What's the best US destination? Under 2000?

dragonavicious

So my plan A is to go to Portugal or Milan as they have the cheapest airfare for when my wedding is (and portugal has cheap hotels) but I want to have a plan B in case we can't afford that Honeymoon. 

We want an "adventure" honeymoon, with lots of activities and fun times. We love food (way too much), rollercoasters, swimming, hiking, museums, historical sites, beautiful vistas.... 

But not adventure as in Rock climbing or jumping out of airplanes. Adventures for regular non superhumans. 

We were considering Florida but the only thing we want to see there is Universal Studio (oh Harry Potter Park, why must you be so alluring?) any other ideas. 

CMGragain

Where is your location?  Have you ever been to Williamsburg, VA? 

History - Colonial Williamsburg.  This will take more than one day. http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/
 
Adventure - Busch Gardens Theme Park  http://seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-williamsburg/

You can always take a day trip up to Washington, DC to see the Smithsonian and the tourist sights.  It is about a 3 hour drive from Williamsburg.

If you are into Civil War history, don't miss nearby Richmond, VA, which was the capitol of the Confederacy.  Great museums!

climbingsingle

I was actually going to suggest Williamsburg too. 

kat1114

What time of year are you looking at? I'm slightly biased because it's my homestate, but except for rollercoasters, Arizona has a lot of your requirements. You can swim almost year around, there's a shit ton of hiking, some museums/historical sites, AMAZING views and sunsets. Also, I really don't think we get enough credit for food. There are some really great restaurants here, and you can't beat our Mexican food.

But, depending how you handle hot weather, it really narrows down the time frame of when you would want to be here. 

jenna8984

I was going to suggest Arizona as well but it depends on the time of year. We flew into Vegas and did that for 3 days. Then drove to Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon. Then drove down to Sedona AZ, which is where all the Red Rock canyons are. Absolutely stunning with hikig trails. Then we drove down to Phoenix to see some friends but also museums and hiking trails there.

It would be good in spring & fall. Summer would be way too hot to enjoy any hiking and winter would be too cold to swim in the pools in Vegas or the creeks in Sedona.

Have you been to Boston? We have awesome food, great historical sites but you could also go hiking an hour away, or swimming at the Cape, or even catch a bus to NYC.

dragonavicious

My grandmother lives in Arizona but I have never been there and my friend lives in Boston and Ive never been there either. They would both be interesting.

CJandRyan

I'm LOLing at the "Adventures for regular non superhumans!" I'm right there with you! 

We are considering a road trip along the coast of California. I've only done a small section (Santa Barbara to LA) and it was gorgeous so I'm excited to see more of the state! We might take a couple detours to Sequoia National Park or Yosemite. 

I also agree with PPs about Williamsburg, VA! My FI and I took our first trip together to Virginia and loved it so much that's where we've decided to have our wedding! (We're getting married in a small town called Cape Charles along the Chesapeake Bay.) We spent a day in Williamsburg and didn't do any of the colonial touristy stuff but still loved the time we spent just exploring the town. We also spent some time at Shenandoah National Park and visited some caves, we especially liked Grand Caverns. We were the only people on the tour which made it so much more enjoyable. Luray Caverns was too touristy. 

[Deleted User]

The big thing is, when are you planning your vacation for? Reason being is Boston & Cape Cod is a wonderful area and so is Williamsburg, but if you are planning for a winter time honeymoon, those areas would be kind of cold and Williamsburg and Cape Cod are dead in the winter. While depending on your comfort levels, Arizona/Vega may be too warm if planning a summer honeymoon depending on your comfort level.

[Deleted User]

Other things to do in Florida is day trip to Everglades (you can go on those cool fan boats there I belive), There is a Busch Gardens in Tampa also. Here is a link for ideas of things to do in Florida besides Disney.  http://www.visitflorida.com/en-us/travelideas.html?CID=PS_GPS_Visit+Florida+Desktop+-+Paid+Search_travel+ideas_No+Creative_Sitelinks_Sitelinks

 

Also check out groupon for the area you want to visit for food, activities & hotels, you may be able to do some fun things & save some money in the process which means you may be able to do more.

allispain

I would just like to point out, as an amusement park enthusiast myself, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is kind of a let down. Only 4 coasters, 1 of which is pretty great but the other 3 are blah.

If you're planning something in the fall, winter, or spring, I would agree that Arizona would be a great option. You can visit all the big sites (Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, Petrified Forest, etc.), go horseback riding, go whitewater rafting on the Colorado river, and all sorts of other great outdoorsy things.

OliveOilsMom

We just came back from an October vacation to Pagosa Springs CO.  We are also not superhuman adventurerers and there was a ton of stuff to do!  They have hot springs there, which we used every night!  So no sore muscles for us the next day after hiking and walking around either!

From October to April is their snowy time.  We actually lucked out when we were there (last week in October), they were having warmer weather and no snow yet.  We had no intention of going there in the snow!

fwtx5815

My fiancé and I thought for the LONGEST time that our honeymoon would be in Italy, but when it came time to book airfare, we figured out that I don't yet have enough vacation days accrued for it to make sense to go out of the country. With 2 full days used up on travel alone, it would have left only 3 days in Italy.
So we're going to Charleston, SC for 5 days and we've budgeted $2k for it. We booked our stay at this really cool, historic hotel. We'll probably bring our golf clubs and get a round or two in. But between all the good restaurants, the golf, and the historical sites, I think there will be plenty to do.

vikinganna87

@dallasbetch LOVE Charleston   Very excited for you!  Was going to suggest it to @dragonavicious . It's a beautiful city; gorgeous architecture, very walkable, lots of good music, bars, restaurants.  Rich history.  Very friendly people.

fwtx5815

vikinganna87 said:

@dallasbetch LOVE Charleston   Very excited for you!  Was going to suggest it to @dragonavicious . It's a beautiful city; gorgeous architecture, very walkable, lots of good music, bars, restaurants.  Rich history.  Very friendly people.

@vikinganna87 We can't wait! Glad to hear another another good review of the city

Liatris2010

Florida has so much more than theme parks. We have a ton of hiking, boating, fishing, surfing, great wildlife and gorgeous beaches.

brittanykaylachandler

We're going to Eureka Springs, Arkansas! There is a diamond dig a few hours away, Branson, MO is about 1.5 hours in the other direction, and there are tons of things to do in the town and on the lake!

brittanykaylachandler

My fiance's mom found the place... Beaver Lake Cabins... the cabins have full kitchens with pots, pans, plates, etc, you just need food! And it's really affordable! They have tons of things included in the price also. 

cantwaitforthefuture

Milan isn't that nice, so honestly I would not go there.  I taught in Italy for a year, and traveled all through the country.  Milan might be my least favorite place I went to in Italy.  Have you heard of Delray Beach, Fl?  It's a beautiful old world Florida community.  You could 100% do a week there under 2k.

lovemesomemonster

Another US destination nobody has hit on is the NW.. I live in Coeur d'Alene Idaho and if you want outdoor adventure you got it.. middle of the mountains with tons of lakes, hiking, great food, and not a ton of people. You are also close to a lot of old mining towns which are cool to see. Western Montana is great as well, Whitefish is beautiful and you are a drive away from Yellowstone. Seattle if you are looking for more of a city is really fun, Ocean, city life, and close to more hiking/outdoors. Or head south to Portland Oregon for great food, beautiful city, Mt Hood close by and the Oregon coast.

What time of year and where are you coming from?