Washington, D.C. What can I say about D.C.? There is so much to do and see there that I don't think you'd get everything in with a months stay. But what I did have the opportunity to see was magnificent. Places I toured were the National Air and Science Museum, the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, Arlington National Cemetery (changing of the guard is incredible), Mount Vernon, Ford's Theatre and the Peterson House where Abe Lincoln died. There are a huge amount of Smithsonian Museums that will be well worth your time too. If you love our nation's history, this is the place for you. Check out http://washington.org/ to plan your trip to the heart of our nation. You will not be disappointed.
Glacier National Park, Montana. Beauty beyond measure. I was blessed to be raised only 45 miles away from this U.S. trademark national park. There are several things you can do to enhance your trip to the park. For example, take a white water river rafting trip, enjoy a helicopter ride over the park, be guaranteed to see bears in their natural environment from the confines of your car - their slogan is: "Your car is YOUR cage", canoe Apgar Lake, visit a slew of old-time lodges and lakes, take a small hike and enjoy a picnic lunch on one of the MARKED trails and, if you're really brave (and not afraid of heights), drive your car or take a tour bus on the "Going to the Sun Road". The views are stunning, the water falls are gorgeous and the weeping wall is unlike anything you'll ever see. Its a photographers and nature lover's dream. For more information, go to http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm and plan your visit.
Louisville, Kentucky. If you don't mind high humidity and love baseball, this stop should be on your list. Visit the Louisville Zoo and watch the koala bears and elephants play, take a tour through the Louisville Slugger Museum and learn how baseball bats are made, have dinner at the famous "Spaghetti Factory" and take a steam boat ride down the river. If you time your trip right, you could even take in the Kentucky Derby while you're there. If you travel here in the Spring or Summer months, pack very light clothes and forget fixing your hair. The humidity is as high as this locations Southern Charm and hospitality. Check out http://www.gotolouisville.com/index.aspx for more information and suggestions.
Maui, Hawaii. Love the smells of flowers, pineapple and coconut? Enjoy beautiful sunsets at sea bordered by beautiful beaches? If you answered yes, then your next stop should be Maui, Hawaii and just because you aren't on the "Big Island", doesn't mean there isn't plenty to do and see as proven at this website, http://www.gohawaii.com/maui. I stayed in Lanai and it was a tropical paradise. Take a bus tour around the entire island and saw fields full of sugar cane, volcanic remains as well as tropical forests. It was also quite interesting to learn about Hawaiian history. Once you've experienced life inland, head out to sea! If you go during our late-winter to early-spring months, you'll be able to do plenty of whale watching - whether on shore or out at sea. Take a catamaran sunset cruise and go to a real luau party. Its will be a trip the whole family will remember. Just stay away from the "Maui Wowie". Its what they call their marijuana; and, the only thing that will be going "wowie", will be you when they haul you off to jail for possession of an illegal drug. Don't get me wrong, its not a drug polluted place. Not even close. We were only offered it once while walking down the boardwalk, but just be aware. Its better to be safe then sorry and still very much worth your time and money to visit.
Highway 101, Oregon and California. Traveling down Highway 101 was probably one of the most overall striking trips I've taken. The way the highway winds down the side of the coast is breathtaking. A must see for every person. We started our trip at Seaside, Oregon, and continued all the way into the Northern tip of the Redwood Forest in Trinidad, California. Trust me, this isn't just some boring car-trip. There are plenty of places to stay and things to do along the way. Places we stayed and found things to do in are: Newport, OR; Lincoln Cay, OR; Depoe Bay, OR: Crescent City, OR; and Winchester Bay, OR. We even went off the trail a little into Tillamook and learned how cheese is made. If you love photography, marine life and are looking for a low key, driving vacation, this is the trip for you. Check out http://www.oregoncoasttravel.net/ for more suggestions and information.
Las Vegas, Nevada. You can fly to Vegas incredibly cheap through http://www.allegiantair.com/ - at least from Montana. When we visited, we stayed at http://www.circuscircus.com/. It was a short 3 day trip and it was not enjoyable. Beware of businesses trying to sell you time shares and the like. In exchange, they promise to give you free tickets to all sorts of things, but if you don't buy, they'll leave you without transportation back to your hotel and no tickets in hand. Even though our experience was not one we care to remember, nor have we returned, I know several people who travel to Vegas more than once a year and have a fabulous time. Book it with more smarts than we used and steer clear of those "free ticket" booths.
New York, New York. Thus far, my very favorite vacation spot. We stayed at the "New York Hotel Pennsylvania", http://www.hotelpenn.com/ , during our stay. It was located only a couple blocks from Central Park and, in the other direction, a little walk to the heart of Time Square. New York is an amazing place to visit with friendly people, heaven-sent food and an overwhelming amount of things to see. While there we visited Time Square, participated in a live taping of the Dave Letterman Show, took a carriage ride through Central Park and saw the main bldg that was used in the filming of "Ghostbusters", visited Ground Zero and the make-shift museum they had set up (we were there not long after 9/11), walked 5th Avenue, checked out Penn Station and the Trump Tower, toured the Museum of Natural History (the same museum that "Night at The Museum" was filmed in), stood by the Brooklyn bridge and, of course, road on the Subway and took a famous New York City Taxi cab ride. To plan your trip to New York, check out http://iloveny.com/home.aspx for some great suggestions on making your trip worth buying a shirt that says, "I LOVE NEW YORK!"
7 day Caribbean Cruise, with stops in the Virgin Islands, Tortola, Antigua, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Cruises are always an opportunity to have your choice of either a full schedule or a laid back trip. Because it was my first cruise, we were busy. We did a shore excursion at each of the islands, from rum factories to kayaking into the ocean to snorkeling in the open water and seeing a baby octopus in its natural habitat. My most memorable moment, however, was our stop in Antigua where we had our "Dolphin Encounter". It was amazing. I bought the video they made of us with the dolphins, but because of the difference in technology, we couldn't get it to play on our DVD player here. So, if I had one thing to warn you about, it would be that. Don't buy anything, in the Caribbean, that requires it to function electronically, here at home. It simply will not work. I would highly recommend a cruise if you are looking for an all-inclusive family vacation and want to see many places within a short amount of time. We cruise with http://www2.ncl.com/ because of their "freestyle dining". They also tend to have more family friendly prices and plenty of things for your kids to do on the ship. Bon Voyage!!
Grand Cayman Island, Grand Cayman. Another great stop in the Caribbean. Beautiful, fun and you can drive the whole island in about an hour. If you rent a car, be aware that the steering wheel is on the right instead of left and you have to drive on the other side of the road. This added detail can make things rather interesting!! I would recommend touring their awesome botanical gardens (where walking shoes), laying on the beaches that are as white as can be and playing in the water that is bluer than the sky. A true, laid-back oasis that reminds me of the Corona commercials on T.V. If you want to do something more active, enjoy a day of deep-sea fishing, rent a wave runner and drive it out to the location where you can swim with the Stingrays, go para sailing or do some shopping in their adorable and simplistic city. For ideas on other things to do at this location, go to http://www.caymanislands.ky/. A fantastic vacation for those couples looking for a romantic get-away.
Denver, Colorado. If you are into sports, this location is a great vacation destination. The options are practically endless. You can attend either a Bronco's football game, a Colorado Avalanche hockey game, a Colorado Rockies game, or go to more than one at a time. When we were there, we went to both the Bronco's vs. Cowboys game and to the Avalanche vs. the Cannucks game. Both were a blast! Another thing we did, that was relatively inexpensive and took up some free time, was indoor skydiving. What a hoot!!! You can also drive out and visit the Red Rock Amphitheatre and see the history of performers that have graced the stage. Denver happens to be a great place to bring the kids and spend a few days, especially if the entire family is sports fanatics. Do these ideas not exactly fit what you are looking for? Check out http://www.denver.org/ for more on Denver.
Richmond, Virginia. There is plenty to do, see and learn about as it is rich with the earliest history of the United States. Even if you aren't too much into the history, you could find this place appealing with its old-time architecture and cobble stone streets. Things that we did while there were Virginia Beach, we drove the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, we visited Alexandria, took a Schooner ride down the Potomac River. We toured Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown and Agecroft Hall. Since my husband had attended the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia the previous year, and I was unable to ever go and visit him, we took this trip so I could see the sights there and finally see the prestigious FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia. I don't recommend this stop for just the regular tourist as you will not be able to get the required clearance (for obvious reasons), but it was very neat to see. While there, we stayed at http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/PHFKG/main.wnt. If you are interested in buying a Time Share here, I would highly recommend this spot. It is located on exquisite grounds, beautifully decorated and roomy condos with plenty of things to do right out your front door. We knew that this was a timeshare when we booked it, but kept to their promise and did not do "high pressure" sales (like what we endured in Las Vegas). For other ideas on where to stay, eat, etc. go to http://www.homesinrichmondva.com/Living_In_Richmond.htm. This is a definite destination for any older person/couple who loves history.
Yellowstone National Park, West Yellowstone. We camped at http://www.yellowstonekoa.com/. I do not recommend this campground. They charged me $15.00 more a night than what I had been quoted, which totaled $67.00 per night (plus tax), for water and electricity. While I have to give them some leeway (as they were full), their bathrooms were dirty and often out of supplies. The showers weren't much better. They didn't have a lifeguard on duty (which is fine in some instances), but there were people not wearing swimming suits in the pool and little kids in the hot tubs, etc. It was very loud, very cramped, very dirty and just not my style. I will not camp here again and would strongly suggest you seek accommodations elsewhere. There are plenty of places to stay, you just have to dig. Now, as far as the park goes, oh my goodness. Not sure where to start. In the town of West Yellowstone(which is literally 15 steps from the park entrance), there is the Grizzly and Wolf Discover Cntr (awesome) and the IMAX theatre. Beyond that, we did not do anything in West Yellowstone - we wanted to get into the park!! Be sure to use the map you'll receive at the entrance gate as your guide through both the lower and upper loops. There is much to see and experience, so plan to start your days early and get home late. Pack a picnic lunch (it saves money), good walking shoes, a camera and take your time. Paint pots, Buffalo (we saw them taking steam baths), Volcanic formations, Geyers, Mud pots, Old Faithful, Bear and every wildlife animal you can think of, the Petrified Tree, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Mammoth Hot Springs, the list goes on. Please check out http://www.yellowstonepark.com/maps-itineraries/official-park-map-pdf/ to plan your family trip. Your kids will remember it forever - and so will you.
Upcoming trips:
New Orleans, LA
Costa Maya
Belize
Roaton
Cozumel
Mount Rushmore, SD
Black Hills, SD/WY
Mall of America, MN
Other great places for a quick and great weekend get-away:
Couer D'Alene, Idaho
Lava Hot Springs, Idaho
Salmon, Idaho
Sandpoint, Idaho
Bitterroot Valley, Montana
Fairmont Hot Springs, Montana
Flathead Lake, Montana
Lewis and Clark Caverns, Montana
Lost Trail Hot Springs, Montana
Nevada City, Montana
Quake Lake (Earthquake Lake), Montana
Quinn Hot Springs, Montana
Virginia City, Montana
Spokane, Washington
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