US Honeymoon Ideas!- Please Help!

cheyennecaron

I am looking for ideas of places to go in the US. We're not really wanting to go out of the country. Our wedding is in June, so looking to take the honeymoon shortly after the wedding. Budget wise, we haven't really talked out it. Probably somewhere around the $2000-3000 range. We want to have a good honeymoon! I like the idea of somewhere with beaches, but not opposed to somewhere in the mountains either. I would love to go to New York City, but that probably won't happen. Hubby to be doesn't like huge crowds! Any suggestions would be great! Just want to get away and have a little relaxing vaca with the hubby to be! Thanks!

Maggie0829

H and I went to Key West (no beaches per se but lots of water activities) for around $3000 for a week.  We also spent a few days in Miami since that is where we flew in and out of to then drive to Key West.

We loved KW.  It has a great laid back vibe and you can either party it up or relax away.  We stayed at the Southernmost on the Beach hotel and loved that it was on the quieter end so we could get away from the crazy when we wanted.

MayDay513

cheyennecaron said:

I am looking for ideas of places to go in the US. We're not really wanting to go out of the country. Our wedding is in June, so looking to take the honeymoon shortly after the wedding. Budget wise, we haven't really talked out it. Probably somewhere around the $2000-3000 range. We want to have a good honeymoon! I like the idea of somewhere with beaches, but not opposed to somewhere in the mountains either. I would love to go to New York City, but that probably won't happen. Hubby to be doesn't like huge crowds! Any suggestions would be great! Just want to get away and have a little relaxing vaca with the hubby to be! Thanks!

Where are you traveling from? Would you guys consider a road trip? You could do Washington to California Coast. Highway 101 Runs the length of the coast. You can start anywhere and head either direction. If you are like Twilight Fans you could start at Forks WA, and go from there. Lots to do and see etc. Lots of beaches, towns and shops.

You could go to wine country in California etc.

ETA: Spelling

cheyennecaron

From IL, I'd love somewhere that has that romantic vibe. I've never been to thd western side of the US so it would cool to get to explore over there.

emmyg65

The US is full of awesome places! You could do one night in NYC and a few nights in the Adirondacks. Then you get to see the city and you fiance only has to put up with crowds for a bit. We're honeymooning at a luxury campground in the Adirondacks called Camp Orenda. Or you could do NYC and the Jersey Shore to get some beach time. Maine has nice beaches, same with the Carolinas and Florida. And of course, Southern California.

Sue-n-Kevin

You don't say how long you intend this to last, ie how many days. Here are my thoughts, and I live in Michigan.

Our honeymoon was a 14 day long trip down the coast of CA on Hyw 1 (Pacific Coast Hwy) that the prior poster mentioned. It cost about $6000 and included airfare from Detroit to San Fran, rental car down the coast, car turned in at the San Diego airport when we left. My fare was free because of frequent flyer miles on Delta. You could probably do a shorter version for your budget. I'd also recommend when looking at airfares considering a 3 way option such as what we did. They don't cost that much more, sometimes as little as $20-$50 if you use the same airline. And you get to see a lot more destinations.

Southern CA in June will be pretty warm, the water will be fairly warm. I'd recommend the LA-San Diego area. The drive from one to the other is less than 3 hrs, allowing for traffic. In LA you can see all the touristy Hollywood things, we stayed at the Casa Malibu Inn right on the beach in Malibu, then drove down to Coronado Bay near San Diego and stayed on the bay in the Loew's Coronado Bay hotel. Silver Strand beach in Coronado was voted one of the best in the country.

Or, you could drive up the western coast of Michigan along Lake Michigan, all the way up to Traverse City area, go to the wineries, head up to Mackinac Island and stay at the Grand Hotel. I've never stayed there, it's usually $250-$350 per night, but with your budget you can manage one night, and stay at B&B's in Traverse City, Petoskey area. Saugatuck near St Joe's on the southern coastal area of Lake Michigan is a cute touristy town that reminds me a lot of New England. I lived in Massachusetts for 6 years, so can draw a good comparison, LOL.

Another romantic area is Charleston SC. I was there for business in January a few years ago and my then fiance went with me. We were there for 4 nights, and stayed at the French Quarter Inn, a 4 Diamond hotel and absolutely romantic and gorgeous. We had a fireplace in our room, they have a fabulous breakfast buffet in the lobby in the morning, and wine and cheese in the afternoon. Charleston is a lovely historic area, with brick streets, all the restaurants are like 4 star amazing, and in June it will be warm but not super sticky humid.

If you've never been to DC I'd also highly recommend that. I've been there several times because my son lives there. The best budget hotel is the State Plaza, a former apartment building revised to a hotel, the rooms have small kitchens, you can save money on restaurants, and it's about 5 blocks to the Lincoln Monument. All the museums and monuments are free. If you saw everything you wanted in a 3-4 day period, you could go down to Virginia beach area which will be warm.

Michigan waters won't be warm in June, the others will.

Decide if you want to fly or drive. While driving may be cheaper, many hotels in large cities charge a parking fee from $25-$50 a night if the hotel is in a downtown area. We paid no parking fees in southern CA, but in the San Fran & DC areas they do charge them. If the place you are staying is in a downtown area with limited parking, you will pay a fee.

I plan every one of my trips by using tripadvisor.com. You can see hotels, restaurants, activities in any area in the country with real reviews by real customers. For special trips I will consider paying a bit more for one night for the ultimate experience. But you can find really nice hotels in the mid price range.

Good luck and have fun planning!

SBmini

You want to go to California. They have beaches, mountains, big cities, etc. I recommend San Diego.

FiancB

We just did the Hwy 1 thing too. We drove from MN to San Francisco, up to Mendocino where my parents have an old ranch that they used to live at, up to Newport OR then over to Corvallis, up to Astoria, and up again to Seattle before heading back.

This wasn't a honeymoon but an annual trip to see my family, and because he'd never been to CA or WA. This description is going to get really, really long. I recommend googling up some images as you read. 

TBH, I think CA for the most part is the most overrated place in the world. Most of it is expensive and crowded. While I'm still glad we went to San Fran, it was kind of stressful. We've been to other big cities like Seattle, DC, Chicago, etc and San Fran was pretty damn sketchy in a lot of places. And traffic is probably the very worst in the country. I still think everyone should do it once, but I also don't think it's the absolute best locale on the west coast. If you do go, get your Alcatraz tickets way ahead of time- we got there only to find that they are booked solid for three weeks straight. 

I haven't been south of San Francisco though, except for a trip to Disneyland when I was little. I thought it was pretty awesome, but then I was 8 years old. La Brea tar pits were cool too. But again, 8. On the trip mentioned above we also went to San Jose to see the Winchester House, and that was a really beautiful area. There were a few times our GPS routed us off the beaten path to avoid traffic through areas that were really gorgeous. 

On to Mendocino. It's a tiny town on the north coast. It's never packed, which was a breath of fresh air compared to the bay area. There are tons of swanky hotels and B&Bs, and charming storefronts. I've been going to Mendocino 2x a year for most of my life as my parents have a ranch nearby in Albion that they never sold. Mendocino is on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Big River Beach is my favorite beach in the world, with nearby Navarro Beach being up there too. 

I will warn you though... if you road trip on 1 near this area, bring the Dramamine. I did okay because I'm used to it, and I was sitting up front. If one of you is prone to carsickness, that's the person that should drive. The roads are VERY windy, though the road from Mendocino up to Leggett has improved a lot over the years. But like I said, I made the trip 2x a year for most of my life and I was about 8 before we managed to get through without me or my sisters puking at some point. 

Onward through the redwoods, it's gorgeous. Crescent City is the last major stop in CA before hitting Oregon and there's some decent hotels there. 

Now we're going to hit my favorite place: Oregon. I'm partial because I'm from there, but you really could spend a month here and not see everything that there is to see. Like someone above said, CA has beaches, mountains, big cities, etc. Well OR has all that too, but without the crowds and expense. 

Obviously, there's the beaches. 101 will take you from the south coast with Coquille and such up to Seaside (near my hometown of Astoria) before going on to WA. But if you have time, there are some side trips I recommend. 

The valley is gorgeous and there are  some wineries that are rivalling CA's, again without the CA everything-is-expensive tax. Willamette Valley Vineyards is near Salem and makes great wines. There are smaller ones scattered throughought, especially on 99 going from Corvallis to Portland. Eola Hills has great food and an amazing Gewurtztraminer (sp?). 

Crater Lake is amazingly gorgeous. Bend is too. Eastern OR takes on an entirely different landscape from the coast. At the far east it's basically desert, with a lot of pioneer museums etc relating to the oregon trail. 

Portland is our favorite city. It doesn't feel like a huge city, but it is. There are some incredible holes in the wall. You can pretty much walk everywhere. Even the very worst part of Portland is pretty safe. You have to go to Voodoo Donuts- always about an hour wait, but worth it. There are some great concert venues, especially the Crystal Ballroom and Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Taking a ride on the supper cruise The Portland Spirit on the Columbia River is really fun. 

Going east of Portland, you hit the gorge which is very different but very beautiful. The Sam Hill museum is fascinating. And if there's a concert at the Gorge Amphithatre in George WA, GO! It's a drive but it's an amazing venue. 

On to my area of expertise: the North coast. I grew up in Astoria. Seaside is the nearest beach to Portland, and it has touristey little shops in town reminiscent of the Jersey shore, but not trashy, lol. Cannon Beach is a gorgeous beach with the famous Haystack Rock (where my FI proposed!) Astoria is really charming with excellent restaurants (you have to go to The Urban Cafe or T.Paul's Supper Club, both owned by the same guy, as well as the Rio Cafe, which is a hole in the wall but food is great). If you like history and museums there's a lot of it. I used to work at Lewis & Clark Nat'l Historical Park, which is where Lewis & Clark stayed the winter. The Flavel House is great. The Maritime Museum is really well done and provides a ton of history about the area. 

On to WA. Long Beach is across the bridge from Astoria and is similar to Seaside but a little smaller and less crowded. I've never actually taken the coast up to Seattle but there are a number of ways to go. In Seattle, of course you've got to go the the Space Needle, which honestly was a better experience than the Willis Tower in Chicago because there's no glass in the way of your photos and Mt Rainier provides an amazing backdrop to the city. My sister lives in Everett so we stayed at a hotel near there rather than right in Seattle. We stayed at the Hotel International which was extremely nice for the price and an easy short drive into Seattle. 

Leavenworth is a really cute town. Can't remember where it is relative to Seattle, but it is made to look very Bavarian. 

This got really long. Basically, the west coast in general is something else. I grew up there so its' sort of old hat to me, but my Minnesotan fiance was really amazed when I first took him out there, and that's with Portland and Astoria being our only stops the first time around. 

FiancB

Oh, and the trip cost us just over $3k. That was including the drive from MN, and we were gone for a whole month. 

Granted we stayed with my parents for a week of that so that cut way back on hotels and food, but still. 

yellowdaisies84

I would suggest Vermont or other parts of New England, California, or Savannah, Georgia!

erinlin25

we leave for Kauai tomorrow so I can't say for sure yet but I am 99% sure I would highly recommend it!  It has a fair share of beaches, hiking, adventure, etc.  We just watched flights for awhile until a good sale came along.  So if you have time to plan, I'm sure you can find something in your budget. So far we are under 2k with airfare and some excursions planned + money set aside for food, etc.  (we got our accomodations gifted to us, however if we did pay it would be under $1k without a doubt).  

boobyswope

Another Boston resident here. My husband and I were married in Boston in the winter. I think that Boston is very cozy in the winter. While many of the outdoor activities are closed, it can be beautiful just to walk through the Common or Harvard Square with all of the lights and the post-Christmas glow still fresh.

xxBrittanyLB

I live in Maryland and Maryland is a beautiful place. There a beach in Ocean City which is nothing spectacular but gives you the beachy feel and has a lot of good restaurants. Baltimore is about 3 hours away from there and can be a good time if you do the right things. There is the National Aquarium, the Inner Harbor, and all sorts of things to do there. Then if you wanted to go out in the country you could travel to Western Maryland where it is more mountainous and cozy. Also, we stayed at a bed and breakfast in Adamstown, Pennsylvania (the antiquing capitol of the world) and it was super cozy and romantic and we've been there 3 times now because we love it so much! The place we stayed was called Adamstown Inn & Cottages and I believe according to their website they have houses and stuff located in local states that you can rent too!

cookie0803

xxBrittanyLB said:

I live in Maryland and Maryland is a beautiful place. There a beach in Ocean City which is nothing spectacular but gives you the beachy feel and has a lot of good restaurants. Baltimore is about 3 hours away from there and can be a good time if you do the right things. There is the National Aquarium, the Inner Harbor, and all sorts of things to do there. Then if you wanted to go out in the country you could travel to Western Maryland where it is more mountainous and cozy. Also, we stayed at a bed and breakfast in Adamstown, Pennsylvania (the antiquing capitol of the world) and it was super cozy and romantic and we've been there 3 times now because we love it so much! The place we stayed was called Adamstown Inn & Cottages and I believe according to their website they have houses and stuff located in local states that you can rent too!

I also grew up in MD, and would NOT recommend Ocean City in June. Senior week. Not only is it crowded, it's full of youths (can't make the New Girl gif work from my phone, damn it).


We rented a beach house in SC, so close the water would roll up under the house. It was amazing and cost maybe $1500. We drove, and we were close enough to go to Charleston. So fun!

climbingsingle

These would be my choices:
Napa/ San Francisco
Vermont
Newport, RI
Delaware beaches
Key West
Outer Banks

flyingfoxes

Cape Cod is lovely.  

Ven&Radio

We did a "New England roadtrip" for our honeymoon -- 2 nights each in Newport, RI, Boston, MA and Portland, ME.  We were afraid we'd get bored staying in any one place too long.  We had a great time.

thisismynickname2

Throwing my opinion in the mix. I'm in the Midwest and haven't been out East too much, but have definitely been around the West.  Hands down my favorite place in this country is Napa Valley. If you're into wine at all, this is a must-visit. You could do 2-3 days there as part of a larger trip down the Coast as others have suggested.