1 week mother-son trip in August. Where?
 

I am planning a 1-week mother-son trip (tween son) in the first week of August and struggling to decide on a destination. Our budget for the trip, flights included, is about $3500 and we will be flying from ATL. General regions on the table are the U.S., Canada, Europe and South America (but flights for the latter two will eat up a lot of the budget!).

We'd like to stick with direct or one-stop flights so as not to lose too much travel time.

Things we do and don't prefer:

- Yes to beaches or coastlines, watersports, history (especially ancient history), good food, adventure activities, beautiful natural scenery. And, we like city-based trips as well. Both of us appreciate the quirky and unusual.
- No to camping, theme parks, lots of driving. I'm not opposed to renting a car but don't want to spend hours in it every day. I cannot drive a stick shift so renting a car in areas where an automatic is expensive would be hard.
- We're okay with inexpensive hotels as long as they are clean and pleasant, and in a safe area. In general, we'd rather spend money on activities and experiences than a place to sleep.

Any ideas and suggestions for places we might consider?

Thank you in advance!

>>. . . Europe and South America (but flights for the latter two will eat up a lot of the budget!). <<

Actually, flights will eat up more than half of your budget so neither area is at all practical.

I'd consider parts of Mexico or Costa Rica - or San Diego, or maybe Seattle/Victoria/Vancouver.

Mexico fits what you seek and is in your budget.

No way can you do Europe or South America for that amount!