Safe Scenic Place To Relax? (camping, best, rentals, hotel)

[elfyum]

Hi all! I'm looking for some suggestions (or many! bring 'em on! ) for a short little get away. (by myself)

Here's what I'm looking for...

I would like to go to a place I've never been.

My preference states are ND, IA, KS, WI, MI (UP), MN

I am looking to stay in a cabin or Courtyard type place near a lake - someplace in nature where I can take walks in the woods or by the lake...(I've seen cabins on lakes near International Falls MN, & Madison WI that seem nice...)


I would like to be in a place/town where I can go explore the place without having to rent a car if possible.

I'm not looking for touristy!

I want a nature retreat type thing.

I just want to be by myself (basically) in nice SAFE surroundings.

I would also need to be able to get there from the airport! - I'd love to drive but I'm in Miami! In the time it would take me to drive out of the state I could be halfway to HI by plane!

Any suggestions?

Thanks guys!

[sillygal]

Click here: Wisconsin Resorts and Lakeside Vacation rentals cabins cottages golf resort vacation destinations in WI getaways L

[SpeedyAZ]

I'd suggest Montana because it has wide, open spaces without thousands of cars and buildings. Are you looking for a ranch/ farm or just a home in a small town?

If you want to be secluded, buy an acreage in the Midwest ($2000-$5000/ acre) and turn it into your own private getaway. I'd love to own a large ranch in Montana sometime...otherwise I can always retreat back to my parent's farm in Iowa.

[Jammie]

Even though it wasn't on your list, may I suggest the Black Hills of So. Dak. It's absolutely beautiful out there and if you want to be a tourist, you can be. If you want isolation, that is also very possible. Check out cabin rentals near Hot Springs, Spearfish, Lead, Deadwood, Hill City, etc. They do have very isolated cabins in Spearfish Canyon and it's beautiful there. As far as traveling without a car, it may be pretty hard in the areas you're looking at since airports are sometimes many miles away. Good luck to you and I hope you find what you're looking for.

[elfyum]

The Black Hills are DEFINATELY on my "must go to" list!!!!! Just not at the mo...(Thanks jammie! )

Speedy you're lucky you have a farm in Iowa to go to!

sillygal - thanks for the site...I'm checking it out...

[momof2dfw]

I really hate to give my idea because I LOVE this place and do not want it anymore overrun by development but it is so perfect . I also have not seen it mentioned almost ANYWHERE on this entire forum. This place only gets in the 90's maybe 2-3 days a year. Summers are AWESOME, highs in the low 80's sometimes high 70's. No, or rather very low humidity (I'm in Texas so to me it is like no humidity). LOTS AND LOTS of outdoorsy things to do. The whole place is about being outdoors even in the winter. Which the winter here is ski season w/ 8 different ski areas and LOTS of snow. There is the most beautiful lake I have ever seen that is natural and the clarity is unreal. They treat the shoreline of the lake like a beach. Hiking, biking, camping, boating, kayaking, parasailing and just basically enjoying nature abounds and rules supreme here. Having to sleep indoors here is almost a sin in my view. The crisp smell of the air. Nature at its finest w/ deer and yes it is "bear country". Rustic cabins on the lakeshore can be found as can small family run motels. Modest condos and homes all the way to the super luxury are all here along w/ several campgrounds. Pedestrians and bike riders are EVERYWHERE!!! And the people that ride around the entire lake, more power to ya.

Where is this place? Do I really want to tell you and let the entire world know , hmmmm. Well, maybe. Or maybe not .

Okay, okay, okay............. if you must know


















Lake Tahoe

[mariatherese]

If you want secluded, there is no place like the U.P. I grew up there.

The population is of the entire upper peninsula of Michigan is 328,000. Thats just a bit less than the population of the city of Miami (not including the greater metro area- which is like 5 million +). But, the UP is about the size of Denmark, so you can imagine how secluded it is.

"Nature retreat" is the only way I'd describe the U.P. It is surrounded by lakes the size of oceans, with miles of sandy beaches, only better to swim in than the ocean, and you will have so much beach to yourself. You can find tons of rustic cabins to rent. There is so much undeveloped land there. In the UP, only tourists pay for campsites. The rest of us just find a trail to a secluded spot (trails are everywhere). Only tourists pay for wood, too LOL. The largest city in the UP is Marquette- population 20,000.

The difference I would say from the Lake Tahoe description above is that you will not find people walking everywhere (you will probably see lots of animals, though) unless you are in a downtown somewhere, and there is no good skiing (no mountains). there is not alot "to do" according to most city people, but they often miss that that is actually the point. it is about serenity, taking it easy, listening to the birds, watching the sunrise, hiking.

After growing up in the U.P. I can't imagine other popular places comparing as a "nature retreat." I laugh at people who park their RV's at campsites, next to other RV's, and call that a retreat! It baffles me what city people consider a nature retreat- guess I was spoiled growing up in one of the most beautiful places in the US!

(but shhhhh... don't tell anyone. We want to keep it that way).

Better go before it gets too cold, though- unless you love snow & winter, like me. Better yet, go around the second week of October to see the fall colors. GORGEOUS! we have every color imaginable. lots of business cater to those who come up for the color change- there are lots of color tours available and hotels open during that time... but everyitng pretty much shuts down after that, until march-april.

if you ever want to know about more specific locations in the UP to go to, feel free to ask. you can PM me if you want to.

good luck with the search!

[MidniteBreeze]

Here's an idea:

woodsidecottages.com

We go there when we need a nice weekend getaway. Cute, modern, and reasonably priced little cabins (some even come with a jacuzzi!) just outside of Bayfield, WI., which is located on Lake Superior near the beautiful apostle islands nat'l lakeshore. You can actually walk to Bayfield on a trail that goes through the property the cabins are on. The cabins themselves aren't right on the lake, but the lake is very closeby (just through the woods). I highly recommend taking the ferry to madeline island where you can hike and enjoy the woods and water to your heart's content!

Bayfield is a quaint little town with lots of victorian style houses and neat little shops and restaurants. It's very small and safe. Fall is a wonderful time to visit as the summer tourists are gone. The BIG exception being the weekend of Oct 6-8, when the Bayfield apple festival is going on...there will be HORDES of tourists then.

I think this would be perfect for you other than the fact that it's not close to a major airport. Your best bet would be to fly into Duluth (MN) and drive from there. The good news is it's only about a 1.5 hour scenic drive east on Hwy 2, which (with the exception of the apple fest weekend) is not a very busy road, esp. by Florida standards!

Good luck!

[elfyum]

Thanks all!

Lake Tahoe (shhhh! I mean, lake tahoe ) is a bit too far for me at the mo. Sounds nice though...Do you live there or vacation there? Maybe you can answer in a PM so no one finds out! Serious - I can totally understand wanting to keep a place hidden!!!

I will definately look into the woodside in WI. WI seems like a nice place too! That whole MN, WI, UP MI area seems great! Marie I will PM ya!

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by elfyum

Hi all! I'm looking for some suggestions (or many! bring 'em on! ) for a short little get away. (by myself)
Here's what I'm looking for...
I would like to go to a place I've never been.
My preference states are ND, IA, KS, WI, MI (UP), MN
I am looking to stay in a cabin or Courtyard type place near a lake - someplace in nature where I can take walks in the woods or by the lake...(I've seen cabins on lakes near International Falls MN, & Madison WI that seem nice...)
I would like to be in a place/town where I can go explore the place without having to rent a car if possible.
I'm not looking for touristy!
I want a nature retreat type thing.
I just want to be by myself (basically) in nice SAFE surroundings.
I would also need to be able to get there from the airport! - I'd love to drive but I'm in Miami! In the time it would take me to drive out of the state I could be halfway to HI by plane!
Any suggestions?
Thanks guys!

Double-spacing drives me nuts in posts!!! But, that said , I have a suggestion for you.. The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island on Michigan's upper peninsula. It's open for business through October, has fantastic long porches that run for hundreds of feet with rockers to sit in and look out over the straits, there's also a formal tea at 4pm, and gentlemen and ladies are required to dress for dinner. I've never been there, but it's been somewhere that always intrigued me. Also, rent the movie with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve called "Somewhere in Time" fromt the early 1980's. It was filmed there. It's a gorgeous place and I'd imagine very safe, in a spectacular setting, and just uniquely charming.