Magpies

Hi everyone,
we are in our late 40's and will be visiting in July from Australia.
It will just be my husband and I.
Before I start I will let you know our previous travel background.
We have been to the US and Canada numerous times before and are looking for somewhere different to visit next year.

We always fly in and out of LA and have booked a cruise that leaves from Seattle on the 3rd of July.
We have been to many places before and are wanting to visit some cities and perhaps national parks, that we have not been to - Chicago is on my must see list.
( We have been to San Diego, San Fran, Vegas, New York, San Antonio, Phoenix, Sedona, Memphis, New Orleans, Orlando, Miami, Keys, Hawaii and parts of Alaska )

We often visit during our Christmas break and that's why we have not been to Chicago at the time of the year. We have done many cruises that leave from Fort Lauderdale.
We always hire a car and don't mind driving.
We enjoy looking at the sights, getting to know the area and its people, shopping, eating out and having a drink somewhere with a nice view. We usually do a few internal flights and don't find this a problem.

I realise that this is your school holiday period and bookings need to be made as soon as possible. In regards to accommodation, we prefer modern hotels but have also had some of our best stays in Top notch B&B's. ( I went to Sedona just because I fell in love with A Sunset Chataeu B&B and the scenery I saw in the photos )
Look forward to any suggestions or ideas.
Thanks in advance

nytraveler

Well it seems like you've missed a lot of the northeast.

Assume the Seattle cruise is to Alaska.

Areas I would look at include DC (good for at least 4/5 days), Philly, Boston - and head up to the rocky shores or Maine (and Mt Desert) and perhaps visit the adirondacks - the largest protected natural area in the US - and one of the first in the 1890s.

Depending on how much time you have you might also consider Toronto or Montreal.

Bobmrg

I would suggest Olympic National Park if it were not for the "modern hotels" requirement. Visitors to ONP go there to experience nature in the wild, not to have a mint on their pillow every night.

garyt22

You might consider a flight from Seattle to Chicago and then a driving trip east to Cleveland for the rock and Roll hall of fame...

Then continue east to Niagara Falls through the Finger Lakes to Letchworth State Park...

Next it's on to Lake placid in NY... And finally to Cape Cod and Boston...

This trip offers several options for a side trip to Toronto... A side trip to Montreal and Quebec City... Or even a finish in NYC... have fun!

Gardyloo

Following your Alaska cruise, I'd rent a car and head east to Chicago, with key stops including Yellowstone NP, the Black Hills area in South Dakota, Badlands National Park, and then high-tail it across the prairie to Chicago. Depending on the time you have available, there are numerous side trips possible - Coeur d'Alene and its lake in Idaho, Glacier NP and Helena in Montana, the Nebraska sand hills...

Some of these areas (especially Yellowstone) will require some advance booking, but you can generally find accommodations on the towns on the edges of the national parks, such as West Yellowstone.

Olympic National Park and the other Pacific NW parks are wonderful, but you'll just have returned from rain forest and fabulous mountain scenery in southeast Alaska, so heading east would avoid "duplication" of such scenery.

I've taken some overseas visitors on a Seattle - Chicago drive (actually, the other direction) and they were amazed at the incredible variety of landscapes you encounter in a fairly short time. Western South Dakota is a case in point - wonderful mountain scenery, Mount Rushmore, fascinating towns (yes, Deadwood is touristy, but nonetheless historic and picturesque) followed by the remarkable Badlands (a wonderful national park, under the radar for too many people) then the beginning of the Great Plains, with the Missouri River cutting a giant swath across the middle of the state. And don't forget the Corn Palace in Mitchell.

There are car brokers available from Oz where foreign visitors can avoid awful one-way car hire drop fees or extortionate rates, and this will give you a view of part of the country it seems you've "overflown" in the past.

Magpies

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.
Yes nytraveler the cruise is to Alaska. ( We have done a similar one from Vancouver years ago and really loved the scenery ) I have friends in Toronto and it is a great place to visit. We have done a cruise that left from NY and ended in Quebec. Your other suggestions are definitely possibilities.

garyt22 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sounds like an interesting place to visit. Cape Cod is another place we would like to see too.

Thanks gardyloo we do have plenty of time for a scenic drive as we don't leave until the end of July to come back to Australia.
Your itinerary sounds fantastic. I would like to see Mt Rushmore. Deadwood, Badlands, the river , scenery etc, sound great.
We have been to the airport at Chicago a few times but always had connecting flights. ( As a lot of our travel has been in Dec / Jan in the past we have tried to avoid snow / storm areas ) Thanks for the heads up re car brokers here.

This is the planning stage at the moment so I will be busy checking out all of your suggestions and ideas.
Thanks again for your help

Magpies

Gardyloo I forgot to ask you about any hotel / B&B recommendations??
Any other ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks

emalloy

If you go to Boston for a few days, then spend some time on Cape Cod and/or Martha's Vineyard/Nantucket or do a drive north to Acadia NP you would have a nice trip.

Another option would be to go to Denver and spend some time in Colorado, visit Rocky Mountain NP and/or farther south to Mesa Verde/Durango/Silverton etc.

Magpies

Thanks emalloy we have not been to Denver or the Rocky Mountains area. What do you recommend to see in Boston? We did a cruise that way a couple of years ago but we were a couple of hours drive either way from Boston so did not go on the excursion. Another possibility for sure.
I have heard of Mesa Verde for its scenery I think??

emalloy

Mesa Verde NP is Native American dwelling area, some dwellings are in alcoves in the side of the mesa and some are on top of it. Some you can go into with a ranger, some are self guided. There are great views from there. I have pictures of it at www.flickr.com/photos/emalloy2009 in a couple of the albums, at least the 2013 and 2011 ones if you want a look.

In Boston there I would do a walking tour of the Freedom Trail, Old north Church, battleship Constitution etc., maybe take a Duck tour, do some museums ( art, science, aquarium), maybe a food tour, tour Fenway park, go to a Red Socks game, if the pops is playing in the park, take in that, visit JFK library, go on a whale watch

Have fun figuring out where to go and also on the trip.

Magpies

Thanks again emalloy. Your photos are great!!!The views are fantastic.
It sounds like there is plenty to see and do in Boston too.
We have a lot of research to do which is the fun part of planning the trip.
Lots to think about.

Magpies

Any ideas for accommodation would also be appreciated.
Thanks again

Magpies

Any thoughts for hotels / B&B's???
Thanks in advance

Dukey1

Magpies, do you think you might be willing to tell us if you have ANY budget constraints regarding lodging?

In the case of lodging IN the National Parks be aware that you need to start looking at booking those NOW for next July.

Magpies

Hu Dukey1, we realise this is a peak travel time and will allow approx up to $250 per night. ( In some more popular areas this may have to be a little more )
Thanks look forward to any recommendations.