This is my second Top Ten List–the Recap. Have fun planning your vacation.
I have written at length about all of the above places in my previous posts. Enjoy!
If you’d like to see my first Top Ten List, go to 10 Great U.S. Cities to Visit
I’ve never been to Maine, but I’d like to go someday. Here are some of the places I’ll be looking for:
Presque Isle is the starting point for the world’s largest scale model of the solar system, which runs along U.S. Rt. 1 to the town of Houlton, 40 miles away. The center of the solar system is the University of Maine at Presque Isle. The town rests on the eastern edge of the great North Woods, so it is the ideal home base for those who come to Maine to snowmobile, hunt, fish, hike, or mountain bike.
Bar Harbor is adjacent to Acadia National Park, home to 1,532-foot Mount Cadillac. Its summit is the first spot in the United States where the sunrise can be seen.
Other things you’ll find in Bar Harbor: 125 miles of hiking trails, brewery tours, rock climbing, sailing, boat excursions and golf.
Portland, located on Casco Bay, is Maine’s largest city as well as its creative hub. Many craftspeople, artists, and other creative types have chosen to live and work here.
I’m going to take the ferry over to Nova Scotia, and go up in a hot air balloon. And if you like deep-sea fishing, this is the place to go.
Naples is packed with antique shops, restaurants, art galleries, gift shops and two miniature golf courses. It is also the place to rent boats, kayaks or jet skis, buy a ticket for a sea plane ride, or catch a ride on a 300-passenger replica of a Mississippi River stern paddle wheeler. For evening entertainment, establishments on the Causeway offer live music, and the nearby Bridgton Drive-In shows first-run movies on two screens under the stars.
This is only a small sampling. There’s Bangor, Kennebunk, Bath, Rockport, Cape Elizabeth, and Stonington.
Oh, did I mention the food? Zowee!
If you live anywhere on the east coast and you’re thinkin’ where can I go where the entire family will have a wow of a time without spending a boatload of money, look to the Jersey shore. For everything your heart could possibly desire, zero in on Cape May, New Jersey.
Here’s the lowdown. I could’nt say it better than Deb Schwabe
Cape May has a large variety of lodging ranging from hotels to bed and breakfasts, motels and beach house rentals. You’ll love the charming Victorian feel of the area. Another great feature of the area is the many great restaurants that feature everything from seafood and steaks to great burgers and pizza.
One of the unique features of this quiet town is the convenience to other areas. If you have kids, you’ll especially love that the popular Wildwood boardwalk is less than 10 minutes away. If you’re looking for a little gaming action, you’re less than an hours drive from Atlantic City. You’ll have the best of worlds, the quiet charm of Cape May, and a short drive to busier areas.
There’s much more Cape May information at Deb’s blog.
As for me, I have treasured memories of Cape May.
With the kids or without, Cape May won’t let you down. The beach is pristine. And instead of a boardwalk, it has a promenade that runs along the beach. After an afternoon at the beach, when the sun is waning, my daughters and I used to like to rent rollerblades and tour the quiet streets, ending up at our favorite burger and malt joint, or we’d stop at the local taco stand.
At night, a little more excitement was called for, so we drove up to Wildwood to ride the amusements and to drop in to our favorite waffle restaurant on the boardwalk.
If you’re an antique buff, Cape May holds its own special allure in that category. Isn’t it about time you created some new memories of your own? Trust me, Cape May is a good choice.
If you’re looking for southern hospitality, try Savannah, Georgia. On the menu–candy for the eyes. It is chock full of quaint B&Bs, but the main attraction is its charming 22 park squares that are situated throughout the historic district of the city. Surrounding many of the squares are historic homes and museums.
I found the best way to get acquainted with Savannah was to take the Hop On & Off Trolley Tour. You can spend your entire first day in the city using this trolley. It stops at most of the historic homes that are open to visitors, and if you’re a Girl Scout, you won’t want to miss the Julliette Gordon Lowe House (founder of the Girl Scouts of America). The trolley picks you up at your hotel or B&B, and then it stops every 20 minutes and runs all day until 4:30 p.m. That means if you get off to stroll a museum, or eat lunch, or just sit on a bench at one of the squares, you never wait for the trolley for more than 20 minutes. Excellent!
Be sure to walk along the river where you will find lovely boutiques, antique shops and restaurants. And you’ll also see Florence, the Waving Girl.
Speaking of girls, if you’ve read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, or if you just like visiting cemeteries (and believe it or not, many people love traipsing through an old cemetery), then you won’t want to miss Bird Girl.
Now that I have finished this post, it appears I’ve written a lot about girls: Girl Scouts, Waving Girl and Bird Girl. But Savannah is so much more. Go see for yourself. And if you’ve already been there, feel free to add a comment and let me know what you found exciting or beautiful about the city, because I plan to go back some day.
Most people think if you’re going to visit New Orleans, it should be during Mardi Gras. That’s great, I admit. The parades are not to be missed and the craziness on the streets adds to the raucus, carefree atmosphere.
But there’s so much more to New Orleans: Bourbon Street, the French Market, the Garden District, eclectic shopping on Royal Street, the fantastic architecture throughout the City and the Riverboats on the Mississippi River. And there’s more, much more.
But for me, it’s all about the food and the music. I’ll never forget savoring the taste of my first beignet at the Cafe du Monde, or the taste sensation of gumbo at the Gumbo Shop in the French Quarter, or authentic cajun food found throughout the City.
And the music?
You can hear music everywhere, at any time, by day, or by night. If you want to experience music at its very best, make plans to attend the Jazz Fest, which is held in April each year. Tents and open-air stages abound with every imaginable type of music: jazz (of course), gospel, oldies, big band, zydeco, blues, country, bluegrass, dixieland, even latin jazz. If you can dream it up, you can probably find it at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. All live. All sensational–and the food at the fair? Every bit as savory as the music.
If you’re vacationing in the U.S., Philadelphia is a good choice. It’s got a little bit of everything: history, art, sports, Broadway-caliber theaters, nightlife and great food.
It’s an historic city. Just a handfull of sites you can visit: Independence Hall, Betsy Ross House, the Liberty Bell, the Mint, although they don’t give away any of the money.
It houses some great art: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rodin Museum, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Norman Rockwell Museum, and the little known, Mutter Museum. They call this museum “disturbingly informative, heh, heh–the kids will love it–skulls and body parts.
Speaking of kids, a visit to Philadelphia isn’t complete without a trip to the Franklin Institute. Actually the adults enjoy it, too. A little bit of science about every conceivable subject, even sports. And the Philadelphia Zoo is a must.
If you’re into sports, Philadelphia is a real sports town. Their professional teams: Phillies (baseball), Eagles (football), Flyers (ice hockey), and 76ers (basketball). If you’re more interested in water sports, go down to Boathouse Row along the Schuykill River. On weekends, you can see the scullers practicing on the river and if you’re lucky enough to be in town for one of the big regattas, all the better. You can even take a sculling lesson or two yourself, if you have a mind to.
If you plan to visit, the best places to stay are in Center City. South Broad Street has the best hotels and they’re all a short cab ride to all the trendy haunts, theaters and tourist spots.
And NEVER, NEVER visit Philly without sampling an honest-to-goodness cheesesteak. Lord, that’s something not to be missed.
In keeping with my suggestion that you vacation in the good ole’ USA, here is another suggestion.
If you want to visit a city that has something for everyone, San Antonio, Texas fills the bill. When I visited, I stayed at a hotel located on the RiverWalk, so I could exit the hotel and stroll along the cobbled path that winds along the San Antonio River. There are lots of shops and restaurants along the way.
My best experience while in San Antonio included a stop at the IMAX Theatre to see the story of the Alamo. Next I walked across the street and toured the Alamo. If you happen to visit in the month of March, a reenactment of the battle is performed on the Plaza.
Other attractions include: SeaWorld, Six Flags, McNay Art Museum, Tower of the Americas, Loads of Golf Courses, and while I was there I found some interesting Antique Shops.
Like I said, something for everyone.
