Yellowstone on a snowmobile back in the 90s before restrictions was a great trip. -32 degrees 2 days. But one of the best Christmas we had with our kids

2 weeks in Grand Marais, MN.

Only once. Usually we went for one week. Not enough. The two week one I realized you need the first week to get in the vacation mood. The second week was the best ever.

LTG : )

No matter where you live, I am always a big fan of day trips to explore new places and have somewhat of a routine. Bear in mind I’ve done this as an adult with and without my 3 young kids.
Step 1: Select a town of 100,000 people or so within 3 hours of where you live (if you are lucky).
Step 2: Start out early, and stop at Waffle House.
Step 3: Explore a hiking trail in the area before things open.
Step 4: Explore several different local playgrounds. Kids love going on a “playground tour”.
Step 5: If the weekend, stop at a garage sale or 2.
Step 6: Stop by some local yokal place for lunch.
Step 7: Check out the local used book store and/or fish store if that is your thing. Different book stores always have different inventory and it is almost always fun. Many have used movies/video games/decorum as well.
Step 8: Explore whatever else is near by worth seeing (there are tons of battlefields and museums near where I live.
Step 9: Stop by someplace new for pinball!
Step 10: Take the kids home way too tired after having way too much fun. If done properly kids will sleep on the way home.

When I lived In California I would go to The Big Island in Hawaii fairly often since it wasnt that far and could fly direct...

Miss those trips.

I live too far now the flight would suck otherwise Id still be going every year or so...

1 week in Salt Lake City.

It was actually a business trip back filling service calls in the area and Idaho too. I didn't get a single call. I basically spent all week driving around the mountains staying in a different hotel each night booking each night at a time. I spent all of Sunday afternoon on Antelope Island. Monday went south and worked my way around north and east to Logan taking the back roads as much as possible, stopping at every wayside rest or tourist attraction. If you buy a ticket to a museum or movie you are cursed to get a call as soon as you walk in. Tried many local restaurants for breakfast and dinner. After eating and driving for a few days I was reduced to snacks at Chick Fil A.

Whole trip cost me $5 for the medallion in a gift shop. I normally collect casino chips when I travel for work (great way to kill time in the evening) but none in the area so I collect these as an alternative when needed.

I took way too many pictures and haven't even sorted through them in the 3 years it's been since I was there.

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A simple vacation.

3 Days in Cedar Point. I did that 3 times a year for "many" years..... that's really all me and the wife wanted to do to freshen up...and with Halloweekends even better. gotta love that place...has all I need in one place.

A long time ago 1973 I was 11 and spent one month in Marathon Florida. My uncle ran the theater there as the only other one was in Key West. Some of those movies I could almost quote to you as I saw them so much. The beach and other things to do I just wished it would have lasted longer.

One week in Maui, two weeks in the mountains of Oregon, a week in Northern Michigan near Petosky and Harbor Springs, a week around the Mendenhall glacier in Alaska, a few days in Napa wine country are some of my favorites. The US is a beautiful country and I've been all around the world.

I am torn between two, and the deciding factor will be if kids are along or not. I love Las Vegas and have made that excursion from Ohio many times. The best was my wifes 50th birthday with a lot of family along. I had the joy of booking dinner for 22 at http://battistaslasvegas.com/ that we have visisted many times before. The last was a split vacation between hiking with cousins in St. George Utah and finishing with an abbreviated stay in Las Vegas. With Covid around, not sure when we will visit again, and what it will be like.

Myrtle Beach is my other favorite. I really hate long drives, but forced myself to drive the roughly 12 hour trip to take my kids to see the Atlantic Ocean. I love the ocean. Opportunities like this to share with your kids don't come around often. Fantastic memories, and very grateful to be able to share these experiences with my family. It's not so much about WHERE you go on a vacation as much as WHO you are with. Make a decision, don't regret it, and enjoy every minute with those special someone(s)

Zion and Yosemite are beautiful and great for hiking if you like doing the national park thing. The Narrows in Zion is an amazing hike if you go the whole way but depending on the season can be prone to flash flooding. We were caught in one and it was pretty scary for about an hour until it receded enough for us to get out. We were booked to do Yellowstone and the Tetons this summer but was canceled due to corona. We re-booked already for next year.

The last six months has been the best vacation I think I've ever had.

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I was in California for work about 15 years ago and had to drive from San Jose down to Bakersfield and back. Took the scenic route along Pacific Coast Highway and loved it.

Zion Park, but staying on the Mt Carmel side.

Pacific Coast Highway, and everywhere it goes.

Italy, Israel and Greece.....take as many months as you can!

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I know Im biased because of my love of geology, but every place is magic!
Pull off the road, and wade through waters and formations, like no where else!

I think its a must see, and so different than the grand canyon, in that the formations vary so insanely within a one hour
area of driving.

Sunset over the vertical frozen sand dunes, with a herd of mountain goats, my favorite drink and a fattie!

Canyonlands Utah. Disappeared for 10 days and saw no one. Did it in a 1989 Toyota 4 Runner.

Made the same trip 2 years ago awesome trip

Zion is very nice. I have been everywhere within the continental US, except the North western states( I need to make it out that way sometime) Not sure where I would consider the best vacation place, seems like everywhere in the US has something unique and interesting to offer just depends on what you are looking for.
Closer to the OP , Wisconsin Dells has some cool things to see.

Ill agree with that...

in part since I moved not that long ago to an area other people come to for vacation so I dont really feel the need to "go" anywhere.

New Orleans is great, but it also helps if you like nightlife. That's far from all it has to offer, but it's definitely a part of it. Beautiful architecture, history, restaurants, friendly, lively people.

Coastal Maine is the nicest place I've been and where I'd like to retire someday. There's really nothing like staring off a rocky coast at sunset, sounds of loons and ropes pinging off aluminum sailboat masts in the background, eating lobsters the size of cats, and just resting in one of those Adirondack chairs until the Milky Way comes up overhead at night.

Simply wow. Thanks for sharing this. Just added to my Must visit list.

Alaska is the best. Nothing else like it. Seeing is believing.

The Kenai Peninsula in Alaska has always been my favorite.

Summer of ‘81, aka drugs, sex and rock n roll occurred throughout FL. If you were there you had great times ! ! Darn, I don’t have any pics to post.

My honeymoon. Started in San Fran and took PCH 1 all the way down the coast of California ending in San Diego, stopping and staying in different towns on the way down so it took about a week. Amazing. Then in week two we went from Palm Springs to Vegas and ended in Winter Park Colorado to ski for a few days.

Best” is somewhat meaningless. Each trip should be a new adventure or a relaxing respite, whichever you need.

Glad to see so many fellow Zion lovers, including the Subway; try no-trail random cross-country and canyon bottom hikes on the eastern and northern sides of the park for more solitude, too. Canyonlands 4WD for no humans, yep. I’d recommend Utah’s Big 5 in winter, especially Bryce. No crowds, snow like frosting on everything, elegant ice formations where falls and creeks freeze. There’s a lot beyond the big parks in UT, too, like the slot canyons near Escalante (Peek-A-Boo, Spooky and Zebra, for instance), Goblin Valley & Little Wild Horse Canyon, Yellow Rock, Hole-In-The-Rock Road, the whole region around Vernal - - Dinosaur NM, Fantasy Canyon, Flaming Gorge, etc.

Montana is another underrated state. Most folks know about Glacier and should see it before it melts (and don’t forget to try some Huckleberry treats while in the area!), but add on the Bear Tooth Highway, the mountains just outside of Yellowstone around Gardner and West Yellowstone, the Lewis & Clark trail, the dinosaur fossils and badlands of Makoshika, Terry Badlands, tons of old mining and ghost towns like Garnet, Virginia City and Nevada City, the National Bison Range, prospecting for sapphires in some small towns, Missouri River wildlands, Great Falls, … I could go on.

Long road trip? Drive Route 66 end to end and make the stops on it; that’s was a kick, even better when you look into what’s happening along the way and time it to see some events, concerts, fairs, etc. (post-covid). Pacific coast? Go all the way from Port Angeles, WA to San Diego on the 101 and Highway 1. Olympic NP, lots of nice towns and beaches along the Oregon coast, Redwoods and quiet northern CA towns before you get to the bay area (take the “Lost Coast” spur just south of Eureka, CA rather than the 101 there).

Fall foliage? Try West Virginia, Utah, upstate NY and PA, MN (I agree, MN’s “arrowhead” is under-appreciated), or the Ozarks as alternatives to New England. All are great.

Overseas? Don’t rent a car, rent a camper, even in Europe! We’ve done that in Australia, New Zealand and Italy-to-England-via-France. All were great trips, and you meet more locals that way, e.g. in campgrounds, at groceries, etc. You can walk from camps to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Chartres Cathedral, beach on the French Riviera and Cinque Terre towns in Italy, among others.

Do the eastern side of the Sierras along US 395 rather than the western side crowds in Yosemite and Sequoia. Try the ten-lake loop trail around Saddlebag Lake just east of Yosemite’s Tioga Pass entrance. Or go to Lassen NP in northern CA and get “Yellowstone Junior” with no traffic.

“History buff? Try Virginia, Presidential Libraries, Lewis & Clark route, Revolutionary or Civil War sites. There are more railroad (try Sacramento), historic aircraft (try Rheinbeck, NY) and antique auto museums (try Reno) than you’d imagine scattered around the country. (We’ve lost track, pun intended.) Find some old Country Stores that still survive. You want odd? “Carhenge”, the “Cadillac Ranch” and the Winchester House fit the bill. Grab a “Weird State X” book and take a drive. But GO!

Spent two weeks with the family in Florida when I was home on leave from Afghanistan - Flew into Atlanta and met the family. Started in Saint Augustine and worked way down the east coast to the Keys the first week then back up the west coast and a week at Disney World staying at Shades of Green (Across from the Polynesian). Only two week vacation I have ever had.

I can be at Cape Hatteras in just under three hours (depending on traffic). I've been heading down to the Outer Banks my whole life. Surfing, fishing, it's always a good time. Sometimes in a beach house, but as often as not just camping near the beach, or at Frisco Woods. There's nothing quite like sleeping under the stars to the sound of crashing surf.

I do miss the 70s and early 80s when the area still felt like a bunch of sleepy little beach towns. But such is "progress".

..

Redwoods

Memorable trips include spending six months camping across Australia, spending a month in Hawaii for "class" (it was a college elective), and driving the Alaskan Highway from Ohio to Fairbanks.

I've been a lot of places but always find myself wanting to return to Yellowstone/Grand Teton each year. I made it out for a week this past September. . . and I'm planning my trip for next year!

Everyone likes looking at vacation pictures. . . right?

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Some of the places I’ve enjoyed most.
Yellowstone
Death Valley
Santa Fe and Taos NM
Savanna, GA
Small towns in New England (Shelburne Falls)
Alaska cruise

Ocean City New Jersey!

Probably fairly similar trip for us. We did Badlands, Wall Drug, Black Hills (cliff jumping), Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower, Yellowstone (mud volcano, artists point, grand prismatic, old faithful), Grand Teton (two nights of camping), Bryce, Zion (narrows), Grand Canyon, and Lake Powell (boat rental). My brother-in-law was moving back to Phoenix and we were delivering one of his vehicles. The best part of the trip was not having to make the drive back.

I'm also a bit of a sucker for Las Vegas. We went with some friends a few years back and rented a suite at the MGM Grand. That was the first time I've ever stayed in a suite and it honestly seemed like a good value, since we didn't have to pay the three resort amenity fees if we all booked our own rooms. The VIP check in was a bit funny. We wanted a fridge to put our booze in, so asked the guy at check-in. He asked, "Do you have any medication you need to keep cold." I quickly answered, "No." Thankfully he asked again, "Are you sure you don't have any medication that you need to keep cold." Picking up on it, my wife say's "Yes, we need a fridge to keep our medication cold." With a bit of a wink he says, "Okay, I'll have a fridge sent right up for your medication." Then my wife asks, "Is there anything else like the medical fridge we might want to ask you?" He was great and says, "Well your room is a bit late and if you were to tell me you are unhappy about that, I'd be able to provide you with some gift cards to get a nice dinner." Hmmm..."Now that we think about it we are a bit unhappy with the wait." Just like that he adds $100 in credit to our cards. It was just a really great start to our vacation. Lots of other fun stories from that trip, including sneaking into a private club when my friend was able to snap a picture of the guest list. We returned with the correct names and they let us right in. Free food, free drinks, free band...it was a pretty epic "only in Vegas" night.

Best in-state trip for me has been Door County in Wisconsin. Cave Point is one of my favorite parks. It's not a huge park, but there is a rustic trail along the lake. When the lake is rough the waves come crashing over the 15 foot cliffs, which is impressive to see. When the lake is calm there is an area where you can do some cliff jumping, which is something my family enjoys. There is also an old school drive-in, which is a fun spot to take the kids. The double header when we went was Karate Kid and Ghostbusters. Obviously lots of other stuff including the restaurants, camping, B&Bs, beaches, cherry orchards, parks, boating, light houses, etc.

Door County is a hidden secret...

We go every year. Truly a wonder all it's own. All these places you reference are beautiful.Yellowstone and the Old Faithful Lodge are beyond words.

I don't go every year, but I've been a few times. It wasn't much of a secret this year. It's the busiest I've ever seen it. I think with COVID more people are looking for outdoor activities.

Since you seem out-doorsy, try the Smoky Mountains and plan to meander a bit there and back. Some fun cities like Nashville can break up the drive and get a bit of city dwelling. I had way more fun in Nashville at night with adults than I did with kids in tow... I also like to RV/camp with the family, but I like to mix it up a bit, especially after driving a good part of the day and then hang out and listen to good live music. Or, the UP is pretty nice when the bugs are not too bad. You don't have to go very far to escape civilization up there.

Yellowstone is incredible. Sequoia and Kings Canyon are also amazing for scenery and hiking.

Some friends of mine and I flew in to Las Vegas years ago and spent 2-nights there. After that camped, mountain biked and hiked our way through Utah. Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, Canyonlands and then Arches NP. A night or two in Moab and then the southern route through Monument Valley and past Grand Canyon and back to Vegas for a couple of night. 16 nights in all.

Wife and I did Vegas back in February just before the virus hit. First time and we loved it, can't wait for things to get back to normal so we can go back! Our go to spot is Table Rock Lake in southwest Missouri, we go for lake, but there is a ton of other things to do in the area. Very family friendly area, something for everybody!

Grand Teton National Park 3 years ago. 1st time the wife and i went together. Both had been there in the late 70's as kids, but our 1st trip there since. Still absolutely beautiful..

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