5-10 Day Road Trip...where to with Teen??
 

This summer I'd like to take a mini road trip with my 14 y/o and I'm looking for suggestions on where to go. My immediate thought was maybe from Portland to Los Angeles, but I dont knnow if thats really worthwile....Shes very much a girly 14 y/o, but before she is totally lost to Gossip Girls, and whatever MTV dictates shes should be I'd like for her to see some of the US. We live in NYC and unfortunately are more city than country, more action than relaxation, and have a hard time not over scheduling. I'd like to cap the end of the trip with a place that has a bang for her to enjoy, but enough "outdoorsy" stuff that we wont see in NY. I know, I'm asking alot, but I have had great luck with the forum making perfect suggestions. Thanks in advance!!

Look into Niagara Falls/Toronto. We really enjoyed the Falls especially Cave of the Winds on the US side. Toronto is really fun, she would love the Basia Shoe Museum. You can get a little nature and city at the same time and it is a reasonable drive from NYC.

Where else have you and your daughter been to before?

San Francisco comes to mind. Lots of 'outdoorsy stuff' either up or down the coast. Also, you could do Natchez/Vicksburg/New Orleans & add in the swamp..particularly if either of you are into history. Also, Miami & the Keys would be cool.

Every American should see the Rocky Mountains at least once. Staying at one of the National Park lodges is ideal. Glacier (in Montana), Rocky Mountain (in Colorado), and Grand Teton (in Wyoming) are all excellent choices for seeing these incredible landscapes.

I vote for San Francisco and surrounds because of the combination of city and "outdoors".

When I was 19, my parents took my sister and I on a road trip to Banff and throughout the Canadian Rockies. It changed my life. The beauty is overpowering, not the subtle kind that might be lost on a 14 year-old. Plus Banff is an amazing world-city despite being a tiny town, with just the right mix of glamour and natural beauty.
There are so many gorgeous places to see in this area, including Lake Louise. Plus the weather is nice and mild, which always helps moods stay elevated.
You can stay there in the super-ritzy Banff Springs Hotel, or just visit this amazing castle while camping in a cute little cabin. There are up-scale restaurants and cute little spots. It's just pretty much my favorite place in the world.
So that's my vote.
;)

I loved San Fransisco and so did my daughters, and there is Muir woods just a short drive away. You could also combine Yosemite with San Fransisco. I know she is a NYCity girl, but San Fransisco is so different from NY and it is such a neat city.
I think you could combine city and country very easily on the California coastline. Also, the weather will be nice and not overly hot like some other places in the US in the summertime.
Have fun, they grow up so fast!

If you've got 10 days, I think that the classic SF to LA trip would be great. As others have mentioned, SF is great with teens. Then south of there you've got Santa Cruz and Monterey - I grew up in Santa Cruz and my cousins always wanted to visit, I was soooo popular - LOL. The Big Sur coast is gorgeous and you can enjoy it quite easily without long hikes or camping out - the great outdoors for non-outdoorsy types :) Then further south you've got San Luis Obispo (fun college town) and Pismo Beach (fun beach town). Santa Barbara is neat too. And of course LA has plenty to see and do.

If you've only got 5 days, then I'd stick to SF, Santa Cruz, and Monterey.

San Francisco seems to have got a few votes...As I mentioned we usually get thru a city in just a few days. Sooo what are the "must not miss" for a teen in town? And should I just plan to fly in to SF and day trip to Monterey, Santa Cruz etc. Also, hotel suggestions please! I'm thinking maybe a long weekend thursday to monday if we are going to stick to a "surround area" of SF.

I have two suggestions, one of which is well covered.

1. San Francisco to LA. A couple of days in SF, then maybe three or four days on the road, taking the coast route (SR 1) with stops at either Big Basin or Cowell Redwoods State Park(s); Santa Cruz, Point Lobos State Park, Big Sur, Hearst Castle and Santa Barbara. End in LA with Beverly Hills, Venice Beach, Hollywood etc. Wonderful flora (redwoods) and fauna (marine mammals galore) then great scenery and history. Have your daughter read up on Hearst, on the history of Nepenthe at Big Sur... then finish in LA with visits to the likes of Nate 'n Als for (frequently) good people-watching, Hollywood style.

2. Seattle, Olympic Peninsula, Victoria, Vancouver and Whistler. Fly into Seattle, see the Pike Market and ride a ferry, then visit the Olympic Peninsula - Port Townsend, Hurricane Ridge, Forks (if you must - vampire central) then take the ferry over to Victoria on Vancouver Island, maybe go on a whale watching trip, then another ferry to mainland BC and a visit to Vancouver - superb destination for teens. Take a day (or overnight) trip to Whistler (site of the 2010 winter Olympics) and end up hanging out back in Vancouver before flying home. Great cities, favo(u)rable exchange, and fabulous natural environment all around.

Gardyloo good call - is your dd by chance into Twilight?? She would dig that..my Mom is taking my 12 year old to Seattle and then to the Olympic Peninsula around....she is so excited. And it is the perfect mix of what you are looking for - city and then outdoors.

If you are going to be in California, then expose her to new experiences that she hasn't had before and take her to Yosemite National Park.

Utahtea

I've been finding some pretty good airfares to California so I think we are going to try that. I am of course very excited to take the coast road from SF to LA. Are there any off the beaten track things we can look for enroute? I'll also be looking for hotel suggestions. In LA we'll most likely stay in Santa Monica, at I believe the Loews. What are your thoughts in SF? And is there a spot in between?

I'm laughing at MomDDTravel - my daughter would love to go to Forks, WA (!?) - exactly because of Twilight.

blueslipper my dd is the envy of her tween girlfriends... ohhhh ahhhhh... Edward ;-)

Or Jacob....after one of the books, my daughter "switched over." ha!

I salute you; I would have had to "bound & gag" my city-fied daughter to go for a car trip with me when she was 14.

Good luck where ever you end up.

Deb