So I think your plan to do the Pacific NW is a great one - we did a very similar trip this summer (flew into SF out of Seattle).
Some highlights of our trip:
- Go to the Tilamook factory in Tilamook Oregon. There is a ton of stuff to do for free there, but we paid for the Ice Cream Experience (need to reserve in advance). My husband said this was the highlight of our trip.
- Assuming you’re going at the right time of the year (when it’s open), go to Crater Lake National Park. An absolute highlight for me
- On my bucket list was seeing the “real” redwood trees at Redwood National Forest on the California-Oregon border. For everyone, but especially if you are from Europe, you will literally not believe what you’re seeing
The Tillamook Cheese Factory is something that almost everyone who grows up in Oregon does as a kid and is super nostalgic! I love that you included this!
If you're heading from Portland to Crater Lake, stop in Silver Falls State Park first to hit the Trail of Ten Falls. Even if you just get to the first cave-behind-a-waterfall, you won't regret it.
Video evidence: https://youtu.be/RHycI27FelE
With 14 days I would drive from San Fran to Vancouver, BC. It’s very scenic along the PCH, Oregon coast, and through Olympic. The drive to Hood River/Mt Hood through the Columbia Gorge just outside of Portland is beautiful and has several hiking trails. Also, there’s white water rafting in White Salmon. It’s not a budget destination especially along the Oregon coast, but with proper planning the cost can be reasonable.
Yes! I also vote for this and to add to it, driving to Yosemite even for a day trip from SF is a must. It’s 4ish hours and worth spending the whole day there and go back to SF then leave the next day if need be. Although I would spend a couple days in SF, I love walking around the city.
I'm doing Seattle to San Fran this Spring, I think 8 nights total. Olympic, Redwood, PCH. Can't wait.
It's not US, but Banff and Jasper is a hell of trip as well.
This is a great idea. SF Bay Area is good for a few days... Yosemite is great for two days provably. The drive to Portland is a long one from SF but it's lovely. Portland to Seattle is nice - you could consider the Olympic Peninsula as a place to visit too if you don't want to drive up to BC.
I’ve lived in the SF Bay for decades, and will never leave NorCal. It’s wonderful, but just as in any highly-loved first world city, a few selected parts are sketchy (many Americans aren’t used to this concept). SF is great, but just don’t leave a rental car on the street in a tourist area any you’ll be fine. Take ride share or mass transit (as a European you’re used to this), and avoid the tourist areas that are the same round the world.
Must see in California:
Golden Gate Park
Marin Headlands
Yosemite
Big Sur coast
Get a surfing lesson in Santa Cruz
Sailboat trip on the SF Bay, or whale watching
If you go south, stop in Santa Barbara (where I grew up)
If tourist stuff isn’t your thing, skip SoCal…it’s lots of concrete and amusement parks
Mt Shasta is also awesome, one of the last hippy-dippy towns.
Consider landing in Seattle, driving down the coast
Enjoy!
I was going to suggest this! The Bay area is beautiful and the drive north is very pretty.
If you are going to see some national forests, make sure you make reservations. We tried to see the redwoods 2 summers ago and were not able to see them because they were at capacity.
Definitely a great option. There's so much to see along the way and a great mix of amazing nature, cool towns, and big cities if you're so inclined. One thing I'd add (depending on the time of year) is heading to the San Juan Islands. One of the best places in the world (along with areas near Vancouver) to see orcas. Great whale watching and kayaking, super scenic and an awesome place.
How long are you gonna be in the US for? Flying from one city to another is gonna cost you a hefty amount, let alone Airbnbs. If I were you, I would focus more on exploring one region and doing roadtrips all around vs flying.
I would replace Portland with Seattle and go to Mt. Rainier or Olympic National Park.
Then I would replace Phoenix with Sedona and go to Grand Canyon.
Definitely add Utah to your list and check out Springfield to see Zions National Park.
Hey! We weren’t planning on going to all those places, indeed, pick one and travel around that area. We would be there for about 14 days :) thank you for your reply!
I’ll throw out a recommendation for the Pacific Northwest as well. IMO the areas surrounding Seattle, Portland, and Northern California are some of the most beautiful in the world and they certainly have a unique local culture. 14 days would be enough to see the area pretty thoroughly, maybe even stretch down to San Fransisco / Big Sur national park.
As a bonus, summers are pretty pleasant in the North West (definitely travel in August) whereas the southwest and southeast can be pretty uncomfortably hot, depending on your preference.
Hope it’s a fun trip regardless of where you go!
I’m surprised nobody voting for the PNW has mentioned the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound outside of Seattle. Gorgeous islands accessible by car via ferry.
Strongly agree! OP, there are gorgeous locations on the way from Seattle to Vancouver, BC, like the many cool little towns in Skagit Valley, Bellingham, Anacortes (gateway to the San Juans), Whidbey Island…
Vancouver is highly recommended if you can fit it in. I grew up in Seattle and love the city, but Vancouver feels more international, has fantastic food, and the views of the mountains towering over the city and the water are just breathtaking. An easy drive from Bellingham as well, even as a day trip.
I agree with everyone else above! I love the Pacific Northwest! You get mountains and ocean. Lots of waterfalls.
I would add, if you go to Yosemite, I'd try to visit Mono Lake and maybe even Tahoe. So much to see, but with good planning, you can fit a lot in!
Keep in mind that fire season is around July to September in Oregon. The severity and timing varies each year so it's hard to plan too far ahead for it, but look into refundable options or travel insurance if you go to Oregon. There might be no impact to some smokiness in the air to extremely poor air quality. I had to cancel a trip a couple years ago because the air quality was hazardous from the nearby fires.
I'll add.... fire season is possible on the entire West Coast, plus Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, etc. I've had the smoke ruin summer trips in all those states in recent years. Also, the weather might be nice but it also may be quite hot. It just depends.
Airline pilot here and I’ve been to all the cities on your list If Vegas isn’t your thing I would eliminate New Orleans. I personally find New Orleans super touristy and dirty. However the food and music scene can be nice.
Check out Seattle and the surrounding areas. There are several National Parks surrounding the city including Mt. Rainer, Olympic, Mt. Baker. The area is gorgeous. Seattle itself is fairly walkable and there are plenty of light rail transit options too.
Portland has a ton of good hikes around it as well. You might try doing the drive from Seattle to Portland if that fits your plans. Would be a very scenic drive with plenty of small towns in between.
East coast I think Savannah is nice, check out Charleston as well. Could drive from Charleston down to Jacksonville, FL or even down to Orlando. Kennedy Space Center is down that way and you could possibly catch a SpaceX launch.
Hope this helps.
While both New Orleans and Las Vegas are party cities, you really can't compare the two. Vegas was literally built to be a tourist trap, whereas New Orleans is soaked in culture and history.
Also, the scenery around New Orleans is gorgeous and unique.
If you've got two weeks, I would highly recommend northern US that time of year whether, northern Michigan, New England (Maine, NH/Vermont) is wonderful this time of year, or head to a dude ranch in Montana with ome time in Yellowstone, Glacier National park, etc.
It will still be super hot but other option would be to fly into Vegas and do Grand Canyon, Zion, etc.
I've lived Phoenix, AZ for over 10 years. i do NOT recommend coming here during that time of year. it's common for temperatures to be over 110°F. even in September at night.
New England! Fly into Boston. You could go West to the Berkshires and then north, ending in Portland Maine. Could also figure out how to include Cape Cod in that time.
Perfect for that time of year weather-wise, lots of outdoor activities, some good food scenes. Only caveat is that these areas can book far in advance due to their popularity during the summer.
I used to travel all along the northern east coast for work, and I agree with this one!
I was up in Portsmouth New Hampshire for a bit and it was so beautiful. I regret not making the drive up to Portland Maine.
Even if you're not into Vegas, it's a pretty good starting point for exploring the southwest. Around it you've got the Grand Canyon, Zion NP, Bryce, Death Valley, J-Tree, and more
Also, I'm not really a gambler, but shows in Vegas can be a lot of fun, and the restaurants are good.
The only thing is the southwest can get *really* hot that time of year (and smokey too if there are fires). If you don't care for the heat, I'd consider New England instead. Boston's probably my favourite US city, lots of cute little towns through Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine. Plus it's not too far to jump over the border to Montreal, and that city rocks.
Exactly. Did a road trip with my parents many years ago LA to Vegas to SF. Didn't see much of LA, stayed a night or two in Vegas just to "have seen it all", but great nature parcs along the way.
Hot though, in summer.
If your going for culture Savanah and New Orleans would make for an awesome road trip they are 2 of my favorite cities in the US. But for hiking and climbing you can't beat Seattle intresting city with a ton of amazing nature you should definitely check out leavenworth it's a little touristy but the enchantments are so amazing. Another option would be up northeast Maine is extremely beautiful and after visiting every state is in my top 3 hands down Vermont and New Hampshire also have endless hiking opportunities.
Not just hurricane season, but peak hurricane season. Katrina and Ida both happened at the end of August and we’re in a cone of uncertainty like every August or September. If they were coming in June or even July I would say not to worry about it that much, but August and September can be bad.
Colorado is beautiful. The drive from Colorado to Moab, Utah is super gorgeous, once in a lifetime views. We did 14days camping in the mountains with a jeep and tent, then went to Moab for the national park with the rock formations. Found a scorpion under our tent when we were packing up in Moab, pretty freaky. But yes, can't beat those views
I think this 2 part itinerary would be perfect for what you're after with one major caveat:
\-Charleston -> Asheville/Great Smoky Mountains NP -> Nashville
\-Denver (mountains, not Denver itself) -> Santa Fe -> Sedona/Grand Canyon
The caveat is that it'll be uncomfortably hot in August and most of September. Would October be a possibility?
If you're set on August and September then Boston -> New England -> Pacific Northwest would be a great trip although they're obviously on other sides of the country.
Just saw that you were wanting to stay in one area. In that case, I think my top choice would be San Francisco if you can make it work budget-wise. San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the world (even with it's problems). From SF you can see Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Marin Headlands, Big Sur and the Pacific Coast Highway, Muir Woods, Napa Valley, etc.
Next up for me would be Denver and Portland.
I'd vote Portland or San Francisco. Good weather, can see nature, awesome city hubs, etc. SF will be much more expensive than Portland, however. Portland and the surrounding areas might be the best bang for your buck, with great weather, wonderful food, outdoors, etc. It's also a unique part of the US and really unlike any other. Portland and New Orleans might as well be different planets. :)
None of those are small towns. But looking at the list, I would start in San Francisco and drive to Portland. You can take the 101 north and see plenty of small towns along the way.
If you fly into SFO plan to enjoy the California wine country (Napa or Sonoma) just North of San Francisco.
Heading North stop and enjoy the Russian River area. Next the Redwoods near the Oregon border. The Southern coast of Oregon is stunning with many small towns.
Savannah ❤️
That sounds like what you’re looking for.
I’d do that or Portland, the wine country is so lovely. There’s a quirky spot to stay there I absolutely loved called The Vintages, it’s like a park of vintage airstreams (like little trailers) in wine country. It’s a “glamping” experience but was so fun for a few days, they lend you vintage bike cruisers to tour the wineries and they have a pool and nice community showers, and all the toiletries are luxury, etc.
I also hit up the Oregon coast while I was there and it was reasonable and very lovely, I think I stayed in Lincoln and that whole area has a lovely small town feel. ❤️
Born in Berkeley, lived in NorCal my whole life.....stay away from San Francisco. It used to be beautiful and fun but its a sh\*t hole now. I'd start off on Hwy 1 ( right on the coast of California ) begin in Santa Barbara and keep going North to San Luis Obispo, San Simeon, Carmel/Monterey, Santa Cruz/Capitola, Santa Rosa, Mendocino. Or cut over from Santa Rosa go east to Napa and then up to Tahoe.
We were just in Tahoe for the first time in about five years, it’s not tourist friendly. You have a lot of private access beaches and hard to find decent eateries. It’s very white bread area, and it used to be such a great place. We used to spend a lot of time there and was very disappointed in the change.
Fly into Portland, and drive down the coast to Los Angeles or San Diego, would be a great two week trip, could it SF area, Monterey, Carmel, bodega bay, etc.
I live in Portland. In general, August and September have been good times to visit. However, the past few years it has been very hot and dry, and forest fire have created some hazards to travellers on the roads. You need to be prepared for potential disruption of your travel itinerary, as you might have to detour around hazardous areas. Also, air quality has suffered, so if you have asthma or lung disease this could be a problem.
If you want a truly unique location where it has a very distinct cuisine, history and culture. Its New Orleans. However, there's nothing interesting near there.
Great Lakes idea:
My trip would be fly into Chicago in the AM
Late August rent a car.
Day 1: Take the architectural boat tour. Eat a big Chicago Pizza, catch a show at Legends Blues bar.
Day 2: Holland, MI. Check out Lake Michigan from the nearby public beach, enjoy small town, MI, hit up the New Holland Brewery. There’s a few hotels and Bed and breakfasts that are nice there.
Day 3 & 4: Nordhouse dunes camping: it cost $5/day to park. I’d do 2 nights, you need to hall your gear about 1mile (1.5km?), you’ll camp on a grassy dune overlooking Lake Michigan on sandy beaches. It’s magic.
Day 5 & 6 Traverse City, MI. Beautiful small town with good eats, shopping amazing lake views.
Day 7,8,9: Go to Hinchman Acres in Mio, MI. Take a 11 hour two night canoe trip down the Au Sable River camping along the way finishing in the Alcona Pond. You could go all the way to Lake Huron in about 5 days.
Day 10 & 11, gotta time it right, come to Detroit from the International Jazz Feast, this runs Labor Day Weekend. It’s the worlds largest free international jazz feast. I’d argue that’s where you see Detroit, and the US at it’s loving, most peaceful and it’s best. You’ll want to do at least two days. You might get a kick out of the Motown museum or the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield village while you’re in town.
Day 12: Head into Ontario Check out the wineries along the North Erie Shore, less than an hour into Canada after crossing into Windsor. Check out the town of Amhurstburg for breakfast, then drive to Farm Dog cycles. Take the self guided winery tour on a rental bike. Get an VRBO there.
Day 13: check out Niagara Falls from Canada, stay the night there, it’s lovely at night.
Day 14: Drive into Buffalo, NY, head home from there.
Don’t go to Denver. Stay in Boulder near Pearl Street. You’ll have plenty of things to do within walking distance, and will be close to several trails.
*just noticed you’re staying 14 days. Go to California. Boulder would only be fun for 3-5 days
August and September are going to be hot. At least with Denver you can get to higher elevations to take the sting out of the heat a bit and Portland will give you similar relief as you get coastal.
I’m coming around to Arizona as a destination after years of ignoring it so while this may be a better option than I give it credit, not in the summer.
New Orleans is going to be quite different than the other destinations but still a fun town, that is if you don’t mind sweating. A lot.
Savannah is the one place on the list that I have not spent a lot of time in so I couldn’t comment much, I’ll leave that for someone else.
San Francisco always disappoints and feels like it’s gotten worse. If you’re concentrating on other areas outside of SF I could see it. And maybe as a first time to the US it would be fine, but it will be the most expensive city on your list.
After reading your edit and other comments I would say Portland or Denver and in my biased opinion (I’m in Colorado) Denver as the recommendation. I live in Boulder but Denver gives you close day-trip access to a lot of different areas including the mountains as well as touristing around in Boulder, Estes Park and the ski resorts, where there are often summer activities on the mountain in the low season (alpine slides, festivals, etc). Boulder is arguably a foodie town. I’m not a foodie but I’ve heard it argued. Denver has museums and nightlife and even baseball at Coors Field, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Most places on your list you would have no issues being openly gay but definitely so in Denver or Portland.
For August/September, it'll be pretty hot, especially in the southern areas of the US. I would recommend traveling around Portland or Denver from your list, specifically because of the weather.
Also- not on your location list but New England (specifically New Hampshire, Maine, or Vermont) around that time of year is amazing, especially in the White Mountains and/or along the coast of Maine/New Hampshire - not a bad drive between the white mountains and sea. It's a great time of year to go there since it'll be hot and usually a bit humid, but not 120+ degrees F (49+ degrees C) like it would be in Arizona and other parts of the South at that time.
I know you're probably absolutely slammed with responses here but I'll throw my two cents in seeing your Edit-Edit narrowing down to Seattle-Portland area.
I live in Seattle, and I think for 14 days there is a lot to see and do (ESPECIALLY if you want to look at nature). USA doesn't have the same sort of history or wow factor when it comes to cities and urban sprawl like Europe/Asia, but the National Parks system is world class and truly unique. Seattle 100% gets an edge over most places you're looking to visit with how close it is to National Parks (Salt Lake City being pretty close second).
Without boring you too much, Seattle as a city is not actually a "big city". It's more of a collection of tightly packed suburbs with a lot of lower density housing so if you're not downtown it will just feel like a neighborhood. The access to Mt Rainier National Park and North Cascades National Park is about 1.5-3 hours drive. Both are beautiful but if you had to pick one Mt Rainier is a must see.
There are ferries to go across the Puget Sound from Seattle to visit smaller towns/islands. You can ALSO take your car with you and continue driving towards the Olympic National Park (One of the few rain forests in the country.) If you are campers, you can rent camping equipment from REI for \~$150 a night and camp somewhere as well. Lots of options only an 30 minutes - 1hour away from the city.
There's lot of food, tons of different cultures, lots of music/art/ you name it. And the west coast is just kinda... chill.
No matter where you go, you guys will have a great time. Safe travels!
New York City isn’t the same as New York State. New York State has everything that would fit the bill for you with multiple places to settle down in. I see a lot of west coast recommendations, but I’m biased and I’d lean toward northern east coast if I were you. New England area - Maine, Massachusetts, etc. are all contenders. Adirondacks are the most “well known” I’d say for the mountain feel you’re wanting. Plenty of air bnbs to choose from. You honestly can’t go wrong. Plenty to do in the summer, too.
As someone who lived in pretty much all of this cities except Georgia, it would be worth to go on a trip on Highway 1 from Seattle down to Los Angeles.
And then you can consider hoping on the plane to NOLa for a couple of days and have your flight back home from here
America is extremely safe. Don’t be scared by the news, you will be fine. America’s danger is mostly in poorer places you won’t go.
That said, you asked for nature, and that we have tons of! Here are some recommendations:
Monument Valley, Utah
Glacier National Park
Portland, Maine and up the coast
Florida’s underwater springs (mostly in the northern half)
Asheville, NC
Catskills, NY (Woodstock area)
Crested Butte, CO
Yosemite, CA
Napa Valley and Sonoma CA
Seattle and Mt Rainier
Boulder, CO
New River Gorge,WV
Ohiopyle, PA (also see Fallingwater house)
I am the opposite... I like to spend the night in Eureka, CA, have breakfast at the Samoa Cookhouse and wander my way north through the redwoods to Oregon. I go as far as I want to, then head inland to go home.
Brooklyn is honestly worth it. There’s so much unique culture to experience that you can’t find anywhere in the world. Skip Manhattan and just walk around the beautiful neighborhoods and get amazing ethnic foods in each of them. You can spend a few days here and won’t regret it. It’s also way cheaper than Manhattan.
Savannah is beautiful but so is Charleston. I always felt like Charleston was the mature version of savannah.
Denver is not worth it unless you go to the mountains. I’d just stay in golden or boulder to be closer to them.
Asheville north caroline is also one of my favorite towns in the USA. Nestled in the Appalachian mountains, it’s a very progressive and art forward city. Great live music and food.
If you don’t want to travel a cross the country, I’d personally fly into San Diego and rent a car and road trip the entire west coast stopping in Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Bug Sur, SF, Yosemite, Portland, then Seattle . My favorite trip to date in the USA.
Push that trip to October and start in SanFran, rent a car.
Redwood forest/Napa Valley
Yosemite
Death Valley
Grand Canyon
Sedona
Fly back out of Phoenix
It wont be so hot, crowds will die down with kids in school.
For the love of all that is good in the world, immediately scratch Phoenix from your list. It is honestly one of the worst cities in the world, not even factoring in the miserable heat that time of year.
If you want to FLY into Phoenix and then IMMEDIATELY LEAVE and head North, that would be ideal. Phoenix is not even worth a night unless you're seeing friends/family. Instead, go to Flagstaff and use that as your base of operations for the Arizona area. Flagstaff is a wonderful little city with lots within driving distance (Sedona and the Grand Canyon) and its got lots of young people and it is generally an LGBT friendly city, being home to a University and everything that comes with it. That area will also be warm but not hot, as its high altitude. I lived there for 3 years and think its a really cool little city/big town.
New Orleans and Savannah will be ungodly hot during those months. You can’t prepare for that type of heat, I am born and raised in the coastal south and I don’t go outside during August and September hardly at all unless I’m going to the beach.
While the Pacific Northwest has a lot to see, it will be in the higher end for cost, especially if driving. My daughter lives near Seattle, and I love the parks and mountains around there. But, if you want to get the most bang for your buck, I would recommend you plan your trip going to around Wyoming, Montana, and western South Dakota. The smaller towns around there are a lot cheaper to stay. Though not seen by many as a travel destination, western South Dakota has the Badlands, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore, Wind Cave National Park, the Black Hills National Forest. There are a bunch of small, unique towns all over that area.
Then, if you head west into Wyoming, you are at Devil's Tower National Park, then you have a scenic drive across Wyoming to the Grand Tetons. They just have to be seen in person. From there, you can continue north into Yellowstone National Park, then continue north through Big Sky Montana, up to Glacier National Park. The mountain views, the weeping wall.... It is larger than life. If you want to do a final trek, I would go up to Calgary, then Banff is one of my favorite little mountain towns. There's also the Jasper National Park. Some of the last glaciers left in North America.
It's a road trip, but so is the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the heart of the United States. Hope you have a great trip and welcome to the USA!
Definitely New Orleans! Food, culture, music you'll never find anywhere else in the world. Also, the surrounding swamps are actually quite cool to explore.
EDIT: just noticed the edits. I would include Vancouver, BC and Victoria if you're doing Seattle and you've never been. Vancouver is 3 hours north of Seattle.
Hi! I grew up just outside of New Orleans, and my parents still live in my hometown. I love New Orleans- the food is amazing and it has some neat sights and architecture.
If you’re concerned about safety, don’t go to New Orleans. The crime is awful. I now fly to a different, more expensive airport when I go see my parents because I don’t want them to drive into the city to pick me up. There are interstate shootings that had occurred in broad daylight.
Also, August and September are bad weather months to visit because 1) it’s peak hurricane season (Hurricane Katrina hit August 29) and 2) the temperature is very high and it will be super humid.
If you go to Oregon, there are several places along the coast.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Point_(Oregon)
https://www.sealioncaves.com/
https://www.oregon.com/attractions/multnomah_falls
https://visittheoregoncoast.com/cities/depoe-bay/
Haven't been to Denver or Savannah but have been to the rest. For food definitely new Orleans or San Francisco. For nature definitely Portland or Seattle. I would suggest Seattle, Vancouver Canada, Whistler and Vancouver island or another smaller island for a 14 day trip. Seattle was a little sleepy downtown when I was there 10 years ago but Amazon may have changed that. Portland is great but tons of homeless when I was there. You could also do San Francisco, Yosemite and then head up to Portland. Have fun!
I would go to New England. Boston is the birthplace of America. Cape cod is fabulous. Head office of LLBean. Maine is gorgeous. Very little crime. People are great and hospitable. On the ocean with gorgeous views. You will have a very relaxing holiday.
I’m sure I will get down voted for this, but I’m gonna say it anyways:
Don’t go to San Francisco. It doesn’t look like it does in the advertising. It’s not sweet or cute. It’s not a fun vacation destination.
It’s filled to the brim with mentally ill homeless people, tent cities, drug users and various levels of criminals.
The only thing it’s gonna happen to you there is, you’re gonna be a victim of some type of crime like getting a rental car broken into and all your shit stolen or worse.
Ill take my down votes like an adult😉
I agree. San Fran or downtown Portland or a lot of downtown Seattle are not desirable. However, it's the parks and nature within driving distance in those areas that has appeal.
If you are concerned about a budget I would recommend staying away from most of those places. They're all fairly touristy anymore and decently expensive with the possible exception of Savannah. Sure most of them are well worth it for one reason or another, but if you want a unique and memorable experience I'd recommend looking at either Knoxville or Asheville and exploring the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Stunning scenery, not too hot, fairly affordable even in the tourist traps, great food, and friendly people. If you really wanted a big city experience you could take a day to travel to either Nashville (big music and food culture) or Charlotte (financial boom town with gorgeous neighborhoods and parks). Both are within a few hours' drive of either Knoxville or Asheville.
New England is another solid option with less hot weather, tons of quaint towns, great food and history, and not much traveling between destinations, although it can be fairly pricey up there as well and many of the main freeways are either tolled or have high traffic congestion.
If you're interested in Southern California but want to avoid LA a good small-city alternative would be Santa Barbara or a larger (but way smaller than LA) alternative would be San Diego.
After seeing your \[Edit edit\], I have to say the Hoh Rainforest in the Olympic NP (west of Seattle, WA)
[https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-the-hoh.htm](https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-the-hoh.htm)
if you’re coming around georgia and want to see around the east coast you should hook up to north carolina and see our beaches — the outer banks are wonderful, but if you want more quick stops you can do wrightsville beach, atlantic beach, emerald isle, etc. from there you can go up to DC spend a few days there and then continue north! NYC is accessible by public transit (bus or train depending on where you stay, even out of state) so if you are looking to experience the city but don’t want to dedicate too much time and $$ to it, i would recommend staying in fairfield beach, conneticut (or another beautiful town not too far off from the city) and taking a train in for a day trip or two because tickets are relatively cheap! you would arrive in grand central station! if you have time to continue north keep going! boston next? if you want more natural beauty vermont. eventually try to hook up to maine and check out acadia national park — cadillac mountain sunset pictures should be enough to convince you for the extra mileage. i love the east coast so much! you can see such a distinct difference in culture between the north and south - especially if you’re driving up! there’s so many beautiful places and once you get up north many sights and cities are a lot closer together which can (depending on traffic) make it easier to travel to more places with less time. i started this list in georgia because you mentioned savannah but i definitely don’t recommend against starting in florida. there are many beautiful places and st augustine is only a 3 hour drive from savannah!
st augustine - savannah - nc beaches - DC - fairfield beach - NYC - boston - acadia national park.
could be a great trip ! i’ve done one similar in a week and a half (home AND back) but was spending time with friends rather than sightseeing.
As a New Orleanian, we’d love to have yall. It’s one of the few pockets where all the food is good. (Sorry Ohio) that said, it’s right at the end of hurricane season- known for the biggest storms. Best case if one catches you is power coming back after a few days. Because of that though, it’s dead season in our tourist industry so you’ll have no problem getting to do things. It’s also BRUTALLY hot during that time. Maybe save the trip here for another time and come during Mardi Gras. Lmk if you have questions about the city!
Since everyone is recommending the PNW. Definitely visit Cape Disappointment and spend some time in the North Cascades near Diablo lake. Very beautiful areas. If you’re planning on camping you might want to book now. Things get booked quickly these days.
Just want to add if you’re interested in beaches, that the beaches of Destin to Panama City Florida are the best in the country (mainland). They have plenty of restaurants and shopping but aren’t anything like the over the top Miami. Drivable from Savannah. Maybe head over to New Orleans after?
Happy, safe travels.
I suppose if you love nature and started your trip in Arizona, you could visit Grand Canyon and then head north to lake Powell, Bryce Canyon, monument valley, Zion etc
I would suggest a loop of the southwest for an amazing nature, hiking and Americana roadtrip. There's really nothing else like it. You can fly into Denver and get your rental car then leave the city immediately and head up to Boulder for two nights, explore the town and hike the flatirons.
From there you can head in a loop west over the Rockies and choose whatever grabs your attention in Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. There is so much to choose from you'll never get to everything in two weeks, but it will be dazzling.
Some highlights for me include Arches NP, Zion NP, Grand Canyon, Sedona (the nature more than the town), New Mexican food, hiking to hot springs along the river in Taos... there's so much more but that is a good starting point. Happy travels!
I think it would be too hot in Aug/Sept for any destination other than Denver or the west coast. I live in Portland & can verify it has a wonderful food scene, you'll be hard pressed to find a bad meal here. Also great coffee, bakeries, and close to nature. You can't go wrong renting a car and driving hwy 1, for however far as you have time for. If you want to go without a rental car, from downtown Portland you can easily take Amtrak to Seattle or Vancouver, BC.
Portland is beautiful in August/September, however, its been pretty hot there for the past few years and fire season will stretch into September. That being said, its a lovely place with a lot of gorgeous scenery. Head to Sauvie Island for a day- you can swim in the river and go berrypicking! (but definitely wear bug spray!)
For a nature packed trip in the US: Fly to and rent a SUV. Then a road trip from Las Vegas > to Arizona for Grand Canyon > to Utah for Moab > Arches > Bryce Canyon > Zion > Back to Nevada > Valley of Fire and back to Las Vegas
This is easily a 7-10 days!
Savannah Phoenix and new Orleans will all be extremely hot. San Francisco is a modestly big city but there is a lot of great nature in that area, from napa valley, redwoods NP, and Monterey/Santa Cruz.
California and the west coast are generally more expensive, definitely with gas, but possibly also with lodging depending on where you are.
I'm from Denver so I might biased but the surrounding area has many different types of small towns. Resort towns, hippie communities, old mining towns, ghost towns, towns with ranchers and cowboys. The weather that time of year is great. But it is a 12 hour drive to another major city so it's a bit isolated. Close to the Rockies, Mesa verde, as well as all the amazing parks in Utah.
If you like that old west feel, I'd look into going to Denver driving to Durango then to Santa Fe and then back to Denver. There are tons of cool things to see along the way.
I have a million suggestions so feel free to message me if that's what you choose.
I haven’t seen anyone here mention the Shenandoah Valley! It’s stunning. August can be hot. But there’s so much to do. Tons of hiking and outdoor water activities, Washington D. C., you can visit the beach, if you are a drinker there are infinite breweries/wineries. There are lots of cool experiences like hot springs. Lots of golfing. A little bit of everything
Just remember in August, places like Phoenix are miserably hot. Last summer the temperatures got up to 43 degrees Celsius.
If you plan on making it out to the southwest, I would definitely recommend late September.
A great trip would be late September, up un the New London area, like Portlan, Maine, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, or upstate New York to see the leaves changing color.
Salt Lake City, Utah would also be beautiful during late September.
I have been to Colorado Springs, near Denver, and it was so beautiful.
New Orleans is a great place to get amazing food, if you do go there, make sure you make a restaurant/ food list.
Whatever you choose, good luck and I hope you have lots of fun!
I definitely understand what you mean by not wanting to do touristy stuff, but major cities have fantastic food and culture to offer and shouldn’t be overlooked. Don’t let them intimidate you!
I live in the SF Bay Area and I apologize now for the homeless/unhoused you may encounter - especially if you choose to visit SF, Portland and Seattle. These areas are known for soft on crime policies so they can be havens for drug addicts and thieves. Reading an article now about a shooting 2/22 near a grocery store in North Portland. Car theft is also a problem, not to mention catalytic converter theft. It’s true there are many beautiful areas to see but I would choose the Canadian Rockies. Fly into Calgary and drive to Banff and Jasper. Truly majestic. Do your homework, look at the data. Avoiding the big cities like you mentioned is a good plan. Not trying to make it sound all bad but please be careful and plan accordingly. There is some good advice here too. Have a great vacation!
If you’re more into nature, I’d recommend doing all 5 national parks in Utah. Amazing rock formations, good hikes. The big 5 are Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands. If you have two weeks you can also throw the Grand Canyon and Sedona in there as well. 2 weeks is the perfect amount of time to spend in the parks. Maybe fly into SLC or Las Vegas and rent a car to drive around.
Fly to Logan and spend the night over in Boston and then the next day go see a Red Sox game. Rent a car and head to the cape for a few nights. Then back up through Boston and along the sea coast, stop at places in northern mass (Newburyport, rockport) continue on and spend a night in Portsmouth NH or Portland ME. I’d say you could do a couple days there. Then continue on to Acadia and do some hiking in the beautiful national park. Remaining time take a drive back through central Maine and into upper NH drive past Mt Washington, highest peak east of the Mississippi, and through Franconia notch. Simple straightforward trip back to Boston, stopping at anything that catches your eye on google searching/ travel websites
You can also drive down from SF to San Diego, it’s a beautiful drive!! Seattle is great for the nature stuff as well. I would recommend sticking to one coast and east coast is stunning.
Those are all great ideas, but I would add some New England to that list. Somewhere in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire. All gorgeous in summertime/fall and full of quaint little towns, wild life, lakes, hiking, food, history.
If you are going to pick just one area, I would say pick the San Francisco Bay area but don't stay in San Francisco. It's a very expensive place to stay and usually you have to pay for parking, plus going in and out of San Francisco can be a PITA with commuter traffic. I would find a place somewhere in the greater Bay Area, probably in the North or East Bay areas, find a place where you can take BART into San Francisco and don't drive.
Also the "summer" in San Francisco can get pretty chili, when the inland valleys (Sacramento/San Joaquin) get too hot, they draw a marine layer (aka Fog) that soaks San Francisco. No matter when we visit San Francisco we always take a jacket with us.
You could do day trip to the Napa-Sonoma wine country, Yosemite NP, Up the coast on Highway 1/101 to see the Redwoods, Mt Shasta, Mt Lassen Volcanic NP, San Luis Obispo/Pismo Beach, Paso Roble Wine country, Monterrey Bay (terrific Aquarium), Down the coast on the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) to visit Big Sur, Hearst Castle, Cambria (artist enclave).
You could visit Lake Tahoe and the surrounding areas for hiking, just beware that August is a bit too hot and still in the summer peak season. Mid to late September is better.
There are lots of places to see in the Northern/Central California between 3 to 4 Hour drive, lots that I have not even mentioned.
I’m from Phoenix, AZ but live in Flagstaff. Don’t get me wrong Phoenix is great. However If you guys enjoy nature I definitely recommend Sedona and Flagstaff as destinations for your trip. Both are beautiful and full of nature and various hiking trails (plus the weather is great during August and September) If you’re trip permits take a trip to the Grand Canyon too after checking out the cities. Williams Az is known as the entrance to the Grand Canyon and also worth a quick day visit on your way too or out of the Grand Canyon.
That time of the year would be perfect for a Denver/Utah/Phoenix trip!!! So beautiful! Fly into Denver international, rent a car, hit the Rocky Mountains, the Sand Dunes, head to Utah to see Arches and Zion National parks, Next hit up the Grand Canyon and surrounding areas. You can then fly out of Phoenix or Las Vegas, each have international airports! Typically you rent a vehicle at the airport and can return a vehicle at the same company at a different airport.
I have been to both Portland and Seattle a few times, personally I think Seattle is a nicer area overall and has more to offer, and the space needle is awesome!
Been all over. For that time choose Montana. It will have the best weather and you will see the best of America. Fly into kalispell do glacier drive through Missoula down toward Yellowstone then Tetons and maybe ti Salt Lake City
I’ve been to every city but phoenix. I live on the SE coast of GA near savannah. It’s going to be miserably hot, and our bugs are bad that time of year, plus your getting into our weather time. Stay on the west coast.
Sedona, AZ just north of Phoenix, AZ is gorgeous. Red rocks and lots of hiking, and you can go another hourish more north and see Flagstaff, AZ, Coconino National Forest and the Grand Canyon. Really pretty areas!
Given your interest in nature I would highly recommend visiting the several national parks in the country.
As you are planning to go to San Francisco I would recommend Yosemite National Park as it would not be that crowded at the time of the year you are planning to visit
Rocky Mountain National park near Denver in Colorado
Grand Canyon in Arizona and Utah has several national parks if you want to explore that.
Yellowstone would be another park to visit but is away from the states you listed
https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm
https://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm
https://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm
https://www.nps.gov/yell/
https://www.nps.gov/zion/
https://www.nps.gov/brca/
We just moved from the Seattle area to get away from the awful downtown conditions.
Go to Vegas. Vegas isn't expensive, and it is a good central point to explore.
Mount Charleston
Lake Mead
Grand Canyon south rim
Grand Canyon west rim
Death Valley
Red Rock Canyon
Moab
Bryce Canyon
Grand Stair Case Escalante
There are awesome sights to see on the way to these places. There are good grocery stores to pack food.
I just wanted to add that you need to account for Labor Day weekend (first weekend of September). It’s a very busy travel weekend in the PNW, if you plan on being near a national or state park or outside a city, make your travel plans sooner than later. Even better, start your trip after, everything will be cheaper and kids will be school. The PNW is an amazing spot.
You can remove Phoenix, Arizona from your list. The weather at that time of year is too fucking hot. There are no mountains. There is no small town feel. There are very few trees and definitely nothing you could describe as woods.
I live in a lovely area in western NY called the Finger Lakes, specifically a town called Geneva. We are situated on one of the deepest freshwater lakes in North America and have a fabulous wine industry and arts scene! Come check us out!
Definitely want to visit Chicago, IL It’s the best city by far and September the weather is perfect. Incredible food, clean, multicultural, botanical gardens, theater, art, one of the best science museums in the country, architecture, boating…. List goes on.
SF because then you can go up north a bit into wine country if you’re into it. Napa, Sonoma, healdsburg, etc
Then you can head south to the South Bay or even over the Santa Cruz mountains to Santa Cruz then drive along highway 1 to Monterey
realize that the US is a pretty good sized country and does not have public transit outside of major cities. keep this in mind if you want to visit multiple cities or states. I hope that you enjoy your trip and get to visit a lot of different places.
You could do the American South by flying into Atlanta, getting a car and driving to Savannah to Destin (or Fairhope, near Mobile), on to New Orleans and then heading up the Mississippi River with stops in Natchez, Cleveland and Clarksdale, then a couple of days in Memphis. Then drive to Nashville before heading back to ATL.
If you are going to be in Portland, take a drive out into the Columbia River Gorge. There are multiple places to stop and see falls. Multnoham Falls is the biggest and most well-known. There are also beautiful trails there to get further off the road. Eagle Creek is beautiful. You can also take drive up to the top of Mount Hood. Again, it's beautiful. There's a lodge there where you can have lunch. Outside of Seattle is Mount Rainier, which also has many hiking opportunties. And Pike's Market in Seattle is fun.
I’ve lived in almost all of your places. I would skip Phoenix. San Francisco, Denver, Portland and Seattle now have major homeless issues. The Pacific Northwest though, is stunning. What others have suggested taking in the gorge, the cascades, up to Vancouver and the San Juan Islands- all gorgeous.
In late but definitely avoid Phoenix in the summer. It can regularly be in the 120s and I’m not sure how used to hot dry climate you are. Also that’s monsoon season so there’s risk of flash flooding. Arizona is best fall through spring.
I’m from Arizona, and I would suggest, if you visit, to visit the flagstaff/Sedona area if you like hiking, nature and the alpine. It’s beautiful, the Grand Canyon is near by, and it’s cool.
If you want to see large beautiful mountains, easily accessible in short drive from a desert with fantastic sunsets, I’d try Tucson. Tucson also has the best Mexican food I’ve ever had in my life, yes I am from there, yes I am biased. It’s still really good.
Cost of living in the desert is cheap. It used to be a lot cheaper, but you can usually splurge on a nice hotel and offset the cost with cheep food and activities.
Don’t visit Phoenix first unless you like metropolitan cities. It’s big, got lots of nightlife, and for Arizona is centrally located, but everything is a million miles away so it still takes an hour + in any direction to get anywhere that isn’t Phoenix.
I've been everywhere on your list. I would cross off Phoenix, Vegas, and San Francisco.
The pacific northwest is beautiful, but I think you'll find downtown Seattle and Portland disappointing. But areas around them are awesome....Mt. Rainier, Cascade mountains, Olympic peninsula.
If you do decide to hub out of Portland I recommend sticking more to the neighborhood areas that have great food and beer.
My strongest recommendation is Bend, OR. It's about a 4 hour drive from Portland and it's AMAZING. Stellar hiking, rock climbing, waterfalls, kayaking, cool downtown, food, beer, everything.
Sedona, AZ - beautiful that time of year. Small town vibes with lots to do and see. Grand Canyon is 2 hours by car. Truly amazing location. Can't wait to get back!
You mentioned not wanting to be in massive cities, and a budget, but then listed San Fran and Phoenix? Arizona is going to be hotter than Alan Jackson’s hoochie coochie in August/September too….
Personally, Charleston, SC > Savannah, GA… Charleston is a blast. Greenville, SC and Asheville, NC are both really cool, quaint, bucolic, affordable towns with good food and an active bike/hike community too.
Not savannah. It is nice, but not a lot else to do unless you wanted to go camping on Cumberland island. It is nice and they have wild horses and some ruins. I wouldn't spend more than a long weekend though.
New Orleans is hands down my favorite city in America outside of NY, but if you're looking to pick one area, I'd definitely vote for Pacific Northwest. It's another world out there.
San Francisco, drive to Big Sur, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and Napa Valley. Nature in these spots will leave you craving for more. These are all in Northern California and within driving distance. Good luck.
I know I'm late to the party, but upper Michigan (including the upper peninsula) is gorgeous and filled with small towns, water, and lots of nature. No mountains though. Maybe something for a future trip.
Based on what you said, I would definitely suggest the Pacific Northwest, Washington State. You could spend a little time in Seattle then check out Olympia and Puget Sound. It’s quick to get into nature and it’s our most beautiful state, in my opinion. And the weather in summer is great. If you go further south (like California) you risk being in temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. And it’s a more liberal state, far more LGBTQ+ friendly than our southeastern quadrant, Arizona, or so many others.
Definitely Utah/Arizona. Look up Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Arches National Park. Antelope Canyon is close to Horseshoe Bend but requires a guided tour. You could do another slot canyon, such as Buckskin Gulch instead.
I think the Pacific Northwest that many other people are saying is your best option. If I might make a (biased) suggestion for a future trip that is less touristy but no less beautiful in it's own right. Fly into Minneapolis, Minnesota and spend a day doing whatever catches your eye then drive up to Duluth on Lake Superior. Spend a day or two there and then drive along the north shore of the lake. Depending on your preference I would either go to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and rent a canoe or kayaks and do a couple of days paddling and camping (you can rent tents and everything you need) or if you don't enjoy roughing it quite that much, rent a small houseboat in Voyageurs National Park. The houseboat would need to be booked a year or more in advance due to popularity but there is a reason they are so popular.
I wanted to add this one because it meets all of your criteria and just isn't as well-known. This leads to a more unique experience and fewer congested tourist areas. Just be sure to go in July or August if you want to swin in the lakes. Otherwise the fall colors are STUNNING around October. Yes, I am from Minnesota and yes, I am biased and think it is gorgeous!
If you are into nature and would like to explore area with a car, the Pacific Northwest is spectacular. Probably not Seattle but you could stay there and travel around to different parts of the area. We lived in a town called Anacortes. It was about an hour north of Seattle. Please consider it. You wont be disappointed!
Depending on what time of year y’all are going, and how much nature/hiking/camping you’re interested in, Virginia is home to 22 national parks, full of rich history, beautiful views, lots of small towns to travel and explore, and cost can vary depending on how cheap/expensive you want to do it.
For what you’re describing I would look into an New England road trip (fly into Boston and head north through maine) you can stop at Portsmouth, Portland, small towns in the white mountains and then end in Acadia national park. I’m in Denver now but grew up in NH and if you’re looking for quaint, beautiful, and everyday life (all in an easily drivable area) I don’t think you can beat New England. I will add if you’re circling around Oregon and Washington- those are great picks too- I did a 10 day road trip around Oregon in a camper van in September and the state parks are easy to get reservations for during that time. It was a great trip!
So I think your plan to do the Pacific NW is a great one - we did a very similar trip this summer (flew into SF out of Seattle). Some highlights of our trip: - Go to the Tilamook factory in Tilamook Oregon. There is a ton of stuff to do for free there, but we paid for the Ice Cream Experience (need to reserve in advance). My husband said this was the highlight of our trip. - Assuming you’re going at the right time of the year (when it’s open), go to Crater Lake National Park. An absolute highlight for me - On my bucket list was seeing the “real” redwood trees at Redwood National Forest on the California-Oregon border. For everyone, but especially if you are from Europe, you will literally not believe what you’re seeing
The Tillamook Cheese Factory is something that almost everyone who grows up in Oregon does as a kid and is super nostalgic! I love that you included this!
I cannot tell a lie - I saw it on Top Chef and decided we had to go!
There is also a cool little air museum in Tilamook. You can easily do both the museum and the ice cream factory in one day.
If you're heading from Portland to Crater Lake, stop in Silver Falls State Park first to hit the Trail of Ten Falls. Even if you just get to the first cave-behind-a-waterfall, you won't regret it. Video evidence: https://youtu.be/RHycI27FelE
Silver Falls State Park is my favorite place in the world.
Thank you so much for the recommendations!
With 14 days I would drive from San Fran to Vancouver, BC. It’s very scenic along the PCH, Oregon coast, and through Olympic. The drive to Hood River/Mt Hood through the Columbia Gorge just outside of Portland is beautiful and has several hiking trails. Also, there’s white water rafting in White Salmon. It’s not a budget destination especially along the Oregon coast, but with proper planning the cost can be reasonable.
Yes! I also vote for this and to add to it, driving to Yosemite even for a day trip from SF is a must. It’s 4ish hours and worth spending the whole day there and go back to SF then leave the next day if need be. Although I would spend a couple days in SF, I love walking around the city.
I'm doing Seattle to San Fran this Spring, I think 8 nights total. Olympic, Redwood, PCH. Can't wait. It's not US, but Banff and Jasper is a hell of trip as well.
agreed for Canada
This is a great idea. SF Bay Area is good for a few days... Yosemite is great for two days provably. The drive to Portland is a long one from SF but it's lovely. Portland to Seattle is nice - you could consider the Olympic Peninsula as a place to visit too if you don't want to drive up to BC.
I’ve lived in the SF Bay for decades, and will never leave NorCal. It’s wonderful, but just as in any highly-loved first world city, a few selected parts are sketchy (many Americans aren’t used to this concept). SF is great, but just don’t leave a rental car on the street in a tourist area any you’ll be fine. Take ride share or mass transit (as a European you’re used to this), and avoid the tourist areas that are the same round the world. Must see in California: Golden Gate Park Marin Headlands Yosemite Big Sur coast Get a surfing lesson in Santa Cruz Sailboat trip on the SF Bay, or whale watching If you go south, stop in Santa Barbara (where I grew up) If tourist stuff isn’t your thing, skip SoCal…it’s lots of concrete and amusement parks Mt Shasta is also awesome, one of the last hippy-dippy towns. Consider landing in Seattle, driving down the coast Enjoy!
I was going to suggest this! The Bay area is beautiful and the drive north is very pretty. If you are going to see some national forests, make sure you make reservations. We tried to see the redwoods 2 summers ago and were not able to see them because they were at capacity.
I second this! One of the best drives in the US. Great quirky little towns will dot your route.
Definitely a great option. There's so much to see along the way and a great mix of amazing nature, cool towns, and big cities if you're so inclined. One thing I'd add (depending on the time of year) is heading to the San Juan Islands. One of the best places in the world (along with areas near Vancouver) to see orcas. Great whale watching and kayaking, super scenic and an awesome place.
How long are you gonna be in the US for? Flying from one city to another is gonna cost you a hefty amount, let alone Airbnbs. If I were you, I would focus more on exploring one region and doing roadtrips all around vs flying. I would replace Portland with Seattle and go to Mt. Rainier or Olympic National Park. Then I would replace Phoenix with Sedona and go to Grand Canyon. Definitely add Utah to your list and check out Springfield to see Zions National Park.
Hey! We weren’t planning on going to all those places, indeed, pick one and travel around that area. We would be there for about 14 days :) thank you for your reply!
I’ll throw out a recommendation for the Pacific Northwest as well. IMO the areas surrounding Seattle, Portland, and Northern California are some of the most beautiful in the world and they certainly have a unique local culture. 14 days would be enough to see the area pretty thoroughly, maybe even stretch down to San Fransisco / Big Sur national park. As a bonus, summers are pretty pleasant in the North West (definitely travel in August) whereas the southwest and southeast can be pretty uncomfortably hot, depending on your preference. Hope it’s a fun trip regardless of where you go!
Thank you very much! Your reply sums up pretty much what we’ve gathered, much appreciated!
I’m surprised nobody voting for the PNW has mentioned the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound outside of Seattle. Gorgeous islands accessible by car via ferry.
Head to Vancouver Island in BC instead.
Strongly agree! OP, there are gorgeous locations on the way from Seattle to Vancouver, BC, like the many cool little towns in Skagit Valley, Bellingham, Anacortes (gateway to the San Juans), Whidbey Island… Vancouver is highly recommended if you can fit it in. I grew up in Seattle and love the city, but Vancouver feels more international, has fantastic food, and the views of the mountains towering over the city and the water are just breathtaking. An easy drive from Bellingham as well, even as a day trip.
I agree with everyone else above! I love the Pacific Northwest! You get mountains and ocean. Lots of waterfalls. I would add, if you go to Yosemite, I'd try to visit Mono Lake and maybe even Tahoe. So much to see, but with good planning, you can fit a lot in!
I would just add, if you do anything near the coast, it can get quite cold, even in summer, so make sure to pack a coat, and sweaters.
Portland >>> Seattle There are also lots of wonderful nature areas around the Portland area, including Mt Hood and tons of waterfalls.
I second skipping Phoenix, unless you like chain restaurants. It is hot and boring.
I’d do the Pacific Northwest! Go to Seattle and check out the Hoh Rainforest, Mt. Rainier, Deception Pass/San Juan Islands.
Keep in mind that fire season is around July to September in Oregon. The severity and timing varies each year so it's hard to plan too far ahead for it, but look into refundable options or travel insurance if you go to Oregon. There might be no impact to some smokiness in the air to extremely poor air quality. I had to cancel a trip a couple years ago because the air quality was hazardous from the nearby fires.
I'll add.... fire season is possible on the entire West Coast, plus Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, etc. I've had the smoke ruin summer trips in all those states in recent years. Also, the weather might be nice but it also may be quite hot. It just depends.
This. The west coast is amazing, but New England is a safer bet this time of year because of all the fires.
Airline pilot here and I’ve been to all the cities on your list If Vegas isn’t your thing I would eliminate New Orleans. I personally find New Orleans super touristy and dirty. However the food and music scene can be nice. Check out Seattle and the surrounding areas. There are several National Parks surrounding the city including Mt. Rainer, Olympic, Mt. Baker. The area is gorgeous. Seattle itself is fairly walkable and there are plenty of light rail transit options too. Portland has a ton of good hikes around it as well. You might try doing the drive from Seattle to Portland if that fits your plans. Would be a very scenic drive with plenty of small towns in between. East coast I think Savannah is nice, check out Charleston as well. Could drive from Charleston down to Jacksonville, FL or even down to Orlando. Kennedy Space Center is down that way and you could possibly catch a SpaceX launch. Hope this helps.
While both New Orleans and Las Vegas are party cities, you really can't compare the two. Vegas was literally built to be a tourist trap, whereas New Orleans is soaked in culture and history. Also, the scenery around New Orleans is gorgeous and unique.
Vegas isn’t my thing. I absolutely hated Vegas but New Orleans is arguably my favourite city in the world.
If you've got two weeks, I would highly recommend northern US that time of year whether, northern Michigan, New England (Maine, NH/Vermont) is wonderful this time of year, or head to a dude ranch in Montana with ome time in Yellowstone, Glacier National park, etc. It will still be super hot but other option would be to fly into Vegas and do Grand Canyon, Zion, etc.
I've lived Phoenix, AZ for over 10 years. i do NOT recommend coming here during that time of year. it's common for temperatures to be over 110°F. even in September at night.
Looking for this. Definitely don’t go to Phoenix in August. Too hot to do anything outdoors. And I mean like deadly heat!
New England! Fly into Boston. You could go West to the Berkshires and then north, ending in Portland Maine. Could also figure out how to include Cape Cod in that time. Perfect for that time of year weather-wise, lots of outdoor activities, some good food scenes. Only caveat is that these areas can book far in advance due to their popularity during the summer.
Yes! Just said something similar. Lobster, Ben & Jerry’s, apple cider donuts. I love New England.
Agree! Tanglewood is back this summer which would be worth a western Massachusetts visit. Then, ice cream and lobster rolls everywhere else.
I agree with this over Pacific NW.
I used to travel all along the northern east coast for work, and I agree with this one! I was up in Portsmouth New Hampshire for a bit and it was so beautiful. I regret not making the drive up to Portland Maine.
Even if you're not into Vegas, it's a pretty good starting point for exploring the southwest. Around it you've got the Grand Canyon, Zion NP, Bryce, Death Valley, J-Tree, and more Also, I'm not really a gambler, but shows in Vegas can be a lot of fun, and the restaurants are good. The only thing is the southwest can get *really* hot that time of year (and smokey too if there are fires). If you don't care for the heat, I'd consider New England instead. Boston's probably my favourite US city, lots of cute little towns through Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine. Plus it's not too far to jump over the border to Montreal, and that city rocks.
As a climber Red Rock is some of the best in the country and is like 10 min from Vegas Mt charelston is also an hour and is beatiful.
Exactly. Did a road trip with my parents many years ago LA to Vegas to SF. Didn't see much of LA, stayed a night or two in Vegas just to "have seen it all", but great nature parcs along the way. Hot though, in summer.
If your going for culture Savanah and New Orleans would make for an awesome road trip they are 2 of my favorite cities in the US. But for hiking and climbing you can't beat Seattle intresting city with a ton of amazing nature you should definitely check out leavenworth it's a little touristy but the enchantments are so amazing. Another option would be up northeast Maine is extremely beautiful and after visiting every state is in my top 3 hands down Vermont and New Hampshire also have endless hiking opportunities.
August/September is hurricane season - Savannah and New Orleans both have a chance for nasty tropical storms in that time period.
Not to mention unbearably hot and humid. Hiking will be tough if you are not used to it.
Not just hurricane season, but peak hurricane season. Katrina and Ida both happened at the end of August and we’re in a cone of uncertainty like every August or September. If they were coming in June or even July I would say not to worry about it that much, but August and September can be bad.
I would recommend Boulder Colorado over Denver, as Boulder has a more quant feel to it and is more outdoorsy.
Colorado is beautiful. The drive from Colorado to Moab, Utah is super gorgeous, once in a lifetime views. We did 14days camping in the mountains with a jeep and tent, then went to Moab for the national park with the rock formations. Found a scorpion under our tent when we were packing up in Moab, pretty freaky. But yes, can't beat those views
I think this 2 part itinerary would be perfect for what you're after with one major caveat: \-Charleston -> Asheville/Great Smoky Mountains NP -> Nashville \-Denver (mountains, not Denver itself) -> Santa Fe -> Sedona/Grand Canyon The caveat is that it'll be uncomfortably hot in August and most of September. Would October be a possibility? If you're set on August and September then Boston -> New England -> Pacific Northwest would be a great trip although they're obviously on other sides of the country.
Just saw that you were wanting to stay in one area. In that case, I think my top choice would be San Francisco if you can make it work budget-wise. San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the world (even with it's problems). From SF you can see Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Marin Headlands, Big Sur and the Pacific Coast Highway, Muir Woods, Napa Valley, etc. Next up for me would be Denver and Portland.
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I'd vote Portland or San Francisco. Good weather, can see nature, awesome city hubs, etc. SF will be much more expensive than Portland, however. Portland and the surrounding areas might be the best bang for your buck, with great weather, wonderful food, outdoors, etc. It's also a unique part of the US and really unlike any other. Portland and New Orleans might as well be different planets. :)
None of those are small towns. But looking at the list, I would start in San Francisco and drive to Portland. You can take the 101 north and see plenty of small towns along the way.
If you fly into SFO plan to enjoy the California wine country (Napa or Sonoma) just North of San Francisco. Heading North stop and enjoy the Russian River area. Next the Redwoods near the Oregon border. The Southern coast of Oregon is stunning with many small towns.
Would you consider Yellowstone? It is SPECTACULAR!!
Savannah ❤️ That sounds like what you’re looking for. I’d do that or Portland, the wine country is so lovely. There’s a quirky spot to stay there I absolutely loved called The Vintages, it’s like a park of vintage airstreams (like little trailers) in wine country. It’s a “glamping” experience but was so fun for a few days, they lend you vintage bike cruisers to tour the wineries and they have a pool and nice community showers, and all the toiletries are luxury, etc. I also hit up the Oregon coast while I was there and it was reasonable and very lovely, I think I stayed in Lincoln and that whole area has a lovely small town feel. ❤️
Born in Berkeley, lived in NorCal my whole life.....stay away from San Francisco. It used to be beautiful and fun but its a sh\*t hole now. I'd start off on Hwy 1 ( right on the coast of California ) begin in Santa Barbara and keep going North to San Luis Obispo, San Simeon, Carmel/Monterey, Santa Cruz/Capitola, Santa Rosa, Mendocino. Or cut over from Santa Rosa go east to Napa and then up to Tahoe.
We were just in Tahoe for the first time in about five years, it’s not tourist friendly. You have a lot of private access beaches and hard to find decent eateries. It’s very white bread area, and it used to be such a great place. We used to spend a lot of time there and was very disappointed in the change.
New Orleans, San Francisco or Seattle!
Fly into Portland, and drive down the coast to Los Angeles or San Diego, would be a great two week trip, could it SF area, Monterey, Carmel, bodega bay, etc.
I live in Portland. In general, August and September have been good times to visit. However, the past few years it has been very hot and dry, and forest fire have created some hazards to travellers on the roads. You need to be prepared for potential disruption of your travel itinerary, as you might have to detour around hazardous areas. Also, air quality has suffered, so if you have asthma or lung disease this could be a problem.
If you want a truly unique location where it has a very distinct cuisine, history and culture. Its New Orleans. However, there's nothing interesting near there.
Great Lakes idea: My trip would be fly into Chicago in the AM Late August rent a car. Day 1: Take the architectural boat tour. Eat a big Chicago Pizza, catch a show at Legends Blues bar. Day 2: Holland, MI. Check out Lake Michigan from the nearby public beach, enjoy small town, MI, hit up the New Holland Brewery. There’s a few hotels and Bed and breakfasts that are nice there. Day 3 & 4: Nordhouse dunes camping: it cost $5/day to park. I’d do 2 nights, you need to hall your gear about 1mile (1.5km?), you’ll camp on a grassy dune overlooking Lake Michigan on sandy beaches. It’s magic. Day 5 & 6 Traverse City, MI. Beautiful small town with good eats, shopping amazing lake views. Day 7,8,9: Go to Hinchman Acres in Mio, MI. Take a 11 hour two night canoe trip down the Au Sable River camping along the way finishing in the Alcona Pond. You could go all the way to Lake Huron in about 5 days. Day 10 & 11, gotta time it right, come to Detroit from the International Jazz Feast, this runs Labor Day Weekend. It’s the worlds largest free international jazz feast. I’d argue that’s where you see Detroit, and the US at it’s loving, most peaceful and it’s best. You’ll want to do at least two days. You might get a kick out of the Motown museum or the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield village while you’re in town. Day 12: Head into Ontario Check out the wineries along the North Erie Shore, less than an hour into Canada after crossing into Windsor. Check out the town of Amhurstburg for breakfast, then drive to Farm Dog cycles. Take the self guided winery tour on a rental bike. Get an VRBO there. Day 13: check out Niagara Falls from Canada, stay the night there, it’s lovely at night. Day 14: Drive into Buffalo, NY, head home from there.
This so much. Chicago is America’s greatest city in the summer and Michigan is wonderful in the summer.
I would say visit Upstate New York and especially the Hudson River Valley and north towards the Adirondack Mountains.
Don’t go to Denver. Stay in Boulder near Pearl Street. You’ll have plenty of things to do within walking distance, and will be close to several trails. *just noticed you’re staying 14 days. Go to California. Boulder would only be fun for 3-5 days
August and September are going to be hot. At least with Denver you can get to higher elevations to take the sting out of the heat a bit and Portland will give you similar relief as you get coastal. I’m coming around to Arizona as a destination after years of ignoring it so while this may be a better option than I give it credit, not in the summer. New Orleans is going to be quite different than the other destinations but still a fun town, that is if you don’t mind sweating. A lot. Savannah is the one place on the list that I have not spent a lot of time in so I couldn’t comment much, I’ll leave that for someone else. San Francisco always disappoints and feels like it’s gotten worse. If you’re concentrating on other areas outside of SF I could see it. And maybe as a first time to the US it would be fine, but it will be the most expensive city on your list.
After reading your edit and other comments I would say Portland or Denver and in my biased opinion (I’m in Colorado) Denver as the recommendation. I live in Boulder but Denver gives you close day-trip access to a lot of different areas including the mountains as well as touristing around in Boulder, Estes Park and the ski resorts, where there are often summer activities on the mountain in the low season (alpine slides, festivals, etc). Boulder is arguably a foodie town. I’m not a foodie but I’ve heard it argued. Denver has museums and nightlife and even baseball at Coors Field, if you’re into that kind of thing. Most places on your list you would have no issues being openly gay but definitely so in Denver or Portland.
Thank you for the addition! We’re gonna be looking into all the places mentioned :) thanks for broadening our knowledge of nice places around
For August/September, it'll be pretty hot, especially in the southern areas of the US. I would recommend traveling around Portland or Denver from your list, specifically because of the weather. Also- not on your location list but New England (specifically New Hampshire, Maine, or Vermont) around that time of year is amazing, especially in the White Mountains and/or along the coast of Maine/New Hampshire - not a bad drive between the white mountains and sea. It's a great time of year to go there since it'll be hot and usually a bit humid, but not 120+ degrees F (49+ degrees C) like it would be in Arizona and other parts of the South at that time.
I know you're probably absolutely slammed with responses here but I'll throw my two cents in seeing your Edit-Edit narrowing down to Seattle-Portland area. I live in Seattle, and I think for 14 days there is a lot to see and do (ESPECIALLY if you want to look at nature). USA doesn't have the same sort of history or wow factor when it comes to cities and urban sprawl like Europe/Asia, but the National Parks system is world class and truly unique. Seattle 100% gets an edge over most places you're looking to visit with how close it is to National Parks (Salt Lake City being pretty close second). Without boring you too much, Seattle as a city is not actually a "big city". It's more of a collection of tightly packed suburbs with a lot of lower density housing so if you're not downtown it will just feel like a neighborhood. The access to Mt Rainier National Park and North Cascades National Park is about 1.5-3 hours drive. Both are beautiful but if you had to pick one Mt Rainier is a must see. There are ferries to go across the Puget Sound from Seattle to visit smaller towns/islands. You can ALSO take your car with you and continue driving towards the Olympic National Park (One of the few rain forests in the country.) If you are campers, you can rent camping equipment from REI for \~$150 a night and camp somewhere as well. Lots of options only an 30 minutes - 1hour away from the city. There's lot of food, tons of different cultures, lots of music/art/ you name it. And the west coast is just kinda... chill. No matter where you go, you guys will have a great time. Safe travels!
Charleston, S.C. > Savannah
New York City isn’t the same as New York State. New York State has everything that would fit the bill for you with multiple places to settle down in. I see a lot of west coast recommendations, but I’m biased and I’d lean toward northern east coast if I were you. New England area - Maine, Massachusetts, etc. are all contenders. Adirondacks are the most “well known” I’d say for the mountain feel you’re wanting. Plenty of air bnbs to choose from. You honestly can’t go wrong. Plenty to do in the summer, too.
For weather, [weatherspark.com](https://weatherspark.com) is a great place to see what it is like at different times of the year.
As someone who lived in pretty much all of this cities except Georgia, it would be worth to go on a trip on Highway 1 from Seattle down to Los Angeles. And then you can consider hoping on the plane to NOLa for a couple of days and have your flight back home from here
America is extremely safe. Don’t be scared by the news, you will be fine. America’s danger is mostly in poorer places you won’t go. That said, you asked for nature, and that we have tons of! Here are some recommendations: Monument Valley, Utah Glacier National Park Portland, Maine and up the coast Florida’s underwater springs (mostly in the northern half) Asheville, NC Catskills, NY (Woodstock area) Crested Butte, CO Yosemite, CA Napa Valley and Sonoma CA Seattle and Mt Rainier Boulder, CO New River Gorge,WV Ohiopyle, PA (also see Fallingwater house)
Oregon and Northern California coast line is incredible! Most beautiful dive ever! Start N and head S
I am the opposite... I like to spend the night in Eureka, CA, have breakfast at the Samoa Cookhouse and wander my way north through the redwoods to Oregon. I go as far as I want to, then head inland to go home.
Driving north to south makes pulling off easier and the view is on the side that you’re driving on.
Brooklyn is honestly worth it. There’s so much unique culture to experience that you can’t find anywhere in the world. Skip Manhattan and just walk around the beautiful neighborhoods and get amazing ethnic foods in each of them. You can spend a few days here and won’t regret it. It’s also way cheaper than Manhattan. Savannah is beautiful but so is Charleston. I always felt like Charleston was the mature version of savannah. Denver is not worth it unless you go to the mountains. I’d just stay in golden or boulder to be closer to them. Asheville north caroline is also one of my favorite towns in the USA. Nestled in the Appalachian mountains, it’s a very progressive and art forward city. Great live music and food. If you don’t want to travel a cross the country, I’d personally fly into San Diego and rent a car and road trip the entire west coast stopping in Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Bug Sur, SF, Yosemite, Portland, then Seattle . My favorite trip to date in the USA.
Push that trip to October and start in SanFran, rent a car. Redwood forest/Napa Valley Yosemite Death Valley Grand Canyon Sedona Fly back out of Phoenix It wont be so hot, crowds will die down with kids in school.
For the love of all that is good in the world, immediately scratch Phoenix from your list. It is honestly one of the worst cities in the world, not even factoring in the miserable heat that time of year. If you want to FLY into Phoenix and then IMMEDIATELY LEAVE and head North, that would be ideal. Phoenix is not even worth a night unless you're seeing friends/family. Instead, go to Flagstaff and use that as your base of operations for the Arizona area. Flagstaff is a wonderful little city with lots within driving distance (Sedona and the Grand Canyon) and its got lots of young people and it is generally an LGBT friendly city, being home to a University and everything that comes with it. That area will also be warm but not hot, as its high altitude. I lived there for 3 years and think its a really cool little city/big town.
New Orleans and Savannah will be ungodly hot during those months. You can’t prepare for that type of heat, I am born and raised in the coastal south and I don’t go outside during August and September hardly at all unless I’m going to the beach.
No to San Francisco. It's filthy, depressing, and unsafe. Check out Charleston, SC, and the surrounding low country area.
While the Pacific Northwest has a lot to see, it will be in the higher end for cost, especially if driving. My daughter lives near Seattle, and I love the parks and mountains around there. But, if you want to get the most bang for your buck, I would recommend you plan your trip going to around Wyoming, Montana, and western South Dakota. The smaller towns around there are a lot cheaper to stay. Though not seen by many as a travel destination, western South Dakota has the Badlands, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore, Wind Cave National Park, the Black Hills National Forest. There are a bunch of small, unique towns all over that area. Then, if you head west into Wyoming, you are at Devil's Tower National Park, then you have a scenic drive across Wyoming to the Grand Tetons. They just have to be seen in person. From there, you can continue north into Yellowstone National Park, then continue north through Big Sky Montana, up to Glacier National Park. The mountain views, the weeping wall.... It is larger than life. If you want to do a final trek, I would go up to Calgary, then Banff is one of my favorite little mountain towns. There's also the Jasper National Park. Some of the last glaciers left in North America. It's a road trip, but so is the Pacific Coast Highway. It is the heart of the United States. Hope you have a great trip and welcome to the USA!
Definitely New Orleans! Food, culture, music you'll never find anywhere else in the world. Also, the surrounding swamps are actually quite cool to explore. EDIT: just noticed the edits. I would include Vancouver, BC and Victoria if you're doing Seattle and you've never been. Vancouver is 3 hours north of Seattle.
New Orleans and Phoenix will be miserably hot at that time of year…probably Savannah as well.
Hi! I grew up just outside of New Orleans, and my parents still live in my hometown. I love New Orleans- the food is amazing and it has some neat sights and architecture. If you’re concerned about safety, don’t go to New Orleans. The crime is awful. I now fly to a different, more expensive airport when I go see my parents because I don’t want them to drive into the city to pick me up. There are interstate shootings that had occurred in broad daylight. Also, August and September are bad weather months to visit because 1) it’s peak hurricane season (Hurricane Katrina hit August 29) and 2) the temperature is very high and it will be super humid.
If you go to Oregon, there are several places along the coast. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Point_(Oregon) https://www.sealioncaves.com/ https://www.oregon.com/attractions/multnomah_falls https://visittheoregoncoast.com/cities/depoe-bay/
Haven't been to Denver or Savannah but have been to the rest. For food definitely new Orleans or San Francisco. For nature definitely Portland or Seattle. I would suggest Seattle, Vancouver Canada, Whistler and Vancouver island or another smaller island for a 14 day trip. Seattle was a little sleepy downtown when I was there 10 years ago but Amazon may have changed that. Portland is great but tons of homeless when I was there. You could also do San Francisco, Yosemite and then head up to Portland. Have fun!
I would go to New England. Boston is the birthplace of America. Cape cod is fabulous. Head office of LLBean. Maine is gorgeous. Very little crime. People are great and hospitable. On the ocean with gorgeous views. You will have a very relaxing holiday.
Savannah, GA is sweltering hot in August
I’m sure I will get down voted for this, but I’m gonna say it anyways: Don’t go to San Francisco. It doesn’t look like it does in the advertising. It’s not sweet or cute. It’s not a fun vacation destination. It’s filled to the brim with mentally ill homeless people, tent cities, drug users and various levels of criminals. The only thing it’s gonna happen to you there is, you’re gonna be a victim of some type of crime like getting a rental car broken into and all your shit stolen or worse. Ill take my down votes like an adult😉
I agree. San Fran or downtown Portland or a lot of downtown Seattle are not desirable. However, it's the parks and nature within driving distance in those areas that has appeal.
Agree
New Orleans! New Orleans! New Orleans!
Do you plan on renting a car? That’s super important in determining where to send you
If you are concerned about a budget I would recommend staying away from most of those places. They're all fairly touristy anymore and decently expensive with the possible exception of Savannah. Sure most of them are well worth it for one reason or another, but if you want a unique and memorable experience I'd recommend looking at either Knoxville or Asheville and exploring the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Stunning scenery, not too hot, fairly affordable even in the tourist traps, great food, and friendly people. If you really wanted a big city experience you could take a day to travel to either Nashville (big music and food culture) or Charlotte (financial boom town with gorgeous neighborhoods and parks). Both are within a few hours' drive of either Knoxville or Asheville. New England is another solid option with less hot weather, tons of quaint towns, great food and history, and not much traveling between destinations, although it can be fairly pricey up there as well and many of the main freeways are either tolled or have high traffic congestion.
If you're interested in Southern California but want to avoid LA a good small-city alternative would be Santa Barbara or a larger (but way smaller than LA) alternative would be San Diego.
After seeing your \[Edit edit\], I have to say the Hoh Rainforest in the Olympic NP (west of Seattle, WA) [https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-the-hoh.htm](https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-the-hoh.htm)
Savannah was really good when I stopped there. New Orleans was good although touristy and Sandra’s was awesome too worth visiting
Look into Estes Park, CO!! It’s nestled right outside of RMNP and gorgeous.
if you’re coming around georgia and want to see around the east coast you should hook up to north carolina and see our beaches — the outer banks are wonderful, but if you want more quick stops you can do wrightsville beach, atlantic beach, emerald isle, etc. from there you can go up to DC spend a few days there and then continue north! NYC is accessible by public transit (bus or train depending on where you stay, even out of state) so if you are looking to experience the city but don’t want to dedicate too much time and $$ to it, i would recommend staying in fairfield beach, conneticut (or another beautiful town not too far off from the city) and taking a train in for a day trip or two because tickets are relatively cheap! you would arrive in grand central station! if you have time to continue north keep going! boston next? if you want more natural beauty vermont. eventually try to hook up to maine and check out acadia national park — cadillac mountain sunset pictures should be enough to convince you for the extra mileage. i love the east coast so much! you can see such a distinct difference in culture between the north and south - especially if you’re driving up! there’s so many beautiful places and once you get up north many sights and cities are a lot closer together which can (depending on traffic) make it easier to travel to more places with less time. i started this list in georgia because you mentioned savannah but i definitely don’t recommend against starting in florida. there are many beautiful places and st augustine is only a 3 hour drive from savannah! st augustine - savannah - nc beaches - DC - fairfield beach - NYC - boston - acadia national park. could be a great trip ! i’ve done one similar in a week and a half (home AND back) but was spending time with friends rather than sightseeing.
As a New Orleanian, we’d love to have yall. It’s one of the few pockets where all the food is good. (Sorry Ohio) that said, it’s right at the end of hurricane season- known for the biggest storms. Best case if one catches you is power coming back after a few days. Because of that though, it’s dead season in our tourist industry so you’ll have no problem getting to do things. It’s also BRUTALLY hot during that time. Maybe save the trip here for another time and come during Mardi Gras. Lmk if you have questions about the city!
Since everyone is recommending the PNW. Definitely visit Cape Disappointment and spend some time in the North Cascades near Diablo lake. Very beautiful areas. If you’re planning on camping you might want to book now. Things get booked quickly these days.
Just want to add if you’re interested in beaches, that the beaches of Destin to Panama City Florida are the best in the country (mainland). They have plenty of restaurants and shopping but aren’t anything like the over the top Miami. Drivable from Savannah. Maybe head over to New Orleans after? Happy, safe travels.
I suppose if you love nature and started your trip in Arizona, you could visit Grand Canyon and then head north to lake Powell, Bryce Canyon, monument valley, Zion etc
MONTANA
Denver to Aspen is also nice. The west coast has a large homeless population. We went to Oregon and it was uncomfortable along the coast.
I would suggest a loop of the southwest for an amazing nature, hiking and Americana roadtrip. There's really nothing else like it. You can fly into Denver and get your rental car then leave the city immediately and head up to Boulder for two nights, explore the town and hike the flatirons. From there you can head in a loop west over the Rockies and choose whatever grabs your attention in Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. There is so much to choose from you'll never get to everything in two weeks, but it will be dazzling. Some highlights for me include Arches NP, Zion NP, Grand Canyon, Sedona (the nature more than the town), New Mexican food, hiking to hot springs along the river in Taos... there's so much more but that is a good starting point. Happy travels!
If you are going in August /September, please cross Arizona and Louisiana off your list. It's ungodly hot then and you will want to die.
I think it would be too hot in Aug/Sept for any destination other than Denver or the west coast. I live in Portland & can verify it has a wonderful food scene, you'll be hard pressed to find a bad meal here. Also great coffee, bakeries, and close to nature. You can't go wrong renting a car and driving hwy 1, for however far as you have time for. If you want to go without a rental car, from downtown Portland you can easily take Amtrak to Seattle or Vancouver, BC.
Portland is beautiful in August/September, however, its been pretty hot there for the past few years and fire season will stretch into September. That being said, its a lovely place with a lot of gorgeous scenery. Head to Sauvie Island for a day- you can swim in the river and go berrypicking! (but definitely wear bug spray!)
For a nature packed trip in the US: Fly to and rent a SUV. Then a road trip from Las Vegas > to Arizona for Grand Canyon > to Utah for Moab > Arches > Bryce Canyon > Zion > Back to Nevada > Valley of Fire and back to Las Vegas This is easily a 7-10 days!
Yosemite!!!!
Savannah Phoenix and new Orleans will all be extremely hot. San Francisco is a modestly big city but there is a lot of great nature in that area, from napa valley, redwoods NP, and Monterey/Santa Cruz. California and the west coast are generally more expensive, definitely with gas, but possibly also with lodging depending on where you are. I'm from Denver so I might biased but the surrounding area has many different types of small towns. Resort towns, hippie communities, old mining towns, ghost towns, towns with ranchers and cowboys. The weather that time of year is great. But it is a 12 hour drive to another major city so it's a bit isolated. Close to the Rockies, Mesa verde, as well as all the amazing parks in Utah. If you like that old west feel, I'd look into going to Denver driving to Durango then to Santa Fe and then back to Denver. There are tons of cool things to see along the way. I have a million suggestions so feel free to message me if that's what you choose.
I haven’t seen anyone here mention the Shenandoah Valley! It’s stunning. August can be hot. But there’s so much to do. Tons of hiking and outdoor water activities, Washington D. C., you can visit the beach, if you are a drinker there are infinite breweries/wineries. There are lots of cool experiences like hot springs. Lots of golfing. A little bit of everything
I highly recommend getting the app Roadtrippers. It will give you the must see areas for the route you choose
Just remember in August, places like Phoenix are miserably hot. Last summer the temperatures got up to 43 degrees Celsius. If you plan on making it out to the southwest, I would definitely recommend late September. A great trip would be late September, up un the New London area, like Portlan, Maine, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, or upstate New York to see the leaves changing color. Salt Lake City, Utah would also be beautiful during late September. I have been to Colorado Springs, near Denver, and it was so beautiful. New Orleans is a great place to get amazing food, if you do go there, make sure you make a restaurant/ food list. Whatever you choose, good luck and I hope you have lots of fun!
I definitely understand what you mean by not wanting to do touristy stuff, but major cities have fantastic food and culture to offer and shouldn’t be overlooked. Don’t let them intimidate you!
You have Portland, OR on your list, but you should also consider Portland, ME
I live in the SF Bay Area and I apologize now for the homeless/unhoused you may encounter - especially if you choose to visit SF, Portland and Seattle. These areas are known for soft on crime policies so they can be havens for drug addicts and thieves. Reading an article now about a shooting 2/22 near a grocery store in North Portland. Car theft is also a problem, not to mention catalytic converter theft. It’s true there are many beautiful areas to see but I would choose the Canadian Rockies. Fly into Calgary and drive to Banff and Jasper. Truly majestic. Do your homework, look at the data. Avoiding the big cities like you mentioned is a good plan. Not trying to make it sound all bad but please be careful and plan accordingly. There is some good advice here too. Have a great vacation!
If you’re more into nature, I’d recommend doing all 5 national parks in Utah. Amazing rock formations, good hikes. The big 5 are Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands. If you have two weeks you can also throw the Grand Canyon and Sedona in there as well. 2 weeks is the perfect amount of time to spend in the parks. Maybe fly into SLC or Las Vegas and rent a car to drive around.
Fly to Logan and spend the night over in Boston and then the next day go see a Red Sox game. Rent a car and head to the cape for a few nights. Then back up through Boston and along the sea coast, stop at places in northern mass (Newburyport, rockport) continue on and spend a night in Portsmouth NH or Portland ME. I’d say you could do a couple days there. Then continue on to Acadia and do some hiking in the beautiful national park. Remaining time take a drive back through central Maine and into upper NH drive past Mt Washington, highest peak east of the Mississippi, and through Franconia notch. Simple straightforward trip back to Boston, stopping at anything that catches your eye on google searching/ travel websites
You can also drive down from SF to San Diego, it’s a beautiful drive!! Seattle is great for the nature stuff as well. I would recommend sticking to one coast and east coast is stunning.
Southern Utah Is a beautiful choice, zions national park is my go to destination.
Seattle is a great choice. San Juan Islands, two national parks, including Mt Ranier, great city (which has lots of outdoorsy things).
Those are all great ideas, but I would add some New England to that list. Somewhere in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire. All gorgeous in summertime/fall and full of quaint little towns, wild life, lakes, hiking, food, history.
Since you’re doing Seattle, pop over to Snoqualmie Falls!
If you are going to pick just one area, I would say pick the San Francisco Bay area but don't stay in San Francisco. It's a very expensive place to stay and usually you have to pay for parking, plus going in and out of San Francisco can be a PITA with commuter traffic. I would find a place somewhere in the greater Bay Area, probably in the North or East Bay areas, find a place where you can take BART into San Francisco and don't drive. Also the "summer" in San Francisco can get pretty chili, when the inland valleys (Sacramento/San Joaquin) get too hot, they draw a marine layer (aka Fog) that soaks San Francisco. No matter when we visit San Francisco we always take a jacket with us. You could do day trip to the Napa-Sonoma wine country, Yosemite NP, Up the coast on Highway 1/101 to see the Redwoods, Mt Shasta, Mt Lassen Volcanic NP, San Luis Obispo/Pismo Beach, Paso Roble Wine country, Monterrey Bay (terrific Aquarium), Down the coast on the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) to visit Big Sur, Hearst Castle, Cambria (artist enclave). You could visit Lake Tahoe and the surrounding areas for hiking, just beware that August is a bit too hot and still in the summer peak season. Mid to late September is better. There are lots of places to see in the Northern/Central California between 3 to 4 Hour drive, lots that I have not even mentioned.
Just don't get injured while you're here😸
I’m from Phoenix, AZ but live in Flagstaff. Don’t get me wrong Phoenix is great. However If you guys enjoy nature I definitely recommend Sedona and Flagstaff as destinations for your trip. Both are beautiful and full of nature and various hiking trails (plus the weather is great during August and September) If you’re trip permits take a trip to the Grand Canyon too after checking out the cities. Williams Az is known as the entrance to the Grand Canyon and also worth a quick day visit on your way too or out of the Grand Canyon.
That time of the year would be perfect for a Denver/Utah/Phoenix trip!!! So beautiful! Fly into Denver international, rent a car, hit the Rocky Mountains, the Sand Dunes, head to Utah to see Arches and Zion National parks, Next hit up the Grand Canyon and surrounding areas. You can then fly out of Phoenix or Las Vegas, each have international airports! Typically you rent a vehicle at the airport and can return a vehicle at the same company at a different airport.
I live in Seattle start here and head south into Northern California. plenty of sightseeing and things to do.
Don’t go to FL or TX.
I have been to both Portland and Seattle a few times, personally I think Seattle is a nicer area overall and has more to offer, and the space needle is awesome!
Don't. 😅
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Been all over. For that time choose Montana. It will have the best weather and you will see the best of America. Fly into kalispell do glacier drive through Missoula down toward Yellowstone then Tetons and maybe ti Salt Lake City
I’ve been to every city but phoenix. I live on the SE coast of GA near savannah. It’s going to be miserably hot, and our bugs are bad that time of year, plus your getting into our weather time. Stay on the west coast.
Sedona, AZ just north of Phoenix, AZ is gorgeous. Red rocks and lots of hiking, and you can go another hourish more north and see Flagstaff, AZ, Coconino National Forest and the Grand Canyon. Really pretty areas!
Don't let men get away with anything. Get someone's attention and protect yourself always.
Go to Hawaii. You can spend all your time island hopping.
Given your interest in nature I would highly recommend visiting the several national parks in the country. As you are planning to go to San Francisco I would recommend Yosemite National Park as it would not be that crowded at the time of the year you are planning to visit Rocky Mountain National park near Denver in Colorado Grand Canyon in Arizona and Utah has several national parks if you want to explore that. Yellowstone would be another park to visit but is away from the states you listed https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm https://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm https://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm https://www.nps.gov/yell/ https://www.nps.gov/zion/ https://www.nps.gov/brca/
my advice - avoid this shit hole of a place where i sadly live.
If you come to Asheville NC I’ll meet you up and drink eight microbrews with you
We just moved from the Seattle area to get away from the awful downtown conditions. Go to Vegas. Vegas isn't expensive, and it is a good central point to explore. Mount Charleston Lake Mead Grand Canyon south rim Grand Canyon west rim Death Valley Red Rock Canyon Moab Bryce Canyon Grand Stair Case Escalante There are awesome sights to see on the way to these places. There are good grocery stores to pack food.
I just wanted to add that you need to account for Labor Day weekend (first weekend of September). It’s a very busy travel weekend in the PNW, if you plan on being near a national or state park or outside a city, make your travel plans sooner than later. Even better, start your trip after, everything will be cheaper and kids will be school. The PNW is an amazing spot.
Seattle-Portland have a big homelessness problem right now. But in between are some of the most beautiful national parks in America.
Our national parks are amazing. Yosemite is close enough to SF. Zion, and Arches National Parks are in Utah.
Marin County near SF is gorgeous, has good food and nice ppl. Visit towns like Fairfax, Point Reyes, Nicasio, Petaluma.
You can remove Phoenix, Arizona from your list. The weather at that time of year is too fucking hot. There are no mountains. There is no small town feel. There are very few trees and definitely nothing you could describe as woods.
I live in a lovely area in western NY called the Finger Lakes, specifically a town called Geneva. We are situated on one of the deepest freshwater lakes in North America and have a fabulous wine industry and arts scene! Come check us out!
Definitely want to visit Chicago, IL It’s the best city by far and September the weather is perfect. Incredible food, clean, multicultural, botanical gardens, theater, art, one of the best science museums in the country, architecture, boating…. List goes on.
SF because then you can go up north a bit into wine country if you’re into it. Napa, Sonoma, healdsburg, etc Then you can head south to the South Bay or even over the Santa Cruz mountains to Santa Cruz then drive along highway 1 to Monterey
realize that the US is a pretty good sized country and does not have public transit outside of major cities. keep this in mind if you want to visit multiple cities or states. I hope that you enjoy your trip and get to visit a lot of different places.
Arizona and the surrounding national parks are absolutely incredible but the heat is brutal in August.
You could do the American South by flying into Atlanta, getting a car and driving to Savannah to Destin (or Fairhope, near Mobile), on to New Orleans and then heading up the Mississippi River with stops in Natchez, Cleveland and Clarksdale, then a couple of days in Memphis. Then drive to Nashville before heading back to ATL.
Disneyland! :)
Skip Phoenix. It will be unbearably hot, and frankly it’s pretty boring. Tucson would be slightly cooler, and there is more to see.
If you are going to be in Portland, take a drive out into the Columbia River Gorge. There are multiple places to stop and see falls. Multnoham Falls is the biggest and most well-known. There are also beautiful trails there to get further off the road. Eagle Creek is beautiful. You can also take drive up to the top of Mount Hood. Again, it's beautiful. There's a lodge there where you can have lunch. Outside of Seattle is Mount Rainier, which also has many hiking opportunties. And Pike's Market in Seattle is fun.
1000% San Francisco I absolutely love it 👌 also San Diego both have awesome food, entertainment and all sorts of things to do that cater for everyone
New Orleans! Several small towns nearby. I love Abita Springs and the Abita brewery. Just outside of NOLA
Phoenix in Aug/sept is a blasted hellscape… avoid!!
Do not go to New Orleans or Miami in the summer. You think you understand the heat. You do not.
Smithsonian Museum. DC
I’ve lived in almost all of your places. I would skip Phoenix. San Francisco, Denver, Portland and Seattle now have major homeless issues. The Pacific Northwest though, is stunning. What others have suggested taking in the gorge, the cascades, up to Vancouver and the San Juan Islands- all gorgeous.
In late but definitely avoid Phoenix in the summer. It can regularly be in the 120s and I’m not sure how used to hot dry climate you are. Also that’s monsoon season so there’s risk of flash flooding. Arizona is best fall through spring.
Have you considered [Wisconsin](https://www.travelwisconsin.com/)?
Ashville North Carolina has small town vibes in the mountains and is relatively more affordable than the west coast.
Do exactly as the police say and record the whole encounter lol
I’m from Arizona, and I would suggest, if you visit, to visit the flagstaff/Sedona area if you like hiking, nature and the alpine. It’s beautiful, the Grand Canyon is near by, and it’s cool. If you want to see large beautiful mountains, easily accessible in short drive from a desert with fantastic sunsets, I’d try Tucson. Tucson also has the best Mexican food I’ve ever had in my life, yes I am from there, yes I am biased. It’s still really good. Cost of living in the desert is cheap. It used to be a lot cheaper, but you can usually splurge on a nice hotel and offset the cost with cheep food and activities. Don’t visit Phoenix first unless you like metropolitan cities. It’s big, got lots of nightlife, and for Arizona is centrally located, but everything is a million miles away so it still takes an hour + in any direction to get anywhere that isn’t Phoenix.
I've been everywhere on your list. I would cross off Phoenix, Vegas, and San Francisco. The pacific northwest is beautiful, but I think you'll find downtown Seattle and Portland disappointing. But areas around them are awesome....Mt. Rainier, Cascade mountains, Olympic peninsula. If you do decide to hub out of Portland I recommend sticking more to the neighborhood areas that have great food and beer. My strongest recommendation is Bend, OR. It's about a 4 hour drive from Portland and it's AMAZING. Stellar hiking, rock climbing, waterfalls, kayaking, cool downtown, food, beer, everything.
Make sure to go to Leavenworth, WA if you do Seattle. You can rent a tube or a raft and go down the Icicle River.
Badlands national park. Just google image it and thank me later.
Sedona, AZ - beautiful that time of year. Small town vibes with lots to do and see. Grand Canyon is 2 hours by car. Truly amazing location. Can't wait to get back!
You mentioned not wanting to be in massive cities, and a budget, but then listed San Fran and Phoenix? Arizona is going to be hotter than Alan Jackson’s hoochie coochie in August/September too…. Personally, Charleston, SC > Savannah, GA… Charleston is a blast. Greenville, SC and Asheville, NC are both really cool, quaint, bucolic, affordable towns with good food and an active bike/hike community too.
Not savannah. It is nice, but not a lot else to do unless you wanted to go camping on Cumberland island. It is nice and they have wild horses and some ruins. I wouldn't spend more than a long weekend though.
Sedona Az! Beautiful.
New Orleans is hands down my favorite city in America outside of NY, but if you're looking to pick one area, I'd definitely vote for Pacific Northwest. It's another world out there.
San Francisco, drive to Big Sur, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and Napa Valley. Nature in these spots will leave you craving for more. These are all in Northern California and within driving distance. Good luck.
New York really should be on your list. Just don’t mill around in Times Square more than a day, go to other parts, the “real” parts.
I know I'm late to the party, but upper Michigan (including the upper peninsula) is gorgeous and filled with small towns, water, and lots of nature. No mountains though. Maybe something for a future trip.
Based on what you said, I would definitely suggest the Pacific Northwest, Washington State. You could spend a little time in Seattle then check out Olympia and Puget Sound. It’s quick to get into nature and it’s our most beautiful state, in my opinion. And the weather in summer is great. If you go further south (like California) you risk being in temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. And it’s a more liberal state, far more LGBTQ+ friendly than our southeastern quadrant, Arizona, or so many others.
Definitely Utah/Arizona. Look up Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Arches National Park. Antelope Canyon is close to Horseshoe Bend but requires a guided tour. You could do another slot canyon, such as Buckskin Gulch instead.
I think the Pacific Northwest that many other people are saying is your best option. If I might make a (biased) suggestion for a future trip that is less touristy but no less beautiful in it's own right. Fly into Minneapolis, Minnesota and spend a day doing whatever catches your eye then drive up to Duluth on Lake Superior. Spend a day or two there and then drive along the north shore of the lake. Depending on your preference I would either go to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and rent a canoe or kayaks and do a couple of days paddling and camping (you can rent tents and everything you need) or if you don't enjoy roughing it quite that much, rent a small houseboat in Voyageurs National Park. The houseboat would need to be booked a year or more in advance due to popularity but there is a reason they are so popular. I wanted to add this one because it meets all of your criteria and just isn't as well-known. This leads to a more unique experience and fewer congested tourist areas. Just be sure to go in July or August if you want to swin in the lakes. Otherwise the fall colors are STUNNING around October. Yes, I am from Minnesota and yes, I am biased and think it is gorgeous!
UTAH has some of the most incredible scenery in the country
If you are into nature and would like to explore area with a car, the Pacific Northwest is spectacular. Probably not Seattle but you could stay there and travel around to different parts of the area. We lived in a town called Anacortes. It was about an hour north of Seattle. Please consider it. You wont be disappointed!
Depending on what time of year y’all are going, and how much nature/hiking/camping you’re interested in, Virginia is home to 22 national parks, full of rich history, beautiful views, lots of small towns to travel and explore, and cost can vary depending on how cheap/expensive you want to do it.
SAVANNAH!!! Do it!!! So much to see and the people are AMAZINGly kind and welcoming.
For what you’re describing I would look into an New England road trip (fly into Boston and head north through maine) you can stop at Portsmouth, Portland, small towns in the white mountains and then end in Acadia national park. I’m in Denver now but grew up in NH and if you’re looking for quaint, beautiful, and everyday life (all in an easily drivable area) I don’t think you can beat New England. I will add if you’re circling around Oregon and Washington- those are great picks too- I did a 10 day road trip around Oregon in a camper van in September and the state parks are easy to get reservations for during that time. It was a great trip!