Itinerary Ideas for first trip to US
Replies: 16 - Last Post: Nov 1, 2012 4:01 PM Last Post By: tiltedflipcurves
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Itinerary Ideas for first trip to US
Hi,I and my husband will be travelling to Houston from India to attend a wedding. We have about 8 days after which we fly to Minneapolis for some work. Dates are : 21st nov to 23rd nov : houston. Need to get to Minneapolis on 2 Dec. So we have 8 days in between. Need ideas as to where can we plan these days, given winters in USA. This is our first trip to US and we both like culture, entertainment, beaches, architecture and nightlife. Will florida be a good bet? Would appreciate ideas.
Thanks
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Florida is best bet, with thousands of things to see and do.4
South Beach in Miami Beach is the only place that will have all that you are looking for at that time of year. There are more interesting places to go, IMHO, but you will have to sacrifice beaches and deal with crappier weather. Eight days is a bit of a long time for Miami...stop in New Orleans on the way?5
Eight days is a bit of a long time for Miami
I agree, which is why you shouldn't spend the entire time there. Add a trip to the Keys.
6
I think you should consider New Orleans for 2-3 nights, its really the last visible culture left in the US, as the south has a lot of charm and great cuisine. Stay in the French Quarter in a old Inn. Wine and dine and music is the focus.Then maybe fly to Miami 2-3 nights, enjoy the South Beach area, Art Deco buildings, a very good arts scene and also a nice cultural mix of Cuban, South American and Latin American lifestyles and food/arts.
A major US Holiday is the Thanksgiving Nov 22nd this year, that Thursday and Friday are holidays and all companies/school are closed. Thursday most people spend with the family and eat Turkey, (Like the Pilgrims did) and the Friday is the kick off to the Xmas shopping season and malls/stores are nuthouse zoos. So the Wednesday before, and the Sunday/Monday after, are huge travel days in the USA, just so you know.
If you want to do some major shopping, the Mall of America in Bloomington/Minneapolis near the airport, is one the largest malls in the USA. Downtown Minneapolis has some nice museums and nightlife as well. In downtown Minneapolis all the buildings are connected via skywalks above the street, as it can be very cold there, though Dec is not bad compared to Jan-Feb.
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I like the New Orleans option. You won't get beaches there -- it's usually too chilly for spending any time on the beach. But otherwise, it's a great time for exploring around a great city. And you get large doses of your other interests -- culture, entertainment, architecture and nightlife.As noted, most things will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, but will reopen on Friday. Stay away from shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
In Minneapolis, since the weather will likely be very cold, you might want to focus on culture. There is a world class theater scene in Minneapolis, centered around the spectacular Guthrie Theater (located in downtown Minneapolis). The Walker Art Center and Minneapolis Institute of Arts are very well regarded museums. Some excellent dining and nightlife can be found in downtown Minneapolis. The live music scene is superb in Minneapolis, centered around one of the great music clubs in the country, First Avenue. (But that might depend on your musical interests.) The State and Orpheum Theaters in downtown Minneapolis often get touring acts and broadway plays.
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I was in Minneapolis the middle two weeks of December a number of years ago and it was about 5 below zero most of the time. Be sure to take WARM clothes.9
Thanks a lot for all the suggestions. New Orleans and Key West sounds like a nice option. Should we fly to New orleans and then to Miami, since it looks like a long drive to New Orleans. But won't it be too much travel by flights in such a short time? long flight to houston, stay for 2 days, then flight to new orleans, again stay for 2 days and then fly to miami?10
You could get a car in Houston and drive to Austin and relax there a few days, its a very cool hip and very enjoyable city and area, Maybe drop car there and fly to New Orleans or Miami. I would enjoy New Orleans more, the Keys will not be that warm anyway, and its not a lot to do there but go diving, deep sea fishing, eating and drinking. New Orleans has a great architecture, music and cuisine scene. You can also drive easily from Houston to New Orleans, but taking a car oneway can be more per day for the car. Its just under 6 hours, stop in Beaumont for a bite....Early Dec is not too bad in Minneapolis, usually just around freezing.
13
Florida and texas and new orleans seem like okayish places.....this is our first trip to the US, and we really want to make it an amazing tour. I was thinking of chucking all these and just go on a 7 day caribbean cruise..what do you guys think?14
I guess it depends what you are looking for. You say: "we both like culture, entertainment, beaches, architecture and nightlife." Well, you won't get any of those things on a cruise ship (OK, I'll give you "beach" even though it won't be a real beach).If you just want to lounge in the sun with a drink in your hand, spend your week on a cruise ship or a resort hotel in Florida. If you want to explore some things while visiting the States, you have some good ideas listed above, including New Orleans and Austin. I'm not judging, but you say it's your first trip to the U.S., but you will end up just being on a boat for a week, which doesn't sound to me like a visit to the U.S. Again, it just depends what you are looking for from your vacation.
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