Destination suggestions for mother/daughter visit
 

I'm looking for suggestions on a destination where my daughter and I could meet for a 3 day visit some time in July.

She lives in Florida, I live in Toronto, and I was wondering about a sort of halfway point destination ...

Geographically speaking, the Carolinas would be about halfway, but Charlotte seems kind of boring, and we've already been to Charleston...

We'd like to meet in a larger city because the flights to go there are cheaper. (for instance, flights for both us to go to NYC are cheaper than for us to fly in to Charlotte)(and no, NYC wouldn't be the right fit at this time...)

We're interested in a low-key, R&R visit...no museums or big excursions. We'd like a hotel (not a B&B) somewhere in or near a neighbourhood with nice cafes and shops.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Bloom

Asheville!!!

ttt

If you're interested in a big city, Philly and NYC may not be exactly halfway, but both have relatively inexpensive flights from both Toronto and Florida. You could also fly into Atlantic City (Jersey shore) or Myrtle Beach, SC if you were looking for something beachier.

starrsville- Where is Asheville? I've never even heard of it so I doubt that there would be cheap flights there! ;)

mog- What does 'ttt' mean?

karameli- NYC wouldn't be the right fit at this time- there is so much that I want to see and do there and we want more of an R&R holiday...

What would Philly be like to visit? I know nothing about it except that it's the home of cheesesteak sandwiches (hoagies?) and the Philadelphia Flyers (like a true Canuck would) :p

and as for Myrtle Beach, I always thought of it as a destination more suited to golfers...

ty for your suggestions

Bloom,

Asheville is in western North Carolina. I haven't been there, but I've heard it's a cute, artsy city. The Biltmore Estate is there, and I believe it's close to the Blue Ridge Mountains. They do have a regional airport.

TTT means "to the top" -- mog was just bringing your post up so it would get more action.

Philly is fun if you love museums, history, and/or bars. :) And yes, best cheesesteaks ever! You can visit the art museum (from Rocky), Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, and the Franklin Institute (they're running a King Tut exhibit all summer). I know you don't want to do any "big" excursions, but these are all sites where you can just wander leisurely and it's no biggie (IMO, of course) if you miss 'em altogether. There's loads of shopping, cafes, and nightlife in the Old City neighborhood and on South Street. I grew up just outside of Philly and love it!

Myrtle Beach does have a lot of golf courses, but also a lot of big beach resorts where you could just relax. Check your dates first though, because they do have Biker Week sometime during the summer, which would NOT give you much R&R! :P

One other thought...what about Bermuda? It's a ways off the coast of NC, so it would still be in the middle. That would allow for SERIOUS relaxation. :)

Search for some more info on Asheville, Bloom, I think you might like it...although it will be horribly muggy in July. How about Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, or what's that fancy resort island in, on, Michigan, I think it is?

Asheville? "horribly muggy in July"? Asheville?

Sometimes I wonder if I've actually been to the same places others talk about.

>> Asheville, NC, WNC's largest city, has a mild climate year-round. At an elevation just over 2000', the climate in Asheville is definitely different from surrounding Southeastern cities. Several towns in Western NC are considerably higher than Asheville - up to 5500' at Beech Mountain - so keep this in mind as elevation is one of the prime factors affecting weather.

Summer:
Temperatures are typically in the mid 80's, with only occasionally 90 or above, and scattered afternoon thunderstorms are likely. The cool forests, cold streams, and high mountain elevations offer reprise from the heat on rare occasions when it gets too hot to ride in the valleys. When cold fronts do move through, widespread heavy rain can occur, and influence from tropical systems - rain and wind - is possible toward late summer.<<

http://www.mtbikewnc.com/areainfo/weather.html

Asheville may not have the discount tix you are looking for, but you could drive from Charlotte if you wanted. Greenville SC is an alternate airport. You could also fly to Atlanta and head north into the mountains. Charlottesville VA is nice - but not sure about the airport situation.

Asheville is wonderful! Exactly what you describe. The Biltmore Estate. Grove Park Inn and so many other options.

Well, muggy is in the eye of the beholder, I guess--I consider the entire southeast to be horribly muggy in the summer, although please note that I didn't say "hot". Certainly the mountains will be much nicer than points south with lower elevations.

'Kay? ;-)

Okay for you to have your opinion that "the entire southeast to be horribly muggy in the summer" but not so okay if it's not accurate - and steers folks away.

Have you been to Asheville in July? If, so 'kay. But, it's not how I would describe Asheville. Because of its location, including elevation, but also the transpiration of the surrounding forests, Asheville and other southern mountain locations offer a haven and respite from the "horribly muggy" weather down the road and/or valley.

I bought in a mountain location and was SURE I was going to have to screen in the porch - because I didn't believe it when I was told "no bugs" - and was SURE I was going to have to install at least a window air conditining unit - for "hot, muggy, southern nights". Instead, there's a throw on the back of every chair to chase the chill away on summer nights, there a closet full of sweatshirts, flannel shirts and sweatpants - because guests don't believe me when I tell them it's going to be cold at night. A lot of the time, flannel sheets are on the bed in the summer.

So, paint with a broad brush and tell others that Asheville will be "horribly muggy" on the basis that it is part of "the entire southeast".

IMO Asheville may meet Bloom's descriptions - but now may not consider it because she's been told it "horribly muggy".

BTW, I do love Cape Cod as well as the coast of Maine in summer - but those are a bit further north than I think the OP is looking for.

Asheville's relative humidity in the mornings in July is 95%; in the afternoons, 62%. Average for the year is 90%.
That's higher than Tampa's, btw.
http://www.cityrating.com/cityhumidi...City=Asheville

Just because you need a blanket doesn't mean it's not muggy--that's the difference between heat and humidity, which can make cool air feel even cooler.

Well, I can't speak for Asheville, but if humidity is a problem, you'll find loads of it in Philly! ;) I love the muggy summer weather, but I have a hard time finding people who agree with me.

NewbE, if you have been to Asheville in July and consider it muggy, then say so.

You can throw stats around all day long and can make them mean anything you want them to mean. Wonder what transpiration of forests surrounding Asheville means? Hmmm.... What is the definition of transpiration? Hmmm.... plants putting moisture in the area perhaps? And, that means 95% humidity automatically feels the same as 95% in Charleston or Atlanta or other SE locations? I think not, but heck, that's only based on personal experience.

I'm stopping. Asheville is "horribly muggy" because NewbE considers the "entire southeast" to be horribly wrong. OP please disregard my personal experience and go with NewbE and the stats.

Good luck finding a location that meets your needs and have a great get-together with your daughter. (Search on this board if you want to read more great things about Asheville if you are at all interested). Safe travels.

karameli, I'm kind of partial to hot and muggy myself. Certainly, I prefer it to cold and windy, and here in PA they do seem to be my two choices (although it is lovely today.)

Philadelphia has some great restaurants too, Bloom. Come on down!

The funny thing is, I actually think Asheville would be a great choice for the OP--I just thought it would be fair warning to say that it will, of course, be muggy. Given that the OP's daughter lives in Florida, I hardly think this will come as news, anyway. One comment, all this tsuris...

Guess what I learned from that source of stats. If, relative humidity truly means "muggy", then Asheville, NC is THE MUGGIEST PLACE IN JULY IN ALL OF THE USA!!! Wow! And, based on yearly stats, only Eugene, OR and Olympia, WA are "muggier" than Asheville, NC. Double wow! Who knew!?!?! OR and WA are "muggier" than Asheville, NC.

Of course, if relative humidity means the amount of moisture in the air, and if the nice cool moisture from plants from the forests could contribute to the pleasant conditions I've experienced in Asheville in July.

So, based on the stats and NewbE's interpretation of the stats, the following cities will be LESS "muggy" than Asheville.

Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Ft. Myers - (someone should really tell all the Floridians who have bought summer and second homes to escape "the heat and humidity" they've made a BIG mistake. Asheville it more "muggy" than Florida in July.

DC, New Orleans, New York City, Dallas and Houston - who knew!?! All of those cities are less muggy than Asheville NC. I've spent horribly humid July days in each of those cities and would guess that Asheville would have offered a nice cool respite on that given day. I was wrong (according to the stats).

What an amazing thing to learn. Asheville NC is THE muggiest location in July in all of the USA! (according to the cited stats). I think I'll call some friends who live there. I don't think they know that either. :-(

Sorry, but this is like the stupidest argument ever.

Maybe so...but I'm just happy that my post is getting this kind of attention :p

Ty for your comments and insight...I was pondering things this morning, BEFORE seeing the debate about what constitutes mugginess ;)...and even though my darling daughter said that July would be a good time to meet, I'm going to suggest that we meet in September instead. She wanted to escape the heat in Florida, but to me, hot is hot (I'm not gonna mention the M word here...)and we'll be wanting to escape the heat (and the crowds) no matter which place we decide on.

I like that Asheville sounds artsy, as one poster put it, but I really would like to keep things simple in terms of taking a cab from a larger airport to our hotel. But ty for your suggestion, Starrsville.

Ty Mog for ttt'ing my post! :)

Karameli- I like your description of Philly...but even better, I really like your suggestion of Bermuda- good thinking! However, if we're going to reschedule things for September, I'm worried about hurricanes. :S

Why don't you go to Canyon Ranch Spa in Vermont for a few days?

Good luck finding what you are looking for. Depending on the airlines available to you, Colorado may be a good option - in both July and in September.

Half of the neighbors on my lane are from Florida and spend the summers in the mountains. No air conditioning needed. I won't use that other word :-)

Look on the bright side, starrs--now that the world knows Asheville as the humidity capital of America, you might have it all to yourself.

I don't live there. I'm 81 miles south - at lower elevations - but just as wonderfully pleasant and not muggy. I actually live in a temperate rainforest. Kind of like WA and OR - but in that "horribly muggy" southeast US :-)

Another "bright side" to all of this NewbE. You now know that if you need a place in the SE to spend some delightful, non-muggy time, Asheville NC fits the bill perfectly! :-)

Gosh ..... and I was thinking about going to Asheville, but now I think I'll go to the amazon in July - which is probably less muggy. ;)

I wanted to go to DC this summer, but I understand they don't have enough museums to keep one busy. ;)

Bloom, use kayak.com to compare flight rates from your airports. It's a great tool to see the flight options at which fares.

BTW, Asheville is less than $300 for each of you in August. It is absolutely delightful despite today's concerns :-)

Awright, awright!

I grew up in DC. I know muggy. And you, Asheville, are no(t) muggy!

Although I was in Asheville in August last year, and it was rainy and...you guessed it!
0:-)

Asheville muggy you say??? I don't think so. You want muggy in the summer. Come to Baltimore in July and August. That's what "mugginess" is all about!

How about Williamstown, MA in the summer? can you both fly into Albany, NY ?
Williamstown would give you B & B's, Williamstown Theater Festival if you want to see a show at night, (which also offers aside from the main show, smaller show by new directors and actors), a quaint downtown with shops and restaurants, nearby the Mass MOCA museum -

Or for summer destinations, some college town areas are often a good choice for what you are looking for - the colleges like Skidmore, which has a great downtown with what you are looking for plus the summer arts and performances -

Middlebury VT ( can you fly into Burlington? Burlington and the hour drive to Middlebury, lots of B & B's, restaurants, quaint downtown Middlebury, magnificent views of lakes/mtns and some museums -

I think I would pick Philadelphia, then maybe Baltimore.

Why not Atlanta? Cheap flights, great shopping and restaurants. Botanical garden, History Center, High Museum are lots of fun. Stay in Buckhead or Midtown.

This mugginess debate has me cracking up. My parents and seemingly half the population of South Florida move to Asheville every summer to escape the Florida heat.

Regardless, dew point is a much better indicator of how muggy the air feels (http://tinyurl.com/2zvfp). When the dew point gets above 60, most people will feel the air is humid; above 70 and they feel uncomfortable. Here are the averages for Asheville: http://tinyurl.com/32pkes.

But how about Chicago?

It's true, you're at the start of hurricane season (or at least the most active part) in September. On the upside, you can get much better rates than usual to Bermuda...on the downside, you'd probably want travel insurance. But I've read that Bermuda is only brushed or hit by a hurricane every three seasons. 'Course, the odds mean nada if you're the one whose vacation gets washed out! :P

sweet 16 mother /daughter weekend.
instead of making big sweet 16 parties. my daughters childhood friends 9 in all and all the mother's went on a 3 day sweet 16 weekend to Universal Orlando.
it was fabulous!!!and a time we will all remember!!

Huh?

What about San Francisco. No "muggiest" problem. Lots of great shopping and restaurants and places to bike or walk.

A couple of year ago I needed a 3-4 day get away. (Three sons in high school and jr high had just completed a season of many, many sport events...my mom couldn't go) I decided I needed to go somewhere on my own.

My criteria was: I wanted to eat some good seafood, small airport, feel comfortable on my own.

I flew into Providence, RI - great airport, easy to get to rental car, etc. Cost was about the same as any other destination I looked into. Drove to Newport and spent 4 days, 3 nights. I visited a couple of the "mansions", had wonderful food, walked around town and by car did a little antique and fun shopping.

I would highly recommend this trip.

By the way, I have been to Asheville and I had a very nice time in Sept...but it was HUMID.

Mother/daughter visits are so very nice...take advantage any time you can.

have fun
loveyblue

Bloom

If you're looking at a larger city with cheaper airfare, consider the neighborhood of Georgetown in Washington DC in September (but not July!!). We have three airports to choose from & for flight comparisons I suggest www.sidestep.com To keep your visit low-key, stay at a hotel in Georgetown, and walk to nice cafes and shops. Stroll along the C&O canal for some greenery. The weather is pleasant in September. I know you said no museums, but there are some (about 10) nice low-key small museums in Dupont Circle area, the Textile museum for example. Quite the opposite of the Smithsonian. There is convenient public transportation via Metro. I would also recommend the neighborhood of Old Town Alexandria, VA (again, in September not July), you can walk to everything: hotel, nice restaurants and interesting shops. Metro is nearby and even connects to Reagan National Airport.