National Parks are really fantastic. Great Scenery, Great Lodges, some even have Great Food. It really just depends on your interest.

Alaska/Denali/Katmai/Kenai/Lake Clark

Mesa Verde/Durango/Monument Valley

Acadia/Bar Harbour/Maine

Yellowstone/Grand Tetons

Redwoods/Crater Lake/Columbia River Gorge

Raft Grand Canyon

Any National Park in Utah

Yosemite or Sequioa NP/San Fran/Big Sur

Mount Rushmore/Wind Cave/Badlands

I would do 2 city and 2 beach - SF, NYC, Cape Cod and Florida panhandle.

But, since you've "done" the city locations, I would do Seattle/ Olympic Penisula, over to Victoria BC via the San Juans and then a Sedona/ Grand Canyon combination. If you've been to the South Rim, go to the North Rim.

I'd do Cape Cod in the summer and Florida panhandle beach in the fall.

Here's where we are so far

We are thinking of going to North Carolina above Asheville for a week in May. In July we are thinking about either Stowe VT or Washington State Hoh Rain forest; In September -- third week maybe either Utah National Park or Sedona nad Grand Canyon. For Thanksgiving the Keys.

We need to work this around going to visit parents as well so we may have to eliminate one trip but this is our start.

Thanks for all your help -- any additional ideas would be welcome!

I can tell you our plans should the job market, etc. work out. Keep in mind we reside in CLT so we spend lots of long weekends at the beach & the Mts. to which you refer. Montserrat (Spring), Maine (Summer),Keys (Fall actually Thanksgiving also, we usually go down Thanksgiving Day & come back on Tuesday after), Germany(XMas).

In regards to the Asheville area, we like Black Mt./Montreat & up around the Hot Springs area to escape the crowds. If you like wine I can also suggest some wineries that are not too far & worth a daytrip (Nearer Winston-Salem).

I don't know if you said where you are coming from, these are places I want to go to:

Quebec City
Chicago
Seattle
Asheville
North East (VT) in the fall

Oops. I forgot Yosemite. That is at the top of my list...

By now you have started working down the list but if you still need more suggestions here are mine. (By the way we live in Asheville so a vacation destination has to be pretty special to beat staying home

Spring--Charleston /Savannah which can easily be done in a week

Fall--Robbinsville NC (Snowbird Mountain Lodge) which could also be combined with a few days in the Great Smokies NP

Winter--San Diego. What a beautiful city with so much to do not only right there but in neighboring towns like La Jolla

Summer--Olympic NP either based in Port Angeles which allows for day trips to Victoria BC (Buchart Gardens) or San Juan islands. OR you could spend part of the time on one of the islands and the rest in PA. Acadia NP is also a gem and staying outside Bar Harbor (Southwest Harbor or another close by locale) is cheaper and less frantic.

Since you love hiking, restaurants and wonderful lodging, I would also recommend the Canadian Rockies for your early Sept. trip and St. John for your May, after tax season trip.

The Canadian Rockies is a hiker's paradise with spectacular scenery and wonderful places to stay.

St. John was our most romantic one week get away--villa with private pool perched on a hillside with fabulous views out over the water. Hiking, beautiful beaches, boat trips--it has it all.

On your list thus far I would definitely recommend Stowe,Vt and Zion NP.

I honeymooned in Stowe 6 years ago, it's this great little mountain town with a bunch of gourmet restaurants. If you have some money to splurge I highly recommend The Stone Hill Inn.

For me Zion NP ranks as one of the most beautiful places in the world (along with Provence and St. Johns). It's breathtaking and Springfield is such a cute little gateway town.

I'm planning on a vacation in August. Hopefully I will be going up to Anchorage to stay with a friend but if our schedules don't match up I'm thinking about Asheville or returning to Zion.

I'll give you the 'typical' trips for us. Thanksgiving - Key West. Still not high season & flights are typically cheap. Fly in Thursday leave Tuesday. Amelia Island - Usually January/New Years. Several Wine Spectator rated restaurants as well as many good B & B's in Old Town, or on the Beach. Europe (Esp. Paris or Munich areas) Feb./Mar. also off season but the weather can be great. It may be rainy but will likely always be better than here (in the SE US). Great value for your $$$. The Caribbean - Mar./Apr. also great deals to be had & awesome weather. The NC Mts. - November. After the leaf peepers leave, discounts abound & the area is still great. I prefer Black Mt. (outside of Asheville) for its close proximity to the Parkway. West Jefferson (Near Boone) or Hot Springs (near the Appalachian Trail). Carolina beaches - October, the best weather & no people, you cam still get in the water & everything is still open.

As an aside, I reside in Charlotte so many of these places we routinely visit for long weekends.

Here's a West Coast and East Coast recommendation:

If you like both city life and hiking/scenery, try Seattle for a few days

http://www.visitseattle.org/visitors/itineraries/

then drive out to Salish Lodge near the Snoqualmie Falls (beautiful!!!)

http://www.salishlodge.com/

and even leave a day or two to venture up north to the San Juan Islands or further still to Vancouver or Victoria, British Columbia (all considered "day trips" from Seattle (don't forget your passports!).

My DH and I did this very trip a few years back (flying in from Calif. and staying only a week) and LOVED it.

Another favorite itinerary is to fly into Boston (including the various neighborhoods within), stay a few days, drive or ride the train (we realized with luggage or not, the train would have been more convenient than a rental car. You can walk everywhere or catch the subway in Boston, and the train goes upstate and down to the cape with no problems) up north to Gloucestor

http://www.bassrocksoceaninn.com/

then back down to Boston or over to Cape Cod (we stayed in Chatham)

http://www.chathambarsinn.com/

Again, we only had 1 week and LOVED it!

Another recommendation that covers a lot of ground in California and could be interesting, both in history and scenery. Plan a road trip and travel down The Royal Highway, a.k.a. El Camino Real. From Sonoma County to San Diego or vice versa. We visited 4 missions in 6 hours driving from Sacramento, CA to Cayucos, CA. It was fun! Follow the bells!

http://missions.bgmm.com/

Being a California Native, I could spend 5-7 days in EACH of the following counties:

San Luis Obisbo County (San Simeon, Cayucos, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach)

Sonoma County (Sonoma, Bodega Bay, Petaluma, Duncans Mills, Fort Ross, Jenner - Goat Rock, Freestone, Bodega, Occidental)

Napa County (wine, shopping & massages/mud bathes, what else?)

Marin County (oh my gosh... too much! Muir Woods, Stinson Beach, Tiburon, Dillions Beach, Point Reyes, Angel Island)

San Mateo County (same as above - too much to list. Start in Pacifica and drive down visiting/stopping at all coastal communities until you get to Ana Nuevo State Park - plan it correctly and see elephant seals!)

Shasta County (Whiskeytown, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Redding - Sundial Bridge (amazing at night!), Mount Shasta, Sacramento River)

Mendocino County (Fort Bragg, Russian River, Skunk Train, Point Arena, Mendocino)

And of course, lovely Carmel, Monterey and nearby sites, hikes and beaches!

If you like driving, walking, wine, countryside and California, you could also try this off the beaten track road trip... Lots of opportunities to take photographs, windowshop and taste local cuisine. It includes a long list of wineries, a woodsy-hiking-walking area that is not as known or popular as Lake Tahoe or Yosemite, and a long but beautiful drive on the Northern California coast. A week (spending a few days in each county) and several tanks of gas would be ideal for this road trip!

My suggestion:

From Sacramento, CA take Hwy 80 West towards San Francisco OR from the Bay Area, take Hwy 80 east.

Take Hwy 12 (Napa County) to Hwy 29 into Napa, Yountville, St. Helena, and Calistoga. Stopping on the way for lunch, wine or shopping.

http://napavalley.com/visitorsinfo/N...Winery_Map.pdf

Continuing on Hwy 29 to Hwy 128 (now entering Sonoma County). Take 101 North (you'll be near Geyersville) to Cloverdale and get back on Hwy 128.

http://www.sonoma.com/visitorsinfo/S...Winery_Map.pdf

Take Hwy 128 (now entering Mendocino County) to Yorkville, Boonville and into Hendy Woods

http://www.mcn.org/1/mendoparks/hendy.htm

Be sure to check out the "Hermit Huts" there. From here, you can turn around and revisit more winery country to take pictures, have a picnic or wine taste.

Or you can continue on Hwy 128 (heading west) to Hwy 1. Take Hwy 1 South to Point Arena, Gualala, Stewart's Point, Fort Ross, Jenner, Bodega Bay and back inland to Petaluma, Hwy 37 to Vallejo and onto Hwy 80 either heading east to Sacramento or west to San Francisco.

I would definitely throw Boston and Charleston into the mix.