pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,652 
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Mar 17, 2017 15:36:45 GMT
Looking for some ideas .... my friends and I would like to do a weekend trip over Memorial Day this year. Four of us are coming from New York, one from Minneapolis, and one from Raleigh. Like to keep it to this side of the country due to travel time and the length of our trip (likely Friday to Monday). We've gone through several rounds of ideas and we initially thought about New Orleans - but the trip is looking to be a bit more than I was planning budget wise (tickets from NYC were a lot more than I was anticipating) - so exploring some other options before we decide. We aren't into shopping, but anything else is a go - historic sites, nature, good food, etc. We went to Portland, ME last year and had a blast. We did that trip through Pack Up & Go and I would like to use them again, but they only do two night-three day trips and we are looking for an extra night. Would love to hear ideas - maybe places I hadn't thought about before. TIA! ETA: Thanks everybody for the comments. We decided we're going to Asheville! ETA 2: I'm back and we had a fantastic weekend! Thanks ktdoesntscrap for all the recommendations. This is what we did: Friday: evening arrival, checked in to the Hilton Garden Inn (nice hotel in a great location - easy to walk to downtown) Drinks at Sky Bar Dinner at Chai Pani Drinks at Thirsty Monk Saturday: picked up breakfast/sandwiches at West Village Market hiked Black Balsam Knob & Tennet Mountain drinks/apps at Twisted Laurel treats at French Broad Chocolate Lounge drinks and fun at Wicked Weed Pub (it was their release party for Menage a Freak and it was very entertaining) dinner at Rhubarb drinks/little dancing at Twisted Laurel drinks at Sovereign Remedies (we appreciate the free last call grilled cheese sandwiches, lol) Sunday: The Biltmore - we did an audio tour of the house, walked around the gardens, had lunch at Cedric's Tavern, and visited the winery - great day drinks at Imperial Life dinner at Curate final drink at The Vault Only complaints - we needed more time. Loved everything we did and had a lot of fun and great food/drinks. Oh, and we were fascinated by the obsession with capacity. The first night when we were in the Thirsty Monk we noticed they kept walking by and counting people to make sure they were under capacity. They would hold people at the door because they were at capacity, then we get in and there's like 12 people there, lol. But then other places were a lot more crowded/busy (like Wicked Weed). Oh, we decided we are doing Charleston next year. I've been multiple times to Charleston, but always with kids, so will be fun to do a girl's trip. |
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Post by beachbum on Mar 17, 2017 15:52:53 GMT
Off the top of my head, using my and my kid's past experiences... DC, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Asheville NC, Chattanooga TN, St. Augustine FL, or Charlottesville, VA. (my DDs went to Charleston and Savannah and loved them both, I have not gotten there yet, they're on the list. all the rest I've been)
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Post by annabella on Mar 17, 2017 15:54:15 GMT
Chicago
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,652
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Mar 17, 2017 15:59:07 GMT
Off the top of my head, using my and my kid's past experiences... DC, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Asheville NC, Chattanooga TN, St. Augustine FL, or Charlottesville, VA. (my DDs went to Charleston and Savannah and loved them both, I have not gotten there yet, they're on the list. all the rest I've been) Some good ideas there. Asheville was mentioned - we weren't sure on ease of flights (it's about two hours from Charlotte to Asheville). My husband is from western NC, but I've actually never been to Asheville. I love Charleston - definitely a good option. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I've never been to Chicago. I think my friends have been there enough it might not be top of the list this time. |
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Post by myboysnme on Mar 17, 2017 16:01:21 GMT
Baltimore Inner Harbor
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Virginia Beach, VA
Williamsburg, VA
Hilton Head, NC
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Post by beachbum on Mar 17, 2017 16:13:09 GMT
Off the top of my head, using my and my kid's past experiences... DC, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Asheville NC, Chattanooga TN, St. Augustine FL, or Charlottesville, VA. (my DDs went to Charleston and Savannah and loved them both, I have not gotten there yet, they're on the list. all the rest I've been) Some good ideas there. Asheville was mentioned - we weren't sure on ease of flights (it's about two hours from Charlotte to Asheville). My husband is from western NC, but I've actually never been to Asheville. I love Charleston - definitely a good option. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I've never been to Chicago. I think my friends have been there enough it might not be top of the list this time. I threw out Asheville because you mentioned good food in your op. Asheville is a foodie little town for sure! We took our ds and his girlfriend last time and had a lot of fun, good music, lots of good food, lots to do, beautiful area. SaveSave |
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,652
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Mar 17, 2017 16:15:42 GMT
Some good ideas there. Asheville was mentioned - we weren't sure on ease of flights (it's about two hours from Charlotte to Asheville). My husband is from western NC, but I've actually never been to Asheville. I love Charleston - definitely a good option. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I've never been to Chicago. I think my friends have been there enough it might not be top of the list this time. I threw out Asheville because you mentioned good food in your op. Asheville is a foodie little town for sure! We took our ds and his girlfriend last time and had a lot of fun, good music, lots of good food, lots to do, beautiful area. SaveSaveWe do love good food. We ate so well in Portland - it was definitely a highlight. I think Asheville would be fun (I'm also partial to mountains  ). |
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 20:07:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2017 16:20:30 GMT
Ya'll would love Asheville. But We are going here in May: www.follybeach.com/there are lots of nice houses to rent, some you can rent for 3 nights. It is 11 miles from Charlston. The peas helped me find it. |
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Post by mcscrapper on Mar 17, 2017 18:42:09 GMT
I agree that Asheville would be a great girls getaway! Lots to do and EAT. I am getting married in Savannah the weekend before Memorial Day and staying until Thursday. I hear it gets pretty crowded around that time of year but I'm sure any touristy type town will be. Same with Charleston. GREAT food cities tho and I did see a lot of Girls Getaway packages at several of the B&Bs in Savannah and I'm sure you'd find the same in Charleston. I love Charleston and the surrounding little islands!
I am dying to get back to Asheville myself. We've only been for soccer stuff so no real time to explore the city much but I had a few friends that went up for a couples weekend and they had a blast - winery tour, Biltmore Tour, food, music, food.... Makes me want to go NOW.
Boston can be fun but may not be what you're looking for. Excellent food in this city if you get off the beaten path in my opinion. Lots to see, too. It is a very busy city and can be difficult to get around if you aren't used to that. I lived near there for a year and didn't like that part of it but loved the atmosphere and history there.
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Post by jlynnbarth on Mar 17, 2017 18:50:47 GMT
That's too bad that New Orleans flights are too expensive. My girlfriends and I went there and it was the best trip ever! We did every tour possible, from a Plantation, to the bayou, to the Katrina tour, plus more. The food was excellent and we rented a house that was just perfect for us. We've also done Gatlinburg, TN and rented a cabin in the Mountains which was beautiful. That trip was back when scrapping was at it's heighth and we spent a lot of time at the giant Scrapbook store in Pigeon Forge. I wish we would have done Dollywood, but we just didn't have time. We did a trip to Norfolk VA for one the friend's weddings. We rented a house on the beach and we toured Jamestown, Yorktown and Colonial Williamsburg. We spent a day at Virginia Beach walking through a huge Arts and crafs fair right on the boardwalk which was wonderful. Last year we did WDW in Florida. We've also done Seattle, and Vegas. I'm going to keep my eye on this thread to see what we might do for our trip next year. We haven't decided yet. |
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,652
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Mar 17, 2017 18:52:02 GMT
Ya'll would love Asheville. But We are going here in May: www.follybeach.com/there are lots of nice houses to rent, some you can rent for 3 nights. It is 11 miles from Charlston. The peas helped me find it. I agree that Asheville would be a great girls getaway! Lots to do and EAT. I am getting married in Savannah the weekend before Memorial Day and staying until Thursday. I hear it gets pretty crowded around that time of year but I'm sure any touristy type town will be. Same with Charleston. GREAT food cities tho and I did see a lot of Girls Getaway packages at several of the B&Bs in Savannah and I'm sure you'd find the same in Charleston. I love Charleston and the surrounding little islands! I am dying to get back to Asheville myself. We've only been for soccer stuff so no real time to explore the city much but I had a few friends that went up for a couples weekend and they had a blast - winery tour, Biltmore Tour, food, music, food.... Makes me want to go NOW. Boston can be fun but may not be what you're looking for. Excellent food in this city if you get off the beaten path in my opinion. Lots to see, too. It is a very busy city and can be difficult to get around if you aren't used to that. I lived near there for a year and didn't like that part of it but loved the atmosphere and history there. I brought up Asheville again with my friends - see what they say. Drawback is driving from Charlotte to Asheville (versus flying into another city directly). It sounds like a good mix of outdoors, sightseeing, and eating (which we did a lot of in Portland!). Love Boston! Probably not for this trip though. We did spend one night there last year before driving to Portland (and four of us went to college there). |
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smcast
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,509
Location: MN
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Post by smcast on Mar 17, 2017 18:54:14 GMT
Great choices mentioned already. What about Nashville?
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,652
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Mar 17, 2017 19:05:37 GMT
Great choices mentioned already. What about Nashville? That was brought up and one friend had been there recently, so was looking for something different. Coordinating six people is somewhat of a challenge! |
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smcast
Drama Llama
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Location: MN
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Post by smcast on Mar 17, 2017 19:33:07 GMT
A lot of leg work, that's for sure.
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,652
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Mar 17, 2017 19:35:45 GMT
A lot of leg work, that's for sure. That's what I loved about the Pack Up and Go trip - none of us had to plan a thing - it was awesome! |
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Post by mcscrapper on Mar 17, 2017 19:47:49 GMT
D.C.? So much to do there and something for everyone to enjoy. Great food city and super easy to fly into and get around w/out a rental car for the most part.
Atlanta? Big city w southern charm for sure. It could be fun ithat weekend because there is almost always a great band in town and also a great food city. May be too spread out for easy transportati N in and around the city but it is super easy to fly into Ark.
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Post by auntkelly on Mar 17, 2017 20:35:12 GMT
It may be too far for you, but Santa Fe is a great destination for a girls' trip (or any other type of trip). It has a beautifully preserved historic plaza, art galleries, wonderful museums, all kinds of fabulous restaurants, mountains, trails, the desert, a world famous Japanese spa, the opera, pueblos-I could go on and on.
There are a lot of great day trips from Sata Fe such as the nuclear museum at Los Alamos and Bandelier National Monument.
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Post by sawwhet on Mar 17, 2017 23:36:25 GMT
Montreal or Quebec City?
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,652
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Mar 17, 2017 23:52:03 GMT
It may be too far for you, but Santa Fe is a great destination for a girls' trip (or any other type of trip). It has a beautifully preserved historic plaza, art galleries, wonderful museums, all kinds of fabulous restaurants, mountains, trails, the desert, a world famous Japanese spa, the opera, pueblos-I could go on and on. There are a lot of great day trips from Sata Fe such as the nuclear museum at Los Alamos and Bandelier National Monument. that does sound awesome. Travel time might be too much, but I should check flights. |
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pudgygroundhog
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,652
Location: The Grand Canyon
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Post by pudgygroundhog on Mar 17, 2017 23:54:01 GMT
We thought of these, as well as Toronto, but thought weather might be so so. Us I joked that two of my friends have last names that might be problematic at the border, lol. |
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JustTricia
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,894
Location: Indianapolis
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Post by JustTricia on Mar 17, 2017 23:57:33 GMT
I know it hasn't been suggested yet, but just in case, not Indianapolis. At least not that weekend. It's the 500 weekend so flights and hotels will be busy and more expensive.
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Post by SockMonkey on Mar 18, 2017 0:11:09 GMT
Savannah! You can do Tybee, the squares in Savannah, the old cemetery, there are a couple of museums, shopping (I love the SCAD store)... I did Savannah with two girlfriends and it was an awesome trip!
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Post by SockMonkey on Mar 18, 2017 0:12:30 GMT
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Post by bc2ca on Mar 18, 2017 0:29:42 GMT
Great suggestions so far. Many years ago I drove from Boston to NYC and we made a quick stop in Newport, RI. It has always been on my list of places to explore one day.
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Post by jemmls4 on Mar 18, 2017 14:59:14 GMT
We did a girls trip two years ago on Memorial fay weekend to Louisville, KY. We went zip lining in an underground cave, went to the races at Churchill Downs, drove out to the whiskey/winery area.
There are a lot of great restaurants, did the Thirsty Peddler thing around town and hit a lot of fun bars, and one morning there was the Fleur de flea antique/flea market down by the waterfront. There also happened to be a Beatles festival and jazz festival there that weekend. We were there Friday afternoon through Monday afternoon.
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anniebeth24
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,033
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Post by anniebeth24 on Mar 18, 2017 15:19:56 GMT
To maximize time, I'd look only at cities where everyone can fly there easily/affordably in one leg. DC, Chicago, Atlanta might be your best bets from that perspective. I'd push for Chicago since you haven't been there! She who does the planning gets more say in the location, I think!  |
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Post by compeateropeator on Mar 19, 2017 1:27:12 GMT
Well since I am all about promoting my state...how about Burlington, Vermont.  We may be small but we are mighty. I think that you could find enough to do as long as you had access to a vehicle/transportation. |
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 20:07:33 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2017 1:33:54 GMT
I'm into sun and fun, so I'd say Miami. Not much to pack, just relax. My BFF and I went last year around that time. We did a boat tour, nice restaurants, lovely hotel, shopping.
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janroe
Shy Member
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Post by janroe on Mar 19, 2017 22:16:40 GMT
I am Canadian but loooove Charleston SC. Very historic, great food and wonderful to walk around. We did a tour to learn all about it.
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Mar 19, 2017 22:27:27 GMT
Off the top of my head, using my and my kid's past experiences... DC, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Asheville NC, Chattanooga TN, St. Augustine FL, or Charlottesville, VA. (my DDs went to Charleston and Savannah and loved them both, I have not gotten there yet, they're on the list. all the rest I've been) Some good ideas there. Asheville was mentioned - we weren't sure on ease of flights (it's about two hours from Charlotte to Asheville). My husband is from western NC, but I've actually never been to Asheville. I love Charleston - definitely a good option. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I've never been to Chicago. I think my friends have been there enough it might not be top of the list this time. Allegiant fly from Newark to Asheville and it is pretty reasonable. You can also fly into Greenville, SC which is about an hour away. |
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