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Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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The mountains aren't necessarily out. My husband had actually suggested Asheville. My kids are "okay" with outdoor hikes and nature, but probably just a day or two of it. I have no interest in skiing, although my kids might find it fun. I was kind of hoping that since we just moved to this area that it would be nice to have a "warm" T-giving for once and since circumstances led us to cancelling our trip up north, I thought heading in the other directon would be a nice change of pace. Weather looks pretty good for next week! :-)
i'm kinda partial to savannah because we honeymooned there (& charleston). we also just returned for our five-year anniversary there a few weeks ago. the weather was absolutely gorgeous (mid-to-upper 70s/low 80s). we try to hit things that both my husband & i enjoy. we did a mix of paid activities & free activities that included:
- several trips through the national wildlife refuge there (free). it's a 4-mile loops & you will seen a lot of nature. there were a few minivans cruising through with the windows on the van open to allow seeing both sides (going slowly, of course). we saw lots of gators, egrets, herons, fiddler crabs, ducks, & the like. there are also a range of trails there that you can get out to walk, ranging from .1 mile to a larger 3 mile course. we did a 1.5 mile loop which was nice on a sunny, breezy day.
- trolley tour &/or carriage tour through the historic district (cost). you can also walk a lot of the downtown savannah historic district which has a ton of gorgeous squares, trees, & spanish moss.
- hit city market for shops/restaurants & also hit the river street area for some of the same (free/costs depending on where you eat or shop). we whiled away some time with ice cream just sitting & watching the huge freight ships come into the intercoastal waterway & watching the tiny tugboats.
- tour historic homes (cost). there's plenty to see if you're into that sort of thing.
- the roundhouse railroad museum - i honestly can't recall if it was free or there was a cost but it was kinda neat. plus having lunch in the railroad car restaurant had a fun novelty to it.
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as for other places, i know you said you wanted warmer but thanksgiving in the mountains would be gorgeous. asheville is one of my favorite places & as someone previously mentioned, biltmore (& grove park inn) are gorgeous during the holidays. driving on the blue ridge parkway will probably also yield the last of the fall scenery. renting a cabin can seem pretty neat & most cabins can be equipped with things to allow family time -- nooks to read in, open plans to allowing cooking dinners together & still chat together, game rooms to play pool & foosball, etc.
atlanta would be fun but i have to say i would avoid going on a holiday, but that's me. put it on your list of future trips!
I'd probably head to Asheville or Boone myself, but I like the mountains this time of year. Wilmington or Charleston could be fun, though. Not a fan of Myrtle. Probably rather stay home and mop the floors than go there, but, obviously, ymmv. Hilton Head is not our style, either.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,779 posts, read 15,790,796 times
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We went to Boone in June. It was beautiful, but I'd like to do something different. We went to Wilmington and Wrightsville in August. I'm thinking at this point we'll head to Charleston, Savannah, Asheville, or Hilton Head. It looks like it will be nice walking around weather. Now I'm off to investigate hotels.
I actually spent last Thanksgiving in MB, not too bad. Go to bearfoot landing, etc. We had a good time, although it was hard finding a place open to eat on Thanksgiving, but we managed.
I would throw in Charlotte as a good holiday idea. Downtown has lots of fun things for kids/adults and you will find plenty of things to do for not much money (Discovery Place, etc).
Another fun thing to do would be go to any Great Wolf Lodge for some indoor water fun. There is actually one in MB, and one near Charlotte.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
9,779 posts, read 15,790,796 times
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Thanks for all of the ideas, everyone. We had actually narrowed it down to Charleston and Myrtle Beach when we got a call that "Thanksgiving is back on" in Pennsylvania. So we decided to change our plans back to going up there, albeit a day later than originally planned. But I am excited by all of the ideas for some long weekend getaways. I know Myrtle Beach is a bit tacky, but I think my kids will like it. Charleston is definitely on our list as a place to visit while we live here. I hadn't considered Charlotte for a weekend visit, but that's not a bad idea. I was there once and enjoyed it. So thanks for all of the recommendations!
Re Myrtle Beach, if you stay in North Myrtle Beach, it is a lot better IMO. I stick with the Cherry Grove or Ocean Drive sections. It is more old-school family beach. Very rarely do I venture past the Barefoot Landing area.
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