Vacation dest. needed in US for active, kinda nerdy couple
 

Here's a tough one.

I'm looking for a vacation for myself and my friend, in the continental US. We are in the midwest, but we can figure out travel to anywhere - but it doesn't have to be far away either. We're in our early 30s, active but not much into sports. No kids.

Our favorite things to do are to find new and interesting restaurants, sightseeing, theme parks/water parks, and karaoke. (Unfortunately, Japan is not an option.) We're not really into the bar/club scene, but karaoke bars are fine.

We're both geeks, so interesting museums or exhibits about comedy, comic books, etc. are a bonus.

(And I'd like to go bungee jumping. Skiing might be fun too. :) )

Romantic getaway hotels/B&B's a bonus, even better if we could get a cabin or bungalow off by ourselves.

Disney World is not an option, by the way - we already have plans to do that next year.

Thanks in advance!
Sara

New Orleans. Tons of fabulous restaurants, great sightseeing, romantic getaway.

You don't say what time of year (or did I miss that?). Don't go to NOLA in July or August.

At that time, try Asheville, NC. Lovely mountain scenery with plenty of romantic places to stay.

How about Boston - lots of restaurants. Lots of museums - Science Museum, Museum of Fine Art, NE Aquarium, Institute of Contemporary Art plus the Fogg at Harvard. Side trips to Cape Cod, Portsmouth etc. Skiing in NH or Vermont.

Or Williamsburg - Busch Gardens, Water Country, Kings Dominion (a bit further away) - Washington DC for museums.

How about Chicago (even if you are already in the midwest). Fabulous musuems, excellent sightseeing, lots of good restaurant choices and Second City Comedy! If you decide to go here, check out getting the City Pass for reduced admissions and express entrance to the musuems. It saved us both money and time.

I'm going to plug for Philadelphia and its surrounds. Great restaurants, lots of museums (including the Mutter, which should be at the top of any nerd's must do list, although I hate to confess, I've never gotten that far), lots of history, and a great downtown for walking in.
Dorney Park and Hershey Park are also within a two hour drive of the city (although people who do not drive like my husband might think Hershey was more like two and a half), and are well worth visiting. They are also older parks, so while they don't have a lot of original structures, they do have some sense of their own history, and they have mature trees, so one does not roast in August. By the way, while Sesame and Great Adventure are also in a two hour radius, I would not recommend them. Sesame has very little for adults, and Great Adventure is the most expensive, and IMHO, the least well run of the local parks.
If you would like to wave at the Atlantic Ocean, the Jersey Shore is also an easy drive (or a cheap casino bus trip) from Philadelphia.

Great suggestions so far. I would also put California on the list - SF, Santa Cruz, Monterey Peninsula, Big Sur specifically, also consider the north coast as well.

I agree with the suggestion to split time between Portsmouth NH and Boston. In Boston, take a food tour of Boston's North End, explore China Town (have dim sum lunch). Portsmouth is well known for its restaurants. There's a nearby waterpark. Try sea kayaking. Eat lobster and steamed clams. There's several theater and music venues. Maybe more going on in summer than in winter. You could also split time between Boston and NH's White Mountains.

OH man - SO many great options... I would put NYC on the top of my list - they have everything! Washington, DC is good; Santa Fe area (including Taos and Albuquerque) is good; Florida - thinking the Everglades and the West Coast versus East Coast....so many places, so little time....

Something about this post made me think "Montreal."

Check out Cleveland--its a fascinating place with a lot of intellectual stimuli. Though I hear there's a lot of snow out there at the moment-not sure when you're going...

CLE: Excellent Art Museum, Rock Music museum, natural history museum, many cool old ethnic neigbhorhoods, lots and lots of music--particularly classical music (and not just the famous orchestra!), and many other things to see/do. Be sure to check out the west side market just across the bridge from Downtown. Or go hear a lecture at Case or the Cleveland clinic! And there hundreds of high-end and interesting restaurants throughout the city--particularly in these ares: Tremont, Ohio City, Warehouse District, and E. 4 Street/Gateway neighborhood. And check out the Cleveland Public Library--the 2d largest in the US (after Harvard?) and the first 'self-serve' library in the world.

I have to second the original suggestion of New Orleans. It is a city that has very unusual tours that will probably appeal to you, like Vampire and Cemetary tours, it is *very* romantic, and there are great restaurants.

Go to the Cat's Meow for great karaoke. It's a blast.

The House on Bayou Road comes to mind for a great B&B to stay at.

Anyway, I think you'll love the Big Easy.

So how geeky are you? My family and I love Boston, and we went to MIT's small, but wonderful museum full of geeky information! Ever since then my son wants to go to MIT. The duck tours are fun no matter what age you are, and all of the great restaurants, history, easy walking and easy transportation. There are great B&Bs and inns in wonderful locations to keep it more intimate and romantic.

I agree with the suggestion of going to Boston. We went for the first time this past September and just loved it. You can't beat the amazing restaurants, the Duck Tour, Freedom Trail, museums, etc. Since you sound like you like offbeat stuff, check out Shear Madness - an interactive comedy murder mystery that you'd probably really enjoy.

Any recommendations for Boston lodging? Close to sightseeing stuff(Freedom Trail) so we don't need a car?

Do the California coast from San Francisco to Malibu (or San Diego, depending on how much time you have).

Drive Highway 1 from Carmel to LA. There is loads to see along the way.

HTTY

Susan, we stayed at the Marriott Long Wharf - great hotel with wonderful views of the water and right next to the T; the stop is right outside the hotel. It's also close enough to walk to the North End, etc. We stayed on points; it's pricey if you pay full price, but we thought it was worth it.

Thanks!
My recommendation to the OP is Washington, D.C. Tons of free museums, great restaurants, pandas and plenty of nerdy intelligent people.

The White Mountains in NH. Lots of snow this year - great skiing!! Several hotels have indoor water parks. The Weather Discovery Center is really cool (good for geeks).

Unbelievable restaurants.

Jackson is a quaint town with lots of romantic B&B's, close to ski areas, several places have spas.

Not sure if there is Karaoke but Dennis & Davey singing at the Irish Pub Mae Kelly's on Friday nights is fun (have the fish tacos for dinner).

Pick up a free copy of the Mountain Ear for a listing of local events.

"Any recommendations for Boston lodging? Close to sightseeing stuff(Freedom Trail) so we don't need a car?"

You can sometimes get good deals on hotels in the Kendall Square area in Cambridge. Near MIT. There is a Marriott and a Residence Inn next door to each other. Also, the Kendall Hotel is across Main Street. All are fine.

There is a Red Line stop at Kendall Square and you will be at Park Street (the central station) in 2 stops/5 minutes. You are also 2 stops the other way from Harvard Square. And you can walk across the bridge to Beacon Hill in 15 minutes or so.

Lodging in the rest of the desirable areas (Back Bay, Waterfront, Beacon Hill, Harvard Square) tend to be at a premium.

Priceline can be worth a try, but make sure to go to biddingfortravel to ensure that you are aware of all of the particulars as some of the hotels likely to appear have their quirks - the Hyatt Chinatown, in particular is in a neighborhood that I feel is perfectly safe, but may not appear that way to everyone, and the Park Plaza is a dump that gets by on location and name.

In reply to request for lodging, I used to stay at the Marriott and Westin both in the Back Bay area for business. Both are very nice, but when I went on a trip with my husband and two children, I didn't want to spend that much. We stayed at the Guest House on Newbury Street based on reviews on tripadvisor.com. I just checked and it has gotten some bad reviews. I guess with everything it is what is your expectation and does it deliver. I guess for the price which includes breakfast, I thought it was good. Albeit, the breakfast was the same everyday, but good. The location can't be beat. The building is old, and the rooms are clean and comfortable, but certainly not the same as the Marriott. In one of the positive reviews, I quickly read that they are putting in a new French restaurant downstairs where they used to serve breakfast.

I have always had good luck with tripadvisor.com. If price is an issue, I saw that there were quite a few good reviews for B&Bs and inns. Good luck!