Butchart Gardens in Victoria,British Columbia gets a vote from me.

We (family of five) spent at least $50 to see a lot of flowers. Of course it was my idea, so I had to act enthusiastic and my husband had to stifle his boredom. The kids were hot and bored and couldn't have cared less about roses named for famous people.
I think the highlight was the ice cream we bought on the way out.

It is fascinating how people perceive places. Most major cities have a "tourist" area developed for that purpose: Gastown, Baltimore Harborplace, San Diego seaport village, Faniul? Hall, D.C's Union station, San Antonio's Riverwalk, etc. These feature the same shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues coast-to-coast. Locals would rarely bother with any of these but tourists generally enjoy them. Then there are the opinions of various popular destinations. Somebody must like them. Oregon boring? Not to me. Going back this summer. Vancouver? Love it. Galveston? A historic destination with some wonderful dining opportunities

If you've seen one Mormon temple you've seen them all (inside or out). And for anyone who wonders what the INSIDE looks like, well, think of any Four Seasons or Ritz lobby and you'll come pretty close.

Well I'm not from Texas, but I just returned for San Antonio last saturday. I found the city to be wonderful, the people to be friendly and most of the sites worth the time. As far as the Alamo goes, I think most people are disappointed because they either expect too much (bye the way it was orginally a Mission, not built as a Fort or Military outpost) or does really know the history. We watched the IMAX movie first to refresh our history and then went. Therefore, the artifacts meant more because we could relate them to the historical movie. The grounds of the Alamo were lovely.

As for the Riverwalk, I didn't think it was anything like Disney. It's more like certian sections of NYC or Chicago w/its clubs, bars, resturants etc.

Everyone likes something different.

As I was doing a search for my summer vacation, this thread popped up. It was very enjoyable until I came to the pre 9/11 posts about how much better the view of NY was in the World Trade Center vs the Statue of Liberty. I must admit that as I scrolled down thru all of the posts and appreciated all of the various "can miss" attractions, I was so struck about how lucky we are in the US to have such a wide variety of things to see and do, and how we should appreciate what we have while they are still here.

Aruba: Hot, dry, filthy. Unless you are really into snorkeling and some small time casinos, there is nothing else there, including decent restaurants.

You're right, Tom -- and the island is UGLY to boot!!

Regarding the Biltmore House and Asheville, NC.

Short of something like the cliff dwellings in the Southwest, you're not going to find a place in America with a great deal of history, because even Boston and Charleston pale in comparison to someplace like London, so you can't slam the Biltmore House because it's not "historic" enough. The place is a palace on 8,000 acres, and there's that little village, with that cool cathedral clustered at the gates. It's a working estate that produces nearly everything to sustain itslef -- it's own meat, vegetables, milk and what have you, and it's home to a collection of some 50,000 objets d'art.

And that's what it advertises itself as, so what's the problem? It's not as though there are signs posted in the bedrooms that say "King Henry VIII slept here".

And if the Biltmore House isn't historic enough, I suppose Asheville's exquisite collection of Victorian and Art Deco buildings aren't historic enough either, seeing as they were built between 1890 and 1929... We should probably just tear them down and quit pretending, shouldn't we?

And if you think Asheville isn't the place to be, you obviously haven't seen enough of it. This is a giddy city that, in my opinion, makes Charleston and Savannah look frumpy. And that's just the architecture! I neglected to mention the 3 mountain ranges and 2 rivers that converge there, the highest number of public artworks per capita of any city in the South, the great restaurants, the great shopping, the interesting people...

Sorry to rant, but we 7th generation area residents get touchy about the poor, misguided souls who think Asheville isn't the center of the universe. Heck, you think people from New Orleans and Charleston think highly of themselves and their cities, you haven't yet met a native Ashevillian -- I can have a Savannahian feeling lowly in 15 seconds flat.

I nominate Joe's Stone Crab in Miami. We were there on our honeymoon and people told us it was THE place to eat in Miami. After a 3 hour wait we were treated to the worst dinner I have ever eaten. We had more fun sitting at the bar watching the bartender get passed $100 tips for $10 drinks.

Meteor Crater, AZ
sounds interesting, but it is overpriced and does not even offer guided tours. you just pay about 10 bucks to look over the edge until you can't stand the powerful winds any longer.


And the Alamo hmmm... I am a Texan and all my pride doesn't hide the fact that is was a truly boring place.

In reference to Asheville, NC ...

You'll understand my bias since I was born here but with the exception of Hawaii, I've not seen any place I'd rather live than Asheville. It is not my intent to start a "my city is better than your city" war but I want to post another opinion for others to read.

I've probably been to the Biltmore House at least seven times in my 40 years and while the price is steep (about $35), I've never taken any visitor who wasn't thrilled. If they still offer it, I recommend spending even more money and taking the behind-the-scenes tour. In addition to the house, your admission gives you access to the gardens and winery. Touring the estate during Christmas is even more beautiful.

As for the rest of Asheville and Western North Carolina, we have most of the things people look for on vacation from shopping, to golf, to hiking, rafting, etc. At the end of July, we'll have one of the largest street festivals in the southeast - Bele Chere. Just last weekend, I attended (with about a thousand other people) a free bluegrass concert called Shindig on the Green in downtown Asheville. In early August, we hold the 75th Mountain Dance & Folk Festival. UNC Asheville (where I call home has Concerts on the Quad during the summer. The concerts are free to the public and this year we've had everything from a 1940s USO Tour to African Music and Dance to traditional Bolivian music.

These are just the events that quickly come to mind.

This seems to be a pretty good forum to ask questions so let us help you plan your next trip to North Carolina and hopefully it will turn out better.

Mike Honeycutt

Castle in the Clouds, in New Hampshire. It's not a castle - it's an old house on a hill. I just didn't get it. Anyone else been there??

About Salem: I didn't like the Witch Museum at all. I went on Halloween, when they had all these tacky little shows to boot. I wouldn't bother. But Salem itself is worth visiting. It's a pretty little town with some nice restaurants. The one must-do in Salem in the summertime is the Rockmore Floating Restaurant, a restaurant set out on a large floating pier/barge thingy right in the middle of the bay. Decent food, fun blender drinks, a bit pricey for sure, but a great experience on a nice summer day.

I love the comments about Plymouth Pebble, er, Rock. Like a lot of people, I made the mistake of expecting something like Gibraltar, so the small nondescript boulder set in the ground was pretty disappointing.

My biggies to avoid in Boston have to be Faneuil Hall and the Union Oyster House (where the U.S. Ryder Cup team had its big pre-competition dinner). The Union Oyster House is the classic tourist trap, mediocre food at overinflated prices. Faneuil Hall is pretty blech - too crowded and touristy for me. It's a lovely old building on the outside, but is pretty much like any mall anywhere on the inside. But if you must go, eat at Todd English's (relatively) new restaurant, Rustic Kitchen.

Interesting comments about Plymouth rock. The rock, in itself, is no big deal, as well as historically questionable.

What is fascinating is to study the history and to appreciate what started there. Like physicists studying the first billionths of a second after the big bang, studying what happened in the first years in Plymouth is fascinating. Was it really religious freedom? If so, why was Roger Williams banished to Rhode Island?
Sorry if I'm too deep here...

Haven't seen RUBY FALLS Tennessee mentioned yet. If you've been to any national park caves, this is a big disappointment. I believe admission was $11.50 in 2002. I realize it isn't in the national park calibre but still for that price, you expect your money's worth (especially us foreigners paying $1.60 for one U.S. dollar). You are "herded" along with about 50 others single file down a narrow passageway of the cave, having to stop along the way several times to let groups pass on the narrow path who are leaving the tour. When you arrive at the underground cave falls, the spotlights come on & flash in various colours for 10 minutes (which seem far less) then "click" off they go. If you are near the end of the 50 people forget about having time to try & take a picture of the falls plus it is too dark for the photos to turn out on most spotlight colours. By the time the end of the tour gets up close enough to look at the falls, it's time to turn around and trudge back. I mentioned my disappointment to the desk on my way out. He said it was their busy time of year and they had to get many groups through in a day, therefore no time to look at the falls...

Also - Oatman ghost town on Route 66 (Arizona I'm pretty sure). Nice old buildings but far too "commercialized". Not really a ghost town with every building full of souvenir shops, etc, and the streets lined full of parked cars. Many other "really abandoned" ghost towns & remains in other parts of the west & Texas. But if you are already on Route 66 heading to it --- there's no turning around. Interesting no-stopping, no room to turn around, sort of rough, dirt road to nowhere for the adventuresome.

I rather liked Mackinac Island because it's free of cars so I can ride and walk without fear of being run over by a motor vehicle. The flower garden at the Grand Hotel grounds is very gorgeous and worth a trip. Don't forget to see the Butterfly House.

If you're worried about crowds wait until fall.

I'm really shocked that Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks hasn't been mentioned. The ads for it make it look like a great tourist destination...cute shops, a lighthouse, quaint restaurants....unfortunately it takes about 2 hours to drive there from Kitty Hawk (including a ferry ride) and there is NOTHING there. "Many cute little shops" translates to "one overpriced sea shell shop and an antique place". The rest of the Outer Banks is great but Ocracoke is definitely not worth the trip

Mike & Austin

Please stop saying such great things about Asheville. We have enough tourists already so I'd just as well let the rest of the world believe it's not a worthwhile place to visit so they'll stay away.

Sorry, nomoretourists, but no way.

I went downtown last night to see Project Object at Stella Blue and when I got out at just after 2AM, there were still bars and clubs going strong downtown -- you have to respect a city that can generate good nightife on a Wednesday night.

Plus, I'm proud to report that I noticed a handful of buildings that had been lovingly renovated since the last time I really paid attention, and also some very nice new construction that blended in seamlessly with the older buildings around it. I'm too proud of downtown Asheville not to promote to anyone who will sit still long enough to listen. I can't get enough of this town!

Not US but, I tried helmet diving in Bremuda and hated it. The helmet is extremely heavy and digs into your sholders. You look through this thick glass panel. You feel like your on the wrong side of a fish bowl. And I saw alot more interesting fish just snorkeling off the beach.