Thanks everyone for your input, we are currently living in Egypt so yes we know hot but in saying that I think we may take peoples advise and avoid the lower half. Can you suggest where to go we would still do NYC, Washington, Florida then head up to Nashville and Memphis so we need to fill this cap from Memphis until Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The Amish was just a curiosity thing plus wanting to buy a quilt so once I have seem then that would be it. Thanks again people.

Gmoney you offered your advise on Disney I would take you up on that please. We have been to Disney in LA many years ago and we have a mix of younger and older kids so will have to look out to keep them both happy. Is it worth the money to stay on site as the prices seem so high? Is it a very busy time of the year it will be around 10-15 July. Is there somewhere you can get discounted entrance tickets?
We will be doing a car trip and not by train or flights.
thanks again.

I do find it amazing that people who are travelling will omit some great things on the basis of "hot". A LOT of people actually LIVE in these places!! LOL
I would omit houston in a heartbeat, heat or no. I would not omit Washington DC at any time--and probably not Charleston.
LasVegas--a non-starter for me--not for others. But hot!! Oh, yes, that "dry heat"!! LOL

Gretchen: None of the 6 large Australian cities experience American style mugginess, except maybe Brisbane sometimes. It's only the tropical parts of OZ that experience sweltering humidity.

The main reason for avoiding these very hot places is that my husband has just had a kidney transplant so we need to take care while travelling. We live in Egypt at the moment which gets to above 40Deg C and I am from Brisbane so I know the hot muggy feeling oh to well. Washington and Charleston looks interesting also so these def staying in but we will go a little a little north.

Good info about the kidney transplant. How does heat affect him? Does he currently have other needs? I assume Doctor's have given the go ahead for such a trip. My husband had major surgery recently and Doctors do not want him to fly more than 2-3 hours because of dehydration and blood circulation for at least 6 months.

Assuming that is all OK, if heat is really a problem, Florida in July and August can be H____. We have done it and enjoyed it, but no one had any health issues at the time. Las Vegas in Summer? No.

If you want or need to stay where it is a little cooler and less humid, but still great places to visit, consider these.

Boston: History, great food, great walking, beautiful city, other nearby sites like Concord and Lexington.

Nemours Mansion and gardens in Delaware.

Coastal areas: Cape May, Block Island, Jersey Shore.

Near DC: Annapolis, Shenandoah, Fredericksburg

Williamsburg,VA: History and interesting for kids, but also Busch Gardens Ammusement Park and Watercountry, both fun for kids.

In Florida, St Augustine is also interesting and a bit cooler than central Florida.

While I love Charleston, it can be not just hot, but extremely muggy in Summer.

Consider staying mostly North, and just flying from DC to Florida for a few days.

Aussie, Yes I would say that it is worth the money to stay on-site. The resorts are an attraction in and of themselves. Of course the more you pay the more you get. There are many different hotels at different price points with widely varying amenities. There are several perks for staying in the hotels such as early entry and free transportation to anywhere you want to go.

We like the Port Orleans resort which is a middle price range hotel but is wonderfully themed. There are two parts Riverside and French quarter. One nice perk is they have a boat that takes you to Disney Springs avoiding the craziness of the the bus or parking lot.

Disney doesn't really discount tickets but have many different package deals that can help. Here is a good website to find deals.

www.mousesavers.com

Disney is pretty much always crowded anymore. July is considered high season and it will be very crowded but at least you aren't going for July 4th which will be insanely busy. Holidays are the worst but any time during the summer it will be crowded.

I'm not sure about touring the south in the summer time and I live here. I go from the air-conditioned house to the air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned office. Maybe stop by an air-conditioned store or movie, etc. I'm not trying to tour Disney mid-day in the middle of July.

Washington DC will be hot and humid, but most of what you want to visit is inside.

New Orleans has interesting stuff to see, but in July? I don't know.

I have a co-worker who visits Las Vegas in July. But he's inside gambling. If you want to sleep late, party at the pool, take in a show, and gamble, why not. But I'm not sure if that's going to work with a 5-year-old.

Why Houston? You had to have a reason to put it on the original list.

If you are going to end up on the West Coast and heat is a problem, why not visit the original Disneyland? We do not have the humidity that Florida does in July. Also there is no worries about staying onsite since there are loads of motels on Harbor Drive a short walking distance to the entrance and almost a dozen newer places that are suite type hotels have opened in the last year or two mostly a short trip on the ART Shuttle.
Plus some nice OC beaches like Huntington Beach are a short drive away.

Agree with Jamie99; why not pass on Disney World in July/August: 90degrees and almost the same humidity, plus throngs of tourists, for Disney Land in California.

And New Orleans will be worse, weather wise, though a fabulous place to visit.

I think California's original Disneyland is WAY more special than Disney World.

And it's not just the heat here in Florida July/August. If you do go to Disney World, pack rain ponchos. You can just about count on a thunderstorm any given day. Then it's steamy and hot.

A word of warning, too - as a manager on duty at one of the larger hotels, I often dealt with visitors overdoing it at the parks and then collapsing from the combined heat/humidity/exhaustion. On more than one occasion, it was fatal. Take this seriously given your husband's surgery, please.

If you decide on a more northern cross country itinerary, here are some ideas to fill in the gap between well-known sites like Niagara Falls and the Black Hills in South Dakota.

OHIO
The national air force museum in Dayton, it’s free
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

The center of mound building empire, south of Columbus
http://www.ancientohiotrail.org/sites

Rollercoaster capital
https://www.cedarpoint.com/

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
https://www.rockhall.com/

MICHIGAN
The various Henry Ford Museums, especially Greenfield Village, in Dearborn
https://www.thehenryford.org/

Sleeping Bear Dunes
https://www.nps.gov/slbe/index.htm

Fishtown
http://www.lelandmi.com/fishtown/

Mackinac Island
https://www.mackinacisland.org/

Sault Ste. Marie
http://www.saultstemarie.com/attractions/soo-locks/

Tahquamenon Falls
http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandt...pe=SPRK&id=428

Pictured Rocks
https://www.nps.gov/piro/index.htm

MINNESOTA
Boundary Waters Canoe Area, a unique area of lakes in close proximity so it’s possible to canoe for days in a direction
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/super...telprdb5202169

Day trips are possible from here
http://www.sawbill.com/www/planning/day_trips/index.cfm

Palisade Head and Shovel Point on Lake Superior
http://www.ejphoto.com/palisade_head_page.htm

Hop across source of Mississippi River
http://growlermag.com/mill-happy-125...ca-state-park/

Thanks everyone for your input, I will be making some changes based on your recommendation and I will let you know my final decision on where we will go once I have finalized things.

Hello everyone, We have now changed our plan based on some of your suggestions above so it will be Canada then catch a train from Montreal to Plattsburg to pick up a hire car and drive to the White mountains for a few days, drive to Maine to the coast and follow the coast to NYC stopping in at Old Orchard beach and either Cape cod or Rhode Island. Can anyone tell where would be the better place to stay in NYC in Manhattan, Staten Island or another place. I was looking at the hop on hop off for NYC as we only have 2,5 days there and have kids and a hubby that cant walk a lot. Then go to Ephrata, Washington, Shenandoah National Park and drive through the country side to Charleston and follow the coast to Miami. Fly over to Vegas and Disney in LAX. Thanks again for all your input it is great.

NYC: Manhattan, yes. Staten Island, no.

Manhattan. There are a gazillion options and I can only state the one that served me well over the last 30 years - these days it's a Wyndham property: The New Yorker, at 481 Eighth Ave, at W. 34th St., right by Penn Station, handy to everywhere, being sort of in the middle, halfway up or down Manhattan.

But you should make a list of your preferred sightseeing targets first, then figure out which of those you can reach how, and look for lodgings accordingly.

You've gotten some great advice. Do your kids like Harry Potter? Both the Orlando and the Los Angeles Universal Studios have the Harry Potter Wizarding World. My daughter got to go to the one in Orlando on a school trip and she really liked it.