Travel Discussions

Helen, GA:  I concur!   Really appealing.  Fun place to hang out.    

Trail Ridge Road would be my 1st recommendation if you visit CO. Top of the world. Just make sure you come between June and August as it's closed most of spring and fall, and all winter.

I would say for Kansas, stay away from the summer and winter months. In the summer, it's too hot. In the winter, it looks awful!

In my AREA:

1) Kansas Speedway/ Village West shopping plaza - it's a pretty big deal in this area. In fact, the speedway and it's 4 races a year (or maybe less? heck if I know!) bumped Kansas from like 48th in tourism to 36th!

2) Country Club Plaza - you can't go wrong. It has something for everyone. Fountains, carriage rides, gondola rides, etc. It's breathtaking, especially around Christmas when the entire area lights up!

3) Sprint Center/Power and Light District - Like nightlight? Try here. Like a good show? Try here. Even for lifetime residents of the area, the Power and Light District has ballooned

4) Deana Rose Farmstead (if you have kids) - it's a free zoo that has everything!

5) Union Station - it's a pretty nice museum, though on the pricey side.

6) Crown Center - it's not as grand as it once was, but there still is quite a bit to do. In the summer they have free Friday night movies, though I still don't recommend coming in the summer.

For the STATE:

1) Lindsborg - it's a small town originally settled by Swedish immigrants. It still maintains much of the Swedish heritage and really is fun. Coronado Heights, a mini castle, is about 2-3 miles from the town.

2) Lawrence - home of the 2008 NCAA Basketball Champs! It's a nice, liberal town in conservative Kansas.

3) Hillsboro on the third Saturday of September - HUGE Arts and Crafts fair! I've gone every year for the past 24 years, and it's never failed to amaze me. I'm not talking a wussy fair here. I'm talking about a massive 12 block area!

4) Tallgrass Prairie - it's what Kansas IS! It's the natural grass on the rolling hills of the state. In the spring you'll be able to see thunderstorms literally roll across the state.

I am in minnesota.  I would recommend you see:

1. Mall of America - it actually is pretty cool.  There is tons of shopping, an amusement park and tons of other things

2. Duluth - located in northern Minnesota, off of lake superior, it's just beautiful

......and the best thing to see in MN is ............

 

3. ME!  (in central MN)

On Long Island out this way, there are places of interest in any direction. Smiths Point Beach, Splish Splash water park (was in top 5 list of Travel Channel), Nascar racing at Riverhead Raceway In Riverhead, seasonal pick-your-own fruit at various farms, various fairs and festivals (including a Blues fest) canoing, hiking, fishing, boating, William Floyd Estate (one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence), many museums. Out east are more beaches, museums, fishing, events and wine tours.

OMG!! You're exactly right!  We went to Cape May last year around the time of the Victorian festivals and stayed at a B&B.  It was a wonderful town!  Everyone was so nice and friendly.  It was a terrific trip!  We're definitely going back.  We live near Annapolis, MD.  The trip getting there was pretty fun, too.

If you come to Iowa, you've gotta come see The Bridges of Madison County, right?

If you visit Ohio, having some Cincinnati chili is a must...it's not that great, but you have to say you ate some.  As far as places to visit, you've got to hit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cinci.

Chicago has so much to see and do! Millium Park shouldn't be missed, with the bean and fountain that changes faces and has water come out of the mouth of whichever person is currently on the wall. Chicago style pizza shouldn't be missed at Uno's or Duo's. On Clark street is Chicago Pizza and Ovengrinder's. It's in a building across from the Biograph Theatre (remember Al Capone). They sell pizza by the pound, it's served upside down in a deep dish. It's very different, but wonderful.

Navy Pier is lots of fun. There are several boat rides, dinner cruises that leave from the pier, an IMax Theatre, a Children's museum, a HUGE ferris wheel which gives a great view of the city. If it's a clear day, you can even see into Indiana. In summer, there are musicians all along the pier. The restaurants range from McDonalds to Bubba Gumps and a couple of Italian Restaurants. In winter, an ice skating rink is set up out doors. Many concerts are held there. In spring, the Flower Show is held inside, on the upper level, which is also where they have dancing ponds. They are delightful to watch.

I know I am leaving out a lot, but these are the best of the best! :-)

BTW: Chicago is known as the "windy city". What a lot of people, even many Chicagoians don't know, is that refers to our windy politicians..not to the "wind"!

The Hancock Building and/or Sears Tower are great places to see more of Chicago.

During Spring and Summer, there are free concerts every week-end in a couple of out door venues. This week-end is Jazz fest. Over the fourth of July, is the Taste of Chicago. It's held close to Navy Pier. The food is great, there's different entertainment every night, plus a couple of rides.

Close to Navy Pier, is Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum of Natural History and more. The mummies are very interesting to see.There are free trollies to shuttle people from place to place. In the Loop, you can also visit the Art Museum (very close to Millinium Park). You might also see the original water tower, left from the great Chicago fire. There's great shopping right across the street from it.

Further south, is the Museum of Science and Industry. You can go into an actual submarine that was captured during WW II.At Christmas time, they have beautifully decorated trees from around the world; usually about 30 countries are represented.

Greek Town can be a lot of fun to visit. The authentic Greek Restaurants, some of which have belly dancers performing.

Chicago is also known for it's architecture. If interested, there are architectural cruises that are based in the Loop. The view is beautiful, while the trip lasts an hour and a half.

 

 

I live in the Silicon Valley and we have a ton of things to see and do in this area (or not too far from it)

1.  Winchester Mystery House (San Jose)
2. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (Santa Cruz)
3. Cannery Row and Monterey Bay Aquarium
4. Golden Gate Bridge 
5. Fort Point, Mason, etc.. (San Fran)
6. Golden Gate Park (Japanese tea gardens, academy of sciences) (San Fran)
7. Tech Museum of Innovation (San Jose)
8. Hanger 1 at Moffett Field
9. Roaring Camp Railroad (Felton)
10. Various farmer's markets each weekend day

Thanks

 

If you come to CT- i'd say come in the fall. I guess lots of people love to see the foliage changing. Its a norm for me; maybe i often under estimate it. But it sure is beautiful. Also there are great things to do in Mystic, And New London.

I live in South Louisiana so...

1. New Orleans-everywhere there are so many good places to eat and great things to see

2. French Quarter

3. Audubon Aquarium and Zoo (N.O.)

4. Insectarium (N.O.)

5. Go to any Mardi Gras Parade- well  any besides New Orleans so many people are crazy there at that time! and there are way to many people.

6. any swamp tour

7. visit the destruction of Hurricane Katrina

 

 

I live in Orlando, FL where there are litterally hundreds of things to do! There's Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, several water parks, Wonder Works, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, The Princess Diana museum, The Titanic Museum. Orlando also has some of the best golf courses around as well. It's also close to beaches on both the east and west coast. Then there's Wekiwa Springs, one of Orlando's hidden treasures, and one of my favorite picnic spots!

Well, I guess I am kind of prejudice, but I'd Wisconsin is one of the best states to visit.  The Wisconsin Dells area is fantastic.  There's the duck boat tours of the Lower Dells, exploring the canyons of the Wisconsin River.  The whole area is centered on water recreation with campgrounds, hotels, resorts, and water and amusement parks galore.  There's also the Wisconsin part of the Yellowstone Trail, a highway system that was built entirely by private investments with no public funds being used, it extended from Plymouth Rock on the East Coast, west through the northern states all the way to Puget Sound in Washington, connecting both coast with Yellowstone National park.  And Wisconsin has it's own national park the Apostle Island National Lakeshore.  With numerous islands and rocky shoreline along Lake Superior.  Wisconsin has over 13,000 lakes to fish in and there are many good for boating too.  There are many state parks and camp ground throughout the state with many nice beaches.  And Pattison State Park in the northwestern part of the state has big Manitou Falls, that at 157 feet, is one of the tallest waterfalls east of the Rockies.  There are also numerous hiking and biking trails thoughout the state, not to mention ATV trails and then snowmobile trails in the winter.  Wisconsin may not have tall mountains, but we do have many resorts as well.  Wisconsin is not just America's Dairyland, although we do have the best cheese in the country.  Plus there are many roadside attractions too.  The largest mustard museum in the world, in Mount Horeb, the House on the Rock, the Rock in the  House, near Fountain City (a rock broke off of a cliff and rolled right into this house).  There is also Crystal Cave, and Cave of the Mounds, some great caves for spelunkers.

In I'd say Wisconsin is a great state for all 4 seasons.  There's always something to do, even in my city of Stanley, even though it's small has many great things to do, a historical museum, large watermelon festival with flea market every July, and a big rodeo every Father's Day Weekend.  No matter what time of year it is, there is always something great to do in Wisconsin

I live in Western North Carolina and one of our biggest attractions literally [it's 175,000 sq.ft ] is Biltmore House located in Asheville; the summer home of George and Edith Vanderbilt.  Open all year round it's a wonderful place to bring the family especially during their Candle Light Christmas!  Of course since I work there it's a "must see" place to visit.  The Thomas Wolfe house is another Asheville must see, as well as our Blue Ridge Parkway, in the fall when the foliage is at it's peak!  And since we're so close to Tennessee a trip to Dollywood is a absolute must!

In West Virginia - the big must is whitewater rafting in Fayetteville, WV at the New River Gorge.  We have two excellent rivers - the New River that flows south to north and the Gauley.  Every year on the 3rd weekend of the month we have what is know world wide as Bridge Day.  This is a BASE jumpers dream.  There are husge community celebrations including the Fayetteville town that encompasses the largest single span in the US.  The event allows guests to walk the bridge, raft the river under the bridge, and watch jumpers.  I recommend ACE raft company.  They have excellent accomodations, food, and the best guides in WV.  See ACEraft.com  - many of their cabins have hot tubs.  We have used them for nearly 10 years - several times a year.

They have additional activities such as the treetop zip line - new this year.  This is a zipline through the gorge.  Rappeling, rock climbing, horse back riding, ATV's, paintball, and much more.  Check out the website and see the pictures of their lake full of inflatable toys.

The northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan is a true "Land of Beauty".  Four seasons teeming with activity, friendly people and so much to do that there's never enough hours in the day, days in the week, ya-da-ya-da....

Take I-75 North to M-72 to Traverse City to start.........then go more north to Petoskey...........wanna get your socks blown away by a sunset?  Then head a little ways south down US 31 to Ludington............stand on the beach and be prepared to be stunned.

Well I haven't seen anyone post about beautiful San Diego, California, so I guess I'll do the honors.  I was born and raised in San Diego.  At the age of 25 I moved to Hawaii, met my husband (who is a Marine), moved to Virginia and luckily, the military has sent me back home.  So, I left for four years, but I know it pretty well.

• Downtown (Gaslamp district)- Tons of restaurants, bars and boutique clothing stores.  There is such ethnic diversity, you can find anything you could possibly want to eat Downtown.  At nighttime, it is bustling with locals and tourists alike.  It's also right next to Seaport Village, the Convention Center and the airport.  My restaurant pick: Cafe Sevilla Spanish Tapas Bar & Restaurant
• Ocean Beach (OB to locals) - OB is my favorite beach area of all the beaches because of the eclectic crowd of people.  I don't go to OB for actual beach reasons, I go to eat and drink.  The main part of OB is down Newport Avenue.  It is filled with antique shops, ethnic restaurants, tattoo/piercing parlor, tourist shops, a hostel and great bars.  The mix of people is what makes this town great.  There's old, young, rich, poor, you name it.  It's one big melting pot of people who get along (most are potheads, except me)  My picks: Bravo's for a lobster burrito and Sunshine Company for drinks.
• Old Town - Old town is just that; the oldest part of San Diego.  It is rich with Mexican culture, so the food there is awesome.  The town is filled with Mexican restaurants, fudge shops, ice cream shops and touristy stores.  It's great for families.  My picks: Rockin Baja Lobster and Casa Guadalajara.
• La Jolla - This expensive beach town is home to wealthy San Diegans who can afford to live there.  It is super expensive, but has neat shops and restaurants to visit.  If nothing else, cruise around the residential neighborhoods and check out the amazing homes.  My pick: China Chef for food, and The Comedy Club for late night laughs.
• Wild Animal Park - Of course our San Diego Zoo is great, but everyone has a zoo in their own state.  The Wild Animal Park is like experiencing nature in it's own environment, not in a cage or exhibit.  Take the tram and witness giraffes, zebras, lions, rhinos and more out in an African desert.  It's just like you are on a real African safari.  You can also pay extra to zip line or go up in a balloon.
• Indian Reservation Casinos - We have several casinos that are on Indian Reservations, so if you like to gamble, these are great.  They also have excellent (and huge) all-you-can-eat buffets too.  At most of them there is no alcohol served, but there is at Sycuan.

I went to San Diego last year and had a great time. As you mention, the Zoo and the Wild Animal Park are very good... but they're expensive. Still worth seeing, though. My fondest memory of my time in San Diego was visiting the Torrey Pines Gliderport. It was free and watching the hang gliders was absolutely fascinating. I highly recommend an hour at the Gliderport on a nice day.

--Bob

If you visit south Florida make sure to go to the Everglades and ride on an airboat. It is awesome to see untouched land and huge alligators in the wild. Just remember the bug spray.

Wow I have learned more about MI on this board than I have living here for 3 years. (Actually 4.5 years 10 years apart) I was going to suggest if you are in my area that you should leave :-) and I am not even in Detroit ...

I am originally from Pittsburgh PA so there I would say go to the Zoo, the Heinz Museum, the Carnegi Museum (great art and dinosaurs). I would ride one of the inclines to see the city from the top of Mt. Washington, and I would go to the "top of the Triangle" a restaurant/bar on the top of the USX building (64 stories up). You can also go to Point State Park to see Fort Duquesne and the head of the Ohio River. There is Kennywood park with 5 wooden roller coasters, the Andy Worhol (sp?) museum and on and on. Is a great town.

Hola from San Antonio Ya'll~!

The Riverwalk & the Alamo are always great draws with lots of tourists.  Although both are downtown, I'm not a downtowner much anymore, and it's still quite hot here.  A good time to visit is late October through about mid-May.  Although some would say they are a *little* overrated.  One of the radio stations I worked for, you could see the Alamo right out the window. 

In between radio gigs, I was a waitress at a restaurant on the Riverwalk, where we hosted boat dinner cruises, so I was also the tour guide.  Awesome job in fall or spring.  Too hot in summer, too cold in winter on those boats~!  There's a new art installation featuring giant lit sunfish and an ever-growing bat colony right under the bridge in the newly open northern end of the Riverwalk.  Great to see the bats around dusk~ again, if you can stand the summer heat. Es mas humida now though.  And when we do go down there, we always pretend we're tourists.  We call it "Tour Your Town".

Fiesta San Antonio ~ It's in the Springtime.  It's a blast with all the parades & events.  Not all of it happens downtown either.  Come closer and I'll bust a cascarone on your head ;) 

LaVillita is a very cool art village with mucho history, right on the bank of the San Antonio River.  It was San Antonio's very first neighborhood.  It now houses many shops/galleries & Mi Tierra, which is a great Tex-Mex restaurant & bakery.  I love me some ponde juevos~!  (egg bread) It's open 24 hours too.

El Mercado ~ great market downtown, lots to see and do. 

The Majestic Theater is just that ~ they have many shows there and I love going when we're downtown and something/someone good is on the venue.

The San Antonio Zoo and the adjoining Sunken Gardens & Japanese Tea Gardens are awesome.  We've been and still go to some pretty cool concerts at Sunken Gardens.  It's an outdoor amphitheater, but again, only in the aforementioned months.

Some off the wall places are the Toilet Seat Art Museum, Barnie Smith is the owner and it's located in his garage.  It's free admission, as long as Barnie's home.  He's a retired plumber. 

There's a guy, Ed Clark, who has holiday lights and decos up year round. Alot of us are pretty big on keeping them up all year here.  Some may call it lazy, I call it mui linda (very pretty).

Dia De Los Muertas ~ "Day Of The Dead", which is celebrated every November 1, the day after Halloween, when it's thought that the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest.  They have many events during that time, and lots of people make and sell what they call "Sugar skulls" and many other things.  It's a celebration and a spiritual holiday to honor those who have passed.

So many great restaurants, you could eat your way around the city and still not get to eat everywhere. We get our first blast of "great" weather that sticks around from  mid-late Oct., not long from now~!!!  Although we've been known to have to run the A/C's even during the winter solstice. 

And I'm sure I left out many more...

:)   

I live in Florida, Daytona Beach and there are lots of things here to see/do like the Beach

Daytona International Speedway

 

I live in Western PA so the best things to do if you're in my neck of the woods is to do the following things:

1. Visit the Andy Warhol museum

2. Ride the Duquense incline to the top to experience the best view of the city

3. Go to a Pirates game-only $9 to experience a pro baseball game! How could anyone pass that up

4. Go to the Strip District and try a Primanti's Brothers sandwich

5. Enjoy the nightlife in South Side

You would deffinately have to visit gettysburg!! And the Amish Country. Pa is quite beautiful and historic

I would LOVE to visit the Andy Warhol museum~!!  I've never been that far east though :(

Chicago is the farthest east I've ever been.  I feel my travelin' shoes comin' on ;)

In West Texas, Big Bend National Park. Beautiful mountains and desert and an abandoned, Old West/Old Mexico feeling. Then definitely drive down the river road to Big Bend Ranch State Park. The drive is considered the most scenic in Texas. Rugged mountains and canyons.

Also, in the northern end, Palo Duro Canyon. I think it's the largest US canyon after the Grand Canyon. Red rock and a lot of fun to hike.

If you like birdwatching, the road to Boca Chica in South Texas is incredible.

kt047 said…

I live in Western PA so the best things to do if you're in my neck of the woods is to do the following things:

4. Go to the Strip District and try a Primanti's Brothers sandwich

---

Ooo I so want to get back there and have some Primanti's!  Yum.  Just watch that Strip District after 5:00!

did somebody say STRIP District?  lol...

;)  I don't think we have that here boooohoooo but we do have Strip Clubs. Seems like I neglected to put that on my list~!