Group trip ideas Needed

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Every 2 years a group of friends (7 couples) takes a vacation together. Myself and one other wife are the only planners so we are looking for ideas for our next trip. Previously we have done a week in Vermont, hiking sightseeing, etc and cruises. In VT half the group rented a hotel (each had their own room and the other half of the group did an AirBNB and shared the house). A cruise is a great option for varying budgets due to different prices of rooms and what you want to do for excursions. However, we're not finding any cruises that interest us. I started looking at all-inclusive and think the nicer ones that a few of the group would want is going to be too expensive for the other folks in the group (like Sandals style at about $7k for a week).

So then I looked up a place where we rented a cabin in Gatlinburg. That is very reasonable about $130/night. It was a cabin that was just for 2 people but alot of little cabins in a row so we could easily hang out together at night, and they had larger cabins for the friends that would want to share a place. I'm thinking this might be a good idea to propose but curious what other touristy areas have these sorts of setups.

Gatlinburg is only an hour and half from one couple so I'm not sure they'd consider it a vacation. We were just in Branson 2 years ago so not sure I'd want that. WI Dells is close to another couple and we have been there numerous times. So maybe someplace except Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Branson or Wisconsin Dells?

Or, any other vacation spots you think a group of folks would enjoy? Age range from upper 20's to mid 50's. Mixed variety of activities. Most would hike at least a small hike. Some commercialized attractions to go to. LOL and yes I did suggest Disney but was voted down almost immediately.

Thanks!

 

[disneydreamer1980]

My large extended family rents a giant house on the beach (Pawleys island near Myrtle beach) every summer and it’s so nice. There’s different activities for everyone, the beach, ocean excursions (deep sea fishing, dolphin sighting cruises, cruises to small uninhabited islands etc). There’s also a ton of commercialized entertainment, pretty much anything you can think of. And pretty much every major touristy beach area has all of this. We stay in a house called “the big kahuna”, it’s expensive but it’s beautiful and we all split the cost. Have fun deciding!!

 

[LuvOrlando]

NY finger lakes are really nice surrounded by vineyards.

Cape May, NJ take the ferry down to Delaware and meander further down to Ocean City, Maryland.

Sebago Lake in Maine and Kennebunkport

Cape Cod is always nice

 

[HeatherC]

One of those huge homes in the Outer Banks?
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Sedona or Santa Fe
Bar Harbor, Maine

 

[starry_solo]

Perhaps one of the great National Parks?

 

[LoveToDisney]

I vote Sedona. Hiking, art, shopping. Lots of Restaurants. Trips to Grand Canyon and Oak Creek Canyon.

Have you considered one of the scenic train trips across Canada?

 

[LoveDaisy]

We do a group vacation every other year with friends. We have rented a house on the cape, outer banks, chincoteague VA for the pony swim, bar Harbor Maine, we have cruised, done all inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean, we did a trip to Ireland.

Personally I prefer when we cruise or do an all inclusive. Everyone has their own room and can take a break from the group if needed, no one has to cook or clean up, you can do your own thing or join the group and you don’t have to worry about splitting dinner bills or if some didn’t drink and should they pay less. I find it easier. We are looking at a cruise for 2025 then a return to the outer banks after that.

 

[Cadiewampus]

My wife and i just did a trip to Bryson City NC. It is a cool little town a little over an hour south of Gatlingburg so maybe far enough away for the one couple? Anyway there is a lot of hiking and water falls in the area. A lot of other little towns to explore as well in area. Can do a rafting or tubing trip. Anyway the place we stayed at was brand new. There were 8 tiny homes right on the river. Had a big covered outdoor space with 75" tv, firepit and grill and cheaper than the Gatlingburg price you found. Here is link below. They have other places in nearby towns as well

https://www.brysoncitycabinrentals.com

 

[soccerdad72]

Outer Banks came to mind right away, as they have a number of large 7-8+ bedroom houses for weekly rental.

Another one that I thought of was Deep Creek (Maryland).

 

[easyas123]

We were in Tahoe last August - it was beautiful, we stayed at Edgewood.
Beach house - Outer Banks, Sanibel/Captiva, BVI's, Hopetown, Nantucket, Nova Scotia, Southern CA., Georgia, Marathon Key
Mackinac Island
Quebec
Savannah
Charleston
Blue Ridge area
The Greenbriar
The Algonquin
Mohonk Mountain House
The Sagamore

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

Maine is a wonderful place for summer vacation. Spent a week in Camden and visited a lot a lighthouses in the area. Also did a day trip to Acadia National Park which I wished we had stayed the night and taken another day to explore the park more.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We just got back from Colorado. Option 1 could be to find a nice AirBnB in the foothills somewhere between Colorado Springs and Fort Collins. Being on that side gives you more resources and civilization. Option 2 would be to rent something up in the front range portion of the CO Rockies. We love places like Estes Park, but Frisco, Silverthorne, Breckenridge, Vail and even Winter Park would be pretty accessible from I70. It really just depends on how much you want to stay put vs. move around...and what activities really capture everyone's interests. While we do it as a singular family, I know some people that do caravan style group trips where you pick a central location to start but jump from destination to destination within a certain radius and everyone sort of forms a road caravan to go from one stop to the next.

Colorado has four national parks, but Rocky Mountain National Park is the most accessible from the Denver area (just make sure to book timed entry if going in the summer months). There are all kinds of activities around like whitewater rafting, fishing, kayaking, Jeep rides, off-roading, float trips, hiking, horseback riding, old mines, ziplining, various scenic train rides including the Pike's Peak one, Coors Brewery, Rocky Mountain National Wildlife Arsenal, Garden of the Gods, Red Rocks, and even more scenic amusement options like Royal Gorge. In Estes Park, you can also tour the Stanley Hotel, the inspiration behind the Shining. We've even driven up to Cheyenne, WY a couple of times while in the Denver area. WY has a neat welcome center at the border on I25 and it's a great area to spot pronghorn. While not really day trips, if you had the flexibility to venture off for a few days in one direction or another, Moab, UT is an easy drive on I70 (Arches also requires a special entry pass, but Canyonlands does not...Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction is also along the way) and the other three national parks in CO (Mesa Verde, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Great Sand Dunes) are worth seeing. If you go south on I25 into Raton, NM, Capulin Volcano National Monument isn't too far from the CO border. Dinosaur National Monument is in the upper northwest section (the quarry site is on the UT side), but it's a real middle of nowhere drive and there's not much else out there.

 

[Travel60]

American Cruise Line has several domestic cruises on small ships (riverboats, etc ). The one I'm really wanting to do is out of Portland, OR up the Columbia and Snake Rivers. There are others in the Great Lakes, the Mississippi and the East Coast. Also, Amtrak has some neat sounding organized trips

 

[Wayland10]

Second the Finger Lakes! Great hiking, water sports and swimming, not too crowded. Lovely wineries and world class restaurants, cute small towns, live music and a good arts scene in Ithaca. Great historical sites, too.

 

[neverlandsky]

Fly to Seattle, WA. Rent a car and drive down the Coastline from WA to San Diego, Ca. Plenty of excursions, parks, lighthouses, aquariums, shops, and overnight stays along the way.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Wow everyone thank you for all the recommendations! So many places to look up, that’ll keep me busy for awhile.

Interesting a lot of folks mention Outer Banks. Our group was all stationed in Norfolk together. DH & I did many day trips to OBX and thought of vacationing there. The other couples never explored like we did so none have been there. Didn’t even think of that place as an option until multiple mentions.

 

[Clifton Tesh]

One of those huge homes in the Outer Banks?
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Sedona or Santa Fe
Bar Harbor, Maine

Outer Banks came to mind right away, as they have a number of large 7-8+ bedroom houses for weekly rental.

Another one that I thought of was Deep Creek (Maryland).

We were in Tahoe last August - it was beautiful, we stayed at Edgewood.
Beach house - Outer Banks, Sanibel/Captiva, BVI's, Hopetown, Nantucket, Nova Scotia, Southern CA., Georgia, Marathon Key
Mackinac Island
Quebec
Savannah
Charleston
Blue Ridge area
The Greenbriar
The Algonquin
Mohonk Mountain House
The Sagamore

Y'all stop mentioning the Outer Banks!!!!

Wow everyone thank you for all the recommendations! So many places to look up, that’ll keep me busy for awhile.

Interesting a lot of folks mention Outer Banks. Our group was all stationed in Norfolk together. DH & I did many day trips to OBX and thought of vacationing there. The other couples never explored like we did so none have been there. Didn’t even think of that place as an option until multiple mentions.

No, no.... You don't wanna come to the OBX. There's too many tourist their and they will just get in your way. I recommend you stay far far away from the OBX.