alya

I’m looking for recommendations for a vacation with my 16 yr old son. It has to be within the US since he doesn’t have his Green Card yet, we’ll be flying from Boston, looking to travel Jul/Aug.

Looking for somewhere with lots of activities (motocross/ATV, water-sports, water park) that would appeal to a teenager. I’m not really looking for a resort, more of an area.

BTW - he doesn’t like Theme park rides – he’s terrified of heights.

Thanks in advance

mom2boys

Have you considered the Black Hills regions of SD or Yellowstone? That is what we are doing with our guys this summer. There are jeep tours, float tours, horseback riding, probably ATVing - haven't checked.

Tess

We also have a 16 year old boy who's not really a theme park fan. Do you live in Boston? If so, maybe somewhere out west would be a fun experience for him. The Black Hills are fun--good suggestion by the other poster. The Colorado Rockies would be a good choice, too. Tons of outdoor activities around Breckenridge/Summit County area.

Would a beach be different for him? If so, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale is a place my son loves.

New York is one of his favorites, but if you live in Boston, maybe that's old hat.

wow

Do you need a Green Card to travel to Canada??? Thought that was for work!

alya

No wow,
He could travel into Canada on his UK passport.

He needs an Advance Parole or a Green Card to get back into the US.
It's not worth renewing his AP since we got our cards last October and we're expecting his to be approved soon.

If it comes through soon - I might take him to Aruba.

jaye

Hi,
Central Oregon. Use Bend as your base camp. Enjoy!!

ChristieP

Just a suggestion.... you might want to check with USCIS about the status of his card. If the rest of the family has been approved, there might be something he is still needing...

alya

Mom2boys and Tess,

Thanks for the ideas especially the Black Hills that area does look rather promising, although I do now have the song from the movie Calamity Jane going through my mind <)

Yes, we live near Boston so the West is a very good idea; especially if DH can come with us, Mount Rushmore is on both of our to-do lists.

As for NY we took DS a couple of years ago and he hated it, he said it was too crowded, wide-open spaces will appeal to him, it’s not a problem we just leave him at home when we need our NY ‘fix’.

Jaye – do you have any more advice about Oregon? DH visits Springfield regularly on business, if the timing was right we might be able to tag along, or information for a future trip.

ChristieP – it’s fingerprints that held his case up, when we started the permanent residency application he was under 14 so didn’t need them doing – When our cases were approved they realized he was over 14. He had them ‘done’ last November and (as I assume you know) it’s now just a waiting game, a long, long, long waiting game

starrsville

If he hasn't been out west yet, I would definitely take him to see the Grand Canyon or the Rockies. Depending on how much time you have, I'd do both. I took my niece and nephew on a similar road trip and we had the time of our lives. We loved the mule ride in the canyon, but if he doesn't like heights, he may not like that.

We alternated hotels with KOA Kamping Kabins. They already have beds and you bring your sleeping bags or linens. It's an easy way to "camp" without having to set up camp and break it down. Most of the time I just toss linens, pillow and a quilt or blanket in a duffle for each of us and we are good to go. My favorite KOA campground is in Durango, Colorado. Absolutely beautiful setting along a river - with chilly nights in the middle of the summer.

We did GC, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest, Monument Valley, 4 Corners, Mesa Verde NP, Durango (with railroad and drive through Ouray), and Great Sand Dunes NP. GREAT trip!

You can take jeep tours, horseback rides, hikes, etc. If it sounds like something the two of you would enjoy there's been a lot of posts lately talking about SW US trips lately.

MFNYC

My teenage son's idea of a perfect summer vacation would be seeing as many different baseball games in different cities as possible. This may not be for everyone and we've never done this, but if we left it up to him it would be a baseball roadtrip with Italian food every night.

I'd say his 2nd choice would be a beach vacation.

bear900

About 12 years ago we took a road trip with several families that included half a dozen teenagers between 16 and 18 years old. We started from the opposite end of the country (California) and took different routes going and coming to see as much as possible. We planned plenty of outdoorsy stuff for them to do and they had a blast. We also alternated KOA’s with motels, focusing on the mid-west.

Here’s just a few of the things we saw and did, and since you’re from the east, I will try to list what I can remember starting from there. By the way, on a separate trip we flew into Boston and drove up to Acadia National Park in Maine. We also spent a couple of days around Concord, Walden Pond, etc. We only had one young adult with us then, but still a blast. Okay, back to things we saw/did on road trip:

1) Mount Rushmore, SD – I’m glad you have this on your list! We were informed to wait for night when the lights came on, and weren’t disappointed! Here’s a link for day and night photos. http://community.webshots.com/album/...95uiDrYhship/0
2) Here are some additional attractions near Mt Rushmore. http://www.koa.com/where/sd/41125/localarea/
3) We took a nearby cave tour, and since I’m not sure of the name, but here’s a link of nearby caves. http://www.rosyinn.com/5100a45.htm
4) Toured the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota. http://www.blackhillsbadlands.com/go...paign=Spring05
5) Hiked around Devil’s Tower, WY, a large monolith. http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/...ils_tower.html
6) Jackson Hole, WY – We made this our staging spot to visit Yellowstone. We visited the Grand Tetons on our way as well. http://www.jacksonhole.com/index.summer.asp
7) We also did some white water rafting in the Snake River there at Jackson Hole. Yellowstone and The Snake River were some of the favorite parts of our trip. http://www.sandswhitewater.com/
8) On our way back, we spent some time in Colorado Springs and rode horseback into the Garden of the Gods. That was another high point. http://www.academyridingstables.com/
9) We also visited Pike’s Peak, The Seven Falls, and The Royal Gorge. http://www.seniorworld.com/articles/...804174338.html
10) North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, AZ. The South Rim looks like a moonscape, whereas the North Rim has some pine trees. http://www.byways.org/browse/byways/...74/photos.html

You mentioned a possible Springfield, OR trip. From there, you can drive hiway 126 west a short way to the coast. There are beaches and some water sports at some of the rivers. You can look up Oregon to get more information about those. Good luck and have fun planning!

alya

thanks for all the info and links, we're only looking at a weeks vacation so I'll need to figure out the best places to visit in such a short time.

I've had to get my atlas out so I can figure out where everywhere is

jaye

Hi,
Regarding Central Oregon. Go to Oregon on this Board and type in a search with the words Central Oregon. You will see a thread that is quite extensive regarding something like adventure in central Oregon.

I think that area would be great with the one week time frame. We've done some of the others that have been recommended out west and you might get rushed to do it.

That being said...everyone needs to see the Grand Canyon.

itsv

If you come to the west coast, then your son might like seeing the xgames which take place in LA around Aug. 7-10, then you could head down to San Diego. There would be lot for your son to do, surf lessons, fishing trips, beach etc.

alya

Thanks itsv

the xgames appeals to him, he's a skateboard and basketball kinda guy.

The surf boarding lesson idea was a big hit with him.

I'm trying very hard to make this a vacation for him and not to do side trips that I'd love to do - SD Zoo, Santa Monica, etc

jomomma92024

San Diego is great! Try do do some things that are not on the typical San Diego Tourist Agenda! One thing that is not known very well is that San Diego county has some great mountains! Hiking, biking, camping, everything! Be sure to stop in Julian where you can pick up the best apple pie you'll ever taste. The surf lessons are a great idea. Surfing looks easy, but it is really hard and can be frustrating by yourself. I live in North County and the beaches have a lot of people on them druing the summer, but if you know where to go, you can find some beaches that almost don't have any people on them. For one, in Encinitas (where I live) Beacons and Grand View are beaches that are not well known (except for surfers). The views are great too, but it isn't THAT extreme in terms of heights. Keep in mind you have to walk down a trail (Beacons) which zig zags along the coast. Grand View has a staircase, which has rails and might be the better option. Now that I think about it, Beacons might be kind a bad option given the trail down the cliff, but I like it. Still check it out, as Grand View is literally 2 minutes north. A resturant that's just a little south of the Leucadia and Highway 101 intersection is Mozy Cafe. It will give you the Surfer/SoCal feel without being touristy (the food is great also). You may find that celebrations about the new moon and yoga wierd, but it's all in the experience! There's also a shop attached to it that sells airbrushed t-shirts with everything Leucadia/Encinitas. Makes for a great gift.

North San Diego County is definetly an overlooked spot with many tourists. Of course, you will want to do everything like the Zoo/Wild Animal Park (however, it may be too hot. It's way to hot for me), Old Town, Gaslamp Quarter, Petco Park, Mission Bay, etc.

About the weather- the temps along the coast during the summer are very mild, although there will be a few really hot days (four or five 95-100 degree days a year). About 99% of the people living within 1/2 a mile of the beach don't have A/C. The high temps are from 75-80 with the lows in the high 60s/low 70s. However, if you go inland even a little, the temps shoot up. 90s/100s/Yuck. At the beach, it will be cloudy during the morning but it will burn off by about 10 or 11. However, I wake up at that time, so it doesn't bother me.

San Diego is a great place that definetly more than lives up to its reputation as a wonderfull place to live, work and play.

I've lived here all 16 years of my life and traveled everywhere, and I can say without a doubt that this is "America's finest City".

alvira

For the past 10 years we've been traveling with our son, who is now 17. I asked him what his favorite vacations were and he said (1) Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons (definitely a visual treat for those of us from the east coast) and (2) San Francisco and Alcatraz. My personal favorite has been the area from Banff to Jasper along the Ice Field Parkway in Alberta, Canada. If you're an American citizen you only need a birth certificate to cross the Canadian border. I would also make the trip back to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.

itsv

Alya,

The xgames are in LA at the Staples Center (where the Lakers play) so if you son is into skateboarding and basketball then he might enjoy it. tickets are pretty cheap, around $5 and all the pros are in the Xgames (my 13yr. lives for the event every year). If you don't want to go all the way to San Diego then you could go to Newport Beach and/or Corona Del Mar. There are a lot of places that do surf lesson-my sister always takes them from some place called "Corkys" in corona del mar. You could also take the ferry over to Catalina Island, see Malibu, visit some Hollywood spots etc. Every year I take a trip with one of my kids and they get to pick out the place. ou are right to make it a vacation that focuses on him, they grow up so fast. Last year my son picked Tennessee and we had a blast (although most people kept on saying, "you left San Diego in the summer to vacation in Tenn.?" My son and I did all kinds of things-Graceland, the Civil rights museum, the smoky mountain, Opryland and the Country Music scene of Nashville. my son said it was a great trip. this year the daughter has picked Florida in July!! can you say it will be a little hot. email me at [email protected] if you decide to do Southern California.

alya

Sorry for the delayed reply

Itsv, I will certainly be in touch if we do southern CA. This will be a last minute trip due to DH's work schedule, we'd rather do this together with our son.

All of the answers I've received are good and all we have to do is figure out the best place for the time that we have.

Thanks again you've all given us a lot to think about

sylvia3

Yellowstone, Montana, Wyoming! Rocky Mt. National Park! Go west, young man, go west!