6-7 wks in USA. Where should we go?

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

Niagara Falls, American side, walk three sisters island. Small bridges & path, you walk right over the rapids. Not a long walk.

As NF is at least 400 miles one way from NYC, best to spend a night. Falls area hotels $ should not be too bad at that time of year, but there is also a nicer Holiday Inn on the river on Grand Island NY (my old home town, still have family there). Usually directions send you over GI to the Falls. Might be able to get a deal through priceline?

We have other Australian 4Ms friends coming in October, they are doing a day trip to Niagara Falls by air. I have no info, but can put you in touch if you are interested.

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

We stayed at the Doubletree in Niagara Falls, through Priceline--on the Canadian side, I think? It was nice. Can't remember how much it cost...it wasn't super-cheap, though. But that was in the summer; in the winter, the prices should be better.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

I have been to Yosemite in December. It was beautiful, but if I had to choose b/t Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, I would choose Tahoe if more than a day or two. Others may disagree, and I might flip if you were talking spring or summer. Do you have interest in skiing/snowboarding/snosports? How far is the timeshare from Yosemite? The nice thing about the timeshares in Tahoe is that everything is there or very close and it is absolutely gorgeous no matter the season. Best bet would be a split week b/t SFO and a mountain location.

I really don't think Las Vegas is for you and your family as a xmas stop, Syd. Definitely not a destination for wholesome holiday spirit.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

Lake Tahoe is beautiful but I wouldn't plan a trip there at that time of the year. I would play it by ear depending on the weather. We have been there many times but we go in the summer. We learned our lesson the hard way about going in the off summer months. We got stranded there twice, once in October and once in April because of snowstorms. We couldn't get out for 3 days.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

Thanks everyone. So I think I will confirm that unit in Sedona for Christmas based on positive comments here.

John, I have taken your advice to heart. We'll do day trips down to San Diego. It's less than 2 hrs from Anaheim so not far at all. Thanks!
Thanks Nancy for offer of more info on Washington DC. Will take you up on it if we end up going there.

Getting excited about Yellowstone. Sounds like so much fun even if it's freezing. Can't help that.

Thinking of ditching Niagara Falls because so many have said it'll be too cold. Will think about that a bit more.

hmm.....

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

Yes, I was thinking about taking the Maid of the Mist in the winter. Brrrrrr! Does it even run in the winter?

[MargeS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close MargeS]

October 24, 2011; last day of operation until spring.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Getting excited about Yellowstone. Sounds like so much fun even if it's freezing. Can't help that.

Yellowstone in winter is amazing. Because it's winter, many more of the animals are in the lowlands instead of in the mountains. Crowds are much less. The contrast of the geysers and hot springs with snow and ice is stunning.

I heartily second the recommendation, assuming you are prepared and ready for the cold and snowy. It can be frigidly cold - Morning temps of -30C and daytime highs of -15C are common - and it can be colder than that. When it snows accumulations of 500 to 1000 mm are typical.

West Yellowstone is a good portal for getting into the park. Driving, the easiest way to get to West Yellowstone is through eastern Idaho - I-15 to Idaho Falls, then take Highway 20 through Rexburg and Island Park, and across Centennial Pass into west Yellowstone. That's a four lane divided highway as far a Rexburg, then high quality two-lane road after that. While heavy snow can occur almost anywhere on the route, the heavy snowfall area generally starts about Island Park. If you are accustomed to driving a vehicle on snow and ice with chains, you should be fine. The road receives regular plowing.

The only time I've had trouble on the road was one time when I was passing through the Henrys Lake area east of Island Park, and a snow plow was coming at me in the opposite direction. As the plow passed me, I found myself in a complete whiteout for several minutes due to the swirling snow in the wake of the plow. So if you see a plow in action coming at you, slow down.

The area outside the park boundaries around West Yellowstone is very popular with snowmobilers. Another fun option is to rent some snowmobiles and go on a guided tour in the trails in the area. There is incredible scenery throughout the area, including the most amazing snow ghosts I've ever seen.

******

I do not recommend the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, Vancouver, Portland) at that time of year. Days are short and gloomy, weather is usually rainy and cold. I wouldn't venture any farther north along the Coast than the California wine country just north of San Francisco.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

October 24, 2011; last day of operation until spring.

Thanks Marge.

It can be frigidly cold - Morning temps of -30C and daytime highs of -15C are common - and it can be colder than that. When it snows accumulations of 500 to 1000 mm are typical.

Now I'm worried. I cannot even begin to imagine how cold that would be! Maybe we should skip Yellowstone! Maybe we should just stay here in Oz where the weather is lovely in Dec/Jan!!

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

Thanks Marge.

Now I'm worried. I cannot even begin to imagine how cold that would be! Maybe we should skip Yellowstone! Maybe we should just stay here in Oz where the weather is lovely in Dec/Jan!!

Trust me, it is very very cold. If you are worried about cold weather, then I would stick to California and Arizona at that time of the year. Southern California in December/January is typically a little warmer and drier than Sydney Australia in July/August. The rest of California, excluding mountain areas, is about the same. If you aren't used to freezing cold weather than many of the places you are considering will be very uncomfortable for you no matter how you dress. My wife can't tolerate cold weather at all. I would love to visit NYC at Thanksgiving but as much as we both love NYC, she can't take the weather.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

Trust me, it is very very cold. If you are worried about cold weather, then I would stick to California and Arizona at that time of the year. Southern California in December/January is typically a little warmer and drier than Sydney Australia in July/August. The rest of California, excluding mountain areas, is about the same. If you aren't used to freezing cold weather than many of the places you are considering will be very uncomfortable for you no matter how you dress. My wife can't tolerate cold weather at all. I would love to visit NYC at Thanksgiving but as much as we both love NYC, she can't take the weather.

OK. The kids don't care about Yelowstone, it's just me. So maybe I'll leave that for when just the 2 of us go at a better time of year.

I'm going to redo our plans and keep it to the Southern part of the US. We can goto Yosemite still as it's close to San Fran and not too difficult to get to. The rest can be for warmer places.

So what do you think of this then:
8 -15 Dec 2012 - San Fran 1 nt, Mountain Retreat 9th-15th Dec. Big Trees State Park (day trip/s to Yosemite weather permitting).
15-22 Dec Dolphins Cove - day trips to San Diego, etc
22-29 - Sedona Day trips or o/n to Grand Canyon, and surrounding areas,
29 Dec'12 - 5 Jan'13 - Sedona/Flagstaff? (more exploring/hiking/sightseeing)Petrified Forest, Meteor Crator, etc. or somewhere else? 4 corners?
5 - 12 Jan where to stay for 4 corners? or fly/Amtrak to texas? NASA? cruise from Galveston? cruise from Cape Canaveral? Orlando?
12 - 26 Jan - 2 wks left: what to do? cruise in there somewhere?

[Fern Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fern]

OK, so Galveston. That's a place with varied things to see. First, there's Moody Gardens. They have an indoors rainforest ten stories high that is unbelievable. There's also another pyramid just as big, the aquarium pyramid. It is an incredible place, and I think there is plenty there for everyone, from youngest to adults.

Then there's Schlitterbahn Water Park. I know, its wintertime, but it has a big area that is indoors and heated with all kinds of pools, hot tubs, thrill areas, etc., and also kiddie areas for the smaller children (I know, you only have one of those now).

There's also a pretty cool airplane museum, and you can get pretty close to the planes. If the boys want to know more about the planes, there are always volunteers there to answer questions. And if they know you are from out of the US, they'd be delighted even more, cause you'd be something special for them to talk about later. You know, as in, "as I was saying to that Australian family who was here the other day..."

Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Princess will all be cruising out of Galveston that time of year, if that works for you, too. And January is low season, so that's even better! Plus there are several TUGgers and probably TS4Msers who live in Galveston or Houston, which isn't that far.

Hope these ideas help.

Fern

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

That all sounds fabulous Fern. Thank you!
Am checking out Amtrak site and cruises leaving Galveston now.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Thanks Marge.

Now I'm worried. I cannot even begin to imagine how cold that would be! Maybe we should skip Yellowstone! Maybe we should just stay here in Oz where the weather is lovely in Dec/Jan!!

My purpose in posting my comments was to be sure you knew that winter in Yellowstone isn't just an ordinary snow/ice in the mountains situations - it's another deeper level of winter. Looks as if I succeeded in conveying that. It can be enjoyable if you're prepared for it and know what to expect, but it's not for everyone.

Skiing at Big Sky, a bit north of West Yellowstone, is the coldest skiing I've done in my life.

[Pstreet1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pstreet1]

You might consider adding San Diego for a few days of its own. There is really a lot to do in San Diego: one of the world's best zoos, a wild animal park, touring an aircraft carrier (I thought we'd spend an hour or two and went for my husband; it was fascinating and we spent all day), Balboa Park, Old Town (much like Mexico and fun), Sea World, and the list goes on. San Diego is a great place to spend a lot of time because the weather is really good, there's a lot to do, and the pace is relaxed--compared to L.A.

You might consider adding Tucson, Arizona for a night or two. They have a stunning desert museum with docents; you learn things painlessly, and kids have a lot of fun.

Karchner Caverns is out of Tucson, too. Look it up on the internet; it's absolutely fascinating. It's a warm, still growing cave--probably one of the most protected in the world.