Fall is coming! Or it’s already here, if you’ve got kids in the CSD and they’re about to enter fall break next week! To the south, the beaches are clearing out from the summer rush and to the north, tourists are beginning to fill up the hotels in the slightly cooler mountain towns. Around the rest of the country, other things are happening, presumably.
So, where do you like to vacation in the fall?
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Appalachia is definitely the best place to visit starting in mid-October! I’ll be taking some weekend vacations to Asheville and Chattanooga, for sure.
Where do you like to go in Chattanooga? It’s been a while since I’ve been up there and don’t think I’ve ever spent a weekend.
Chattanooga had a great children’s museum!
I love their aquarium … much more than ours. The minor league season is over, but the Lookouts play in a nice stadium.
Amen to that. Chattanooga Aquarium is much better.
I’ve often heard that, but still don’t have a great sense of “why”.
Have you been there yet? It has a much more natural, tasteful, local feel than does the Atlanta Aquarium. And, unless it’s a holiday weekend, it’s much less crowded. It’s smaller in scope but that’s perfect for the six and under crowd. It reminds me of an aquarium I went to in Monterrey, California years ago.
The aquarium in Chattanooga has a much better sense of scale as one follows the Tennessee River from its source down to the Gulf of Mexico. Ours has the feel of “look at this! … no, look over here!” The dolphin show is like a bad Disney ride. The big tank has a nice WOW factor, but then feels like a big meal of empty calories.
What I like better about Chattanooga’s is that there are no “down areas.” Our aquarium has sort of a hub and spoke design with a big atrium of nothing to see in the middle. Chattanooga’s (at least as I remember it) has a starting point and an ending point, and you walk through following a general path with sights to see the entire way through.
Like the others have said, going through the Chattanooga aquarium is like flowing down a river. It also has does a better job of explaining what you are seeing, and the exhibits are more viewable and accessible. Atlanta’s is too Disney like, however I do like the underwater area where you can see the fish from below.
It is also home to what used to be known as the International Salvage and Wrecker Hall of Fame. The name has been modernized, sadly.
http://internationaltowingmuseum.org/
OMG. I forgot about this place. Since the people volunteering there were about 100 years old when we used to visit it faithfully, I doubted it was still there. This is THE place for any 15 month old to 6 year old boy who loves vehicles, especially tow trucks. And for parents who perhaps are not quite as addicted to vehicles with big wheels and a hook, it only takes a few minutes to tour.
And if your child likes vehicles, there’s a Chattanooga Choo Choo Motel that has real trains on tracks. It used to be a Holiday Inn, I believe. And it has pools with water slides. And sometimes Thomas the Tank Engine is in the area and you can take short trips on the “real” Thomas. Three year old Thomas aficianados have heart attacks.
And for kids, or their parents, who may be more into boats:
http://www.deltaqueenhotel.net
Speaking of boats, I recommend a cruise through the Tennessee River Gorge. It’s Awesome! There are several options including http://www.bluemooncruises.org/.
We go to Rembrandts for coffee, Sugar’s BBQ on the hill to feed the goats after lunch, and hit the children’s museum before rounding out our trips with Lake Winnie’s amusement park. It’s a quick, cheap, and easy trip.
Sugar’s is great. I also HIGHLY recommend the Champy’s for fried chicken. Fantastic. Plus, you can buy beer by the 40oz at Champy’s. The cupcake shop in downtown in is very good too. Plus, you can even find some neat places for cocktails and dancing. Overall, it’s a cool little city for the weekend. Almost forgot Cloudland CAnyon, which isnt far away. Worth the trip.
I’ve just booked three days of golf on Alabama’s RTG golf trail in October, as well as a few days playing golf at Reynolds Plantation the same week. I’ve done those trips for a few years now and the fall colors and wildlife on the courses are both great.
The spa at Hot Springs, N.C., is great in the fall. Rent a private tub overlooking the French Broad River and enjoy the contrast between the warm water and the cool air. Take a bottle of wine. Swimsuit is optional.
Take your fly rod, the French Broad is loaded w trout…
“…the French Broad is loaded w trout.”
I’m not sure she would appreciate you saying that about her.
Zing!
Everywhere!
September is our preferred vacation time –we have no kids. Most places have fewer crowds & nice weather. Next week it’s N. California. Last year was Netherlands & Belgium. New England is beautiful now too.
Georgia Apple Festival! It’s basically a hokey county fair, which is exactly why I love it. Ellijay and the surrounding area is beautiful that time of year. And we’ve picked up a few decent Christmas gifts over the years from the arts and crafts vendors there. Personally, I’d drive the 90 miles each way for a fried pie (or three).
http://www.georgiaapplefestival.com/
Florida Panhandle, northern California, Puget Sound
#1 Columbia River Gorge
#2 Skyline Drive or Blue Ridge Parkway
#3 Headwaters of Chattahoochee River
All I know is that Central and South Florida are still too hot for my family. Tried that last year. We wilted on beaches, tennis courts, and bike paths. Spent too much time in the air conditioning. I love CSD and thank them for all they do but I do not find a break the week after the Labor Day weekend useful nor does my workplace. If we are going to have the “balanced” calendar, I wish we could balance it into a little later in September when it’s cooler. In fact, we could kill a few birds with one stone–start later in August so that the first 6-week break comes in late September or early October.
Check the upcoming calendars. I want to say CSD is gradually pushing back that break so there’s more distance between it and Labor Day.
You’re right. Next year’s fall break is just like this year’s. But two years from now, the calendar for 2014-2015 will have a week in between the Labor Day week and the break week. I hope that’s a trend. But I’m afraid that it might be just because Labor Day falls so early in 2014. For the fall break to start the week after Labor Day and still occur 6 weeks after the first day of school, school would have to start in July!
Heading to New England tomorrow with my 4-year-old! (My husband would come along too, but he gets less vacation than I do. He’ll join us for Week 2 in Western NY.)
1. Backpacking anywhere in Western North Carolina.
2. Pisgah Inn on the Parkway. My family has been meeting there every fall for 20+ years. Graveyard Fields and Black Balsam are about as good as it gets.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is my favorite place to visit in the entire South. It’s as close in spirit to the Cascades or Vermont as you can get in the South. Amazingly, it never seems crowded like the Smokies are, at least not the parts that I visit. We love the Pisgah Inn too. It’s reasonably priced given the quaintness and beautiful views.
Ditto on Graveyard Fields. Stumbled on it last summer. Lovely.
uh, now how does anyone expect me to get ANY work done today, with visions of North Georgia mountains, Northern California coastlines and vineyards, etc. flitting through my distracted brain?
Florida’s gulf coast. It’s perfect. Most folks are back in school and it’s not quite so hot as in July. Of course, there’s also the better rates. Here we come!
Can’t beat having the beaches of Fort Walton almost to yourself!
Charleston in late October– gorgeous!!! The weather’s no longer soul-suckingly hot/humid, and is just perfect for a wine & cheese picnic on Folly Beach, antiques shopping on King Street, and browsing the City Market for hours. *sigh* Hurry up, autumn!!!
favorite southern city ever!! and it’s not too far from seabrook island which is heaven on earth…
Maine
+100
My favorite fall getaway a few years back – my partner and I drove along US 1 from Providence, RI to Bar Harbor, ME in mid October —what a beautiful drive! Incredible fall foliage as the leaves were at their peak of color. Rolling over hills to come into picturesque New England villages, stopping for lobster rolls at outdoor stands, hiking Acadia National Forest—it was an amazing place to be in Autumn.
And if you’re doing that, try to get to Block Island off the coast of Rhode Island for a few days. Ferry access only, bucolic and isolated but with good coffee and beer.
For the coastal NE trip, watch out for ticks. There’s a reason that Lyme disease was discovered in Lyme, Connecticut!
Disney. Yes, it’s hot, but to one who grew up in south Florida, it’s bearable. And the lines are so short, you can take it easy and still get to do everything you want. Our longest wait time last year? Under ten minutes at Space Mountain.
I vote for the Hike Inn. One of my favorite places for sure, and a great spot for fall. For those who aren’t familiar, it’s located at Amicalola Falls State Park, and you hike 5 miles in to this beautiful, environmentally friendly place with warm showers, good food, and decent beds. It’s a really nice getaway.
One of the best pre-back-to-school weekends my daughter and I spent together, back in the says when school didn’t start in early August, was when we went white water rafting on the Nantahala River. We rented a cabin just outside of Bryson City – bonus part of the weekend was pointing out to my daughter the dumpster behind the IGA where Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph was eventually captured. The Nantahala has pretty mild rapids, so it’s good for kids, there’s horseback riding nearby and the Great Smokey Mountains Railroad is fun, too. Best part is just turning off the tv, hanging out on the deck in the evenings and talking and reading.
Bonus! Bryson City now has a nice microbrewery. It’s across the street from where Thomas the Tank Engine sits when he’s in town.
http://www.nantahalabrewing.com/
No food, slowish service, but good beer and nice use of warehouse space. Take your growler!
We just got back from Portland, OR and the weather is fantastic right now… some of the best microbrews, coffee, wine, and food in the country; we cut down to Willamette Valley (wine country) for a day and then up to the Columbia River Gorge for a couple great hikes.
This thread gave me a ton of ideas. Hopefully it was inspirational to others too! Thanks all.