eabrams1

I am planning a Mother, Daughter trip with my 18 year old daughter. She is getting ready to go to college. We are planning the trip for the end of July and was wondering if anyone had suggestions for a good place to go for a weekend mother, daughter getaway. At the moment we are considering either Boston or Minneapolis. Boston has so much to see, but again we only have a weekend. Minneapolis would be to go to the Mall of America and take a tour on the Mississippi River. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

BayouGal

NYC would be lots of fun. Great shopping, catch a show, lots to see and do.

Enjoy your trip!

ParrotMom

One of the things we Bostonians have found.. once the kids come to Boston to visit or to see colleges... they never want to go home.... and after college many don't.. Come to Boston..

Brookside

My 18 y/o dd and I just did this (still haven't written that trip report, dang it!)Her grad. present was a trip to Chicago. Chicago has so much to offer -- *great* shopping, wonderful sights incl. Millenium Park, the Sears and Hancock Towers; first- rate museums; wonderful theater and shows. And of course, beautiful Lake Michigan.

Hope this helps -- good luck!

lizziea06

I wan't able to go, but my mom did a mother/daughter trip with my grandmother in Charlseton. They both raved about the town and shopping/restaurants.

Where are you located right now? That would help us to determine what a weekend trip would entail for your situation.

AuntAnnie

I live near Minneapolis and consider it a GREAT destination. I also love Boston; just did a trip there with my own Mom and sister last Fall. Where are you coming from?? If you live closer to one so you have less travel time and more time to play, that can help inform your decision. If you choose Mpls., I will happily suggest some ideas for you!! My youngest daughter heads off to college in August. It is a nice idea to do a trip together!! Plan on a good cry when you leave her at her dorm. I just SOBBED when we left our older daughter two years ago.

emd

Definitely consider NYC. It is SO MUCH FUN to go there w/a daughter. I've taken my daughter twice and am going again w/her in August, still have a long long list of things to do. And theater is wodnerufl at night after a day of sightseeing and fun.

eabrams1

Thanks for all the info. We live in coastal SC. We also love Charleston, but have been many times. We are leaning towards Minneapolis because we want to devote more time to and take the entire family to Boston. We're open to any ideas. Thanks!

capecodshanty

A trip to NYC with daughters is much fun- did it in March! Sooo much to see and do, and on Travelzoo.com there are some very good room rates. Playbill.com will get you discounts to many of the shows before hand, and much can be done on line before you go. We kist had three days, but had a fantastic time.We happened to stay in a double double in the Hotel Metro, which was terrific, and had a good breakfast included.

TheWeasel

Not that I have a daughter, but if I were going to NYC I'd want more than a weekend. I would feel like I was missing out on so much if I did that.

I think it would help if you'd mention things that you're interested in (other than shopping). There are lots of things to do in Minneapolis, but if none of them interest you other than MOA and the MS River tour, it might not be the best place for you.

AuntAnnie

If you choose Minneapolis: Stay downtown near a light rail station. You can take the light rail to the MOA for a day of shopping. You can also shop& dine on Nicollet Mall; a pedestrian/bus only street downtown. The Stone Arch bridge is a good spot to view the river. It used to be a RR bridge, is now for pedestrians. It is built over St. Anthony Falls, which was modified by the flour milling industry. There is a lock& dam there, so you can possibly catch a boat going through. The nearby Mill City museum highlights the aforementioned flour milling industry. Mpls. has 2 world class art museums; the Walker (modern art, new digs, outdoor sculpture garden, great Wolfgang Puck restaurant) and the Mpls. Institute of Arts (excellent native american, asian, antiquities, impressionist exhibits, good D'Amico cafeteria and fun gift shop). My daughters love the fun vibe at Chino Latino for dining. A stroll around one of the city lakes is good; Harriet or Calhoun or Lake of the Isles. Our newly rebuilt Guthrie Theater is opening its new season and locale with a production of "The Great Gatsby" by local author F. Scott Fitzgerald. If you have read "The Legend Of Hiawatha" by Longfellow, Minnehaha Park & waterfall may interest you; it is a light rail stop. There is also a civil war era Fort Snelling with re-enactors to tour on the light rail line. I hate to sound defensive, but it is just as hard to do Mpls. justice as Boston or any other city in a weekend...but it is a fun place!! Any other info you want? Happy to help. Have fun wherever you go. I spent a week in Boston..the Freedom Trail took us 2 days.

eabrams1

Thanks for all the information. What are some good hotels downtown near the light rail? We were looking at the Millenium but didn't know how close it was to the rail.

AuntAnnie

Hi eabrams!
The Milennium is in a good location for the city; right on the Nicollet Mall, good shopping & dining options. The light rail station intersects Nicollet at 5th, you would be at 13th and Nicollet....about an 8 block walk on the pedestrian friendly Nicollet Mall....there is a light rail website that shows the route, you can cross reference it w/ hotels...the Hyatt, Graves and Le Meridien are also popular downtown hotels...I live outside of the city so I truthfully don't know how they compare location wise with the Milennium w/o doing some searching myself.