Help me choose a destination in the USA.

[TheDogsMother]

I organise quarterly trips for a globally located team and generally these are in Europe as this is where most of the team are based. Around the dates of the next trip though a few of them will be in the USA and unfortunately my knowledge of the country is not particularly in depth. In addition to this they will all be about as far from each other as is possible (Austin, Dallas, SF, Chicago) so we probably need to find a fairly central location. What I am after is .......

a fairly peaceful and nice location
but within reach of a decent town or city
supermarkets/Ubers/restaurants reasonably available
activities available
National Park could be nice
Not too hot but not too cold in November

Please, please you excellent hive of minds, can you help me out ?

San Diego I have been to various places in USA albeit a while ago and I know a lot of places have changed, but have been to San Diego a few times and really enjoyed everything about it.
It has a really lovely vibe about it I also liked San Francisco but unfortunately on speaking to friends and family who have visited more recently all have commented on how it’s changed due to problems with drugs and homelessness.
The only place I didn’t enjoy was New Orleans but I’m sure you’ll get a lot of differing opinions
Have a great time wherever you choose.

Denver and the Rockies - temp might not be warm enough. Tuscon, AZ or somewhere in the South West?
Chicago is well connected for air travel - there are two airports - and I think is the outlier on your list of starting points. Hope you find a great place for the meeting.

Thank you @Pastit12 I will investigate. Sadly I am the only one not going on the trip, I just get to organise it 😂

Sedona in Arizona

What about Phoenix Arizona?

It's a couple of hours flight from SF, Austin and Dallas but four hours from Chicago, but lots of nonstop flights available from these cities.

Using Phoenix as a starting point you could probably find what you're looking for maybe around Scottsdale. I'm not an expert in the area, have been there a couple of times, but it seems to be a fairly central place for where you have colleagues located.

Depending on how far you are willing to travel Tuscon might be worth considering.

I went here for a conference, it was great. 20 mins from DIA in the foothills of the Rockies.

www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/dengr-gaylord-rockies-resort-and-convention-center/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0

Salt Lake City? Lovely scenery, lots of outdoors-y things.

You need to be careful of possible snow in November. Denver is roasting in summer but can get snow in November. Best to google where is OK in that month. San Diego should be good but obviously not central. Is Las Vegas an option? It's not all tacky.

Seems like an opportunity to see the Grand Canyon.

Top third-to-half of the US will be pretty horrible in November, so I would discount all of that. It’s also an election month and that can get kind of weird in the US in some regions.

I would bear both of these in mind when browsing.

@TheDogsMother

Do bear in mind that Thanksgiving is on Thursday 28th November this year and for many Americans it’s a bigger family celebration than Christmas.

Many people will try and travel earlier in the week to family living far away and don’t forget Black Friday is on the 29th - again most Americans try to take the day off for shopping, travelling or putting up Christmas decorations!

The Election takes place on 5th November this year too - Trump v Harris.

Thank you all so much, this is so helpful. @Roaminginthegloaming very good points ! Our trip is 28th October to 3rd November so we will be able to avoid both those big things

I'm an American and for those time periods, for weather, etc., I would absolutely recommend Arizona, flying into Phoenix or Flagstaff and then visiting Sedona, which will be lovely that time of year.

Charleston, SC. Weather is comfortable in November, excellent restaurants, beach close by.

Arizona for sure. Not central but weather will be lovely. Sedona is lovely, quite hippy, has great walks - a drive from Pheonix.

Maybe Shenandoah National park outside of DC. How many days?

I lived in America for 15 years and I agree you want to be in the South. I love Chicago but I would save it for a warmer time of year.

San Diego is a great choice and Arizona is good, but instead of the latter I would opt for the region of Santa Fe and Taos, NM. Fabulous food, art, history, hiking, Bombadier National Park, etc.

Charleston SC is also a great choice but SC is strong Trump country and you are planning this trip right before the election. It’s something to keep in mind

American here. Avoid the Rockies, even in early November. If you want scenery you won't get in the UK then I would also say the Southwest. If you want glorious fall color then the Ozarks and especially the Blue Ridge Mountains are gorgeous. Charleston SC is great, I've lived there, but the ocean will be too cold to swim in November. It has some great things to see and is a foodie paradise though.

Aha! You will be there for Halloween! It really is amazing in the USA - whole townships become involved (the decorations on the houses are often incredible) and even small local retailers hand out candy for the children.

You may get some pushback if some of your team have children as they may want to be involved in the Halloween festivities.

As other posters have mentioned, you may wish to choose somewhere like Sedona or maybe Taos, New Mexico. Also think hard about where people are resident and which airports they will be flying to and from…..you want to avoid them having to make flight connections at airline hubs - places like Atlanta - in case of travel delays and flight cancellations.

I wish you a successful trip! Let us know where you decide to go!

They are going for 6 nights and their time will be a split between work projects and outings. A national park would be fabulous as they are all quite outdoorsy.

@Roaminginthegloaming Urrgghhh we are still wrangling over dates but loving all these great suggestions thank you. The US residents will be traveling from San Francisco and Dallas then we have the others coming from UAE and Europe. They love the idea of being really remote but then realise they can't get Ubers and there's nothing local to do 😂

Hmmm good point !

You could make the main base be the international airport (like Phoenix or Albuquerque) but then charter a bus for a day to a national park. Santa Fe is also cool.

Thanks all for the great suggestions but typically everything has now changed. It's now going to be January and in Europe. There will no doubt be a trip to the US next year though so I am going to keep a note of all these great ideas.