Fall vacation thread

[waverly]

We have 6 days off school in late October/ early November. Halloween is a half day then we have days off for the election (polling place) and for PT conferences.  

We could also do a trip for Thanksgiving break but I often have trouble getting that Friday off and sometimes we visit family.

Where would you go?  

Probably would fly.  I feel like a lot of people do Mexico resorts, but we've never done that.  I don't think we are resort people, but it's OK ish. 

Last year for PT conference we did NYC and zoomed into the conferences.  This was a blast because we used to live there.

We could do Boston. We've done DC. We've done the Carolinas but not Ashville.  We enjoyed the coast and Raleigh.  Florida is an option and just go back to our usual spot which is Sarasota.   

Caribbean and rent a house, Puerto Rico?  I have a feeling we don't have a large budget since we just did Europe, so hopefully under 3K for flights and housing.  More of a long weekend then a week trip.  

Probably won't go as far as the west coast but NM is an option.  DH never answered me when I asked him lol.  

ETA- Just realized it is hurricane season so probably that excludes FL and PR and the Carribean.  Not sure if that also excludes Mexico.  Even if you say the risk is low I probably don't want to deal with the uncertainty and watch storms.  

[librarychica]

waverly, have you considered freshwater Florida? I mean Sarasota is gorgeous but even in low season it’s pricy and you’ve been there already. Fall is beautiful for swimming, paddle boarding, and kayaking in the springs and they are the same temperature all year round. Weeki Wachi, Rainbow River, Wekiva/Rock Springs (my hometown) outside Orlando. Devils Den if you want something really unique. The Ocala National Forest. So many options.

Anyway that’s what I do in the fall.

New Mexico would also be beautiful, I bet. I’ve always wanted to see if but have not made it out there.

[waverly]

librarychica, ha, I was always told to avoid freshwater because of alligators. Even though I know they areally aren't there because of the springs, I just have this inherent I am going to get eaten by a gator reflex.

We have been to NM before and love it, but I am kind of afraid if we go it will be the same vacation and I am thinking something different. But we could maybe do the southen part and fly into El Paso instead of ABQ.

Toronto is also a drivable option for us.

[librarychica]

waverly, alligators are definitely possible in the springs. People do worry about them — even locals. I am hesitant to swim in lakes (more so due to snakes and amoebas honestly than alligators) but I am the 7th generation of Library Family that grew up swimming in springs and none of us have been eaten by alligators.

But I do get it. If it’s not your thing, it’s not, and as you said it’s still technically Hurricane season. It used to be a storm that time of the year was super rare but with climate change they’ve been more frequent.

If you’re interested in the southwest, what about Arizona? Sedona maybe?

[sandandsea]

A ton of people here go to Hawaii during that time. It’s low season and way more affordable and less busy than normal. Mexico is also popular.

[sdlaura]

May 7, 2024 17:13:15 GMT -5 sandandsea said:

A ton of people here go to Hawaii during that time. It’s low season and way more affordable and less busy than normal. Mexico is also popular.

This. I know it’s further for you, but that is a super cheap time to go to Hawaii! We’ve been the past three years during my kids’ late October fall break. It’s also not crowded. 3 years ago we went to Kauai, two years ago to the big island, and last year to the Ko Olina area of Oahu (was supposed to be Maui but I was planning around when the fire happened).

We won’t be going this year because DD no longer gets a fall break in middle school and we’re saving up for our international trip over he holidays, and I’m already sad about it!

[rere]

We are going to Asheville and Charleston in August. We've not been, but we've heard good things. I want to see the Biltmore. Apparently, you can go to the Dirty Dancing resort. Charleston has a lot of history which we would enjoy.

Lots of people really enjoy the gulf fall break, but you do take your chances of it being hurricane season.

[mae0111]

A lot of people around here go to Aruba around that time of year. It's outside of the hurricane belt, and I think that most of the resorts are pretty reasonable.

Boston area can be great that time of year. You could go to Salem if you're here before Halloween, Boston proper is a lot of fun too. There may still be whale watches? But I'm not sure. You're 90 minutes to Cape Cod from downtown Boston if you rented a car, and fall is my very favorite time to be on Cape Cod. You could also head up to NH/VT/ME, but I think that the foliage would be pretty much done up there by the end of October. You would probably still find some in Boston and south.

[rere]

May 8, 2024 8:04:31 GMT -5 mae0111 said:

A lot of people around here go to Aruba around that time of year. It's outside of the hurricane belt, and I think that most of the resorts are pretty reasonable.

Boston area can be great that time of year. You could go to Salem if you're here before Halloween, Boston proper is a lot of fun too. There may still be whale watches? But I'm not sure. You're 90 minutes to Cape Cod from downtown Boston if you rented a car, and fall is my very favorite time to be on Cape Cod. You could also head up to NH/VT/ME, but I think that the foliage would be pretty much done up there by the end of October. You would probably still find some in Boston and south.

I loved Aruba. No worries of weather and the water is beautiful. We had a great trip.

[waverly]

mae0111, yeah I was thinking about the Boston/ Salem thing. Flights are super cheap to Boston as opposed to Cabo. We would most likely come in Nov 1 though, so Halloween would be over but maybe they would still have decorations up?

Ah, CA people yes Hawaii is much easier for you all and cheaper. It's not really the same from Chicago.

I think I am going to give DH 2 flying options and 2 driving options. Thanks for helping me narrow it down.

[waverly]

May 8, 2024 8:56:37 GMT -5 rere said:

May 8, 2024 8:04:31 GMT -5 mae0111 said:

A lot of people around here go to Aruba around that time of year. It's outside of the hurricane belt, and I think that most of the resorts are pretty reasonable.

Boston area can be great that time of year. You could go to Salem if you're here before Halloween, Boston proper is a lot of fun too. There may still be whale watches? But I'm not sure. You're 90 minutes to Cape Cod from downtown Boston if you rented a car, and fall is my very favorite time to be on Cape Cod. You could also head up to NH/VT/ME, but I think that the foliage would be pretty much done up there by the end of October. You would probably still find some in Boston and south.

I loved Aruba. No worries of weather and the water is beautiful. We had a great trip.

I'll look into Aruba.  I know my friend went on her honeymoon, but otherwise I don't know much about it.  

[rere]

May 8, 2024 9:01:31 GMT -5 waverly said:

May 8, 2024 8:56:37 GMT -5 rere said:

I loved Aruba. No worries of weather and the water is beautiful. We had a great trip.

I'll look into Aruba.  I know my friend went on her honeymoon, but otherwise I don't know much about it.  

It's very safe, so going off resort is not an issue. The entire island is 7 miles, so easy to explore. We hired a jeep guide and went all over and show us the sights. The south side water is calm and beautiful. The only time I will actually swim over my head in the ocean. Very blue, beautiful water on the south side the beaches and resorts are. We took a boat out and you could see the ocean floor at 30 ft.It is very windy which some don't like, but didn't bother us.

[mommyatty]

DD has a field hockey tournament in Florida over Thanksgiving weekend. So we are going to Naples, Florida this fall.

[sandandsea]

We love Aruba. Dh and I went and then took our kids a couple of years later as we thought it was a must do with them before HS graduation trip. We had a few amazing dinners and rented a side by side for a day and drove around the entire island and offroaded on our own. Also excellent beach and pool time.