Favorite Vacation Spots...

[Lisamn]

I was reading the chat transcript from today and noticed this question got asked. Therefore, I thought it would be a good question to ask everyone!


I am in agreement with Marty....Sydney, Australia, or rather Australia in general. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend 3 weeks there last year and frankly, I didn't want to come back to the US. If I could find employement there I would seriously consider moving! It was AWESOME!
We spent time in Sydney, Brisbane (gorgeous river town), and Cairns.

They have it all...beaches, great food, wines, laid back people, wonderful public transportation system, lots of outdoor things to do, and the weather was great.

What about the rest of you? What is your favorite spot?

[Lobo]

The wife and I always enjoy the Carribbean. but most importantly someplace with a beach and lots of sun.

[KerPlunk]

Ive never traveled outside of three states for an actual vacation (Oklahoma, Tennessee and Missouri; Ive been all over Europe, though, but that wasnt always fun). Until I get done with school and get a real joband who knows when that will beId probably have to say my favorite spot is anywhere I can get comfortable enough to read a good book (my old, beat-up sofa comes to mind).

[zebulondragonslayer]

I spent 3 1/2 months in London once working...... Though it wasn't a vacation it was a lot different from SC and I had a blast over there. I met the Duke of Westminster and the Minister of Sport at an Anglo American Sports charity fundraiser boxing match and got in a picture with them (all of us were wearing tuxes, smoking cigars and drinking port). Saw Tottenham play Arsenal in a big football (soccer) game. I also saw Clapton record 24 nights at Royal Albert Hall with Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Jimmy Vaughn and others, and I saw AC/DC at Wembley, Rainbow (with Richie Blackmore) at the Hammersmith Odeon and Bob Dylan at the same place. Toured the RAF museum and other stuff as well ! It was a great time ! I'd like to go back again to see some of my old friends from that time (1991).......

[paperboy]

Walt Disney World. I try to go at least 3x a year. Honestly, part of the reason why I chose to move to Atlanta.

[onecoolmama]

I am pretty easy.http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/engel/angel-smiley-008.gif If someone else is paying, I'll go anywhere! :D

Seiously, I like active vacations. I couldnt go to the beach and just lay on the beach for a week..I would go insane.

I love Disney World becuase my kids are so young, it is the one place where we can all go and enjoy the rides. I really want to go to Universal, but my kids are too little for that.

I guess, since I moved, I like going back to DC. All of my family is there and I am so close to them. I get home sick often.

I dunno, once my kids are older I want to tavel Europe and Asia and I would love to get to Australia..my mom lived there for a while, but there is no way in Hell I am doing that plane ride with 2 toddlers and and infant.

LOL! I guess I have big dreams, but I am 27..I have time to get to all those places.

[ms_irreverent]

Take me to a beach. Any beach. :)

[CinnamonGirl]

I spent 3 1/2 months in London once working...... Though it wasn't a vacation it was a lot different from SC and I had a blast over there. I met the Duke of Westminster and the Minister of Sport at an Anglo American Sports charity fundraiser boxing match and got in a picture with them (all of us were wearing tuxes, smoking cigars and drinking port). Saw Tottenham play Arsenal in a big football (soccer) game. I also saw Clapton record 24 nights at Royal Albert Hall with Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Jimmy Vaughn and others, and I saw AC/DC at Wembley, Rainbow (with Richie Blackmore) at the Hammersmith Odeon and Bob Dylan at the same place. Toured the RAF museum and other stuff as well ! It was a great time ! I'd like to go back again to see some of my old friends from that time (1991).......
London IS a great place . . . no matter your reason for going. I was there in 1976 as a college student. Back then, they thought pepperoni olive pizza was pepperoni pizza with two unpitted olives!

Got my first pair of black boots in London . . . (I'm a boots girl)

Favorite vacation spots -- Kona on the island of Hawaii . . . Lake Tahoe . . . Victoria, British Columbia.

Next BIG vacation - Cabo San Lucas during the week of Christmas --

Dream vacation - walking the 1,000 mile Santiago de Compostella (a pilgrimage route starting in France and ending in Spain.

[bmorgan]

Walt Disney World. I try to go at least 3x a year. Honestly, part of the reason why I chose to move to Atlanta.

We average around 3x a year also. I live in the southern part of Georgia, in Folkston which is a couple of miles from the Florida line. Which way do you all go to Disney. We usually go to Kingsland and get on 95 and then hit 4. Once we took the "back roads". We had lunch at the old Angel's Diner in Palatka.

I was just at WDW about three weeks ago. We bought the new tickets - 7 days!! We've got 4 days left.

I've been to a lot of places, and there are many places I still haven't been to. But I love theme parks, and I can't help it --- out of all the theme parks I've been to....Disney is the greatest of them all.

[paperboy]

Walt Disney World. I try to go at least 3x a year. Honestly, part of the reason why I chose to move to Atlanta.

We average around 3x a year also. I live in the southern part of Georgia, in Folkston which is a couple of miles from the Florida line. Which way do you all go to Disney. We usually go to Kingsland and get on 95 and then hit 4. Once we took the "back roads". We had lunch at the old Angel's Diner in Palatka.

I was just at WDW about three weeks ago. We bought the new tickets - 7 days!! We've got 4 days left.

I've been to a lot of places, and there are many places I still haven't been to. But I love theme parks, and I can't help it --- out of all the theme parks I've been to....Disney is the greatest of them all.

I HATE theme parks, but I LOVE Disney. There's a Six Flags park here, and I have absolutely no desire to go. I'm with you, I've traveled all over the world, including hot spots like Hawaii and exotics like Hong Kong. Unless it's the Philippines, there's nowhere else I'd rather go.

We take I-75 all the way down to Florida's turnpike. I just want to get there as fast as possible, especially with 3 young'uns in the car (although I get more antsy than they do).

[onecoolmama]

Take me to a beach. Any beach. :)

http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/grinser/grinning-smiley-039.gif

[Marty]

anyone own a beach house?

[JimmyVengeance]

My wife and I are totally addicted to the Florida Keys. The area is mostly a tourist trap, but it's a tourist trap built in the weirdest, most beautiful natural setting I've ever seen. The water is thousands of different improbable colors, and from each of the 80 or so small islands you traverse in getting out there, you can see dozens of others in the distance, as well as innumerable mangrove patches and the like. Since the islands are still on the contintental shelf (there's no nearby dropoff), almost all the water you see is 3-feet or shallower, all sorts of glowing greens and whites, blues, purples. Amazing stuff.

[bettymcpettypants]

Costa Rica is amazing - so much to do. I like spending some time at the end of the day on the beach reading a book, but generally I have to be up and doing stuff to get the most out of my vacation.

I also like the Outer Banks. My family has been vacationing there for almost 20 years and I never get tired of it there.

And I will always take an opportunity to visit friends, Northern California, Seattle, Colorado, Miami, Vermont, Atlanta, NYC, London, Germany, San Diego... It pays to stay in touch!!

[ms_irreverent]

anyone own a beach house? Oh, how I wish.

Maybe in my next life. ;)

[Lisamn]

I don't own a beach house, but fortunately I have family who does! It is on the Oregon coast which is just beautiful! Lucky me, we get to take advantage of it once every few years, too!

[Scott Shetler]

My wife and I are big fans of Destin, FL in the off season (late September, also when we got married down there.) Great beaches, great weather, and fewer people! December is even pretty nice down there, but September is perfect!

-Scott

[paperboy]

Where is Destin, exactly?

[Scott Shetler]

Panhandle.. West of Panama City, by about 30-40 miles I think. About 6 hours or so from Atl.

You guys should check it out!

-Scott

[paperboy]

Panhandle.. West of Panama City, by about 30-40 miles I think. About 6 hours or so from Atl.

You guys should check it out!

-Scott

I knew that sounded familiar! One of my friends just purchased some property down there. Next time I go to the beach, that might just be my destination!

[Bobcat]

Sanibel Island, Florida. Stunning sunsets, which people go out on the beach to watch or watch from elevated locations on condo buildings. (Use bug spray if you choose the beach.) Look for the fabled green flash as you sip a gin and tonic. Fantastic seafood (esp. fresh grouper). Interesting and colorful birds: roseate spoonbills, the Pelican Air Force, Monsieur Egret, ospreys, etc. Sunrise walks along the beach are a pleasant form of gentle exercise--you're not trying to get to 85% of your predicted heart rate; rather, you're looking for the dolphins and watching the sky gradually change color. It really is worth setting up the coffee the evening before and getting up when it's still dark. One flip of a switch in the dark is enough to yield enough starting fluid to get you motivated to enjoy the sunrise.

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia; in particular, Skyline Drive. For me personally, there are memories going back far into my childhood. And at my age I do mean far. For anyone, there are overlooks, picnic areas, short and long hikes, critters (take binoculars and check out how many deer are grazing at Big Meadows; enjoy watching a pair of hawks playing in the air currents). There's pretty good food at Skyland, too, and they even serve wine. That's right--you all know that I'll insist on something good to eat. The bikers really seem to enjoy the drive itself--the speed limit is 35, so it's safer for them than many roads. I found it great fun in a cheap sports car when I had one. If you take the Drive during the winter, you lose the crowds and sometimes the views from the overlooks have dazzling, jewel-like clarity. You'll also see that in the winter, the deer have the attitude, "As a matter of fact, we do own the road," so go slowly and enjoy the ice or snow formations. If you happen to be driving there Christmas Eve, tune in to the broadcast of the Nine Lessons and Carols and add some musical splendor to the visual splendor.

[Tom]

I second the vote on Shenandoah. Skyland has an amazing views, a good restaurant, and it's right on the Appalachian Trail, so you can do a bit of AT hiking while you're there. That's my kind of hiking; the kind with a restaurant, some beer, and a comfy bed at the end of the trail. :)

[ms_irreverent]

IThat's my kind of hiking; the kind with a restaurant, some beer, and a comfy bed at the end of the trail. :)

Funny, that's exactly my idea of camping!

[Bobcat]

That's my kind of hiking; the kind with a restaurant, some beer, and a comfy bed at the end of the trail. :)


Yessssssss! :D Especially if the hike is long.

[bmorgan]

Walt Disney World. I try to go at least 3x a year. Honestly, part of the reason why I chose to move to Atlanta.

We average around 3x a year also. I live in the southern part of Georgia, in Folkston which is a couple of miles from the Florida line. Which way do you all go to Disney. We usually go to Kingsland and get on 95 and then hit 4. Once we took the "back roads". We had lunch at the old Angel's Diner in Palatka.

I was just at WDW about three weeks ago. We bought the new tickets - 7 days!! We've got 4 days left.

I've been to a lot of places, and there are many places I still haven't been to. But I love theme parks, and I can't help it --- out of all the theme parks I've been to....Disney is the greatest of them all.

I HATE theme parks, but I LOVE Disney. There's a Six Flags park here, and I have absolutely no desire to go. I'm with you, I've traveled all over the world, including hot spots like Hawaii and exotics like Hong Kong. Unless it's the Philippines, there's nowhere else I'd rather go.

We take I-75 all the way down to Florida's turnpike. I just want to get there as fast as possible, especially with 3 young'uns in the car (although I get more antsy than they do).

Just got back from Tennessee.....stayed at Gatlinburg and went to Dollywood for a day and a half. Not bad at all.....not as good as Disney - which theme park is, right? - but overall better than Busch Gardens, Tampa, except BG has better roller coasters. Dollywood is not a thrill park. There are some good rides but that's not what DW is about. DW celebrates southern culture and heritage without trivializing it. There's good music (country, bluegrass, southern gospel), good food, craft shows, good entertainment.....a whole section devoted to kiddie rides. It's a slower paced theme park experience than say Disney or IOA, but that's what makes it so great. BTW, the landscape in the park is excellent. The architecture and construciton of the buildings are awesome!! There's also a water park - Splash Country - and a really good dinner show - Dixie Stampede. (There's one in Orlando too.) If you ever get a chance to go to DW, then have at it. Just seeing the Great Smokey mountains is worth the trip itself.

[ms_irreverent]

Awright, you guys. I am off to the beach (North Myrtle in S.C.) for a week. Try to behave, hm? :lol:

[CinnamonGirl]

Have a wonderful time, Ms_I!

[ms_irreverent]

Oh, I did; it was an absolutely wonderful week! Even with the mercury up as high as 104, which it was on Wednesday and again on Thursday. I did not want to come home, for sure.

Hey, Paperboy--I want a shirt that reads "Body by Marty Gallagher." :mrgreen:


(BTW, CG, my roommate had very nice things to say about those bikinis. :shock: :shock: )

[onecoolmama]

Funny, that's exactly my idea of camping!

Camping??!! My idea of camping is no room service. :mrgreen:

I am glad you had such wonderful time on the trip. And I hope it ws relaxing.

[CinnamonGirl]

Oh, I did; it was an absolutely wonderful week! Even with the mercury up as high as 104, which it was on Wednesday and again on Thursday. I did not want to come home, for sure.

Hey, Paperboy--I want a shirt that reads "Body by Marty Gallagher." :mrgreen:


(BTW, CG, my roommate had very nice things to say about those bikinis. :shock: :shock: )

Love those kinds of vacations. Glad to hear that you got some admiration and affirmation for your hard work!! :wink:

[ms_irreverent]

Funny, that's exactly my idea of camping!

Camping??!! My idea of camping is no room service. :mrgreen:

I am glad you had such wonderful time on the trip. And I hope it ws relaxing.

Oh, it was. It is well nigh impossible for me to not find the beach relaxing!

[CinnamonGirl]

Camping??!! My idea of camping is no room service. :mrgreen:
OK. I don't understand what's so wonderful about room service. Please explain.

I love camping - I've gone the primitive route (3 nights of back-packing), and while I enjoyed the scenery, I didn't enjoy having to deal with bears. I prefer foo-foo camping -- drive up to the beautiful campsite (on the shores of Lake Tahoe), unload the car, put up the tent (and the queen-sized air-mattress on a bed-height frame) and if we're group camping, cook dinner just ONE night. When we group camp -- every night it's gourmet food for dinner, starting with cocktails and appetizers. Some nights, we even have cake or cobbler for dessert, cooked in a dutch oven. It's a great way to spend a long weekend with friends.

[ms_irreverent]

Room service = breakfast in bed. :mrgreen:

I'm with OCM. You can have your camping. That is not and never has been my idea of fun! I love the outdoors, but I want to sleep in a real bed, with a roof over my head.

[CinnamonGirl]

Room service = breakfast in bed. :mrgreen:

I'm with OCM. You can have your camping. That is not and never has been my idea of fun! I love the outdoors, but I want to sleep in a real bed, with a roof over my head.
There are many sights that can't be seen one day's walking distance from a nice hotel or a trailhead!

While I'm all for being comfortable and pampered, nothing beats the comfort of being at home. I hate spending good money on lodging only to wake up because my legs are numb or my shoulder hurts!

I guess you can tell I rarely stay anywhere where there is room service! Next time I do, I'll have to try breakfast in bed, that DOES sound nice!