Big Pivot - opinions/insight welcomed | Syracusefan.com

Big Pivot - opinions/insight welcomed

Shrmdougluvr

Give it all to me fool!
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So this afternoon, Mrs. Shrmdougluvr and I decided to pull-the-plug on this summer's little loop trip to Vegas, Zion, Bryce, and North Rim Grand Canyon. While we are disappointed, we don't think the littlest Shrmdougluvr (who will be 6 at the time) will handle it well, and we don't want to turn a once-in-a-lifetime type of trip into a miserable experience that could sour him (and the rest of us by extension), on hiking and nature.

We definitely still want to go away during late August, before school starts in NY, and preferably after it starts most other places. Last year we went to San Diego during the last week of August. Two trips have sprung to mind, both which could take advantage of the Every Kid in Park pass my older son will earn with his entering fourth grade.
  • A few days in Ogunquit where we go every fall (Columbus Day) but likely would miss this year due to a lacrosse tournament, paired with Acadia for a few more days;
  • A trip down to Virginia for the Liberty game, mixing in either some time at Shenandoah and/or Virginia Beach/Maryland Eastern Shore.
My kids really like the ocean so anything that involves that is always a big win. Other quick ideas are Myrtle Beach (not that interested but Albany may be adding a direct flight on Frontier), Cape Cod, someone in Rhode Island (not Mystic/Misquamicuit/Watch Hill though), or possibly someone in the Caribbean, but am worried about the rainy season.

Any ideas are welcomed. Also seeking specific insight into whether there are hikeable trails at Acadia or in Shenandoah that my kids can handle. Right now there tolerance is about an hour to hour and half roundtrip, but this summer we are going to try to build it up to two hours.
 
I'd certainly cancel out Myrtle Beach. Place is real terrible. I remember enjoying it as a kid in the early 90s but went back to visit family like 10 years ago and man is it gross.
 
So this afternoon, Mrs. Shrmdougluvr and I decided to pull-the-plug on this summer's little loop trip to Vegas, Zion, Bryce, and North Rim Grand Canyon. While we are disappointed, we don't think the littlest Shrmdougluvr (who will be 6 at the time) will handle it well, and we don't want to turn a once-in-a-lifetime type of trip into a miserable experience that could sour him (and the rest of us by extension), on hiking and nature.

We definitely still want to go away during late August, before school starts in NY, and preferably after it starts most other places. Last year we went to San Diego during the last week of August. Two trips have sprung to mind, both which could take advantage of the Every Kid in Park pass my older son will earn with his entering fourth grade.
  • A few days in Ogunquit where we go every fall (Columbus Day) but likely would miss this year due to a lacrosse tournament, paired with Acadia for a few more days;
  • A trip down to Virginia for the Liberty game, mixing in either some time at Shenandoah and/or Virginia Beach/Maryland Eastern Shore.
My kids really like the ocean so anything that involves that is always a big win. Other quick ideas are Myrtle Beach (not that interested but Albany may be adding a direct flight on Frontier), Cape Cod, someone in Rhode Island (not Mystic/Misquamicuit/Watch Hill though), or possibly someone in the Caribbean, but am worried about the rainy season.

Any ideas are welcomed. Also seeking specific insight into whether there are hikeable trails at Acadia or in Shenandoah that my kids can handle. Right now there tolerance is about an hour to hour and half roundtrip, but this summer we are going to try to build it up to two hours.

Have a couple ideas...
Head to the Pacific Northwest to the Seattle area. Hit up the Mt. Rainier area then take the Cascades train up to Vancouver. Found a sailboat to stay in on Airbnb just outside of downtown Seattle and absolutely loved that trip.

Fly into the bay area and do Yosemite and then work your way down to Big Sur. It's a pretty easy drive. Get to combine one of the best parks in the country, along with some culture in SF and then the absolute beauty of driving down Highway 1. I just lived in Monterey for a few years so can give a lot of tips about that area.
 
I agree with chugg21 about Big Sur. We rented a house in Carmel when I ran the Big Sur Marathon a few years ago and ended up having a really great trip. The water was freezing but my kids were in it every day. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is amazing and the the wharf in Monterey is fun. We had a great whale watching trip from there. The 17 mile drive between Monterey and Carmel is worth the price
 
I'd certainly cancel out Myrtle Beach. Place is real terrible. I remember enjoying it as a kid in the early 90s but went back to visit family like 10 years ago and man is it gross.
I concur, stay away from Murder Beach
 
I agree with chugg21 about Big Sur. We rented a house in Carmel when I ran the Big Sur Marathon a few years ago and ended up having a really great trip. The water was freezing but my kids were in it every day. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is amazing and the the wharf in Monterey is fun. We had a great whale watching trip from there. The 17 mile drive between Monterey and Carmel is worth the price

Makes me sad to think about how beautiful it is and how lucky I was to be able to live there for a while. Being able to just drive over to Pebble Beach in 10 mins or be in Big Sur in 20. God, I miss it. Wife and I felt it was necessary to get back to the east coast since the entirety of both our families are in WNY and man do I regret that decision.
 
The Northern Cal trip sounds awesome, but it's also pretty complicated. Maybe in three years...
 
Do the outer banks as part of that VA trip. Skip VA Beach. You could fly into Norfolk area and drive down from there. Rent a nice house, see a bunch of great stuff there. I took my boy there when he was in that age range and he had a blast. Still remembers it despite being young. And we went in April and there was still plenty to do.
 
So this afternoon, Mrs. Shrmdougluvr and I decided to pull-the-plug on this summer's little loop trip to Vegas, Zion, Bryce, and North Rim Grand Canyon. While we are disappointed, we don't think the littlest Shrmdougluvr (who will be 6 at the time) will handle it well, and we don't want to turn a once-in-a-lifetime type of trip into a miserable experience that could sour him (and the rest of us by extension), on hiking and nature.

We definitely still want to go away during late August, before school starts in NY, and preferably after it starts most other places. Last year we went to San Diego during the last week of August. Two trips have sprung to mind, both which could take advantage of the Every Kid in Park pass my older son will earn with his entering fourth grade.
  • A few days in Ogunquit where we go every fall (Columbus Day) but likely would miss this year due to a lacrosse tournament, paired with Acadia for a few more days;
  • A trip down to Virginia for the Liberty game, mixing in either some time at Shenandoah and/or Virginia Beach/Maryland Eastern Shore.
My kids really like the ocean so anything that involves that is always a big win. Other quick ideas are Myrtle Beach (not that interested but Albany may be adding a direct flight on Frontier), Cape Cod, someone in Rhode Island (not Mystic/Misquamicuit/Watch Hill though), or possibly someone in the Caribbean, but am worried about the rainy season.

Any ideas are welcomed. Also seeking specific insight into whether there are hikeable trails at Acadia or in Shenandoah that my kids can handle. Right now there tolerance is about an hour to hour and half roundtrip, but this summer we are going to try to build it up to two hours.


Love Acadia. There are carriage trails that are very easy to walk or bike. there is a shore trail in Bar Harbor that is nice for kids. You can drive to the top of Cadillac mountain. There is no shortage of other trails for hiking, lots of kids do Gorham mountain trail.

I'm also a big fan of Rhode Island. You can stay outside of Newport, the beaches are decent there and newport itself is fun for a while (if overpriced). The mansions and cliff walk are worth it. For something fun, checkout Newport Polo on saturday afternoons.
 
I'd certainly cancel out Myrtle Beach. Place is real terrible. I remember enjoying it as a kid in the early 90s but went back to visit family like 10 years ago and man is it gross.

I agree that Myrtle Beach is scummy. However, 20 minutes south of Myrtle is Surfside Beach where our family rents a beach house every summer. It's a wonderful place -- clean and quiet and family-oriented.
 
I agree that Myrtle Beach is scummy. However, 20 minutes south of Myrtle is Surfside Beach where our family rents a beach house every summer. It's a wonderful place -- clean and quiet and family-oriented.

That's literally where my grandparents have now moved over to for winters. It's definitely way better and not nearly as trashy but still not somewhere I would recommend to someone for a week-long family vacation if most of the country is an option.
 
That's literally where my grandparents have now moved over to for winters. It's definitely way better and not nearly as trashy but still not somewhere I would recommend to someone for a week-long family vacation if most of the country is an option.

I don't know what to say other than it sounds like your grandparents are cooler than you are. ;)

We love it there.

surfside-beach-house.jpg
 
I don't know what to say other than it sounds like your grandparents are cooler than you are. ;)

We love it there.

Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed my walks to River City Cafe with my grandpa each day. It's a perfectly fine place to get away from the winter for an extended period of time. I just wouldn't ever see it as a place to be if you are doing a week vacation with kids before school starts. Would think you'd want something with a little more excitement/culture for that kind of trip.
 
So this afternoon, Mrs. Shrmdougluvr and I decided to pull-the-plug on this summer's little loop trip to Vegas, Zion, Bryce, and North Rim Grand Canyon. While we are disappointed, we don't think the littlest Shrmdougluvr (who will be 6 at the time) will handle it well, and we don't want to turn a once-in-a-lifetime type of trip into a miserable experience that could sour him (and the rest of us by extension), on hiking and nature.

We definitely still want to go away during late August, before school starts in NY, and preferably after it starts most other places. Last year we went to San Diego during the last week of August. Two trips have sprung to mind, both which could take advantage of the Every Kid in Park pass my older son will earn with his entering fourth grade.
  • A few days in Ogunquit where we go every fall (Columbus Day) but likely would miss this year due to a lacrosse tournament, paired with Acadia for a few more days;
  • A trip down to Virginia for the Liberty game, mixing in either some time at Shenandoah and/or Virginia Beach/Maryland Eastern Shore.
My kids really like the ocean so anything that involves that is always a big win. Other quick ideas are Myrtle Beach (not that interested but Albany may be adding a direct flight on Frontier), Cape Cod, someone in Rhode Island (not Mystic/Misquamicuit/Watch Hill though), or possibly someone in the Caribbean, but am worried about the rainy season.

Any ideas are welcomed. Also seeking specific insight into whether there are hikeable trails at Acadia or in Shenandoah that my kids can handle. Right now there tolerance is about an hour to hour and half roundtrip, but this summer we are going to try to build it up to two hours.
OC MD is a great ocean visit for kids.
 
I agree that Myrtle Beach is scummy. However, 20 minutes south of Myrtle is Surfside Beach where our family rents a beach house every summer. It's a wonderful place -- clean and quiet and family-oriented.

Concur on MB. I hate it. Any charm it had has been lost.

Lots of good places south of it though. Surfside, Murrells Inlet, Litchfield, Pawleys to name a few.
 
OC MD is a great ocean visit for kids.

I'm thinking this is the direction i am going now. My kids love the ocean, and my wife used to vacation there in her youth (she's from south central PA).
 

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