Hello Dopers. I usually don’t ask for a ton of advice on here, mostly just use it for discussion and such, but recently we had to cancel our original plans for a honeymoon. We had planned on going to Indiana and spending time around the town we might possibly be moving to, but I recently checked further into the University and learned that my plan to attend there was thwarted by that almighty dollar. Instead, I will be applying to a few less expensive schools for the distance education programs. Thus, I have no reason to spend my week in Indiana. So, Dopers, where should I go?
Also, we don’t want to be spending more than 1400-1800 on the hotel and flight/gas money (we’ll drive anywhere within 15-20 hours, so that is fine). That is a high estimate, but it works. Mrs. Small likes the beach, but Myrtle is out, as well as Daytona (been there too many times) and since it is this month, Viriginia beach is also out because of weather (too cold to swim)…
Also, it is coming up too quickly and we have no passports, so no international travel.
I look forward to hearing your ideas (who knows…mini-dopefest on the last day?)
I’m sure you could drive to New Orleans in 20 hours. My brother and sister-in-law went there last month and had a great time. Loved the food, people, bars, architecture, and really everything about their trip. I do believe you will have to drive a bit to make it to a beach, though. And of course NO needs all the support it can get!
I thought about that. Of course, I am slightly worried about usually crowded places. Basically, we planned our wedding around the end of this quarter, and the honeymoon will start on the 21st, which is right at the end of our finals week. I know a lot of people who will be heading to Myrtle beach for spring break that week. That’s another reason why I would like to avoid it (which sucks, because we were thinking about Panama City Beach, or Hilton Head. I think they would both be really good ideas, but I worry about them being littered with drunk college kids…
New Orleans is around 15 hours from Dayton, OH., depending on route. Quickest way would prolly be to cross Kentucky and pick up I-65 to Birmingham, AL, then I-59 to New Orleans.
A beach option would be Pensacola, FL. Possibly a little longer than the trip to New Orleans. Probably still off season rates in Pensacola. Navarre Beach is a little nicer, and about an hour further…
You could easily go to Vegas for a week on that money, depending on your stay. Flights to Vegas are often pretrty cheap.
The weather won’t be spectacular, but Chicago is also a nice place to hang out. Lots of theatre, great museums, and plenty of historical stuff to check out if you’re into that sort of thing. You would be able to stay in a pretty nice hotel for that. I’d recommend flying there if you’re going to stay more than a couple of days, because while driving there might seem like a good idea, the parking (30 bucks per day and up) will quickly eat up your flight savings.
Have you considered honeymooning in Detroit? Right, well, that’s not a good idea
Have you considered somewhere like Fernandina Beach? It’s right north of Jacksonville and definately not a spring break destination. Nice beaches, not crowded.
Most places that are at all beach-y are going to be relatively expensive and/or crowded anytime in March (it’s Spring Break somewhere).
I second the nomination for New Orleans, and I seriously doubt if it would be too crowded. You could probably find a great deal on a romantic B&B.
There are also beautiful places in the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia, or the Great Smoky mountains.
What about a cultural honeymoon New York city? Musuems aren’t very expensive, and there are a lot of great discounts for Broadway and off-Broadway shows (as long as you aren’t looking for a specific show).
Or you could tell everyone you are going somewhere, and then just hide in your bedroom for a week! Porn and pizza delivery would make a nice honeymoon, too…
Love that place. They have rental cabins, also a small hotel. Overlooks the river, lots of outdoorsy stuff to do. Not much in the way of TV/electronic entertainment, but I suspect newlyweds can prolly find something to do indoors…
I was really excited today when I found the listing for Seattle in the “quick deals” or whatever on the travel site I was at, but Mrs. Small isn’t a fan of huge cities. I love New York, but she would have a panic attack the second we got off the plane. The biggest city she’s ever been in was Columbus, and she hated it. So far, our best vacation was to Emerald Isle in NC. I loved it but there wasn’t much to do other than hang out at the house and spend time on the beach. Of course, the people we went with were also into hanging out and spending time at the beach, so we never drove anywhere.
I’m definitely look into Fernandina Beach now that it was mentioned. I love Florida. I used to spend a lot of time there with my grandmother in Ocala, and would like to drive over and meet a few family friends while we are down there. I’ll also pitch the NO idea when Mrs. Small gets home at midnight…
faithfool - email me, I’ll get you a copy…or not…prolly not…yeah, definitely not.
Chicago might be a good destination for you, if you don’t mind Lake Michigan Beach atmosphere (the beaches are very popular during summer). There are tons of things to do, both free and reasonably priced. And you won’t spend so long driving. Worth a look!
Disneyworld would be great - or land, whichever is in Florida, but I’ve been there 50000000 times (or at least it seems, once a year for 17 years is too much…)
Also, Mrs. Small is pregnant, and I have discussed it with her. She would want to wait for Disney until the child is about 4 or so, maybe 6-7, so he/she would be old enough to enjoy it.
Chicago will be too cold this month, I imagine. It’s already too cold here in Ohio, that is the only problem so far…otherwise, I would love to go to Chicago. We looked at going last year for a quick weekend trip but it never panned out. I think Fernandina Beach has looked the best so far. It seems close enough to Jacksonville that we could do some interesting stuff, but isolated enough that we wouldn’t be overwhelmed. I tried to see if we could make it out to Hawaii, and it’s kinda possible, but we don’t want to blow the whole ammount of money to get there and not have enough to do stuff while we are there…
Saint Augustine, Florida. When we moved from the D. C. area to St. A., we drove, and it took 14 hours (excluding pit stops). One of the reasons I love it here is that it has a small-town feel – no Daytona or Miami atmosphere here! I think your Mrs. would love it. The historic area is very walkable and has horse-drawn carriages, shuttle/sightseeing trains, very good restaurants, museums, lots of history, and a variety of accommodations - from expensive hotels and B&B’s in town, to relatively inexpensive hotels and motels on Anastasia Island or route 1. Of course there’s the beach (on the island), but it’s only been in the low 70’s lately so the water may be too cold for you. But there is plenty to do otherwise.
That was my thought but it’s a bit cold to appreciate this time of year.
I was going to suggess a train ride through Canada but that can be expensive. It would be very romantic to go to a remote lodge in the US or Canada Start here for lodges.
You could do a traditional stay at Niagara falls from the Canadian side (the beer is better). Toronto would be a cool place to knock around and thats a short drive away. Do lunch at the CN tower and take in a museum or 2.
It would be best if you looked at what interests the 2 of you and go from there. The interenet puts everything at your fingertips. You could work all kinds of activities into your day(s) such as concerts, museums, tours etc…
I like the idea of Las Vegas because it’s geared toward entertainment. The circe de whatever would be fun (and expensive).
