Does the USA destination exist that would suit us all?

[pinotnow]

I have two dc aged 16 and 14 who are about as different as you can get. DC2 is desperate to holiday out of Europe and would especially love to go to the USA. Other one is quite happy in Europe but is generally more amenable to others' wishes.

DC1 loves museums and history and is actually very interested in American political history. He seems to think America lacks museums, especially when compared to many of the European cities we have been to. I find this hard to believe.

DS2 likes shopping, but won't have the money to be doing this day in day out, and claims to love nature - though this hasn't been evident in my efforts to get him out and about over the years at home. He's not sporty or massively active, but has got into his head that he would love to go to one of the national parks. However, water sports etc would not suit us- we're not an outdoorsy family at all, other than a bit of walking.

I think ds2 would enjoy seeing some world famous sites, but I need more than that to book an expensive holiday and I know we're coming to the end of family holidays together and don't want an expensive disaster. I also think most of our holidays have suited ds1 far better than ds2 and would like to redress this if possible, but I honestly don't think ds2 really knows what he wants, other than to 'leave Europe'.

Any ideas would be very gratefully received!

Depends a lot on the time of year you go and what the weather will be like in different areas. I lived in Washington D.C. and would highly recommend it, except in the summer when it is a humid sauna and deeply unpleasant for the average Brit. (D.C. was built on drained swampland and can still have the very swampy climate in the summer). In the Fall or Spring it would be perfect however, also Congress would be in session and you could go to the public galleries to watch (and visit Congressmen/women or their staff offices if you made appointments). In the summer Boston and the New England region would be much better (but can still be a lot hotter than the UK at times).

Echoing PP - Washington DC...tonnes of museums...and then down the blue ridge parkway through Shenandoah (you can stay there in cabins). We stopped off at some civil war sites, Charlottesville and Ashville on our way to visit friends in S.Carolina (Smoy Mountains National Park).

I would suggest Boston with a trip to Cape Cod/Nantucket

You could find a member of Congress that is focused on issues that interest your kids and connect that to the UK and the USA in some way and make an appointment. Don’t just go as “lookie-loos” but with a political issue you have researched and you will get a positive reception.
https://www.thoughtco.com/meeting-with-your-members-of-congress-3322076

I've lived in Washington DC and live just outside the city now. It would be the perfect place for your kids. Plenty of museums and a few national parks within easy reach. There is also a good food scene. And some shopping in Northern Virginia.

You could fly into New York and then get the train to DC. I'm not sure if you could split the flights and fly out of DC, but it's worth looking into.

Boston might also be good, but I think that the museums in DC are better (sorry Boston!). If you want to see the water, you could take a trip to Annapolis in Maryland.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/visit/

https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/frequently-asked-questions

https://washington.org/dc-faqs-for-visitors/how-can-i-tour-capitol-how-can-i-see-congress-session

Wow - ds would love to meet a member of congress, thank you so much for that link!

Also, the tip about flying from Dublin looks a really good one having had a quick look on skyscanner.

Getting excited now- thank you so much everyone!

Boston is an absolute bugger to drive out of...if you're thinking of hiring a car, don't do it from Boston! And if you do hire a car, be prepared for crazy fast driving, and the speed limits which seem to be guidelines only😂😂😂, and sign posting which will leave you scratching your head wondering where you went wrong!
Vermont and Maine are my all time favourite parts of the US. Vermont has beautiful mountain trails and Maine has some of the most stunning coastline I've seen (and I've seen some fabulous coastlines!).

Chicago is another good candidate. Wonderful museums and restaurants. Zoos. Right on Lake Michigan. There are beautiful forests with lakes very close by if you can drive.

It currently states on the UK embassy’s website that access for foreign nationals to White House tours as part of an embassy sponsored public tour group is on hold. It’s been like that for a number of years now.

Such a shame about the Newseum - one of the best museums I have ever visited

I was going to say this or Washington DC.

No advice on location but from a price perspective I'm on a California road trip now, 2 adults and a 7yr old and it cost nearly £9k.

That's for 16 nights

We drove to Boston for spring break. I didn't experience the crazy driving that people warned me about. And it was quite easy to navigate using GPS.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_the_United_States

I was going to recommend this. Go to Washington DC and then go to Asheville, NC. It is absolutely gorgeous, you can tour the Biltmore, and then you can head into Tennessee and go to Dollywood which I think you would all enjoy. Asheville and the surrounds are loaded with all kinds of attractions, shops, restaurants, etc. You could go rafting, too. The mountains of North Carolina are breathtaking.

Loads of museums in the USA! The 19th and 20th century robber barons in particular were huge on building them.

Washington, New York, and Chicago are all tops for this. The east coast isn't as close to spectacular scenery but Shenandoah is super pretty and not far from DC. the downside of Chicago, which is a great city that I love, is that it's in the Great Lakes region which tends to be quite flat, though there's some very nice parks in Michigan and Wisconsin along the lakes.

the USA has gotten more expensive because of inflation and when you add the weak pound in, it is particularly so for Brits -- you will not find shopping bargains like you once did. DC is a bargain in one respect though which is that all the Smithsonian museums are free.

I’m so excited for you - the planning is the best bit!!

I agree with many others that Washington DC would fit the bill for political history, museums & shopping. Most of the museums along the Mall are free to enter, saving you a ton of money for entertainment during the day. You can also visit the US Capital & Washington Monument for free (well for $1pp booking fee!). Georgetown is great for shopping. Bear in mind hotels are expensive in DC.

After a few days in DC you can head to Shenandoah NP and drive the Skyline Drive from north to south, and then either head east towards Richmond (and maybe Colonial Williamsburg) or continue towards the Smoky Mountains & spend a few nights in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge. I’d probably head to Gatlinburg area. Great places to visit, quite touristy but you are a tourist after all! A visit to Dollywood is a must.

From here you could head either to Atlanta or Nashville for a few nights before your return flight home.

I think if you are savvy & plan well, you could do this for around £6-8k for 12 nights.

I would also recommend Washington DC, especially for your ds1. I went with my boys when they were 11 and 14. The only thing they were slightly surprised at was the lack of skyscrapers!

Would it be possible to combine DC with New York?

We ran a school trip to both recently. If you look at a few of the school travel company websites it will give you an idea of itenerary.

October half term is a good time to go in terms of the weather.

October is gorgeous on the East Coast. If you are lucky you will get some foliage views if you do Skyline Drive. (With climate change, foliage season has been moving later in the autumn.)

I live outside of DC and yes, it does get swampy here in July-August. We're ecstatic because the high temperature is only 28 today, but it's going to be back up over 35 in a few days.

We did DC in February with a 20 and 16 year old for 5 days and stayed at Embassy Suites, convention center. It was easy walking distance to the Smithsonian museum and also had hire bike rack beside hotel. We all loved all the museums and sights. We got the train from airport and then 10 minute walk to hotel. Seriously we were totally wowed by the city.
Next week we’re heading to Chicago, again to see the museums, galleries etc. I’m in Dublin so obviously fly Aer Lingus and have pre-clearance here which saves time on arrival. Flights for 4 were €2500ish and hotel €1000 for 4 nights. American Airlines were similarly priced but with premium economy going over.
Two of my daughters have gone to Boston, done Salem and some of the National parks and loved it.

I've been Googling and getting increasingly excited. I do think DC would be great for us and love the look of the Smoky mountains - can't believe that national park is so near. DS1 (a bit of a know-all!) had said there was no way a national park would be near a city as everything is USA is 100s of miles apart :).

I'm just worried about the dates as ds2 is going into Y10 and ds1 into Y12, which means Oct half-term next year will be just before mocks for both of them and next summer is the ideal time for a big holiday before their big exams that will be coming up the following year. But none of us does great in the heat...

Will definitely do Airbnb or other self-catering as I much prefer that to hotels anyway, unless there is a particular reason not to do this in the USA? @APMom6 how have you found Aer Lingus? I've seen that this would be a cheap option for us but also seen some horrific reviews.

Thanks so much all - we'll definitely be taking up some of the tips on the thread.

Im Irish and hate flying hence me flying with Aer Lingus. I’ve only been flying really the last 5 years, mostly Aer Lingus and it’s all been great but I have flown business on some of those, you can bid to upgrade which cost €340 each for DC. Flight home from DC wasn’t great as our seats couldn’t recline as exit behind us but staff were great. We’re going economy to Chicago but will manage, I’ll buy a sandwich meal deal in the airport to eat on plane if it’s awful. The pre-clearance in Dublin is great, at the end of a long flight you just get off and walk out of airport like domestic pax. I know lots of UK pax fly through Dublin to avail of pre-clearance.

Another city to visit but in Canada is Calgary. Last year we flew business on WestJet to Calgary, was only €300 each extra for the day we flew. The Rockies are only a couple of hours away with amazing hikes and views but loads of fun stuff too in Calgary.