NWR: Favorite U.S. Vacation

Allycat11

I am pretty sure we've had this conversation before, but what is your favorite vacation spot in the U.S. and why?

DH and I did not take a HM and we have never gone on vacation together so I am thinking of going somewhere late winter/early spring.  It will probably be a 3-4 day vacay, kinda on a budget but not too tight.  We have a small airline credit we can use, and are willing to add to it, so we actually would prefer flying somewhere over driving.  Where would you go?

matuofm

If you're talking about vacationing in late winter/early spring, what are you hoping to be doing?  I've been in Chicago in both summer and winter, and had a good time both times.  But while I was in Boston, much of what we were doing involved walking tours and/or going to a lot of small attractions that were close to each other - between which we walked.  That wouldn't have been much fun in February.

My favorite U.S. vacation was probably to Bar Harbor, Maine.  But I wouldn't recommend THAT in February either.  I had fantastic vacations (2 days each) in Savannah and in St. Augustine.  Both of those were in the middle of November and it was just warm enough to still go to the beach, so they might be nice by March.  And in both of them, I wished we'd had an extra few days because there was still a lot of cool stuff I would have liked to do.

Allycat11

I honestly don't even know what we want to do.  We are not lay on the beach all day people.  I guess we could postpone it to spring or early summer if it involved something really cool.  We've definitely talked about the east coast, because neither of us have been there.  I would love to go to Northern Cali for the wineries but DH doesn't love wine and 3-4 days would probably be too short for me to want to go that far west.  We've talked about Chicago, I've been there, DH has not...either way there is a lot for us to do there.

theleos

New orleans is my fav. We did an airboat tour and plantation tour, both were awesome. We did a cooking class too, which did crawfish étouffée and so e sort of shrimp soup thing. Delicious and fun. At night we hit up Bourbon Street. It's so much fun and drinks are cheap!!!! Liz will appreciate this: I went with two friends from MSU and we went to Howl At The Moon piano bar. One of the pianists was from MI and played the MSU fight song for us. (his friends were in town visiting and had MSU apparel on!). my friend got up and did the dance teams dance to it. No one had a clue what we were doing, but it was one of the best memories! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100265120752704&set=a.10100265103981314.2955300.2312023&type=3

matuofm

Jeremy and I don't like laying around either; every vacation they went on when he was a kid was his parents lying on the beach and the kids having to entertain themselves; he hates it.  As for me, I've just always felt that travel is expensive and you're likely to only experience this new place once, so why not actually explore it and see what it has to offer while you can?

Last spring we packed up at the end of April and went to Gatlinburg, TN.  We weren't crazy about the town itself (but then again, we're the sort of people who hate Vegas), but Smoky Mnt. Natl. Park was absolutely amazing.  We spent several fantastic days hiking around in there (and went zip-lining!).  Then we went to Asheville, NC, where we'd rented a rural cabin in the mountains.  That was amazing too.  Asheville was fun but not overwhelming.  The weather was perfect for me at both places (I like it in the lower 70s) - I'd think that in May, it'd be perfect for everybody else. 

Off of our bucket list - what about New Orleans?  Or Charleston, S.C., or the Georgia Islands?  Or Colonial Williamsburg?

Sue-n-Kevin

OMG, I was going to say Charleston SC! It's an amazing place!

My company had a business function there in January of this year. Kevin and I both like history, and there is a LOT of it there. He paid his own way and we flew down together with my boss, and stayed for 4 days.

Delta has direct flights to Charleston. You won't need a car unless you want to drive around, once you get to your hotel everything is within walking distance (or you can take a cab). I think the cab ride from the airport to the hotel was about 30 minutes, maybe $30........can't remember, my boss paid.

We stayed at the French Quarter Inn (company paid for it, but it's really not that bad if you want an elegant experience). It's a 4 or 5 Diamond hotel. They give you champagne around 3 pm (or when you arrive if after noon), have wine & cheese in the afternoon, a fabulous buffet breakfast every day. Our room had a fireplace AND a balcony. VERY VERY romantic and just an overall fabulous experience. If you decide to stay there, make sure to call for the reservation so you can get a balcony or patio with a fireplace. The fireplace is gas and turns on with a switch.

We were there in mid-January: the petunias and other flowers in planters were blooming, the weather was mid 60's every day (except our last full day, when we wanted to go by boat to Ft Sumter). There are American Revolutionary War historic sites, plus those from the "War of Northern Aggression" aka the Civil War.

Link to hotel website:
http://www.fqicharleston.com/?gclid=CInw496hia0CFUXf4AodX2iUnQ

Link to tripadvisor website (#1 ranked in Charleston)
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g54171-d225044-Reviews-French_Quarter_Inn-Charleston_South_Carolina.html

Their rates may be pricey, but to be frank, if you look at the reviews on tripadvisor,  you'll know you will love it, and it is worth it. It's centrally located to the Market, which is a long covered shopping area. If you can't stay there due to the price, stay at least one night and go somewhere else. We had to check out and stay elsewhere for one night because the last night we were there they were sold out. The other place we stayed was the Mills House, also very nice & classy:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g54171-d219316-Reviews-Mills_House_Hotel-Charleston_South_Carolina.html . The restaurant I mention below, Toast, is right next to the Mills House.

Every, and I mean EVERY restaurant is at least 3 star, most 4 stars. We ate a fabulous meal at the Charleston Grill, they had a jazz band the night we were there, not sure what nights it plays. It was seriously the best meal I ever had. There are other restaurants too, check them all out before you go, we had a dinner at Magnolia's as well for work, but Kevin & I loved the Charleston Grill.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g54171-d463411-Reviews-Charleston_Grill-Charleston_South_Carolina.html

Have a full breakfast at Toast, link here:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g54171-d1075827-Reviews-Toast_Restaurant-Charleston_South_Carolina.html

We had to go there based on the reviews, and they were right. GREAT breakfast, the place is usually packed so allow time to wait.

We walked everywhere, take comfy shoes. Many of the streets are cobblestone. The one downside, and it may have been because it was January, is that they sort of "roll up the streets" around 6 pm in the shopping area, ie the antique stores. We walked along the waterfront, there is an old Post house or something like that which dates back to the Revolutionary War. We found out about it from the concierge at our hotel, there is a ballroom where George Washington danced when he was in Charleston. Make sure to take the tour.

Pic of the ballroom here:


Here is a picture of a random house we walked by in the historic home section. People actually live in these houses with historic markers on them. I just loved how the car parked in the driveway matched the house, LOL.


My other recommendation (before you got me going on Charleston) would be Washington DC if you've never been. PM me if you want more info on that, because I've taken up too much of the space on this thread, LOL.

Allycat11

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_nwr-favorite-vacation?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:88Discussion:d0875947-0518-40e0-987c-21bb96d8fe6aPost:dc7ca68a-11a0-47af-9a8c-65dc3b917266">Re: NWR: Favorite U.S. Vacation</a>:
[QUOTE]OMG, I was going to say Charleston SC! It's an amazing place! My company had a business function there in January of this year. Kevin and I both like history, and there is a LOT of it there. He paid his own way and we flew down together with my boss, and stayed for 4 days. Delta has direct flights to Charleston. You won't need a car unless you want to drive around, once you get to your hotel everything is within walking distance (or you can take a cab). I think the cab ride from the airport to the hotel was about 30 minutes, maybe $30........can't remember, my boss paid. We stayed at the French Quarter Inn (company paid for it, but it's really not that bad if you want an elegant experience). It's a 4 or 5 Diamond hotel. They give you champagne around 3 pm (or when you arrive if after noon), have wine & cheese in the afternoon, a fabulous buffet breakfast every day. Our room had a fireplace AND a balcony. VERY VERY romantic and just an overall fabulous experience. If you decide to stay there, make sure to call for the reservation so you can get a balcony or patio with a fireplace. The fireplace is gas and turns on with a switch. We were there in mid-January: the petunias and other flowers in planters were blooming, the weather was mid 60's every day (except our last full day, when we wanted to go by boat to Ft Sumter). There are American Revolutionary War historic sites, plus those from the "War of Northern Aggression" aka the Civil War. Link to hotel website: <a href="http://www.fqicharleston.com/?gclid=CInw496hia0CFUXf4AodX2iUnQ" rel='nofollow'>http://www.fqicharleston.com/?gclid=CInw496hia0CFUXf4AodX2iUnQ</a> Link to tripadvisor website (#1 ranked in Charleston) <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g54171-d225044-Reviews-French_Quarter_Inn-Charleston_South_Carolina.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g54171-d225044-Reviews-French_Quarter_Inn-Charleston_South_Carolina.html</a> Their rates may be pricey, but to be frank, if you look at the reviews on tripadvisor,  you'll know you will love it, and it is worth it. It's centrally located to the Market, which is a long covered shopping area. If you can't stay there due to the price, stay at least one night and go somewhere else. We had to check out and stay elsewhere for one night because the last night we were there they were sold out. The other place we stayed was the Mills House, also very nice & classy: <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g54171-d219316-Reviews-Mills_House_Hotel-Charleston_South_Carolina.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g54171-d219316-Reviews-Mills_House_Hotel-Charleston_South_Carolina.html</a> . The restaurant I mention below, Toast, is right next to the Mills House. Every, and I mean EVERY restaurant is at least 3 star, most 4 stars. We ate a fabulous meal at the Charleston Grill, they had a jazz band the night we were there, not sure what nights it plays. It was seriously the best meal I ever had. There are other restaurants too, check them all out before you go, we had a dinner at Magnolia's as well for work, but Kevin & I loved the Charleston Grill. <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g54171-d463411-Reviews-Charleston_Grill-Charleston_South_Carolina.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g54171-d463411-Reviews-Charleston_Grill-Charleston_South_Carolina.html</a> Have a full breakfast at Toast, link here: <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g54171-d1075827-Reviews-Toast_Restaurant-Charleston_South_Carolina.html" rel='nofollow'>http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g54171-d1075827-Reviews-Toast_Restaurant-Charleston_South_Carolina.html</a> We had to go there based on the reviews, and they were right. GREAT breakfast, the place is usually packed so allow time to wait. We walked everywhere, take comfy shoes. Many of the streets are cobblestone. The one downside, and it may have been because it was January, is that they sort of "roll up the streets" around 6 pm in the shopping area, ie the antique stores. We walked along the waterfront, there is an old Post house or something like that which dates back to the Revolutionary War. We found out about it from the concierge at our hotel, there is a ballroom where George Washington danced when he was in Charleston. Make sure to take the tour. Pic of the ballroom here: Here is a picture of a random house we walked by in the historic home section. People actually live in these houses with historic markers on them. I just loved how the car parked in the driveway matched the house, LOL. My other recommendation (before you got me going on Charleston) would be Washington DC if you've never been. PM me if you want more info on that, because I've taken up too much of the space on this thread, LOL.
Posted by Sue-n-Kevin[/QUOTE]


You may have sold me on Charleston.  DH and I both have never been to D.C. and I feel like that is somewhere we HAVE to go at some point, so if you want to share more info. on favorites there that would be great.

emarston1

Vegas.  But DC is super cool too.

Allycat11

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_michigan-detroit_nwr-favorite-vacation?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:88Discussion:d0875947-0518-40e0-987c-21bb96d8fe6aPost:4e636d57-7eea-4a73-bff6-2f95900b817e">Re: NWR: Favorite U.S. Vacation</a>:
[QUOTE]Vegas.  But DC is super cool too.
Posted by emarston1[/QUOTE]

We have definitely thought about going to Vegas but I am worried about how much money we would end up spending.

emarston1

As long as you don't gamble, I don't see you spending any more money in Vegas than you would in any other city.  And if you do gamble, set a limit and stick to it.

There are a TON of things to do in Vegas that don't require drinking/gambling.  Plus you won't have a lot of transportation costs since you can walk pretty much anywhere on the strip.  Plus there is so much to do that is free/relatively cheap so you can definitely get away with low cost.

Sue-n-Kevin

OK,  my input on DC:

I have been there a few times since my son went there for his master's program.

NIcest hotel with reasonable prices: The State Plaza
http://www.stateplaza.com/

Whenever we have gone to DC, it was to see my son, so a reasonably priced hotel near him was important. The State Plaza fit the bill. It is an old apartment complex turned into a hotel. So, every room has a kitchen, living room (with big screen tv and sofa bed) and bedroom (with another flat screen tv). There is a microwave, fridge, eating utensils in the kitchen. If you leave the dishes dirty on the counter, the maids will clean them, LOL. There is a CVS around the corner from the hotel, and a liquor store next to it..........what's not to like? We would pick up easy meal fixings at the CVS (there are no grocery stores in walking distance really anywhere in DC), so we could save some money on meals.

This hotel is walking distance (about 5-6 blocks) from the LIncoln Monument, which is at one end of the Mall. The Vietnam War Memorial is right next to the LIncoln Monument. The White House is also close. Expect to do a LOT of walking in DC.........we are in our mid 50's and saw almost everything by walking. From one end of the mall to the other is roughly 1-1.5 miles. It looks closer because everything is so near. All the "best" free Smithsonian museums are on either side of the mall, the American History Museum, Museum of Natural History (where the Hope Diamond and other humungous jewels are, LOL), the Air and Space Museum.

If I were you I'd probably plan on going to DC in March sometime. They do get wintry weather, but March is when it starts to get nicer.

Other recommendations:
- Delta has multiple flights into and out of the area daily. The cheapest flights are to Baltimore. From there you can catch a bus outside that takes you to the Metro train station. To get to the State Plaza, you will want to use the the blue or orange line of the Metro, the stop is Foggy Bottom/GWU. It's about 4 blocks from the station to the hotel. From the airport you'd take the bus that goes to the green line, the Greenbelt station, then take the green line to the L'enfant Plaza station, getting on the blue or orange line to Foggy Bottom/GWU.

Delta also flies non-stop to Reagan International, which has a direct stop on the blue line. That truly is the easiest way, but trust me, the airlines know this and charge more to fly into Reagan than Baltimore. For us it was always about saving money as we went more than once a year and usually had 3 airfares to buy.

Here is a map of the Metro system, link below. It looks a lot more confusing than it actually is when you are on the Metro or in the stations. I took my daughter to DC when she was about 10, and we went alone. I had never been there before and had no problem figuring it out. It is safe, easy, and everyone uses it. You can buy re-usable fare cards at any station. The fares are actually different depending on the time you travel.......they are a little more during "rush hour" times in the morning and evening. If you go for 3-4 days, you could each put $20 on one card and probably have money left on them when you come home.
 
http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm

Here is info on the bus from Baltimore to the Metro:
http://www.bwiairport.com/en/travel/ground-transportation/trans/wmata

Things I HIGHLY recommend doing long before you go:

Go to Senator Levin or Stabenow's websites, they can arrange special trips or tours for you. Senator Stabenow has a "Welcome Michigan" visit for any Michiganders in DC when she is there, every Tuesday.

Levin's here: https://levin.senate.gov/help/welcome-to-dc?pid=ae2ea50e-b7bf-b322-9d12-5ef14bf45f7f

Stabelow here: http://stabenow.senate.gov/?p=visiting_washington_dc

Also, if you know anyone who served our country, you can order a flag from their office that has flown over the Capitol. We arranged this ahead of time and I had paid for one for my Dad who served during WWII, and for Kevin who was a 22 yr vet of the Air Force. We picked them up from Senator Levin's office. I got mine for my Dad's 80th birthday, he was SO touched........he cried. There is a certificate of authenticity included (FYI: you can do this for anyone, for any occasion, and get one by mail......I just happened to arrange this before our trip and picked them up)

Things you HAVE to see while there (I'm putting down what is easy to fit into a 3-4 day visit)

The Monuments: Lincoln, Washington, FDR, Jefferson: You could do all of these in one day, the Lincoln and Washington are on the Mall, FDR is near the Jefferson Monument. There is a small museum in the basement of both the Lincoln and Jefferson Monuments with stories about their history and why they were important. The WWII Memorial is also on the Mall, about half way between the Lincoln Monument and the Capitol. There is an organization that arranges flights of WWII vets to this area regularly, and you'll often see them, doddering old men, walking around and seeing everything. One of the park rangers told us that former Senator Bob Dole, a WWII vet, was there often shaking hands of these vets. There are statues around the perimeter, one for every state. The wall on one end has 4000 gold stars.........one for each of one HUNDRED Americans (yes, 400,000) who died during the conflict. They always have park rangers there who are educated in what the various things mean if you can't figure them out. When we were there about 7 years ago it had first opened and you could put your feet in the pool/fountain. Not any more, LOL.

The Bureau of Engraving: Where the "money is made". VERY cool, entire pages of dollar bills rolling off the printers. This tour is free, and if you go between January and April, you won't need the senator's office to arrange it. The ticket booth is on the opposite side of the entrance, and the tours are timed to fit in a certain number of people each tour, I think they take off every 30 - 40 minutes. They have a very cool gift shop at the end of the tour where you can buy sheets of uncut bills. We got one with $2 bills, they charge about $5 over the value of the bills.

White House: We actually never took the "regular tour" because we knew someone who works for the Executive Branch, and they can take you on special tours of the West Wing. However, the regular tour shows you so much more and you'd want to have your dates in mind and arrange this through one of the Senator's offices as soon as you know when you are going.

Capitol: You can arrange a tour through the senator's office (or your Representative to Congress if you want). They are group tours. If Congress is in session when you go, it's possible to get seats in the gallery to watch them in session. We were there during the 4th of July break, got to see the gallery, but they were not in session.

Spy Museum: This is not run by the government, so there is a fee. I think it is steep, like $20 or so, but when I took my daughter on it, it was really cool. If you like spy stuff, I'd recommend it. Link here:
http://www.spymuseum.org/?gclid=CNPm6Yzmi60CFUio4AodNAKRGg

American History Museum: This has everything historic in it. Allow about 4-5 hrs to see everything. The "Star Spangled Banner", the real flag that was flying that resulted in the song has been undergoing a huge refurbishing and has been on display for a long time as people work on it. They have Washington's uniform, and I'm pretty sure this is the museum that has all the First Lady Inaugural gowns.

Natural HIstory Museum: This is the "natural" stuff, they have a huge Richter scale there that shows any activity around the world, dinosaur stuff, things that relate to "nature">...........and of course there are the gems which is always my favorite thing!

Air and Space: This was the last one we saw of all the popular ones. I guess it depends on whether this stuff interests you or not. That's probably why it was the last LOL..........but it is cool, you can get lost in all the areas reading everything. I wouldn't recommend spending a long time there unless you are really interested in it.

Ford Theater: If you like history this is a living breathing part of it. This is where Lincoln was shot, and the house where he died is right across the street. It is an actual theater today, and they have shows there. I believe there is a museum in the basement that has a lot of stuff, but I think there is a fee for that.

Library of Congress: IMO this is one of the "hidden gems" in DC. Tours are free and start about every 30-40 minutes. You want to tour the Jefferson Building portion of the Library. If you ever saw "National Treasure", you'll see the huge room where you can browse books, but from above. The thing that absolutely amazed me is that EVERY single statue, tile mosaic, has a message about our country's beginning, and Thomas Jefferson's intent that the US compare favorably with the great countries of Europe. It is truly fascinating........oh, and you can see one of the original Gutenberg Bibles on display. They have small "museum areas" within the building that have exhibits on display for 3-6 months.

Link to tour times: http://www.loc.gov/visit/tours/

Best Restaurants: The 2 we liked the most (we didn't eat out a lot because nothing is really cheap) were Founding Farmers:
http://www.wearefoundingfarmers.com/

Elephant and Castle (on I street): http://www.elephantcastle.com/dc_eye

Again, use the tripadvisor.com website to find places in your budget that are good.

You don't need a car.........the hotels charge $25-$50 a night to park them in their garages, there is absolutely NO way to find street parking, and the metro is the easiest way to get around.

I'd recommend signing up on the Washington Post website for "Things going on" emails about stuff happening on a weekly basis. They also provide great restaurant reviews and events.

You can tell, I LOVE DC. I think I've been there about 5 times now, and it never gets tiring. I think we've walked the steps of the LIncoln Monument every time we've gone.

Happy to help.

emarston1

This is why I love Sue.  She doesn't half ass any answer and really wants everyone to as well informed as possible   You are amazing Sue!

The two times I've been to DC, it was for work purposes so I didn't really get to go to many museums since they close at 5pm and I was generally working until about that time.  But I certainly checked out all the monuments, saw the white house, and went to Arlington National Cemetary.

But I did get to check out the National Archives which was really cool.  It's where the Declation of Independence is housed.

sparkles776

I think the favorite vacation FI and I have been on is Vegas. There is definitely a lot to do there for free or little cost. The airfare is the most expensive part, the hotels are super super cheap because there are so many rooms. Our trip total was about 2 grand but we didnt skimp on anything, we drank a lot, gambled, and saw like 3 shows. There are tours that go out to the grand canyon and the hoover dam.  You really dont need very much transportation. We took a taxi to and from the airport and once down to Freemont Street (old vegas). It is truly an amazing city, FI is dying to go back.

sparkles776

Thanks Sue for the Charleston recommendations. We are heading down that way in April, we have tickets to one of the days for the Masters and are staying in Savannah, but i really wanted to take a day trip to Charleston.

Sue-n-Kevin

Oooh Liz, I forgot the Archives! There's just so much to see there! Yes, definitely go to the National Archives........in one room they have the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and I think the Emancipation Proclamation is there too.

The good news is that in 3-4 days you can see a lot, and there will be so much left you'll go back

Meegles4

I just got back from Vegas and was very "meh" about the whole experience. The food was wonderful, and the one show we went to was fab, but otherwise, eh. I do think it'd be nice if you went in the spring/summer/fall, basically when the pools are open. Not being able to lay by the pool was a huge downer for me.

I'm a HUGE fan of DC. I lived there for a semester in college and have visited several times. The subway system is incredibly easy to use, and walking is easy as well. The Cherry Blossom Festival is in April, it's a great time to go - though you might pay a bit more for airfare and hotels. If you watch travelzoo.com, I often see deals for DC hotels though, so keep any eye on it.

Sue gave a great recap of the sites. My favorite museum, hands down, is the American History Museum (though I haven't been since they remodeled it), and the Newseum. I also highly recommend visiting the monuments at night. My favorite walk is taking the subway to the Smithsonian stop at dusk, and then walk from there to the Washington Monument, then to the WWII monument, then to the Vietnam Wall & Korean Memorial (my fave and really awesome at night), then the Lincoln Memorial. You'll also see the capitol lit up from afar. Then, you take 24th St. (I think) north to the George Washington U. subway stop and you're back on track to wherever you need to go! It's a bit of a hike, but well worth it. The crowds are slightly smaller and the monuments are gorgeous lit up. I've done this walk myself and with people, so it's safe. You can also go paddle boating on the Tidal Basin, which is great to do during the Cherry Blossom time because that's really where they're all at. The Tidal Basin is right by the Jefferson Memorial as well.

There's also a lunch counter in Eastern Market that has a great pancake breakfast on Saturdays. We used to go all the time when I lived there. Eastern Market is also a fun area to wander around in, as is Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle. These are also great locations for bars and restaurants. Georgetown is nice, but isn't very easily accessible by mass transit (there's a bus that goes there from Dupont I think). Otherwise, there are cabs or you can take another long walk from the GWU or Foggy Bottom stops.

Now that I've expressed my love for DC, I might also suggest NYC. I've only been once, but it was for a long weekend and was just enough time to see the big sites and get a feel for the city. We've also been to Boston. Best part of Boston was Fenway Park, we went to a Sox-Tigers game, which was a lot of fun. I'd recommend that if you wanted to try to time it right.

It's also on my bucket list to drive the Pacific Coast Highway, but I would agree that the west coast is probably a bit far for what you're trying to do. Another bucket list item is the Florida Keys. But I've heard that's expensive, too :-)

entropicbeauty

I was going to suggest Utah - the weather would be pretty nice for a Michigander that time of year and hiking the canyons is one of my favorite childhood memories.