ST

Looking for something interesting to do for a week outside of Manhattan. I'm from the S.F. area, and if I were doing this there, I'd probably go stay in a cabin in Big Sur and drive a bit on highway 1, or find a hidden lake or river spot to canoe at...or maybe a really cool spa to stay at (one of those great cheap finds)...

Don't have tons of money, but don't have to do this on a budget either.

First week of August....driving, so maybe a spot around 4-6 hours out of the city??

Ultimately, I'd die for a beautiful lake somewhere with an "in" to a quiet beach...maybe stay in a B&B, or possibly a spa-type hotel for a couple of nights (nothing over $200 night, tho). I'd want to canoe, hike up creeks, lay in the sun and SWIM!!!!

I want to try and avoid really packed areas, unless they're just too good to pass up....and best case scenario would be going to one spot for the whole week.

I heard something about a big resort on a lake that "The Road to Wellville" was filmed at....sounds pretty good to me, so maybe suggestions like that!

Thanks so much for any help!

Owen O'Neill

Consider driving up into wine country - the Finger Lakes area. Perhaps two days there to see some of the lakes and gorges (and check out Ithaca - very cool town). Then head east to Saratoga Springs/lower Adirondack area and on across to southern Vermont. That's my idea but some may suggest up the coast into Cape Cod and Maine, although those areas are more commercial.

Owen O'Neill

Sorry about that - I hadn't read your complete post before replying. If it's August, skip Cape Cod and Saratoga Springs - way too crowded. Sounds like the Finger Lakes are your best bet. I suspect Ithaca NY has a website with referrals. There are fantastic gorges, parks, waterfalls etc. in the area. You can rent a kayak or sailboat on the lake and it's a laid back but hip small town at night with plenty of good, inexpensive restaurants (especially "Thai Cuisine" and "Giovanni's Osteria Paisano". Not sure if there are any resot/spas on the lake but there are some decent B&B's in the area.

ST

Thanks so much for the suggestion....you're not the only one saying this, so I'll most likely be planning the trip there!

I guess my only concern would be where to stay...nothing more depressing than finding out later that you missed the best place to stay!

We've got the flexibility of not going till Sunday, so we could get a room pretty easily anywhere, I'd imagine....

Really want to find something exceptional, even if it's expensive and we only do that for 1/2 the time and rough it the other half...

Or maybe roughing it isn't so bad if it's a really cool cabin in the woods....(love doing that in big sur, beats a nice hotel any day!)

anyway, thanks for the suggestions!!!

Caryn

A nice day trip is New Hope, PA. Cute town, nice restaurants, shopping, maybe a little crowded. This is across the river from Lambertville, NJ, also historical. Not too far from Flemington, NJ. Princeton is also nice. The Catskills are definitely the most peaceful.

Kat

Another option is the Brandywine River Valley between Wilmington, Del. and Philadelphia, Pa. Wilmington is a quick 2.5-hour drive south of NYC. Once there, you're in the Brandywine Valley will all sorts of public gardens, wonderful inns, terrific museums and the most gorgeous settled countryside I've ever seen. I say 'settled' because this area has been farmed for hundreds of years. Big Sur is another favorite locale yet it's beauty is a wild (and wonderful)experience.

Here are some ideas:
- Longwood Gardens at Kennett Square, PA
- Chadds Ford Inn in Chadds Fordl, PA (even if you don't stay there be sure to go for dinner!)
- Winterthur near Wilmington; see what it's like to live like a DuPont; also wonderful gardens
- Brandywine Museum; lots and lots of Wyeths
- The Wilmington Art Museum has the biggest collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings in the U.S. (and it's a lovely, airy museum).
- walking or hiking along the Brandywine River
- lots of history

Stay at the Chadds Ford Inn or in Wilmington at the DuPont.

Erin

I'm not sure if this fits the 4-6 hours out of the city criteria, but check out the Burlington, Vermont area; Lake Champlain is fabulous, and Burlington is a neat little city with good restaurants, etc. You might go to the Yankee Magazine website (www.newengland.com) for more info.

Kat

The film "Road to Wellville" was filmed at Monhonk Moutain House which is a family-style inclusive resort on a lake in the Catskills near New Paltz. It's a great place to go with kids, delightful and not inexpensive. Here's the URL for Mohonk:
http://www.mohonk.com/