Good summer vacation locations?

[crazyofficeclerk]

If you like being around water, I would suggest Mackinaw City/ Island in Michigan. Only problem is that you would have to fly into Detroit and then rent a car in order to get there.

[csquared]

http://www.rd.com/travel/13-perfect-...ason-getaways/

They have some great recommendations. I like the idea of the ski resorts and the Caribbean in the summer.

How about an Alaskan cruise?

[Frantic Freddie]

Have you been to New Mexico? It's not far,I used to drive to San Antone in a day.If you come up 285 you can stop at Carlsbad Caverns,then head on up to Santa Fe & see it.From there you can take day trips to several ruins like Bandalier Nat'l Monument or Salinas Pueblo Missions or Pecos National Historical Park among many others.

The nice thing about Santa Fe is that even in July & August it's not too hot since it's at 7000+ feet elevation,in fact you'll want to bring a sweater for the evenings.The humidity is typically only 5-15% in the summer (drink lots of water!) so it's very comfortable even on the hottest days which are usually only in the 90s.

The city itself is very interesting,it's the oldest capital city in the US.It's also the only US city with an architectural code that mandates Pueblo-style buildings for the entire city & nothing over 3 stories.It's an art town,with an entire street (Canyon Road) dedicated to art.It's very pedestrian friendly,park your car downtown & spend the day wandering.On the weekends the Indians set up shop on the Plaza & you can get some beautiful jewelry & artwork.Some excellent restaurants (You'll be asked "Red or Green?",referring to the chile,it's our Official State Question,or you can order it "Christmas" with both red & green).

[jnd4rusty]

Black Hills of South Dakota-Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, Angustora Resovior, Pactola Lake, Sheridan Lake, Badlands National Park, Wall Drug...the list goes on, all of this with in a couple hours or less of Rapid City. Deadwood is really awesome and has legalized gambling, it is kind of like Vegas but more historical. There are many awesome sights and if you come the first weekend in August you will get to experience the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally which has many top rated bands selected to play at different venues. Contact me if you want more information.

[Solumina]

I will say that one of the nicest things about DC is that almost all of the museums are free. Summer isn't exactly the best time to visit but spring and fall can be rather spectacular. Actually if you go the first weekend of October I would totally recommended going a bit out of your way to stop by the Waterford Fair. Waterford is a itty bitty historical village that holds a craft fair every year, what makes it different is that all venders must have historically accurate crafts and spend a certain amount of time demonstrating their craft (food stands are an exception but there is a place that mixes up the best apple cider ever in huge copper caldrons), there are also tours offered of many of the historic homes and local students spend a day taking classes in the one room school house. I may be a bit biased since my mom heads up the Waterford Foundation but it’s a pretty cool event and a gorgeous area.

For a summer vacation I have less specific recomendations as I pretty much like to go out into the country and relax, so far my favorite place to do so is at a lake up and Maine where hubby's family goes, but it would be a pretty boring place to go without such a large group.

[Sandman]

If you are looking for someplace nice to go to, Maine is always good. You have to search hard and wide for a place available on the coast, but a cottage rental should be around $1k for a week.