wiscodadoffour

I am looking for suggestions on where to take my family on an ~month long vacation in the US. Since I can’t take a month straight off from work, I am planning to work Mon-Wed., and then go out with the fam Thurs. - Sun.

So I am looking for a City/Town as a central hub where we could rent VRBO with reliable internet/cell service that I can use for work.
The spot we are looking for would have:
-Cities/Towns nearby that have attractions that the wife and kids would enjoy Mon. - Wed. (Shops, libraries, fun restaurants, mini golf, parks etc.)
-Surrounding area would need to have national parks, nice state parks, historical sites, etc.

To give you an idea, I have looked at Asheville NC, and Rapid City, SD, but am still looking for more spots.

I work from home so me and the wife think this will be how we show our kids the world..... but I need your help with some ideas.

Thanks!!

Gretchen

Asheville is good. Charleston or that part of the southeast coast would be lovely--and even in the summer to be on the beach.
Even central NC around Winston Salem (for a smaller town than say Charlotte). It is half way to the mountains and half way to the beach. Just north is the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Greenville South Carolina would be nice. Furman University, good art museum. Day trips to the mountains.

Gretchen

And then there is Colorado. Look at any of the threads here for all there is to do there!!

tomfuller

Where are you starting from? Do you intend to drive your own car or fly somewhere and rent a car? Depending on how many kids, You could also get a 15 or 30 day USA RailPass for each person and maybe stay 2 or 3 places.

dfrostnh

Maine, VT or NH would be good possibilities but it also depends on age of children. I'll claim NH as ideal since you have lakes, mountains, and ocean plus Boston is less than 2 hours away depending on where you end up. In my area, there is a wonderful place where you can rent kayaks but if you had your own kayaks you would be able to go to a different place every day. I know of one place that is somewhat secluded. Saw Great Blue Herons nesting and hear there's eagles now, too. Several amusement parks, zip line places, mini golf galore, independent book stores, free outdoor summer concerts, historical sites and activities, and you don't have to drive very far. Did I mention lobster can be around $4.99/lb at the supermarkets in summer and they'll steam them for free. You can even get a trail map for ice cream stands.

wiscodadoffour

Starting from Wisconsin, and plan on driving. All our kids are great in the car, so we don’t mind long road trips.

sf7307

Lake Tahoe would be great. I've worked there remotely myself.

tomfuller

If you want them to see the Atlantic Ocean, take them to both New London CT and Mystic CT. I enjoyed the self guided tour of the Nautilus at the US Submarine Museum in New London. Mystic has some older history.

suze

I like the New England suggestion... Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine.

Gretchen

Going by railroad gives you SO much ability to see the surrounding areas in a month's time, let alone going out to dinner some nights. OH, yeah, rent a car--more money you could spend somewhere else.

tomfuller

My trip last year with my wife was from Winnemucca Nevada (where we parked the car) to Chicago on the California Zephyr. We spent several hours in Chicago before getting on the Lake Shore Limited overnight to Erie PA. I rented a car in Erie for 10 days. We stopped near Rochester NY to visit friends and family and went onward from there finding geocaches in VT, NH, ME, MA, RI and CT. The stop to see the US Submarine Museum and the Nautilus was an added bonus.
From CT, I drove across the northern tier of PA where I attended my 50th HS reunion. From Wellsboro we went down to see some of my work associates from my career with the PA Bureau of Forestry in central PA.
We had the chance to visit Presque Isle State Park in Erie before returning the car and waiting at the train station for the late train back to Chicago.
We spent several hours in Chicago before getting on the California Zephyr back to Winnemucca. We were 7 hours late getting into WNN but it was in no way Amtrak's fault. A sleepy driver dumped his load of cattle feed on the tracks in eastern Colorado.
One of the cities that I hate to drive through is Chicago. I am also not fond of driving the length of Nebraska (or Kansas).

ToujoursVoyager

Why limit yourself to the USA? Why not go to France or Italy for a month since all you need a good internet connection. That would show in IMO, your wife and your children the world, and not just the USA.

wiscodadoffour

Only limiting to US for this thread. We will get to the rest of the world when our kiddos are a bit older.

rvvagbond

Found this on the net -

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tri...cid=spartandhp
10 Best set out to find the best attraction in each U.S. state, beginning with 20 nominees in each location. After five rounds of voting, the readers have spoken. These are the best attractions in each state as voted by you.
vaga

marvelousmouse

I actually think France, Italy, or the UK would be easier on your wife- more to do in compact areas, great transit. It would be a fabulous experience.

but I like the northeast idea too. Portland Maine, or Vermont.

DC area would have a lot to offer as well. San Diego would be fun. Kids are pretty much endlessly entertained by beaches.

emalloy

rvvagabond, did you look at that list of "best attractions"? People must have been given a very short list to choose from. While many were interesting and worth a visit the sites listed must have paid to be put on the list.

As to where to go with kids for a month, that depends on when you plan to go.

Mid coast Maine would be fine between the middle of June and September, in March not so much.

Phoenix area would be fine in March, not so much June to September.

Gretchen

I SO agree with you Emalloy. I guess the "rub" is finding something in each state, but that is a strange list to me!! LOL

rvvagbond

emalloy - Yes, I read it and found it very informative. Visited many of those places. The should have added Truman's library in addition to Ike's Both are excellent. They recommended Mormon Temple Square which is very good; however, they should have added you can not enter that Temple unless you are a Mormon.

I don't see any harm in viewing that site

Vaga

mocha_dolce

Since you are bringing your children, I'll assume this will be a summer trip when they would be out of school. Recommend early summer, as soon as your kids are out of school, especially for Hilton Head and Outer Banks which can be humid. Hurricanes are rare but more likely in late August too.

My top picks, with plenty to do in and nearby in short car trips for your weekends. All services available (Internet, grocery stores, theaters). Suggest you rent on or walking distance to the beach.

Hilton Head Island (beaches, golf, mini-golf, water sports, horseback riding, children's museum, nearby: Savannah, Charleston, outlet shopping, various historic plantations and gardens)
Cape Cod (many distinctive communities on the Cape, with beaches, bike trails, museums, potato chip factory tour, boat trips. nearby: Boston, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Plimoth Plantation)
Outer Banks(on the islands: the ocean and the sound, lighthouses, wild ponies, water sports, sand dunes, the "Lost Colony" show)

justlivingitup

Have you heard anything about Hood River Oregon. It's around an hour's drive from Portland, but yet a world away. It's got great hiking, beautiful mountains, great wineries, fantastic farms to visit. Depending on what time of year you go, you can drive the fruit loop and taste and buy great fresh produce. I highly recommend the area.