Recommendations for a short trip

[cherry1111]

My H and I want to go on a short child free trip this spring.

Budget is on the lower end because we are doing 2 bigger trips later in the year. We are in Dallas and would be willing to drive up to 8 hours or fly for a good price.

Goal is to go to a state we both haven’t visited yet which would be any of these:

Alabama
Alaska
Delaware
Hawaii
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Maine
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Any recommendations for a good short trip to any of these? We are open to city or nature.

[jinkies]

Honestly I would use Google flight explore and see if there are any flight deals to any of those states.

My geography isn't great-- is Mississippi the only one within your driving range?

I will always recommend Philadelphia if you can find a good flight. You could probably also do lunch in Delaware to knock that one off your list too.

[heygrey]

What time in the spring? If you're thinking late march/april, I would write off a lot of the northern states because there is nothing fun about mud and rain season. Later May would be a whole different story.

[cherry1111]

Feb 16, 2023 23:47:23 GMT -5 heygrey said:

What time in the spring? If you're thinking late march/april, I would write off a lot of the northern states because there is nothing fun about mud and rain season. Later May would be a whole different story.

We are thinking April.

[cherry1111]

Feb 16, 2023 23:42:59 GMT -5 jinkies said:

Honestly I would use Google flight explore and see if there are any flight deals to any of those states.

My geography isn't great-- is Mississippi the only one within your driving range?

I will always recommend Philadelphia if you can find a good flight. You could probably also do lunch in Delaware to knock that one off your list too.

Maybe Alabama. I honestly haven’t researched.

[steamboat185]

Not sure when in spring you were thinking, but most of Montana, Wyoming the Dakotas, and Idaho. will have a lot of snow in many areas well into June. I’d probably aim for someplace a bit further south.

[heygrey]

In April I think I would head toward the Carolinas. I would love to go to Charleston, SC. I have a friend in John's Island and she is aways recommending early spring or later fall, weather-wise.

I'm not sure I'd choose Idaho in April (totally depending on the year, if spring comes early it could be fine), but check the Couer d'Alene area. Easy to fly into Spokane, WA and a ~25 minute drive across the border. Absolutely stunning little town with a gorgeous lake and hiking trails, great restaurants. We have friends there and love making the driving to visit them.

[cherry1111]

Feb 16, 2023 23:53:56 GMT -5 heygrey said:

In April I think I would head toward the Carolinas. I would love to go to Charleston, SC. I have a friend in John's Island and she is aways recommending early spring or later fall, weather-wise.

I'm not sure I'd choose Idaho in April (totally depending on the year, if spring comes early it could be fine), but check the Couer d'Alene area. Easy to fly into Spokane, WA and a ~25 minute drive across the border. Absolutely stunning little town with a gorgeous lake and hiking trails, great restaurants. We have friends there and love making the driving to visit them.

Great ideas. I will look into both. Thanks!

[Flotus]

Sounds fun! Of these, none are driving distance for a weekend but the best thing about Dallas is aa and swa.

I would look into NC, specifically flying to Wilmington to go to Wrightsville Beach or Asheville <Grove Park Inn> . We go there every summer and it’s lovely. If you like hiking and mountains there are great VRBOs and or Resorts.

South Carolina is great! Savannah is awesome and we stayed downtown last April and loved it. Lots to see and do and great Restaurants. Charleston is obviously amazing and Kiawah is lovely anytime of year.

If you are looking to mark states off your list Charleston WV is surprisingly fun. We stay at the Hampton Inn near downtown. The history museum is interesting and local restaurants are good. The people are really friendly and if you can go the the Greenbrier. It’s on my list.

[goldengirlz]

Nashville’s very fun with a lively bar and music scene and would be a great trip without kids.

Southwest has a lot of flights there and the weather should be good in April.

Otherwise, another vote for South Carolina. We did Charleston and Hilton Head one year and the trip definitely exceeded expectations.

[gummybear]

Another vote for South Carolina. We did a long weekend in Charleston in May a few years back and it was delightful. There’s a ton to do and the food is amazing. We stayed at the Kings Courtyard Inn (recommended from here) - it was very affordable and walkable to everything, our flights were dirt cheap…I loved everything about it.

[gardengal]

I’ve heard good things about the beaches in AL. It’s more like a 10hr drive though. The water may not be warm enough to swim depending on how early in Apr you go.

[sunshineandpinot]

For an April trip, I’d lean toward Nashville or S. Carolina. Maybe Memphis?
I think it could be too cold in a lot of the states you listed.

[bears]

Feb 17, 2023 0:54:16 GMT -5 Flotus said:

I would look into NC, specifically flying to Wilmington to go to Wrightsville Beach or Asheville <Grove Park Inn> . We go there every summer and it’s lovely. If you like hiking and mountains there are great VRBOs and or Resorts.

I would not be do NC mountains in April. It's likely to be grey with freezing rain. We did it a few years ago and it was a total letdown.

[expectantsteelerfan]

What's the name of that company that plans the trip for you and surprises you? I feel like you could give them parameters (like limit them to those states) and budget and they plan everything for you and have it be total surprise until you get to the airport, and that could be really fun.

[shauni27]

for sure look at google flights and see where you can find the cheapest flights! I would also be curious what "short" means--2 days? If that is it, you would likely not want to spend the majority of your time on travel, you know?

April in Philly is lovely; I bet you can get a good deal to fly there and it will be about 2-2.5 hours. It is a great city, and seriously, April and May are my favorite times to go there.

[cherry1111]

Ok I’m definitely going to look into Charleston. Flights are very reasonable on Southwest. Thanks all!

[momin2013]

Feb 17, 2023 8:39:09 GMT -5 cherry1111 said:

Ok I’m definitely going to look into Charleston. Flights are very reasonable on Southwest. Thanks all!

We went to Charleston at the end of March last year and it was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect, and it's just such a cool, fun city to walk around and explore. We only stayed for one night and now I want to go back and stay for longer!

[wildrice]

Feb 17, 2023 8:39:09 GMT -5 cherry1111 said:

Ok I’m definitely going to look into Charleston. Flights are very reasonable on Southwest. Thanks all!

I'm sure you'll have a great time! We were just there the week of Thanksgiving, and it was a really fun city. In April it will be even prettier with more things in bloom!

[snowflurry]

I think Memphis would be a fun trip. We drove from Houston and it was only 9 hours so it should be far less than that coming from Dallas. There are a lot of things to do and you could probably find a good off season rate at the Peabody.

[CurlyQ284]

I live in Michigan, it really shines in October so I would put that one off until then. Or summer time if you want to do Great Lakes beaches so I would put that one off.

[egishere]

Charleston, SC- we went in may last year and it was great. April would be even better with the weather!

[glitzy07]

Don't come to Minnesota in April. It won't be worth your while at that time of year. Summer, absolutely. But in April we're all still hibernating.

[wanderlustmom]

I love all the suggestions for Charleston! It’s such a beautiful, unique and fun city. My favorite beach is a little farther afield—Kiawah island but it’s so lovely and quiet. We live in Atlanta and I always wonder if I’ll get sick of Charleston. Never. New restaurants always coming on the scene, I love all the trees for shade and I love the beaches and bike paths.

Asheville is great but there is a risk of cold and rain in April. That’s also a city I never get sick of

[jg183]

I'd look into Charleston or Nashville for a kid free weekend in April

[stemmie]

NC and SC would be pleasant that time of year and Charleston is lovely.

Portland Maine is a favorite getaway for me. Plenty of natural beauty and breweries.

[midwestmama]

Feb 17, 2023 10:26:01 GMT -5 CurlyQ284 said:

I live in Michigan, it really shines in October so I would put that one off until then. Or summer time if you want to do Great Lakes beaches so I would put that one off.

I also live in MI and agree 100% with this.

A color tour in MI in early October with stops at wineries is a great Fall trip.  A summer trip with stops at beaches/points of interest along Lake Michigan (e.g., start at Saugatuck and end at Mackinaw City/Mackinac Island or vice versa) would be a great trip.

[letsgetweird]

You can drive from Dallas to Memphis in 8 hours

[mcmel]

I was also going to say SC. I hope it’s fun!

[sugarbear1]

Ditto Spokane and Coeur d'Alene, but April could go either way in terms of weather.