doug_stallings

My only advice is that the cost of going to Niagara Falls in August will be approximately the same as flying to the Bahamas from Miami. So if you want to see the falls, by all means do that, but if you want to lie on the beach, then go to Nassau, perhaps staying at the Comfort Suites Paradise Island (which will give you entry into Atlantis's facilities and water park for free as well as a cooked breakfast). While 2 nights is a very short trip, if you can get a good airfare, I don't think it's a waste of time or money. I did it in February and had a nice time with only 2 nights.

As others have told you, the Florida Keys would also be a great place for a 2-night trip from Miami. There are shuttles from the airport all the way to Key West if you don't want to rent a car.

Alternatively, I'd look at places you can get to for 2 nights from New York, and you have several options. There's usually a nonstop ferry from Manhattan direct to Martha's Vineyard that leaves on Friday afternoons, returning on Sunday afternoons (arriving back in NYC on Sunday evening). That's quite doable with 2 nights and not hugely expensive (accommodations can be, but there are definitely options in MV).

The Hudson Valley is not as dramatic as Niagara Falls, but it's much closer to NYC and quite beautiful and would give you a picture of a different kind of US landscape.

Or you could get to Block Island on a ferry from Long Island (taking the Long Island Railroad out to the ferry on the north shore). That's a nice 2-night destination. You can also take a train and catch a ferry from New London, CT, or Newport, RI (another nice place to go for 2 nights).