Are there any suggestions on where to visit in the Eastern part of the U.S. in early April? My husband, 10 yr old son and I will be traveling together. We are looking for a short (1 wk) family getaway. We would like to see beautiful scenery and decent temps to spend time outside...not sure that part is possible. I'm not familiar with the weather in that area.

If you are considering a beach trip -- my family (son - 10, daughter - 8) goes to Litchfield, SC every year. There's tons to do and April is a great time of year to visit -- also, houses and condos are much less expensive to rent in April. One of the places we visited while at Litchfield last year is Brookgreen Gardens - here's what I wrote about it on A Day's Outing, ( http://adaysouting.com/blog/?s=brookgreen )

Washington DC, Philadelphia and Wilmington (Longwood Gardens) will be lovely as will Williamsburg in Virginia and the Charlottesville and Richmond areas. Charleston, SC, and Savannah, Georgia, will be glorious. Southern Florida will be getting really hot, but northern Florida is beginning its season about April 10.

New England will be in mud season, not at its best, and the Marathon fills hotels in Boston mid-month. New York City can be wonderful or rainy and damp, but there is so much to do there that it doesn't really matter if you are outside.

Late March and early April is prime azalea season along coastal SC and NC, of course each year the season varies a bit. You might get some perspective at my site www.drivecrosscountry.net of a variety of places. Click route K and you can get an idea of places in sequence from north to south.

I think a 10yr old would enjoy going on a battleship, USS North Carolina, in Wilmington, NC; or aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, just north of Charleston, SC.

Also, he might enjoy dining in Myrtle Beach at the Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede dinner and show -- it's a dinner theatre with horses performing.

Or, exploring (or getting out and running a bit) at the Civil War forts at Fort Fisher (just south of Wilmington, NC near the aquarium) or at Brunswick Town (a few miles north of Southport, NC. A ferry runs from Southport to Fort Fisher and kids enjoy that. There's a nice beach at Fort Fisher. And, of course at Charleston there is Fort Sumter where the Civil War started.

Acklander (above) mentioned Williamsburg, VA. This is a wonderful trip. If your son is interested, even a bit, in the colonial period you could spend a week here. In mid April the gardens are prime. There are a number of activites geared to children - you can check the site for Colonial Williamsburg.

For a fix on the weather go to www.wunderground.com and go down a couple of screens to "seasonal weather averages" for info and temp and rain.

Early April is still very early spring and the trees won;t be in leaf north of DC (or at higher elevations south of DC). You need to check when cherry blossom is in DC (that's the beginning of things there looking pretty). If you want pretty foliage and warmer weather that early in the year you should stick to the Carolinas or Florida.

Thank you all for the info! I am going to check out the suggestions you've offered. It sounds like the Carolina's would be our best bet for that time of year. I may have more questions to come...