Inspo for USA with teens

[Disco222]

I'm looking to book around ten days in the USA this summer with DH and 2 DS who will be 16 and 13.

I was thinking of 5 nights San Francisco and 5 nights Vegas. We have previously done all of the theme parks etc so looking for something different.

Has anyone done the above with teens and can recommend or not. Or any other destinations anywhere in the US, we are open to anywhere really.
Thanks!

SF is a shithole and there's not much for teens to do in vegas apart from shop.

Santa Barbara, LA, into the rockies via Denver with all the activities just as a start for better
Options.

5 nights would be too much for me in both San Francisco and Vegas. You could reduce to 3 nights in each and add in a trip to Yosemite, not sure if that appeals?

Thank you, that's really useful advice. I was pondering LA , will have a look there too.

LA is also not very nice. We spent a few days there, and in retrospect we should have stayed on the outskirts. Hollywood Boulevard is dirty and felt unsafe. Didn't do any tours. Just visited the Funko Pop tour, Warner Bros and Universal studios. Then we took an uber to Santa Monica for a couple of nights before taking the train down to San Diego

Do you and the teens want to go to Vegas or is that just because its in the vicinity? I mean you can go do nature things and hikes in the area, its not just casinos, but five days there if you aren't in to gambling (or can't gamble) is a bit much. How old are your teens? The whole sin side of things WILL be in your face on the Strip . I would suggest booking off Strip somewhere like the Red Rock hotel which is up against the conservation area and near a posh area:

https://www.cntraveler.com/hotels/united-states/las-vegas/red-rock-casino-resort-spa

Also - maybe not LA, but Santa Barbara for five days as a base and then go up the coast on a day trip to Big Sur or down the coast to the Malibu beach one day or on in to Santa Monica or to the east to Ojai for wine tasting (there is wine tasting everywhere so enjoy if that is your thing!) Santa Barbara has a big uni student population too so there will be a slightly younger vibe underlying the beach town + wealth stuff. People say LA is a shithole if they only go down Hollywood Blvd which yes, is a shithole. Frankly, five days to just chill in Santa Barbara and the area would be fabulous - you can kayak in the harbor (see the seals!), there is a large public pool down there too, good food around. Just a really enjoyable, chill place.

San Francisco - Do yourself a favor and just don't. Carmel/Monterey are much nicer areas if you are headed south. Or do a little road trip and go from SF to Santa Barbara. There are loads of things to see and do, state parks and beaches, historic sites, small towns, etc.

BTW - summer in Vegas is hot. Heat like you have never felt before in your life. If you enjoy 43C temperatures then great! But driving and moving around in that area will get to be a chore - most folks are indoors during the day and come out at night when its cooled off a bit. Frankly I would just avoid Vegas all together and do either the classic road trip down the coast, or possibly drive up in to the mountains (though some of those roads will be extraordinarily dull)

I would seriously consider travelling somewhere else other than those two cities particularly in summer. SF, apart from it going further downhill post covid times, gets a lot of rain in August and the weather there tends to be better in September. LV is in the 40s come August and that is why hotels there are cheaper per night then.

Go east coast rather than west! Boston, Cape Cod etc.

Have you thought of east coast instead? I have family on the East Coast so more familiar with that. My teens loved Baltimore and DC. They liked (but not loved) NYC. I would really kind to try Chesapeake Bay, Boston, Philly etc next. I’ve only been to west coast with work and without children.

What do your kids love doing? What do you and your DH love doing? Where in the US have you been already and liked? San Fran and Vegas are not places I’d make an effort to travel to tbh. I almost went to Vegas to kill time when I had a long layover, something like that maybe, but it’s not really a family holiday destination. If you’re going in summer it will be scorching as well.

Thanks so much for the replies. I'm actually having second thoughts about the US now. I have been to SF and LV but 20 years ago. With the kids we've been to NY, Florida and Atlanta and Nashville and areas between. We liked all of those places particularly Nashville.

Funnily enough my mum said SF wasn't very nice now but I didn't take her advice and came to you guys instead.

The kids like travelling and done loads of it as we are from Asia and Australia but we haven't done the west coast.

I'm thinking now maybe looking at Canada, Toronto and maybe something eastern.

I'll have a good browse through the board.
Many thanks.

We went to Boston last Summer. We are history nerds so that was one reason but it's really a great city.

We then did stayed in Newport/Rhode Island and New York. I would happily go again and do more of Massachussets/Cape Code than just the odd day we had there.

Another area we looked into was Virginia and Washington.
Toronto and Quebec City wasn't deemed interesting enough by DD but that may be her personal view, I saw it differently.

We did SF LA San Diego then stayed at Grand Canyon via Joshua tree park, and onto Vegas. Epic road trip.
San Diego was our favourite place on the coast.
Monterey and Santa Barbara also nice.
San Fran interesting from a bus tour but definitely very edgy.
LA meh.
Stated at Grand Canyon, so we could trek, that was fab.
Vegas meh, not sure it's for teens.
Everything except fuel very very expensive. Tipping for everything pushes up the cost, so expensive to eat.
Not sure I would take teens to any of those places except Grand Canyon tbh.