Hubby has a weeks conference in Texas at end of February next year and I'd like to fly over from Australia and meet him somewhere for 2 weeks. I'd love to go to New York but feel it may be too cold in March to really enjoy, open to any ideas..... Thanks

I don't think you should let March deter you from NY, it's never that cold in March. It's usually a somewhat dreary month, of course, being before real Spring, but if your main goal is to go to the theater and museums, etc., it will be fine.

But if that's out and you want some place warmer, the obvious would be California or Florida. How about New Orleans? Actually, that's a good idea as it can get super hot there by May. Florida isn't really a very exciting place IMO, and I'm sure you don't need to go somewhere just for beaches. Depends how you intend to get around, there isn't a natural add-on to New Orleans, but if you went to California, you could easily spend two weeks seeing LA, San Francisco and the coast in-between.

Thanks Christina, I looked at this years temps in march, and oh my goodness, freezing. But my focus would be on food, theatre and walking. New Orleans did get suggested here, we are fans of Treme on tv, but I have no idea if there is enough to do there for 2 weeks.... In comparison to NY.

March is still winter in NYC (we don;t have trees in leaf until May) but the worst of the cold and snow is usually gone by then. As mentioned if you want to do mostly indoor things the weather will not be a problem - and it usually not too cold to do a lot of walking/exploring. If you do run into cold/snow the subway goes everywhere efficiently and the weather doesn't affect it in Manhattan.

But you will need cold weather clothing (not down coats or silk ski underwear as some will say) but a reasonably middle weight coat, hat, gloves, scarf and waterproofed shoes or booties.

The good news is that the city will not be mobbed with tourists, meaning it's easier to get into all the sights. And if you here on March 17th you can see the largest and most incredible St Patrick's Day parade in the world.

Fl has a lot of things going on in March since it is a bit cooler. We have some of the most beautiful state and Federal parks, cruise out of many ports for a three nighter to the Bahamas. We have all the theme parks, epcot is my fav and east coast or west has nice beaches, places to visit, historical, fun and great night life. The Keys are a destination on their own. Fine dining can be had anywhere in the state. You can come to Daytona for Bike week! That is an international festival for many. The panhandle of Fl is very beautiful with sugar fine beaches. If you aren't bothered by the cold and gray skies then do NY.

My son moved out to L.A. this year and I went to visit him for a week at the end of March. What glorious weather! We did some of the touristy things (Graumann's Chinese Theater, Beverly Hills, etc.), but we also did some cultural things like the Getty Villa,the Los Angeles Museum of Art, and an architectural tour of downtown L.A., all of which were fabulous. There was more than enough to keep us busy for a week.

I would recommend a week in Los Angeles and then a week in my other favorite California city, San Francisco.

Wow, great responses, thank you all. We have spent some time in San F already, so keen to go somewhere else.

Since you have seen it - you could fly to SF - and then from the airport drive down the beautiful California Coast - stopping in Carmel/Monterrey for a night - maybe Cambria for a second night - winding up in LA for a day or two - possibly zip over to Las Vegas to see that for a couple days - and then kick back in the most livable of all places - San Diego.

No, there isn't enough to do in New Orleans for 2 weeks, that would have to be just one stop. Now we here you've been to San Francisco, also and think March in NY is freezing. It isn't but if you call that freezing, that would rule out lots of places, of course.

I think spending time and money to go to theme parks in Florida or Las Vegas is a complete waste, but it's your vacation, if you did want to.

Do you like the outdoors? Because New Mexico is beautiful, you could go to Santa Fe and Albuquerque, of course rent a car and even drive up to Colorado and the Four Corners area -- see Durango, the San Juan mountains, Mesa Verde, etc.

Well, March is usually a good time to visit Texas. You could rent a car and visit San Antonio, Austin, the Hill Country and Houston. Then you could drive from Houston to New Orleans (it's only a five hour drive).

I've visited San Diego and Los Angeles in mid-March and the weather was good. A little cool on a few days, but nothing more than a light jacket needed. March is a good time to take a whale watching trip out of San Diego if you're interested in that sort of thing. We really enjoyed it. It's also a good time to see seals with pups at the La Jolla Children's Pool because it's during the pupping season. It only took us two hours to drive from San Diego to Los Angeles during non-rush hour traffic.

In March you'll be met by globs of gloomies whining about how long and cold the winter has been in New York. Go to San Francisco and take a coastal drive down to Los Angeles...stopping for a night or two in Monterey/Carmel...Shell Beach.....Santa Barbara/Santa Ynez Wine Country.

Then again you haven't told us much about you, what you like to see and do, and where you've already been.

OK, while we are waiting for representatives from the remaining 40 + states to weigh in on just why you really HAVE to visit there, how about you telling us what the rationale for New York is.

I ask because if you want to go to a place like New York so, say, see, shows, stuff like that is less likely to be available in many other places.

I too live in Florida and there's lots to see and do here as was mentioned above BUT if you'd rather interact with showgirls than alligators, well you get my drift I am sure.

What a lively bunch of responses, thank you.

I have only been to NY and San F, few hours in Monterrey/Carmel.
We are in our late 40s and planning to leave the kids at home for the first time ever.
We love the outdoors and are quite fit, love to walk everywhere.
This years temps in March in NY were ranging around 0 degrees at times, but I gather that these temps are a bit unusual. I get very excited about the idea of NY, great city to walk around, eat in, etc.
But I am not familiar with any other parts of the US, so I guess I'm looking at what I know.
As we only have about 12 days, I'm not sure I want to spend too much time transiting from one location to another.
So that's a bit of background info.
I am open to suggestions, but still perhaps leaning towards NY

I would not stay anywhere for the entire 2 weeks (as you implied for NOLA) and not even NYC!!
You could do the northeast corridor by train--Boston, NYC and Washington DC. I would not leave out Washington--it is our capital, and a worthy city in all ways.
Do you not have winter in your part of Australia?!!!
But NYC is pretty "temperate", although as mentioned can be gray. Bring layers for the northern part of the country.
Indeed a trip along the west coast would be lovely.
We have some pretty spectacular national parks--not sure what Yosemite would be but maybe a possibility. I consider it a wonder of the world.
Fly from Texas to NOLA for a few days. Fly to NYC for a few days and take the train to Washington. Fly home from Washington. That would give you a nice flavor for the diversity of the US.

It really depends on how much time you want to spend in world-class cities, and how much time you want to see different outdoor landscapes or pursuing outdoor activities.

In March, I like the desert southwest, and San Antonio, Texas, area has a bit of that flavor, but our favorite is Tucson, Arizona, and Saguaro National Park, plus other state parks in that area. Sedona, Arizona, is also a beautiful spot. These are great for desert hiking.

Another place that would probably be nice in March is Naples, Florida, combined with Everglades National Park (alligators).

But the NYC and Washington, D.C., or NYC and Boston idea are hard to beat for a city-oriented trip.

Or, since you are already excited about going to NYC again, maybe do 6 days there and 6 days somewhere more outdoorsy and different, like the southwest or southern Florida.

My wife and I spent 7 days in NYC this past March and it was cold, but bearable. (30's and 40's Farenheit during the days). We walked everywhere and aside from one day when it rained, we were able to get around quite well. That said, I'm not sure I would want to spend 2 entire weeks in Manhattan. Other places after NYC: Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans, Nashville, Memphis (oh, the BBQ and music). I haven't been but understand Austin TX is worth seeing, although I don't know how long one could profitably spend there without wishing you were elsewhere. It I were doing this trip, I would spend 7-8 days in NYC and 6 days in Washington DC. Good luck!

I think the idea of staying in the Southwest is a great one. Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona all have a lot to see and you could easily spend two weeks there. Grand Canyon in particular--the most spectacular place I've ever been--is worth seeing.

For my taste, two weeks in NYC is too much. It's a very intense place and I find I'm ready to leave after a few days there.

Arizona has perfect sunny weather in March. An AZ/NYC combination would be great.

Why not spend at least a few days in Austin? It's walkable if you stay downtown, and Austin is a foodie paradise