Vacation / road trip ideas

[gbaker]

I’d like to take the family on a vacation/ road trip. I looking for advice of good books or web sites of small out of the way type places. I’d rather go to places like Smokey mountain knife works than Disney world. I’m interested in hiking or driving around mountains on the eastern side of the country.

Most of the web sites I find are more intended to sell something than anything else. Need a web site like bladeforums but for vacations.

 

[Bob W]

I'm not familiar with the far east coast, but this is the very best time of the year in to visit/work in the Ouachita Mountains in Southern Arkansas. I'd like to visit the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes in Michigan, but I don't know exactly when the Fall colors peak in that region.

Wife and I visited Carlsbad, New Mexico a couple of years ago at Christmas. We made reservations for some small-group ranger led caving trips at Carlsbad Caverns. The Guadalupe Mountains are nearby, and almost anywhere around there is public land.

Just the first two things that came to mind. I'm sure you'll get an endless list of ideas.

-Bob

 

[Grim/Don]

I highly recommend Niagara Falls if you've never been there. My Grandmother lived about 30-40 miles away, so I've seen them a bunch of times growing up. But, it wasn't until I was an adult that I appreciated the power and majesty they've got.

 

[Andrew Taylor]

If you do Niagara Falls, make sure you also do Niagara on the Lake. We do the tour every time we have a visitor from England. I was there two weeks ago. There is a great English pub at Niagara on the Lake called the Angel Inn. Good winemaking area, and most of the wineries do tastings. Could also do wings in Buffalo. The "original" recipe was devised by the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY.

 

[rifon2]

You can drive/bike/hike the The Blue Ridge Parkway. Runs along the mountain tops of the Southern Appalachians between Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. About 500 miles.

Another idea is Vermont & New Hampshire. Vermont is a state full of small, out of the way towns. No big towns at all in fact. Friendly people, plenty of mountains, very beautiful. Then can zip over and up to northern New Hampshire into the White Mountains.

 

[shaldag]

East Coast:
This is autumn foliage time in New England. Plenty of maps on the web to show when the color changes are at their peak.

Mid South:
Natchez Trace--Old Native American trade route.

Rockies:
Old mining Towns of Colorado

 

[Bumppo]

I agree with rifon2 if you go to the northeast, both Vermont and New Hampshire have great out of the way places, lots of history, and for views, many ski resorts run the lifts year-round. There may still be a steam train that runs during the leaf watching months, and Lake champlain has cabins and camping areas. Lake George is popular too.

 

[Rugger]

2nd the Blue Ridge Parkway- you can also swing through VA Wine country-
a good dozen or so vineyards, Monticello, etc.