OT: Places to vist in the US

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Mike

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2011
Messages
1,330
Reaction score
1
Some friends and I are planning to go away next summer. At the moment we're looking at places to go (Paris, Barcelona etc.)

Anyway one possibility would be a trip to the States, the flights are more expensive so we'd have to make it worth it. So what would you guys say are the best things to see and do?

I expect any rocketry is out of the question because I'd be with friends (maybe some girls too :) ) who probably wouldn't like to spend a day stood in a field!
 
Originally posted by Mike
Some friends and I are planning to go away next summer. At the moment we're looking at places to go (Paris, Barcelona etc.)

Anyway one possibility would be a trip to the States, the flights are more expensive so we'd have to make it worth it. So what would you guys say are the best things to see and do?

I expect any rocketry is out of the question because I'd be with friends (maybe some girls too :) ) who probably wouldn't like to spend a day stood in a field!
You should come here to Southern California for sure. Everyone should see Hollywood at least once. If you have the money you might also like to see a performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. You can also rent a car and drive up PCH. That's a very scenic drive especially when you get out of the city. If you like doing tourist stuff there's a lot of famous landmarks and movie star homes to see. If you want to see some space stuff NASA JPL and Caltech are about 30 minutes away from downtown L.A. I don't know how close they will let you get to JPL with the new security but they do have a museum and gift store. In the valley north of L.A. there is a Nike missile site that is open to the public. That might be worth a look. L.A. is a pretty cool place to visit. If you need any more travel suggestions let me know.
 
The Florida, Tampa/St.Petersburg area ain't half-bad, either. We have bunches of museums, a REALLY cool science museum (Museum Of Science and Industry, MOSI), theme parks up the wazoo in our area. We've got Busch Gardens, Adventure Island (right across the street from BG), Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure...a lot of 'em!

We've also got some awesome beaches.

Lotsa stuff to do here.

Come check it out!

Jason
 
I agree with both those suggestions (California and Orlando areas), and I'd like to suggest also the Washington, DC area, or maybe New York City.

But one big question you need to consider is this: Do you want to go nature-seeing, or museum-seeing, or city-seeing, or what? That would really affect which directions we could point you in...

WW
 
Washington DC has *tons* to offer as does NYC. If you just want highlights, they are not that far apart and a train ride is quick and cheap. More museums than you can ever see in one trip, lots of history, and even a Six Flags theme park if you want to do that. Good party scene if you like clubs.

I also like the Orlando area if amuzement parks are up your alley. From there you can also see KSC. Tampa St pete is not far away either. Once year we flew into Tampa, visited a few days, drove to Orlando, and from there did a day trip to KSC. But then there is the issue about hurrcanes :(
 
What Wattles said. What do you want to see? Another thing to keep in mind, although this might be obvious to most, is the shear size of the US. Don't think you're going to spend a day in DC, next day in Florida, next day in California, and so on. Figure out what you want to see, then we'd be better equipped to tell you where to go. Revolutionary War battlefields, perhaps? ;)
 
Philadelphia is cool too. I went there earlier this summer. You can see the Liberty Bell, the U.S. Mint, the art museum, and the stairs from Rocky (yo Adrian!). Also make sure you go to Pat's and get a real Philly cheesesteak.
 
This is a question that could very likely receive a different answer from every person that replies.

I vacation in St. Louis, MO with *all* of my vacation time/money. I love it, and wouldn't go anywhere else.

Personally, I've lived in California. The only part of that state worth visiting (in my opinion) is the San Francisco area, Muir Wood, and Napa Valley (all in the same general part of the state.) I disliked Southern California to a degree that decorum prevents me from adequately expressing my opinion.

The Grand Canyon is *very* cool, as is Colorado.

But there's something about hanging out in good ol' St. Louis, taking a float trip on the Ozark Scenic Riverways, and just relaxing that can't be beat for me.
 
Like several folks have said, it all depends on what you want to do...

But I do know that people LOVE coming to Orlando! As much as I have had my fill of Disney, I still think it's one of those things everyone should visit at some point in their life. And if you want more than theme parks, you have Kennedy Space Center on the east coast (~1.5 hrs drive). PM or email me if you want more particulars and/or suggestions about visiting Orlando--especially during the summer!

If you are feeling very adventurous, have lots of time, & money isn't necessarily an issue, I would suggest a road trip! I've done 3 cross country round trip drives along with quite a few other road trips & that's IMHO perhaps the best way to see the USA.

Have a great time :D
 
New England. We have the beach, mountains, lakes, miles and miles of shore line and Boston for the city stuff :)

If you're interested in real out-doorsy type stuff you can't do better than Alaska, maybe a cruise up through Juno to Whitier.

jim
 
I for one, am drooling to go to Disney world to ride the new SPACE motion ride. Apparently, you get launched to Mars! :cool:

Altho, Florida is not the place to be now-a-days - I hear it's a bit breezy there now!:rolleyes:

I second Alaska for the outdoor activities. Alaska only has 2 seasons: winter and spring. All summer long the plants and animals go nuts! Beautiful scenery...
 
Wow...this is a tough one. The US has so much diversity that you will see a different "side" anywhere you go. It's already been said, but what specifically do you want to get out of this trip if you do choose the US? Are you looking to seek culture, history, or pure entertainment? The upper east coast has a little bit of everything. Florida is nice because of the beaches and theme parks, but if you have no need for "Mickey Mouse" or rollercoasters then perhaps this isn't the place. Tough call, but chime in with your expectations and we'll point you in the right direction.
 
haha I would suggest NE, but unlike everyone who suggests their states, I say; dont come to MA ;)
 
Thanks for the responses guys (keep 'em comin')

I guess we're looking for a bit of everything really, culture and pure entertainment. New York is something I'd really love to do, seeing all the sights that I've only seen on TV, especially as it's my first trip across the atlantic. Splitting the holiday and travelling to Washington seems pretty appealling, something I'll look into if we decide on the states.

Sadly the States is looking less likely, flights seem to be well over £400 in the peak summer months or around £200 around April. (anyone found anywhere cheaper let me know!) It's hard to justify it when we can fly to Paris in the summer for around £60!
 
New York City is the center of the world!:D

Man...what a place!

My dream vacation is to stay at The Plaza ($$$$) during a major snowstorm and just watch New York from my balcony!

Hey...I said a DREAM vacation.
 
Originally posted by Ryan S.
haha I would suggest NE, but unlike everyone who suggests their states, I say; dont come to MA ;)

Say what!? I live near Philly, Philly has a ton of history and stuff, but Boston is so cool. No matter what hotel you're in you're no more than a couple blocks from the T. Government center is a buck away. From there it's Quincy Market, the Italian coffee shops, Old North church, the Aquarium for the kids, the harbor cruise, not to mention Sam Adams and Harpoon breweries. Then for some peace and quiet a one hour ride to artisan colony of Rockport where the waves make it no problem to fall asleep on the jetty. Takeout lobster dinner for $7.50.....but I never warmed up to the Qoehags (I know it's spelled wrong)

There ain't nothing wrong with MA......then of course there's the quiet of RIs beaches which you can break up the quiet with a ride to Newport. Incredible little town it is.

In NY, there's little else in the east to compare to the Adirondacks, Montreal is 60 miles away, hiking, photography and winter/summer training for Olympic athletes. I love sitting there watching the Aerialist training in the 22 foot deep pool, nothing like someone coming down from 40 feet into a p ool with skis on.....after three or four somersaults and twists. Then of course the nordic ski jumpers come down the big ramps to fly for a couple hundred feet over the teflon mat for summer training. Too hot? Head for the Olympic center and watch some figure skating/hockey/speed skating training.

Washington DC has the Air and Space and Dulles has the Udvar-Hazy museums....but DC has that awful beltway too. From Maine (say hi to those launching in Cherryfield) to DC (Culpeper and MDRA are an hour away) there's a ton of stuff which would take a month to see.

Chuck
 
are well worth the trip, IMO

Yellowstone, Yosemite, Mount Rushmore, and Joshua Tree are some of my personal favorites. The beaches of So. Cal. are not to be missed, either! Venice Beach is probably the most filmed beach location ever! make sure to stop there just for a few hours to see the freaks! Hollywood has a good share of unique personalities also...
:D
 
I was in Hollywood a couple months ago, and my wife and I decided to kill some time at a local mall until the afternoon traffic died down. So we stopped at the first one we saw, and later learned that Former President Clinton was there at a book signing! Talk about the oddities of random chance!

WW
 
Couple of things you probably won't see anything like anywhere else is:

Nashville - Home of Country Music.

The desert southwest - Some people like fall foliage, To me a sunset over the painted desert is the epitome of nature's beauty. The Bonnevile salt flat. Go stand there. Not much to see but it will give true perspective of just how small you are and how big the world is. White Sands National Park. You can see where the first atomic bomb was detonated and visit the white sand desert. There are also tours of White Sands Missle Range. Gila National Forest is not far away. Hoover dam is an engineering marvel. And to cap it off if you have any money left...Las Vegas!

Personally I would avoid Manhattan like the plague, however I lived there in the service and developed a special loathing for it.

Washington DC - The museums are extraordinary. Just keep in mind that most take a full day to even begin to appreciate.

Finally, New Orleans - No place quite like it. You would have to go to understand.

A
 
Originally posted by Mike

Sadly the States is looking less likely, flights seem to be well over £400 in the peak summer months or around £200 around April. (anyone found anywhere cheaper let me know!) It's hard to justify it when we can fly to Paris in the summer for around £60!

HMMM. Maybe it's been a few years, but I remember some UK guests telling me
it was cheaper to come to Orlando/DisneyWorld than Paris/DisneyLand...

If you do make it to Florida, allow me to suggest a 'must see!' The Salvador Dali
museum in St. Petersburg...

https://www.salvadordalimuseum.org/


I really need to drag the family over there again, once these dang hurricanes finish
whipping around... :)
 
Gee...how come nobody's suggested Columbus, Ohio?

(crickets chirping)


Okay, how 'bout Cincinatti? NARAM will be held there next summer.:D

Okay, being serious now...Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. They are about two hour's drive from each other and there's quite a bit of history between the two, not to mention some AWESOME seafood.

And if you're ever driving around the backroads anywhere in South Carolina and run across a ratty-looking building with a "Bar-B-Q" sign in front, do yourself a favor - STOP AND EAT!
 
Originally posted by Chilly
..And if you're ever driving around the backroads anywhere in South Carolina and run across a ratty-looking building with a "Bar-B-Q" sign in front, do yourself a favor - STOP AND EAT!

Only if the roof is rusty, the parking lot is dirt, if they look you funny when you ask about credit cards, there are longneck bottles of American beer, and if there are vinyl tablecloths.

This should be in the comfort food thread.

:)
 
Having lived here for forty years, these are the places I'd like to see. Not necessarily in this order. Some I've been to and want to go back, others I haven't seen yet.
1. Grand Canyon
2. Smithsonian Institute
3. Mt. Rushmore
4. Yellowstone Park
5. Cape Kennedy
6. Golden Gate Bridge
7. Niagra Falls
8. Horseshoe Curve (railroad in central PA)
9. Walt Disney World
10. Colonial Williamsburg
11. New Orleans
12. Hershey, PA (Yes, as in Hershey bars are made here.)
13. The Alamo
14. Arlington National Cemetary
15. Boulder Dam

Years ago my father had a pen pal from England who visited the States. He commented on the shear size of the country, where you could drive all day every day for a week and still not cross the whole thing from east to west. He knew that before he got here, but to actually be confronted with it was somewhat daunting. Perhaps you could go to Washington, DC, and see a cluster of sights within a day's travel of there, and fly to, say, Reno or Las Vegas, and travel some more from there.
 
Originally posted by rbeckey
Having lived here for forty years, these are the places I'd like to see. Not necessarily in this order.

6. Golden Gate Bridge

If you ever make it out the the Golden Gate, you owe it to yourself to travel a little further north and see the only restored Nike missile site at Ft. Barry near Sausalito.

https://www.nps.gov/goga/nike/index.htm


Bill
 
the holy land of suburbia, queens new york.

:D

go to ohio, cedar point, top thrill dragster.
 
If you like amusement park rides, Ohio is the Mecca.
Cedar Point is considered by many worldwide to be the best in the world. It has the most world-class rides of any park anywhere. There is also King's Island near Cincinnati and another one south of Cleveland by Aurora.
Not far east is Busch Gardens in Virginia; not too far west is Six Flags north of Chicago.

Greg
 
Originally posted by Mike
Sadly the States is looking less likely, flights seem to be well over £400 in the peak summer months or around £200 around April. (anyone found anywhere cheaper let me know!) It's hard to justify it when we can fly to Paris in the summer for around £60!

If you do decide to do New York and Washington (entirely possible), then I'd strongly recommend that spring, around April, is the time to come instead of Summer. Washington is much, MUCH more tolerable in the spring time with significantly less humidity and less heat. Also, there's a fair chance you'd see the cherry blossoms. Can't speak for New York, but some of my personal favorites in the Washington area:

1. Smithsonian - especially Air and Space museum both on the mall and the new annex near Dulles.
2. Monuments
3. Arlington National Cemetery
4. National Archives - see the Constitution and Declaration of Independence on display
5. A play at Fords Theatre
6. Shenandoah Valley/Skyline Drive (an hour's drive west of town, but well worth it).
7. Colonial Williamsburg (2 hours south)
8. Jamestown (near Williamsburg)

I'm sure I'm leaving some good stuff out, but these are just a few off the top of my head.
 
Summit County, Colorado, specifically Dillon.

Grand Canyon

YELLOWSTONE!!!!!!!!

St. Louis

Kan'City

Washington somewhere, maybe Seattle.


Portland

LOTS more, however I can't think of em all.
 
Back
Top