U.S. Weekend Getaways - Hidden Gems

Pacolovestacos

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Anyone know of any hidden gems for weekend getaways in the U.S.?

I've heard Savannah is nice.
 
Time of year?

I rather like Sacramento. As the state capital, there's lots of museums.
 
Door County, WI

North Shore of MN - Duluth/Superior on up to the border

Chicago

MSP
 

We go to Palm Springs, mostly in summer because apparently DH like's it HOT as h-e-double-hockeysticks. :) He really is a lizard. You get up in the morning and go out to eat somewhere, then around 10 you hang out at the pool until you get way too hot, then you take a nap until about 4 in the air conditioning. Wake up and continue to stay in air conditioning at a brewery, mall, etc. Then around 8 everyone comes outside again for dinner and stays out til midnight. There are misters on every building and most dining is outside. It's very relaxed and funky.
 
Newport, Rhode Island
Stowe, VT
Portland, Maine
North Conway, New Hampshire
lake George, NY
North Fork of Long Island, NY
Cape May, NJ
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Block Island, Rhode Island
Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
Ogunquit, Maine
Bath, Maine, Bar Harbor, Maine
Rockport, MA
Portland, Maine
Charleston, SC
Hilton Head, SC
Mackinac Island, MI
Sedona, Arizona


Just to name a few.
 
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It would be insanely packed during the summer, but Yosemite is incredible during the winter. There's a dusting of snow everywhere, and there are winter activities like skiing and snowshoeing. There are also a lot of people cozying up by the fireplace at the Ahwahnee Hotel (or whatever they're calling it now) or in the lobby at the Wawona Hotel when they're open for the winter.
 
We go to Palm Springs, mostly in summer because apparently DH like's it HOT as h-e-double-hockeysticks. :) He really is a lizard. You get up in the morning and go out to eat somewhere, then around 10 you hang out at the pool until you get way too hot, then you take a nap until about 4 in the air conditioning. Wake up and continue to stay in air conditioning at a brewery, mall, etc. Then around 8 everyone comes outside again for dinner and stays out til midnight. There are misters on every building and most dining is outside. It's very relaxed and funky.
Going in January for our anniversary.Haven't been decades-can't wait!
 
Hermann, Missouri during Octoberfest. It's 90+ minutes from an airport, but Amtrak stops there.

Lake Of The Ozarks: Summer or Fall. Voted #1 recreational lake in the US.
Www.funlake.com

San Antonio: Winter or Spring, stay on the Riverwalk.

Oakland, AR: Summer on Bull Shoals Lake. One of the most underutilized major lakes in the Midwest. Beautiful! Secluded.
 
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Hermann, Missouri during Octoberfest. It's 90+ minutes from an airport, but Amtrak stops there.

Lake Of The Ozarks: Summer or Fall. Voted #1 recreational lake in the US.

San Antonio: Winter or Spring, stay on the Riverwalk.

Oakland, AR: Summer on Bull Shoals Lake. One of the most underutilized major lakes in the Midwest. Beautiful! Secluded.

I haven't made it to Hermann yet despite driving on I-70 a gadzillion times to get to St. Louis which wouldn't be a stretch to take a detour there. It is on my list of places to at least go to.

As a Kansas Citian it wouldn't be a complete list unless you had Lake of the Ozarks on it.

We went last May to TX and drove down from Austin for a day to San Antonio (really just the Riverwalk/Alamo area). I hadn't been there in over 16 years. Unfortunately it was rainy and cool there but it is still a beautiful place to walk around.
 
It does depend on where you are at but for me there are a few that come to mind:

Branson..not necessarily a hidden gem but it can depend on where you stay at or what you do. One year my husband and I stayed at a B&B on the outskirts of it so we had a lovely romantic getaway with easy access to the heart of Branson. We also visited Crystal Cave.

Eureka Springs, AR..maybe not a hidden gem but just a beautiful place to visit. We stay on the outskirts for romantic, private, scenic weekend but was able to visit the main part of Eureka Springs easily. The place where we stayed at was individual(i.e private) log-style cabins (there were only like 5 or so on the property area). We spent a whole afternoon visiting a bunch of natural springs around town, some that were just trickling water. We also visited the Thorncrown Chapel and the Onyx Cave. The main stree shopping area is quaint and has some cute shops.

Weston, MO has an Irish Fest (but the last time we went we felt it wasn't as many vendors as there was the previous year but we enjoyed the entertainment). Right where the Irish Fest is held is also O'Malley's Pub, located in three vaulted, limestone cellars of the historic Weston Brewing Company. It's pretty neat to go underground and listen to live music. They also have the McCormick Country Store on Main St which sells all McCormick products and gift items and 25¢ samples of different flavors of vodka. Cute main street shops.

Totally dependent on where you are at but in Hutchinson, KS there is the Cosmosphere which has the largest Russian spaceflight artifacts outside of Moscow, Russia and the second largest US collection of spaceflight artifacts (the largest being the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.). It is considered an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. Info from Wikipedia-The Cosmosphere's SpaceWorks division has restored flown U.S. spacecraft for museums and exhibits across the globe, including artifacts that are part of the collection of the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum. Two examples of this work are the Apollo 13 Command Module Odyssey, and the Liberty Bell 7 - both on display at the Cosmosphere. Fun Fact: The Cosmosphere built roughly 80% of the artifacts and props for the movie Apollo 13.

When we went on a road trip 2 years ago we did drive through Savannah on our way back home. We only had a day there but it is beautiful to visit. We seem to end up at cemetaries when we go to places not in a morbid way but in a historical omg there is a person from the Mayflower way (in Salem, MA) so we went to at least one of the cemetaries in Savannah. The trees are pretty, IMO, to look at too.
 
St Augustine is a great getaway. History, beach nearby, lovely downtown, an awesome distillery.
 
Not exactly a "hidden" gem, but we're very fond of Carmel CA.

When we feel like traipsing further south on Highway One, we love Cambria. Just a short drive to Hearst Castle.
 
In Michigan, we love to tout our northern play places. Either Traverse City or Mackinac Island are both excellent for short trips. Though, they are primarily summer locations.
 
To what has already been mentioned in the South, I'll add Asheville, NC. If you choose Savannah, read Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil, before your visit. It will really add to the experience.
 
Bella Vista AR. It's in the Ozarks near Bentonville (corporate hq of Walmart). It's beautiful in spring and fall. I like BV for the serenity and golf, but if you've not been to Crystal Bridges museum in Bentonville, you've got to go. It's stellar. There are other terrific, picturesque towns in that area in NW AR.
 
Region?
Budget?
Travel preferences?

Yup totally dependent on those.

Our getaways usually involve a sporting event, just us. This year we are doing a hockey weekend in Tampa. Last year a weekend in Miami, also hockey.

So I guess it depends on what you want out of it.

We do sun mostly, so Nassau is good.
 

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