Message: My husband and I are planning a 5-6 day anniversary trip in mid-September. We've just returned from a 30 day, 5 city European vacation with our 3 kids. Therefore, we'd like this trip to be very laid back and NOT in a large city. We enjoy good restaurants, quaint shops, walking and mild weather. We also like first rate lodging.

We'd like to go somewhere we haven't spent a lot of time in or around. We have narrowed it down to the following and would appreciate any sugesstions on hotels, things to do, restaurants etc. We have free airline tickets to any of these cities and we'd prefer not having more than a two hour drive from the airports in these areas:

Oakland (Napa?)
Phoenix
Spokane
Baltimore
Salt Lake City
Seattle (San Juans?)
Detroit
Portland, OR
Reno
Chicago
Providence, RI
Tuscon

So--what do you suggest? Thanks for your help.

Phoenix will not have "mild weather" in mid-Sept, but you could drive up to Sedona for some beautiful weather, first class lodging, good restaurants and excellent walking and hiking opportunities.
Baltimore and Chicago wouldn't be my idea of a "laid back", outdoor destination type of trip.
Detroit would be more of a punishment than a reward for your efforts.
Tucson will be too hot that time of year if mild weather is a key but has nice outdoor activities.
Coeur d' Alene would be a viable option (close to Spokane), quiet, no five star type lodgings, but the Coeur d' Alene resort is pretty nice.
Napa would certainly fit your criteria, but will require some driving, of course. Oodles of restaurants and shops and some excellent B&B's. Plus the option of a day or two elsewhere in the Bay Area. Ever been south to Carmel or even Big Sur? Worth the trip.
Driving out of Portland to Columbia River Gorge provides a couple days of beautiful scenery, walking opportunities. I'm not a huge fan of Portland's restaurant and hotel scene if it's first class that you're looking for.
Providence fits all your criteria, Seattle , too.
Reno would require Tahoe to be your base, as Reno itself has few redeeming qualities. Not as many restaurant options as some of the others and real top level lodging there is lacking. Sure is spectacularly beautiful, though.
Have you considered Charleston, SC? It fits all your criteria, as does Santa Fe.

I pretty well agree with Brian. You should remove Oakland from your list. The Napa Valley is definitely great but some other base in the SF Bay area would be preferable to Oakland.

Forget Detroit! Lots to see but talk about feeling fearful! Also felt the same way in Philly. Make those two cities day-trips.

You can find great things to do in Chicago and Cleveland. The rock and roll hall of fame is exceptional in cleveland, beautiful waterfront with science center too, nice Ritz downtown and great restaurants. Take in their world-class symphony on the lawn at Blossom, (open air theatre) and the wife loves the shopping there. Chicago - ditto. We were pleasantly surprised about both.

Jayne,

Having 5-6 days for your September anniversary trip, doubt you'd want to spend long hours flying. Phoenix in Sept. is monsoon(sp) season. Seattle (San Juan Islands) would be delightful but you could easily spend a day getting to the Islands.
You could fly into Providence and rent car and drive to Nantucket which has good restaurants, quaint shops, walking and mild weather (as well as first rate lodging).

Yes, Cleveland is quite the city now. Hadn't been there in years - very nice place for a weekend, especially the summer. Check out "The Flats" for good food and fun.

Salt Lake City is stunningly breathtaking and Providence, Rhode Island is great - try to make it to newport, r.i. Have the best time.

Hi Jayne,
I'd recommend Seattle for 2 days, then Victoria BC for 2, and back to Seattle for the last day or 2. If you rent a car for a couple of days in Seattle you can add Mt. Rainier or Olympic National Park to the outdoor agenda. Lots of good accommodation, restaurant, and shopping options.

Jayne,

Noticed you wrote a 2nd post, asking for assistance.
Were none of our suggestions helpful?

Jayne

I live in Detroit... Trust me you don't want to waste your time and money... Nothing here... They just opened 2 new Casinos..You'll be sorry in Detroit..I'd recommend Vegas for any Casino Action.. Beautiful Hotels!!! Lots to see in Vegas besides gambling..Shows are Awesome!! I hear Chicago is a nice a happening place. I'd recommend Seattle then a trip to Victoria Island in British Columbia. BEAUTIFUL place... nice quaint town.. Visit the famous flower gardens etc....

Just want to clarify something here. Oakland is a very good airport to fly into when you want to visit either Napa valley, Sonoma or the Northern coast of California! Less congested than SFO and fewer delays because of fog. Similarly, San Jose is more convenient for those who want to visit Monterey, Carmel and Big Sur. We always try to avoid SFO!

We just returned tonight from a long weekend in wonderful Cleveland! Yes, we were thrilled. My hubby had a meeting there thurs. and we went with him and had a great time. One day we spent at Cedar Point, discussed here before as the best in the world for roller coasters, and that is so true. They're incredible! Then we spent 1/2 day at Sea World (it rained so we left) and then we visited the Rock Hall of Fame and shopped downtown. We ran out of time or we would have gone to Six Flags Ohio, just east of town. Maybe not a relaxing trip like you want, but certainly LOTS more to see and do and totally classy. We're planning to return this fall and go to the Lake Erie Islands, which are said to be similar to Monterey & Chautauqua.

Carmel and Monterrey are really nice. You can go to wineries for tastings, see the aquarium in Monterrey, walk on the beach at Carmel, shop, drive along the coast, etc. We spent 5 days there once around New Year's and loved it. Napa and Sonoma Valleys are also wonderful places to spend a few days.