Is it worth going to the States for a week (end of August)?

[Africa2go]

Weren't planning on going abroad but are now thinking about it (got an email about a flight sale today) but for various reasons, we'd only be able to do 8 days - so really 6 days discounting the flying time.

If so, where would you go (would be with teenagers so not really wanting a city break, would want to do a bit of a road trip, do some activities etc).

Many thanks

NYC?

We did a 2 week road trip a few years ago, but in the second week we did Chicago for 2 days and then round Lake Eerie up to Niagara Falls, some of upstate New York and Pennsylvania. It was great, I’d recommend that area. There’s an app called Road Trippers that lets you put in a route and shows you places of interest within a certain radius either side, and you can then adjust your route accordingly. We found all sorts of interesting places that way, including the Kinzua Bridge in Pennsylvania which is a very high railroad bridge that was partially destroyed by a tornado. Would never have heard of it but for the app.

Also, we aren’t city people at all either but Chicago was cool for a couple of days and although it’s a huge city, the fact it’s on the shores of the lake makes it feel slightly more outdoorsy than I had anticipated.

Yes I agree !

I’m in Maine and it does get a bit quieter here the last two weeks in August as southern schools will have gone back. If you do come I’d book accommodation soon and be ready to spend $80-120 a day on car hire.

Acadia NP is gorgeous but it really will be busy any time in August.

We recently had a holiday of 8 hours flying time and we stayed for 8 days. It was definitely worth it. We packed in activities and excursions and so our time there felt longer.

Well, I’m already here in “the States”, as you call it. But before I moved here me and my now-husband and I were long-distance dating I would come here (west coast) for a weekend. Even in a few days we would see a lot - national park, coast, mountains. It’s very easy to get around once you’re here.

For East Coast I’d consider flying into Boston and see a bit, maybe Salem or something if you’re interested, then head down to Cape Cod. Or up into Maine. The weather should be lovely in August. Plenty of beaches and nice hikes through the dunes, plus the lighthouses are charming and well worth seeing. And obviously eat lobster for nearly every meal since those areas are famous for it! 😂

Yosemite is blazing hot in August (can hit 40° easily) and it is peak wildfire season in California, so I would pass on that. Plus the waterfalls will hardly be flowing at that time of year.

This is an awesome trip, I live in Chicago and we are planning this trip this summer but in the opposite direction driving south to Indiana then up to Michigan all the way to Mackinaw City where we get the ferry to Machinac Island and spend 2 nights before driving back the other way.

Some tips for @Africa2go

https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/lake-michigan-road-trip/

I'd go to Boston and Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket for some beach time. Or Savannah and Charlston (or nearby Hilton Head for beach)

New York is a filthy hot Hades in August, full of people with bad attitudes and accents. Everything is too expensive. Boston, then down to Plymouth and the Cape or west through Sturbridge up to the Berkshires both offer many interesting cultural stops. These include the Museum of Fine Arts, Aquarium, and Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum in Boston; Plymouth Plantation; Sturbridge Village; Norman Rockwell Museum; historic homes in and around Stockbridge and Pittsfield; and Mass MoCA (Museum of Contemporary Art. If going to Salem, be sure to visit the Peabody Essex Museum. On the Cape, Moby Dick’s is famous for its lobster rolls. As a New Englander whose family has been here for over four centuries, hating New York is part of my culture. Go (Red) Sox!

Memphis Tennessee - Visit Graceland, the Memphis Zoo, haunted house city tours, pub crawls (legal drinking age in Tennessee is 21) and lots of open-air concerts, jam sessions, all types of music. Home of the best BBQ in the world.
There are walking tours, bicycle tours, bus tours, etc. of any interest.

Well, I’m already here in “the States”, as you call it

What's wrong with calling it that?

Fly into Boston and drive north - quick stop off in Salem and then onto Ogunquit / Perkins Cove. Day trip to the Kennebunks and then drive up to the Acadia NP and stay in Bar Harbor. Absolutely stunning scenery.

Much as I love Maine and that area I would not say it's the best area for teenagers. My fave place is Boothbay Harbour but I don't think sitting eating lobster on a deck there would rate highly with them.

Thank you for all the replies, I think its a definite yes!

Most of these suggestions for destinations in the South are excellent (love Savannah and Charleston, spent my honeymoon in Key West, the best barbecue is in Memphis [Central Barbecue in particular]), but y'all, in August we just stay inside all the time unless, like DH and me, we can head up the interstate system to cooler climes for a couple of weeks in August. This year it's the finger lakes region of New York.

Those trips south need to be in spring or fall (autumn), or for Florida, winter.

Also here in the States, we've been calling it "the States" since we became the States.

@CarolinaInTheMorning I agree, I didn’t know what heat and high humidity felt like until I moved to the States. I went to Georgia last summer (July) and had a sight-seeing day in Savannah-it’s beautiful, but I scurried from one air-conditioned building to another, it was scorching!

As you say, spring and fall are the times to go south and you def. want to avoid Florida during hurricane season!

Would Memphis or New Orleans or Nashville be too hot mid June? Was thinking of a trip.

Yes, hot as the hob of hell.