Help picking vacation destination

[snoopy5386]

Recommendations for a location to vacation for a week in mid-July.

Cast of characters - family of 4, parents in their 40s, kids will be 10 and 14. Two single guys also in their 40s.

Requirements - we don’t like heat, so it must be a location with cooler weather.

We are not a super physically active group, we aren’t mountain climbing.

We’d like somewhere where we can rent a house as a home base and have some stuff to do in the area, within a few hours.

We’d like to stay in the US or Canada.

We’ve already done - Alaskan cruise, Canadian/New England cruise, Boulder, CO, Vermont, the Outer Banks and Seattle (though that was many years ago).

We are based on the east coast and have a fairly decent budget to work with.

 

[JaxDad]

Jackson Hole/Grand Tetons/Yellowstone???

 

[bcla]

Maybe the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge area in Tennessee? There's a little of everything, including a nearby national park, entertainment, and a large theme park. It will be kind of warm though.

 

[bcla]

Jackson Hole/Grand Tetons/Yellowstone???

Not sure about the altitude if they're not "super physically active". Darned if I didn't feel like I could do anything after being at high altitude for a couple of weeks.

 

[Darcy03231]

Toronto. I did it when my kids were about the same age as yours. We had a ball! We got the city pass and made very good use of it. One of the highlights of our trip was a ghost walk.

 

[Wishing on a star]

The Smoky mountains are in the South... It can be HOT in July.
Might be a bit of a break of you drive up into the mountains. But....
What would 'stuff to do' likely be!

 

[snoopy5386]

Ha! We are going to Pigeon Forge this summer already with our extended family.
Things to do - breweries, light hiking, baseball, history, science, we are pretty open to activities.

 

[bcla]

Ha! We are going to Pigeon Forge this summer already with our extended family.
Things to do - breweries, light hiking, baseball, history, science, we are pretty open to activities.

If we were visiting I think my kid would want to go to Dollywood.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Beweries, Knoxville, and perhaps Asheville.
Knoxville does have a baseball team.
History, Biltmore House, Cades Cove, the history and science surrounding Oak Ridge (Manhattan Project)
Walking and Hiking.. tons to consider in the Smokys!

As for myself, I am not that familiar with some of this stuff, as I would be doing the Mountains, Splash Country, etc.

I had mentioned Pink Jeep on the other thread.

Do not underestimate how crowded it will be in the Summer!
Can possibly be bumper to bumper traffic, hard to find a pull-off at the places to stop and enjoy the mountains, etc.

 

[starry_solo]

National Parks...those are great. You don't have to be too physically active to walk around the area and follow the trails

 

[HeatherC]

Mt. Washington area of New Hampshire is beautiful. Tons of activities, restaurants, shopping, etc.. North Conway is a great base. All of the ski resorts also have summer actitivites like zip lining, mountain biking, etc.. There is tubing on the Saco River which is so awesome and relaxing. Also tons of festivals, flea markets, etc going on then.

Or maybe renting a house in Maine? Sebago Lake area is gorgeous.
Bar Harbor? Can visit Acadia National Park there.

Another option could be a city trip. Boston, Montreal, Quebec.

Or how about Vancouver or Banff?
Pacific Northwest?

So many places to go! Have fun planning!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Chicago?

 

[CapeCodTenor]

Cape Cod, MA. You can rent a house, I'm sure, and use it as a base to do quite a bit. From the Cape Boston is an easy day trip, as is Newport, RI where the richest of families built their "cottages" for summer vacationing. The Cape is also a beautiful place to explore with some summer theater, beaches and great restaurants.

 

[bcla]

National Parks...those are great. You don't have to be too physically active to walk around the area and follow the trails

A lot of people just drive around from one viewpoint to another. However, some are at high altitudes and might be interesting with regards to physical fitness required.

I might recommend Lake Tahoe. It's generally going to be cooler than most summer destinations, but of course there's no accounting for, you know, weather.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Other than a Disney Cruise to Almost anywhere, here are my three favorite other vacstions

Fly to Portland Oregon, stay for a night, visit mt hood, then drive along the Columbia rover visiting waterfalls, to the coast, and end up in canon beach for a few days. I’m from Chicago. oregon is one of my favorite places in the world. Spectacular scenery. And the coast line is fantastic.

or fly to Seattle. rent a car and drive to Anacortes to catch the ferry through the San Juan’s. Stop at Friday island for a night or two. continue on to Vancouver island. stay in Victoria, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And drive around Vancouver island.

or find a dude ranch in Colorado or montana. You can do as much or as little as you like. i love to ride but not everyone does. Great food, wonderful kids programs, and interesting people. I love the bar lazy J in Parshall Colorado but they book up pretty quickly every summer.

 

[mnrose]

The Black Hills? It is really incredible. A nice mix for everyone. One of my favorite spots in the US (and I've been a TON of places in the US).

 

[klacey1]

What about San Francisco? It wasn't for me, but I know a lot of people enjoy it. Lots of AirBnB options and plenty to do.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We do myrtle beach around that time each summer. We rent a house on the beach. Lots to do. Charleston is a nice side trip. Will be hot though, because it’s July, and pretty much everywhere in America will be hot in July.

 

[MamaLema]

Toronto. I did it when my kids were about the same age as yours. We had a ball! We got the city pass and made very good use of it. One of the highlights of our trip was a ghost walk.

Normally I would agree but OP said they don’t like heat and Toronto can be surprisingly hot and humid mid-July

 

[holden]

Lake Louise and Banff. Best vacation we ever did.