Rigarama

Hi everyone,

again many thanks for all the good suggestions.

I sense a clamour (or is that clamor?) for San Antonio. Thanks sarge56 and Seamus. I'll look into it some more.

Some good endorsements for West Florida. As for Arizona, I have probably been biased by too many Road Runner cartoons but I think it may be a little too desert-ed for this trip. It may also be a bit far west. The same applies for San Diego, despite its attractions.

Strait-laced Charleston,I can handle and Savannah also sounds attractive. I'm not sure how my sassy daughter would handle The Lady Chablis though (if s/he is still in action).

So where does that leave us:

#1 West Florida (various locations)
#2 Charleston
#3 San Antonio (but rising - any football in February? NBA is OK but NFL or other pro league would be better)

I'm still interested in non-New Orleans, non-Mardi Gras Louisiana (So far we have had Midnight in the Garden of Kevin Spacey and Road Runner so this may be a good time to mention Angel Heart as a reason to skip N.O. with kids.) How about LaFayette or even Baton Rouge?

TxTravelPro, thanks for the itinerary but I'm afraid we will have neither the time nor energy for such a trip. A single multi-purpose centre with plenty to do, that is evocative of "the South" (whatever that may be) and also real is our ideal.

No mention of Oklahoma or Arkansas yet - presumably they fall into the Tennessee trap of being a bit chilly at that time of year (the well-titled TravelOK website euphemistically refers to "fewer winter weather episodes" in February).

As ever I'm open to offers - either for an alternative to W. Florida or for a specific location in that region.

Thanks again.

Tim

cheryllj

Skipping NOLA because of Angel Heart? That would be like me saying that I wanted to skip London because of 28 Days Later or Children of Men.

New Orleans is a wonderful city to visit with lots of things to do for people of all ages. (I think - hope -- you're being facetious, but just in case.)

If you want to go someplace "evocative of the South," avoid anywhere in Florida south of Pensacola. New Orleans or Charleston would be better choices.

cheryllj

Also: football season (NFL) is over by February. NBA basketball will be going strong, though. (Summer is baseball, fall is football, winter basketball.)

mah1980

New Orleans paired with plantation country would be fun and warm, then you could take a quick direct flight to Miami for really warm beach weather and drive to the Keys.

Rigarama

Yep, I was being facetious - I'm somewhat schizo about NOLA (even pre-Katrina) as a basic attraction to Cajun/Zydeco/Jambalaya etc is conflicting with Basin/Bourbon St hyper-tourism honeypots.

I would take the NOLA of "Confederacy of Dunces" any time but don't really believe it exists. As for London...I always think of Talking Heads - "A dark city, dark in the daytime..."

Tim

bkluvsNola

"I'm still interested in non-New Orleans, non-Mardi Gras Louisiana (So far we have had Midnight in the Garden of Kevin Spacey and Road Runner so this may be a good time to mention Angel Heart as a reason to skip N.O. with kids.) How about LaFayette or even Baton Rouge?"

I highly recommend the area around New Orleans. If you go during Mardi Gras time, go to Mamou, a very small town in Cajun Country where they do a very cool Mardi Gras. They go from door to door getting ingredients for a gumbo, and then they bring that gumbo to the Town Square and hold some festivities. It's a much more family-oriented Mardi Gras celebration. Lake Charles is also a great place to be for Mardi Gras - their parades are small and great for families.

If you happen to be in Cajun Country outside of Mardi Gras, then there's plenty to see. Tour some plantations along River Road and Bayou Teche. Tour the Tabasco Factory and Jungle Gardens at Avery Island. Taste the delicious Cajun food in Lafayette and Breaux Bridge. Go to the casinos in Lake Charles and eat at Steamboat Bill's.

There are many many other things to do.

sarge56

Rigarama,

Having lived in many parts of the country and now living in Texas for 18 years, I can tell you one thing for sure: Texas will be much easier on your wallet than Florida or Arizona.

And if you don't like NBA, there is ice hockey in February! The Central Hockey League has a team in Austin, just a hop from San Antonio. Here is the website: http://www.centralhockeyleague.com/
If you've never been to a hockey game, I'm betting you'll be hooked after your first one! It is addictive!

Again, there is SO much for kids and families to do in the San Antonio/Austin area, I just cannot recommend it enough!

Happy trails to you....

L84SKY

What would whet your curiousity?
What attracts you to Tenn?
Horses? Nashville?
I only flown over Ireland but it looks as green as the Southern states.
Are you looking that resembles Ireland but serves gumbo?

What are you going to do while on vacation? Do you want to get outside, hiking? Driving?

Have you been to the southwest?
It has a strange beauty that, if you haven't seen it, may be wonderous to you.

Last question, what don't you like about California? Or better, what do you picture when you think of California?

gail

A very practical note - it takes about as long to fly Ireland-east coast USA as it does to fly east-west coast USA. You double your time on the plane to go to west coast, and even parts of Texas, while closer, require a change of planes. As you approach shortening your list, check into what would be involved in actually getting there. For 1 week you probably don't want to spend 3 of the 7 days on a plane.

Even if it is cool, I think the kids would like to see a southern US beach - large expanses of flat smooth sand is very different than the coastline I saw when I visited Ireland.

Charleston, Savannah and adding in a barrier island (Tybee or other) might make for a nice trip. The 2 cities are about 90 minutes apart and are both relaxing - I do not think there is enough in either to occupy all of you for a week, but together it might be a nice trip. Then there are assorted beach area near by as either a day trip or overnight.

Weather will be cool, not hot - around 60-70F mid-day.

Weather.com is a good place to check out what temperatures will be - there is a place where you can check averages of each city. I think they also give temperatures in C as well as F.

As someone else mentioned, some place on the Gulf (west) coast of Florida meets many of your criteria - especially Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Captiva area. Much warmer. But not likely to be uncrowded, but not really overrun either.

And regarding having no US relatives, if you ever head to Boston area my family will offer to adopt yours and then you can say you have US relatives.

GoTravel

Good point about the flight. Anything west of Georgia could add up to three more hours to your flight or cause you to have to change flights.

MaureenB

Since you're coming in the dead of winter for us, and you want warm and sunny weather, it limits your choices here. My home state of Colorado-- definitely not, unfortunately.

I recommend that you re-consider Arizona/New Mexico. It's desert, but it's not deserted! There's lots of art in Santa Fe, for instance, and Tucson is one of my favorites. The Grand Canyon is amazing. The American Southwest would be someplace very different than Ireland.

But, if flight time is a concern, then choose a place closer, like on the Florida panhandle, or San Antonio and surrounds.

You will be welcomed here and people will be happy to help you. Have fun planning and keep us posted, ok?
>-

P.S. My heritage is Irish, and one day I'll make it over to visit lovely Ireland!

Cassandra

Would have suggested the Grand Canyon circuit too, but -- question: doesn't it get pretty nippy there, too, in the winter -- esp. at night? I've seen photos of snow there -- a fluke, or .... when?

Barblab

Another vote for San Antonio/ Austin. So much to interest the whole family. SA has the Alamo, Riverwalk, Mexican Market, Hall of Horns, Sea World and Fiesta Texas. Austin has the capital, Texas State Museum, Duck Tour (WWII amphibious truck that tours Austin then splashs into Town Lake then back out on the street) and 6th Street. On 6th street I think you would all love Pete's Piano Bar, where you can sing along with the dueling pianos; and Ester's Follies, a series of fun saterical comedy acts. Not far from either are cave tours, hikes, lakes and small towns to explore. Local foods range from Tex Mex (don't miss trying breakfast tacos) to bar-b-que to orgaanic health food. Whereever you end up have a blast!

Rigarama

The Hits keep coming... and it looks like its shaping up to be a duel between San Antonio and West Florida.

Sarge56 gets in a good point in relation to money - if indeed Tx is cheaper than Fla. BkluvsNola's suggestion for Mamou, La for Mardi Gras sounds right up our street - except we will not arrive in US until the week after (Easter is so early this year, St. Patrick's Day falls in Holy Week, which is causing a heap of confusion in some households!). I'm not sure we can face coming to the party after the balloons have burst and the cake has been cut.

Despite several good suggestions, I think I will rule out Arizon at this stage. It sounds just too big for an out-of-season short trip and should be kept until another time.

I think that L84SKY hits the nail on the head when he asks if we are looking for "something that resembles Ireland but serves gumbo"?. I wouldn't be quite so specific - I would say any dish that can be eaten with one hand would do. I think Gail answers his/her question about California fairly eloquently - starting from here, California is just that bit too far.

Barblab's tips probably gives San Antonio the edge for now, with West Florida surprisingly relagated to second place. Charleston is starting to fade - a bit like many Japanese cars (or indeed Kevin Costner movies) nothing to dislike but I don't get a sense of enthusiasm from anyone about it.

Maybe I'll give it 24 more hours and present the options Madison Square Gardens style:

Ladeeees and Gennlemen. IN the GRRREAT Rigarama US Trip Box-off - in the green corner it's small, its folksy, its warm, its a little bit tricky to reach - its West Florida !! And ...in the Blue Corner, boxing out of the Lone Star State of Texas, its the bigger, heavier, maybe cheaper but definitely further SAN ANTONIOoooo

(with the constant possibility of new contenders to complete the Don King impression).

Thanks for all your help!

Tim

twinkeltoes

It strikes me as odd that under the circumstances described Texas is the preferred destination.

Those who live in the cold parts of America flock mostly to Florida, California, Hawaii, and Mexico in the winter. There must be a reason.

cheryllj

Those who live in the cold parts of America flock mostly to Florida, California, Hawaii, and Mexico in the winter.

That's exactly why many people recommended other destinations.

The OP said that he wanted someplace OFF the beaten path. In the winter, Florida, California, and Hawaii are the very definition of the "beaten path." Telling him to go to Florida because "everybody" goes there ignores his explicit request.

Rigarama: If you want a warm beach vacation, by all means go to Florida. If visiting the beach isn't your main objective and you want somewhere off the beaten tourist track, go to Charleston or San Antonio. (I still think New Orleans is the best choice in February, but you have vetoed that.)

Rigarama

The fat lady is only beginning to clear her throat.

When it comes to the US, my innocence is only surpassed by my ignorance. (I started with Tennessee!) So I titled my thread "Open to offers" with a view to getting the views of Americans (mainly) as to why they felt their favourite (pesky Old World spelling!) might suit us best.

Warmth (as opposed to heat) is important but based on the posts to date, I have picked up a greater enthusiasm for San Antonio as an interesting place to visit than for Florida, which in turn has more zealous supporters than Charleston.

But we'll see how things turn out.

For now though its 01.30 where I am, so I reckon I'll turn in. Good night John Boy...

Cassandra

Rigarama -- strongly recommend that you do a little homework of your own on these places -- all of them. Just because you have a larger number favoring, say, San Antonio, doesn't mean it would be best for YOU.

For one thing, a lot more Fodorites might have BEEN to (say) San Antonio than, say, Charleston, in part maybe because there are more posters from the west than from the southeast. Also, there are fads and fashions about what's a good place to visit, and you DID say you wanted to avoid "the beaten path."

If you hadn't said that, I think most people would tell you to go to Orlando because they think that's a kind of must-do for visitors from outside the country who want warm weather. But you don't seem to be an Orlando sort of person, based on what you've posted.

You can tell us all kinds of things that appeal to you, but there's nothing like Googling the various cities, looking for photos, reading tour comments, and even looking around to see if there are videos that will give you the flavor of the places (e.g., Anthony Bourdain's series).

happytrailstoyou

There are places a lot farther off the "beaten path" than San Antonio--Organ Pipe Cactus National Park, for instance.

happytrailstoyou

Which reminds me, when you take your family to Italy, avoid Rome, Florence, and Venice; in Egypt, stay away from Cairo and Luxor; in Turkey, skip Istanbul; in Spain, give a pass to Barcelona, Seville, and Granada--you get the idea.