Alternate Vacation Ideas?

I think Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown, Jamestown area would be perfect. A lot is outdoors, not to far away and a lot to see amd do! Depending on time of your you could hit up Busch Gardens too!

1 Like

Let me know if you decide on Williamsburg! I live here and would be happy to give suggestions about places to eat and things to do.

1 Like

My suggestion is Hilton Head for the week. Rent a townhouse or house somewhere you’ll have access to a private beach (like in Shipyard).The private beach is always less crowded then the public beaches. Rent bikes - riding bikes everywhere on the island is my families favorite thing to do! We rented jet skis one day, and that was a great non-crowd option, as was a dolphin tour (last summer the boat wasn’t to full capacity and we had enough room to spread out and not be by other people). Did take-out for a few meals, and cooked meals in the house. We did eat out at the Brazilian steakhouse, and they were really good with requiring masks and hand sanitizer use while up at the buffet portion, etc. Hilton Head never feels crowded like other places like Myrtle Beach. Our whole group (4 adults and 5 kids) all had an amazing time - it’s our families 2nd fav place to vacation outside of Disney :upside_down_face:

2 Likes

I vote for San Fran. That was our 2020 spring break we had to cancel. So much cool stuff to do…museums, coffee shops, eclectic tours, even Alcatraz! We were going to use Hyatt points to stay in heart of city! Of course that is. a looong fight from DC. Many Nonstop options though. The dining scene there is amazing!

1 Like

Isn’t crowd free though.

1 Like

Yeah, if it wasn’t for the long flight, San Fran does seem a good fit. My understanding is they are one of the areas making what I’d consider somewhat sensible “fit to situation” Covid protocols (requiring masks inside when cases hit a certain level, etc). Fairly high vax rate as well.

1 Like

I was going to suggest these or Asheville. I’ve never been to any of the three despite vacationing at Hilton Head the last 7 of 8 years.

2 Likes

You def won’t have a mask compliance issue in San Fran for sure. FWIW: I might consider taking Chicago off your list. My company has a large presence nationally, and especially across Chicago.

I had to travel there frequently throughout the pandemic, even during those ghost town early days. I experienced very different mask usage there than in Denver.

1 Like

I also suspect there would be minimal masking in these cities. On second thought, maybe not such a great idea for OP.

1 Like

Second this. Baltimore isn’t terribly nice. With that being said, Annapolis is nearby and is beautiful.

1 Like

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions! I’m thinking about Chicago or Charleston, but I see what you mean about masking. We took 3 summer trips last summer (me solo Annapolis, family to Ocean City MD, and family to Rochester) and I saw almost no masking that whole time. Of course, covid # s were lower, and the mask mandate in MD had been lifted. Our response was just to keep on wearing ours, as DDthen9 was not vaccinated yet. I will think about masking when I plan this (although I’m still holding out hope for my cruise; decision has to be made early March). I’ve already been to Baltimore, Williamsburg, and some DC staycations. I checked and I can get a nonstop Southwest flight to Charleston for under $100 and only 1.5 hrs long! That’s very appealing, despite the huge risk of taking SW given everything I’ve heard about it lately. I figure for a short flight it might be ok. There are a lot of Charleston things to do that appeal to me as an art historian. Chicago has been on my solo trip wish list for awhile b/c I want to go back and see the Art Institute as an adult. Specific paintings there inspired me to become an art historian when I traveled there as a teen. Given how long ago that was I have few photos and none of the paintings. I really appreciate all the ideas. If I have to cancel the cruise I have something else to look forward to.

4 Likes

Hilton Head is actually on my agenda for April - family is renting a condo so we are headed along. I haven’t been for 25 years. My family has, but my idea of fun and their’s is not always the same! Any other hints or can’t miss? Sorry OP for jumping in, but I figured it will be good for anyone who stumbles across this thread in the future.
I’ve never actually eaten at a Brazilian Steakhouse so I’m off to look at that now!

2 Likes

April is a great time to be on the island! Not too hot, not too chilly :smiley:
The Brazilian steakhouse was called Cowboys (or maybe Cowboy?). So good. We also enjoyed biking to Hilton Head Ice Cream (did a few ‘ice cream for dinner nights - calories don’t count on vacation). Pirates Island and Legendary Golf are our favorite places to play mini-golf. The Sea Pines nature preserve is a nice way to kill some time and relax a bit (and the kids always like it!). Our favorite adults only restaurants are The Jazz Corner (live music, delish food), and Skull Creek Boathouse - bonus points if you time it so you eat during sunset :heart_eyes::heart_eyes: We’ve done an adults only sunset dolphin cruise out of the Salty Dog that was an amazing time - highly recommend that for some grownup only time. Feel free to reach out if you want any recommendations for jet ski rentals, regular dolphin cruises, bike rental, spas, etc. Hope you have an amazing time!

2 Likes