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Three weeks should be adequate. You won't see it all, but you'll get a good taste of it. Don't compare it to Scotland. The US is much more spread out and greatly differs in climate and topography. I would hit the NY area for about a week. The NYC area has some great beaches too for the kids. Travel to the east end of Long Island to see where the celebrities vacation. From NYC, you could drive to Washington DC to see US history and government attractions. Then Florida for the theme parks, but that's a long drive from Washington D.C. You might want to fly. If you've been to Euro Disney, I would skip the Magic Kingdom. Besides Disney, there are 2 other vast theme parks in Orlando, Universal which has the Harry Potter park and Sea World. But something more unique which you cannot find in Europe is the Kennedy Space Center where you can spend a day learning about NASA and the space program. You need at least a full day for that. It's huge. In August, Florida can be kind of cloudy and rainy, yet still hot. If you're from northern Europe, as others said, it will be extremely hot and humid for you, but we have air conditioning everywhere. In summer, the Florida ocean water can feel like a bath.
If you're planning a trip to include the Blue Ridge/Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, make sure you call ahead. We just had some horrendous fires that destroyed a lot of the Gatlinburg area: forest as well as homes and resorts.
And, yes please give me some hints about Disneyland too. I guess the kids are dying to visit at least for two days. But since it's so huge I wouldn't know which park to choose
Every body is a Disney fan.Years ago I saw the best fireworks I have ever seen at Epcot. That is the only really good thing I can say about Disney. When going to Orlando it would be Universal Studios, Sea World and a waterpark with the slides.Discovery Cove offered some great snorkeling and a hands on Dolphin encounter.Son is now grown so I have not been there in a few years.
We have enjoyed WDW - even as adults without kids with us. In fact, we had a great time at the kiddie section - saw an animal show that was hilarious - cats/dogs/pig/chicken/duck. Plus, it was in the shade.
So I'm looking for the perfect mix between a little sightseeing, a lot of great nature, fun things for the kids (8+12 years), a little swimming and sunbathing (since we would go in July / early August), where to stay etc...
You have a lot of options. I recommend heading to the mountains, such as the Poconos in Pennsylvania or Skyline Drive in Virginia. Theme parks: Hershey Park, King's Dominion or Busch Gardens. Colonial Williamsburg for some nice living history.
Head to the beach - Ocean City in Maryland or Virginia Beach would be good choices. If you want to get away from the crowds, then go to Assateague Beach in Maryland or Cape Hatteras in North Carolina.
I actually find NYC worse than FL in the summer. Mostly because the smell of garbage sitting on the curb can be particularly bad in the summertime.
Most people who have ability try to run away from NYC and Manhattan in particular on summer weekends to cooler locations around. There are huge traffic jams leaving the city starting at 3:00 pm Friday and coming back Sunday night. Why anyone would want to come here to enjoy 96 degrees, 96% humidity is beyond me. But I guess different strokes for different folks...
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