Advice Needed on touring the US
 

I am planning a trip to the US in september for a year and am looking for some advice on places of interest that i can visit and where the best places are to go during certain times of the year, i.e. where is the best to go during spring break etc i know this question is quite vague but i am looking to experience an assortment of what america has to offer. any advice would be most appreciated..

thanks,

Ted

It is really to vague to have any input from anyone. You need to tell us what you have interests in, price range, are you to driving around or public transportation.....way too many variables to answer so far.

If you're young and looking for a college type spring break, you should go to Florida during spring break.

How much time do you have.
If you have a few weeks - a classic cross-country road-trip is hard to beat for seeing the widely varying landscapes and large expanse of the US.

my plan is to travel around the US and see the different aspects. i will be driving, and the plan is to currently go on a road trip throughout the US, im looking for recomendations on where i should include in the trip, me and my friend are both 20. we are not looking to spend excessive amounts of money, but at the same time we have money to spend if needed

If you are interested in some of the Natural Wonders and Historical Sites you could start with the ones administered by the National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/ .. This should keep you on the go for a year or so. This is a big country and the only thing that will slow you down is time and money... If you are interested in camping your way across and around the country the National Parks offer some of the most inexpensive and best sites you can find. You could also investigate the National Forest and the Campgrounds they offer as well, many are adjacent to the Parks.. http://www.fs.fed.us/.

Trip would vary hugely dependant upon the amount of time you have and what you like to do. So answer these 2 questions.

1. How many days/weeks/months do you have?
2. And what are your primary interests....what kind of things do you love (ie...art, biking, hiking, lounging around, history, partying, etc., etc., )

If you are coming from outside the U.S. and planning on spending a whole year, you probably need a visa of some sort.

Wher will you be starting? If east coast, I'd say start in New York, which can be very nice in Spetember, Then head up to New England to see the fall colors. Then south along the east coast , visiting Washington DC, and the south coast states, and ending in Florida about January. Work your way across the southern states and Texas, so you are in Arizona by early April. The beautiful southwest parks (Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce) are great in April. Also visit Monument Valley and Sedona. Not sure where the best place for spring break is, or what kind of experience you want, so I can't help there. (We always go skiing).

Then west to California for May. Spend the summer visiting the national parks of the west---Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and work your way back across the northern states (canoe trip in the Boundary Waters?).

You are both 20? You are planning to rent a car in the US? Have you checked out the possible car rental restrictions/requirements for folks younger than 25/26?

we are both of dual nationality, so a visa is not required, also in regards to the rental problem, i have a car in storage from when my family moved from the states, i have a US license so the driving is not a problem. Our interests include partying, history, wintersports, technology and intesting tourist attractions..

Nora_S gives you a great starter itinerary.
The New England area & New York would be the perfect place to start. But of course if you are picking up the car in California this wont work.

fortunately the Cars In NJ so that should work out well, thanks to Nora_S for the comprehensive advice

Tedwood87,

why is it I suddenly think you need little, if any advice LOL...
car in storage (thanks for telling us that)

valid US license which means you've lived here already..once

firth thing on interest list is "partying"...

hey, have a great trip!!!

the advice that is needed is actually on where to go regardless of whether there is a car in storage or not, and though i have lived in 1 part of the states this does not mean that i am an expert on POIs in other parts of the country

i am here to ask for advice regarding planning a trip that will hopefully be memorable, not to have my question scrutinized in a sarcastic and quite frankly obnoxious tone.

tedwood: Welcome to Fodors. Those little details (like already having a car in NJ, etc) were kinda sorta important. And we did need to know what you are interested in.

No one was obnoxious (well you were, just a bit, but never mind)

Your questions is VERY general and wide open. Do you have a basic itinerary in mind? Are there any "musts" in the way of locations/events?

i am sorry for seeming a little off, its just i came asking for advice, and it did not seem to me that dukeys post telling me that i was apparently wasting every1s time by doing so particularly constructive..

back to the topic however, we dont really have a set itinery, this thread was really for suggestions on where i should go along the way, and what would be VAGUELY the best time to go,

Oh, geez, ted. You can't go wrong. You've got a year. Most folks find ways to navigate their gap year without problems. Fergie finished hers up via a Greyhound bus in the SW US. They even ran out of money and had to find a job for a while. Pick up a guidebook or two and read and go see what you are interested in.

You start in Sept. in the NJ?
Then, see the NE when it's prime foliage season.
In the winter, avoid the snow. Head for the SW or do a big loop by heading south and then west and drive cross country.
Go to the national parks out west.
Drive up the west coast from California all the way up.
Ferry over to Victoria, BC
Ski at Whistler if you want - or any of the ski resorts of the west.
Catch a cheap flight to Miami or wherever you want to spend Spring Break.
If you have 52 weeks, then do something as arbitrary as spending a week in each state.
Go to Alaska if you want.

Dang! With an entire year to travel, you can do as much of as little as you want.

My nephew took a gap year in the western US by doing the things of interest to him.

How can folks on a public forum have any idea what is of interest to you?

Buy a guidebook - or spend some time clicking on the Destination tab at the top of the page and see what Fodors recommends in their guidebooks.

Since you mentioned partying, I would check when all of the big celebrations take place in the major ciities and then figure routing and other points of interest in between. I don't know that many, but consider:

the Aloha Festival in Hawaii in September, (fly there and then back to NJ)

Oktoberfest celebrations around Milwaukee or other cities,

Thanksgiving in New England,

Christmas/New years celebrations in major cities or maybe Disney World,

Mardi Gras in February,

Spring Break in March,

Fiesta in San Antonio in April,

Chicago (Taste of Chicago) in July
Milwaukee Summerfest in July
or spend 4th of July in Boston or Philadelphia,

... just for starters.

Ted,

My original suggestion was based on a continuous loop around the U.S. But if you have the flexibility to move around a bit, I would highly recommend the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah in January. This would combine wintersports and partying in a good way. You'll have to plan ahead to get lodging there, and tickets for the events. Here's the website for information: http://festival.sundance.org/2007/

Just remember every tank of gas will cost you $50 or so. You might like to fly to some of your spots.

September, October, November in the northeast. Live somewhere between New York and Boston, and see New England, the cities as far south as Washington DC.

December, January, February -- take a week to drive south via the Appalachians, then live in the southeast. Northern Florida or coastal Georgia, maybe. Visit New Orleans and the Okefenoke. See the Gulf Coast as far as Texas.

March, April, May -- live in the Southwest (somewhere between Phoenix and Denver). See the Grand Canyon, visit national parks, Rockies, and desertlands. Go to Las Vegas.

June, July. Take 10 days to travel north through California, see the Redwoods and the Northeaset. Spend a month on the coast in oregon or washington, or in the Rockies.

August. Take two weeks to drive from west to east coast, stopping for a couple days here and there -- Badlands, Chicago, Niagara Falls, etc.

September. Put the car back in the garage and go home.

If you really want to party, I'd do something like this.

September: Austin City Limits in Austin, TX
October: Fantasy Fest in Key West, FL
November: Perhaps go to some college towns in the South and watch some key college football games in Baton Rouge, Gainesville, Austin, or other college towns. Spend Thanksgiving in New England for a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
December: Christmas and New Year's Eve in New York, New Year's at Times Square.
January: Sugar Bowl in New Orleans
February: Mardi Gras in New Orleans
March: Spring Break in (pick your city): S. Padre Island, Panama City, Lake Havasu City
April: French Quarter Fest in New Orleans, Jazz Fest in New Orleans
May: Jazz Fest in New Orleans, SF Carnaval
June: Chicago Blues Festival, numerous street festivals in NYC
July: 4th of July at either Boston or Washington DC, Milwaukee SummerFest, Taste of Chicago
August: Chicago Jazz Festival

The good thing about this itinerary is that you get to party hard, but you get to see some really amazing cities, like New York, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, and San Francisco. You also get some Florida sun at Key West and for Spring Break.

Since you are most concerned about partying, I think you'd find this itinerary exciting.

If it's too much travel, you could pick cities around the seasons. For instance, New Orleans is great from January to May because of the many festivals, and Chicago is great from June to August. Just a suggestion.

Do you have a favorite band? Consider following them around the country on tour for the summer. Or meet up with some hippies and do the summer music fest circuit...lots of people spend their summer selling something at these festivals to pay for their way to the next festival.
Unless you love snow...stay south for the winter. A little vague, but to get you started: Fall in New England/Northeast, winter in the southern states and Cali, spring in Florida (spring break) and up the eastern coast and summer traveling across the northern states.
Some cities not to miss, besides the usual big ones (LA, NYC, Chicago, etc):
Portland, OR, Seattle, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, NC, Lancaster, PA, Boston, Newport, RI, Delaware beaches, New Orleans, Savannah, GA, and Las Vegas (if you turn 21 while you're here), just to name a few!
Google US Road Trip...lots of things come up. Def check out www.roadsideamerica.com for some really wacky tourist attractions!
Have a blast! I'm so jealous!

You are only 20 years old. I remember when I was 20 (now 47) I will give you advice based on what you are likely to do wrong because you are young, and how to avoid it so that when you are 47 looking back you will not say "I see what I did wrong"
(The places to see a little farther down)

first problem:
Do not be short attention span-lazy, expect quick fix. You are off to a good start not doing that but I’ll mention it. Youth are likely to seek a quick fix itinerary, then go on the trip, then spend 20 years picking up bits of info here and there, resulting in the If I'd have known then what I know now, I would have done it differently. Doing this you are very likely to drive right past something never knowing it was there.

solution:
Put together a rough draft itinerary (easy) then research every town, region, State, attraction etc along that path. You will enter into a very enjoyable stage of discovery. "I did not know THAT was near by"
What I do is I print out every discovery that I like and put it in a plastic 3-ring binder pouch. it is easy to change the sequence of attractions. Some of these will be discarded as just not going to work out. Ultimately the itinerary just naturally comes together as if by divine appointment. This Fodors posting is a excellent start on the rough draft. Use the internet search engine for filling in the tiny details.

Second problem:
Youthful energy and the grass is greener around the bend. Too quick to move on.

Solution:
Realize you will probably NEVER pass that way again. Trust me the adventure is not around the next bend, it is happening where you are. Never leave and say I will see that next time. Unless fully willing to never see it. (a reasonable decision) Do your math, how many places do we need to see divided by 365, travel times etc. So that you are not frantically rushing about from poor planning.

Third problem:
Failing to plan for remembering. "time heals all wounds" time also diminishes the memory

Solution:
Take a lot of photos, and print them. Also keep a simple daily log. My daughter kept a simple daily list/log of our Canada tour. It is a family treasure of the memory sparking sort.

Seek out the only thing like it, the biggest, oldest etc.
Cedar Point Amusement Park Ohio, Mammoth cave, Kentucky Horse park, Old Louisville mansions., The Ringling Bros. Circus, San Francisco, The giant trees near San Fran, the only mobile historical landmark-San Fran Cable Cars, Monterey Bay Cal. National Marine Sanctuary,
Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, a fishing Charter on one of the Great Lakes, Mount Rushmore, Niagara Falls, The Corvette Plant tour Bowling green Kentucky. A Steamboat ride on the Mississippi, A rodeo somewhere in the west, Maine in October, The airport in Atlanta Georgia- Atlanta Hartsfield world's busiest airport, A Green Bay Packer football Game, A rural State Fair before they disappear forever, A chat with old timers sitting around some old small town downtown business, A sled dog ride in Michigan’s Upper peninsula, Walk some of the Appalachian trail in the Great Smoky Mountains. Take a coal mine tour, Watch a summer thunder boomer storm roll across the prairie, Tag along on a Noodling trip in Oklahoma.