Help me plan our 2nd honeymoon/10th anniversary trip

[kep]

DH and I only had a local honeymoon when we got married. We stayed on our beloved Oregon Coast, which was wonderful. We are starting to plan our first real vacation together. We have only ever traveled coast-to-coast each year with the kids to visit the family.

We are open to anything in the continental US. We briefly considered international travel, but my kids are still too little for my comfort level. I have never been to the upper NE, and have never been into the deep south. I would prefer to fly, and then rent a car when we get there, or perhaps even take a train trip. We have a million Marriott and Hilton points to use up, so we will probably try to stay at one of them for at least a few nights. Maybe a B&B for some...?

We love history and exploring, and would love to see some awesome new things on this trip. BTW, grandparents are babysitting! :yay:

Help me brainstorm ideas! I am so excited. :cheerleader1:

[DietCokeLover]

You could go to the SE and hit Charleston, Hilton Head and Savannah. Lovely areas, rich in history and very romantic.

[TwinFoxes]

Despite living in the Mid-Atlantic, I don't know it that well, but it seems like it fits the bill. You could fly into DC, lots of history and things to do. Then you could head to a resort in the Poconos for some romance, or to a B&B. You could even stop in Amish country.

DC really is a great town to vacation in. There is tons to do.

[billysmommy]

You could go to the SE and hit Charleston, Hilton Head and Savannah. Lovely areas, rich in history and very romantic.


:yeahthat:

We did these on our honeymoon and then last year for our 10th, we went back to Savannah. We go in April and it is absolutely gorgeous....last year we had 75-85 degree days and all the flowers are blooming. We stayed here ~ www.armstronghistoricproperties.com We had the carriage house our first night and then switched to the Garden Suite which is a block away from Forsythe Park. It's owned by a husband and wife and all the artwork in the rooms is done by the husband, William Armstrong. We ended up buying a couple pieces after seeing them in the room every day...lol

We loved it so much we're going back this year again :)

[mctlaw]

You could go to the SE and hit Charleston, Hilton Head and Savannah. Lovely areas, rich in history and very romantic.

This exactly what I thought of, except I would skip Hilton Head unless you and DH are really into golfing, which is largely a planned community for golfers, no real history to speak of, but it's pretty.

We are from SC and DH went to college in Charleston. We dream of living there someday! There are a couple Hiltons, and tons of B & Bs. The food....I haven't been to Savannah in many years but it is a great place to visit too.

[sste]

What time of year?

If it can be late spring/summer, I would fly into providence, RI, rent car, see Newport Mansions, then maybe drive to Cape Cod, then to Boston, then to Portsmouth, NH and if you hadn't had enough new england coastal maybe then to Portland, Maine or Kennebunkport, Maine.

[kep]

I wanted to add that we currently live in NoVA. :)

[zag95]

I would do South Carolina and Georgia also- Charleston, Beaufort, Huntington Island- (this is a gorgeous place!) and maybe Myrtle Beach?? Middleton Gardens are amazing and totally cool to explore!

http://www.discoversouthcarolina.com/plan-your-trip/itineraries/default.aspx

Then journey down to Savannah, GA. I would stay in a historic lodging- and maybe do a tour of the city- one of the ghost tours looks kinda fun- we did a tour when they were filming "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". Also we went to the Lady and Sons restaurant- Paula Deen's place before she hit big on the Food Network- that could be fun to hit too! I'd also suggest Tybee Island (and exploring other Island in the area!)

http://savannahvisit.com/vg-2010/index.html

Hope you have a wonderful time!

[BeachBum]

I live in the deep south and think it would be a great trip. Depending on how many days you have, check out the areas between Charleston (north) and Amelia Island (south). You could fly into Charleston and out of Jacksonville, FL. It's about 4 hours drive time between Amelia and Charleston.

Charleston and Savannah would be your "big cities". Lots of opportunities for tours fine dining walking around historic areas etc. Great places to visit.
Amelia Island (the city on the Island is Fernandina Beach) would still give you a different look at the south...history, dining, the beach, a state park with a civil war fort and low country boating, marsh, ocean exploring.

I would use your points in Charleston and Savannah and stay at a B&B on Amelia.

[TwinFoxes]

I wanted to add that we currently live in NoVA. :)

So, you're saying that an all expense paid Metro ride into the District isn't your idea of fun? ;)

Since that's the case, how about the SF Bay Area and wine country? The wine country is beautiful pretty much year round. San Francisco is one of the greatest cities in the world I think. So much to do there, unbelievable restaurants, great shopping. You have your choice of Marriotts and Hiltons. And you can learn about western history.

[maestramommy]

Well, it depends on when you go, but I've heard Maine is spectacular in the summer. Also, for a change of scenery, you might try Utah. Either Moab, which has Arches and Canyonlands, or Zion National Park, are GORGEOUS. Some of the hikes and scenic walks aren't suitable for younger kids, so it's a good opportunity if you and Dh will be alone.

[wolverine2]

What about flying into Boston for a couple days (lots of history), and taking the train (the Amtrak Downeaster) up to Portland, ME, where you could rent a car... drive along the coast hittting the spots- Camden, Bar Harbor/Acadia... would be beautiful in the summer.

[kep]

Wow! These all sound fantastic!! I esepcially love the B&B's you guys have mentioned. They look perfect. Keep the great ideas coming!

ETA: We will be traveling in the fall. Our anniversary is in Oct, but we may go any time in the fall, depending on when our childcare arrives.

[crl]

We loved this b&b in the Cheseapeake when we went a few times years ago. Looks like different innkeepers.

http://www.innofsilentmusic.com/

We also really enjoyed a trip we took to Charleston when we lived in DC.

Catherine

[crl]

Wow! These all sound fantastic!! I esepcially love the B&B's you guys have mentioned. They look perfect. Keep the great ideas coming!

ETA: We will be traveling in the fall. Our anniversary is in Oct, but we may go any time in the fall, depending on when our childcare arrives.

Oh, in the fall, I'd be awfully tempted by New England for the leaves. :)

Catherine

[justlearning]

You could go to the SE and hit Charleston, Hilton Head and Savannah. Lovely areas, rich in history and very romantic.

I also enjoyed those areas with DH. We went twice in November and the weather was really nice then. It may be even nicer in Oct.--I'm not sure. But I also agree that fall would be a nice time for New England. We haven't been there yet but it's on my list of places I want to go to experience their fall foliage.

[maestramommy]

Wow! These all sound fantastic!! I esepcially love the B&B's you guys have mentioned. They look perfect. Keep the great ideas coming!

ETA: We will be traveling in the fall. Our anniversary is in Oct, but we may go any time in the fall, depending on when our childcare arrives.

Fall is a great time to go to Zion or the other parks. There are a lot of tourists, but it's not a zoo like during the summer through Labor Day. The later in the fall you go, the better.

[indigo99]

Depends on what you think is pretty and interesting, but here are the five best trips IMO.

Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon etc are all close together and make a great trip. (especially great if you like hiking and grand, majestic scenery)... I might have a slideshow online from our trip to Zion, Bryce, and Red Rocks if you want to see it.

Boston, Lexington, Walden's Pond, Salem etc are all close together. (great if you like hitting lots of historical landmarks). South of Boston you have Cape Cod and Newport which are fabulous (not sure about that time of year though)

The area up around West Point and the Hudson River Valley is gorgeous in the fall. (great for seeing the fall colors if you time it right and relaxing in a b&b)

Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks. If you've never been then you MUST put this on your to-do list because it's just amazing. I don't know how the weather is that late in the year though.

If you might be going in later October then the south really is going to be one of the safest bets as far as temps and weather go. I agree with pp that Charleston and Savannah really are amazing (and I don't even like the beach but I do like history)