada via California. BTW I got taken to La Vagas when I was eight! We did get asked to leave a casino though. However lots of other things to interest kids if they like the great outdoors, Grand Canyon Monument Valley, Meteorite Crater. The California recommendations are good too. San Franciso is almost like a seperate country.

For timing look at season ends. We did Florida one Easter but went out sightly early, as by travelling out on 31 March we got the all flights at winter rates. We have also done California/Arizona in late October (it was still hitting 100f in desert).

The USA is a great place, and do not be put off by some of those you have met over here, as Americans seem to work much better in their own environment! (Apologies to those that post on here). You sometimes also find that American tourists within the USA can also find things different when away from their home state, you could well find yourself being asked for advice or directions by US citizens (usually by a couple from Fresno).

Get yourself one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rand-McNall...=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322739047&sr=1-2

 

[TQA]

Hey guys he said summer!

Florida or New York in summer is HOT and HUMID.

Yellowstone/Yosemite/Rocky Mountain National Park and maybe Carlsbad Caverns will be cooler and more natural than the ersatz glitz of Disneyworld.

 

[Csail]

Depends on budget but we did week one renting a 50' boat on st.johns river....brilliant. Then week two disney etc.

 

[alant]

Please forgive me for asking a question not related to boats.
So here it goes: I am planning of visiting the US next summer for around 2 weeks. Myself, wife and two kids 9 and 7. We have never been there. Any suggestions on what to visit?
Thanks and apologies again.

PS: With 2 kids Las Vegas is out of question!

As has been already mentioned, its a huge country.

So why, with all the fantastic 'natural' stuff to visit, would you want to go all that way to visit 'funfairs' like Disney?

 

[Evadne]

So why, with all the fantastic 'natural' stuff to visit, would you want to go all that way to visit 'funfairs' like Disney?

Because they have children

To the OP, if you go to the Utah/Nevada border to see the Grand Canyon, there are minor parks and monuments all around there that would be major attractions in a less beautiful region. You could spend weeks trying to see half of them. But if your kids don't like looking at mountains and stuff, then they're probably going to get bored.

 

[Monique]

If it was me...

Summer time is gorgeous in the New England states. Lots to see, near water or large water courses.

Scenery is beautiful. Florida or NYC in summer will be tough... lots of heat and moisture.

GL

 

[Twister_Ken]

You could do a canoe trip in New England. Whether your kids/SWMBO would be up for it is another question.

http://www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/

 

[alant]

Because they have children

To the OP, if you go to the Utah/Nevada border to see the Grand Canyon, there are minor parks and monuments all around there that would be major attractions in a less beautiful region. You could spend weeks trying to see half of them. But if your kids don't like looking at mountains and stuff, then they're probably going to get bored.

"Because they have children "

And that sort of stuff, counts as 'essential' for children does it?

I think they might remember the Grand Canyon long after Minnie Mouse!

 

[Dockhead]

As has been already mentioned, its a huge country.

So why, with all the fantastic 'natural' stuff to visit, would you want to go all that way to visit 'funfairs' like Disney?

Totally agree. If you want to go to Disney, the Eurostar will get you there with far less jet lag.

You can't even scratch the surface of even one region in two weeks. I wouldn't waste time on internal flights. Just fly to NY, and enjoy. Rent a car and drive a bit around New England if you get bored. Then reluctantly fly home. You'll do California and the Grand Canyon next time.

Oh, I'm a Yank myself, by the way.

 

[Shoalcove]

If you fly into NYC you could explore there, visit Washington DC with the Smithsonian by train and either tour New England or upper New York state. You will only scratch the surface. See the cities for adults and kids, find a lodge in the wilderness for a different experience altogether! The distances are deceiving so don't overdo it.
I live in Canada ( even bigger distances) and have met many shocked tourists that have discovered that their next hotel reservation is a 2 day drive away!
The US is a great place to visit (as is Canada) and I have found Americans to be incredibly friendly and welcoming. Enjoy!