Cheap vacation spots in the US?

[jstarfireb]

Hey all! My husband and I have 2 weeks of vacation together in August. We''re looking for inexpensive vacation ideas in the US. We thought about doing an Alaskan cruise, but between the plane tickets and the cruise itself, it''s prohibitively expensive. We''re also thinking about Vegas, as well as a brief trip to go to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH (roller coaster capital of the world!), because once he moves out of Pittsburgh, I don''t think we''ll ever have the desire to go to Ohio, no offense to anyone from there. Cedar Point could be combined with a longer trip somewhere else. We tend to like cities and places with a lot to do, as opposed to wilderness, camping, or outdoorsy stuff (with the exception of amusement parks).

Any ideas are appreciated!

 

[tlh]

If you have any travel agents near you, often times they can put together FAB packages!

2 weeks though, I''d do California! ESP wine country! or anything beach-y!

 

[geckodani]

Date: 7/10/2009 2:54:05 PM
Author:jstarfireb
Hey all! My husband and I have 2 weeks of vacation together in August. We''re looking for inexpensive vacation ideas in the US. We thought about doing an Alaskan cruise, but between the plane tickets and the cruise itself, it''s prohibitively expensive. We''re also thinking about Vegas, as well as a brief trip to go to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH (roller coaster capital of the world!), because once he moves out of Pittsburgh, I don''t think we''ll ever have the desire to go to Ohio, no offense to anyone from there. Cedar Point could be combined with a longer trip somewhere else. We tend to like cities and places with a lot to do, as opposed to wilderness, camping, or outdoorsy stuff (with the exception of amusement parks).

Any ideas are appreciated!

Cedar Point can be a riot! DH and I have gone several times. If you stay at the hotels, you can get some great deals on park tickets. You could easily hop across the lake into Canada too, and check out Niagra, or Toronto etc.

 

[MsP]

What kind of budget are you working with?

... different people have different ideas on what "cheap" is.

 

[brightlight]

Have you considered Puerto Rico? It''s kind of in the US but also not.

 

[brightlight]

Date: 7/10/2009 2:54:05 PM
Author:jstarfireb
Hey all! My husband and I have 2 weeks of vacation together in August. We''re looking for inexpensive vacation ideas in the US. We thought about doing an Alaskan cruise, but between the plane tickets and the cruise itself, it''s prohibitively expensive. We''re also thinking about Vegas, as well as a brief trip to go to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH (roller coaster capital of the world!), because once he moves out of Pittsburgh, I don''t think we''ll ever have the desire to go to Ohio, no offense to anyone from there. Cedar Point could be combined with a longer trip somewhere else. We tend to like cities and places with a lot to do, as opposed to wilderness, camping, or outdoorsy stuff (with the exception of amusement parks).

Any ideas are appreciated!

You could go to the new casino in Bethlehem and Cedar Point. If you went to Cedar Point, would you stay in Sandusky or drive in from Cleveland? You could go to the Rock and Roll Museum. You could also take the ferry out to Kelly''s Island.

 

[brightlight]

Date: 7/10/2009 3:07:01 PM
Author: geckodani

Date: 7/10/2009 2:54:05 PM
Author:jstarfireb
Hey all! My husband and I have 2 weeks of vacation together in August. We''re looking for inexpensive vacation ideas in the US. We thought about doing an Alaskan cruise, but between the plane tickets and the cruise itself, it''s prohibitively expensive. We''re also thinking about Vegas, as well as a brief trip to go to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH (roller coaster capital of the world!), because once he moves out of Pittsburgh, I don''t think we''ll ever have the desire to go to Ohio, no offense to anyone from there. Cedar Point could be combined with a longer trip somewhere else. We tend to like cities and places with a lot to do, as opposed to wilderness, camping, or outdoorsy stuff (with the exception of amusement parks).

Any ideas are appreciated!

Cedar Point can be a riot! DH and I have gone several times. If you stay at the hotels, you can get some great deals on park tickets. You could easily hop across the lake into Canada too, and check out Niagra, or Toronto etc.

Ooh, Canada''s a great idea! Do you have a passport? I believe you need to have a passport or proof you applied for one now to cross the border.

 

[lala2332]

vegas can be done very inexpensively. With their economy the way it is, I get emails daily from vegas casinos with deals and specials on rooms.

Also, I think if you pick a random city... you can definitely find some deals. Look and see where there are cheap flights. I think if you pick a random city...portland, or; austin, tx; seatle, wa; baltimore, md; and you can probably find a bunch of things to do fro not a lot of money, b/c they aren''t necessarily tourist hot spots.

 

[brightlight]

Date: 7/10/2009 3:36:42 PM
Author: lala2332
vegas can be done very inexpensively. With their economy the way it is, I get emails daily from vegas casinos with deals and specials on rooms.

Also, I think if you pick a random city... you can definitely find some deals. Look and see where there are cheap flights. I think if you pick a random city...portland, or; austin, tx; seatle, wa; baltimore, md; and you can probably find a bunch of things to do fro not a lot of money, b/c they aren''t necessarily tourist hot spots.

That''s true. Some hotels are even including all day buffet passes in the room rate.

 

[geckodani]

Date: 7/10/2009 3:43:05 PM
Author: brightlight

Date: 7/10/2009 3:36:42 PM
Author: lala2332
vegas can be done very inexpensively. With their economy the way it is, I get emails daily from vegas casinos with deals and specials on rooms.

Also, I think if you pick a random city... you can definitely find some deals. Look and see where there are cheap flights. I think if you pick a random city...portland, or; austin, tx; seatle, wa; baltimore, md; and you can probably find a bunch of things to do fro not a lot of money, b/c they aren''t necessarily tourist hot spots.

That''s true. Some hotels are even including all day buffet passes in the room rate.

Really? Interesting!

 

[brightlight]

Date: 7/10/2009 3:44:19 PM
Author: geckodani

Date: 7/10/2009 3:43:05 PM
Author: brightlight

Date: 7/10/2009 3:36:42 PM
Author: lala2332
vegas can be done very inexpensively. With their economy the way it is, I get emails daily from vegas casinos with deals and specials on rooms.

Also, I think if you pick a random city... you can definitely find some deals. Look and see where there are cheap flights. I think if you pick a random city...portland, or; austin, tx; seatle, wa; baltimore, md; and you can probably find a bunch of things to do fro not a lot of money, b/c they aren''t necessarily tourist hot spots.

That''s true. Some hotels are even including all day buffet passes in the room rate.

Really? Interesting!

Yes, and I love buffets! They''ve gotten really extravagant and EXPENSIVE too!

 

[jstarfireb]

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

tlh - I know next to nothing about travel agents and always thought it was cheaper to plan a vacation without them. Might have to investigate that. I love California - wine country is a great idea!

geckodani - good to know about the deals! Husband just got his passport (and I''ve had mine for a while), so we could definitely look into Canada.

MissPrudential - good point; we''re just hoping for as cheap as possible, but if pressed to give a budget, I''d say no more than $1000 per person, preferably more like $500. That might be a pipe dream though.

brightlight - I don''t think the husband would like PR (he didn''t want to go to any of the islands for our honeymoon, so we settled on Key West). But I''d love to go there some day. August would probably be too hot and humid, right? Thanks for the ideas for Cedar Point! I was having trouble finding other things to do around there! We''d drive out from Pittsburgh (where he and the car live), so the sky is the limit.

lala - Yeah, I''ve heard the same about Vegas, and we''ve never been there. Good point about the non-touristy places!

 

[FrekeChild]

If you can use Southwest airlines (seeing as how they don''t go to every airport) they have a great package to Vegas right now--if you stay more than 3 nights in MGM Grand hotels, you can get Cirque or Lion King tickets included in your package. From Albuquerque to Vegas, plus 3 nights stay at Luxor plus the two Cirque tickets--$500. And the Luxor isn''t exactly a cheap hotel. Only our plane tickets to Vegas in January when we get married--around $600.

There are deals to be had over there!

 

[Regular Guy]

I have a feeling you''re not looking for this, but I''ll mention it anyway.

You said you''re in Pittsburgh?

A short drive away is Seven Springs. We enjoy going there frequently.

A nice get away...and we do it in the summer. Our kids love it, but could be good for couples, too.

Regards,

 

[Skippy123]

Have you signed up with TravelZoo? they email you great deals. Also if you sign up through email with the hotels you find great deals in Vegas; I just rec'd an email for the Wynn for $100 a night and the Bellagio for $129.

I was also checking hotel rates in San Francisco and they are pretty reasonable too and the weather looks good right now.

Also, have you thought about DC? The Smithsonian is free and it is so beautiful out there and the food is great.

 

[jstarfireb]

Digging up my old thread to let you all know what we did and give you some recommendations...

We saved Cedar point for another time but stuck with the Vegas idea. We spent 8 nights there, and it was FAB! Neither of us had been there before, so it was a completely new experience. We saw 5 shows, hit every single casino on the strip, went off-strip to a few others, walked through Fremont St. downtown, ate really well, and gambled just a tad. The shows were my favorite part. Each one was incredible and exceeded my expectations.

Hotels we stayed at:
1) MGM Grand - really nice but HUGE. They have lions...real live lions. Be prepared to walk a TON if you want to go from one end to the other. Buffet wasn''t so great. Pool was pretty awesome, with a lazy river as well as multiple other pools.
2) Flamingo - no complaints, a little bit of a downgrade in terms of room quality, but a fun place to stay, and the pool was awesome! They have the coolest water slide thingy connecting a bunch of little pools.
3) Luxor - definitely my favorite; loved the pyramid theme, and it was so cool to see the light beam shooting straight up from the top of the pyramid. Pool was nothing special, but the gym was nice (and included in the resort fees, as opposed to MGM Grand, where it was a separate charge of $15/day).

Shows we saw:
1) Cirque du Soleil KA - my favorite, just stunning. They had vertical stages with amazing wire work as well as this crazy hamster-wheel thingy that just boggles your mind. It''s nice that this one has a storyline; I think it kept me and the husband from getting bored. We bought the tickets online in advance.
2) Lance Burton - the biggest surprise of the trip for me. I didn''t want to go because I already had planned on going to Penn & Teller, and I didn''t think magic shows were really my thing. Well, the husband convinced me to see him, and I was blown away. This guy is unbelievable, a real class act, great showmanship, as well as a master of sleight of hand. Bought the tickets from Tix4Tonight for $41 each. My only regret is that our seats were way up in the balcony. I would have sprung for the next level down if I had known it would be that good!
3) Penn and Teller - I love these guys. I went in expecting them to be hilarious in their delivery of magic tricks as well as libertarian social commentary, and they did not disappoint. I think these guys have to be 2 of the smartest people alive. We got the tickets online for 40% off on the day of the show and were surprised to see they were great seats!
4) Jubilee! - lots of fun, over-the-top showgirl extravaganza. It''s classic Vegas. Not for those who get offended by toplessness. The acts were really well done, and the mini-acts in between them were also impressive (a juggler, 2 Asian guys who stuffed themselves into tubes, and a gymnast/acrobat swinging around on 2 ribbons suspended from the ceiling). We found a great coupon that got us tickets worth $92 apiece for $35. Not bad!
5) Kevin Burke - this one was free with a coupon we had, but I was pleasantly surprised. He''s part comedian, part stage magician. Same guy that stars in "Defending the Caveman" at the Excalibur.

We were happy to see a lot of great free shows too:
1) Sirens of Treasure Island
2) Bellagio fountains
3) Midway show at Circus Circus (different acts every half-hour or so; we saw a great female acrobat)
4) Show in the Sky at the Rio (yay for Mardi Gras beads!)
5) 2 shows with animated statues at Caesar''s Palace Forum Shops

Best food by far was the buffet at Planet Hollywood (disclaimer: we didn''t go to the Wynn buffet...they supposedly have THE best one). But be prepared for long lines both to get in and to get to the king crab legs.

If you plan on gambling at all, check out the American Casino Guide - they have a lot of coupons for match play, free slot promos, etc. They also have a lot of 2 for 1 drinks, food, even shows.

Hope this helps for any of you who are thinking of or planning trips to Vegas in the near future.

Oh, and one last word of advice...don''t go to one of those time-share presentations. We didn''t, but we encountered a bunch of people who did and regretted going. They last twice as long as the people tell you. Don''t get lured in by the free shows; you can get reasonably priced show tickets without having to waste 4 hours of your day listening to a time-share presentation!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Hmm, I''m not sure if this is something you''d be interested in, but BF and I were planning a mini-vacation (2 weeks) in Sept. to the Carolinas. We''re going to the mountains, around Pisgah Nat''l Forest in western N. Carolina, and then going to the beach at Pawley''s Island. We''re going to be driving from Chicago and it''s doable, so it may be something to consider if you''re coming from Pittsburgh

 

[LtlFirecracker]

When I went to Vegas I found that the hotels were cheap, but the food was crazy. Pizza at the mall was 6 dollars a slice. Me and BF ended up way overspending on that trip. If you go to vegas have a plan.

The thing with cities is that they tend to be expensive, me and my BF have actually been vacationing in smaller towns and that has saved us lots of money. But here are my best ideas

1) SF - Look at SFO and Oakland Air Port as places to fly in. If you stay in the city, you don''t need a car, you can use the BART to get around. Hotels can be found at reasonable rates if you do enough looking. Just walking and seeing the city is an adventure in itself

Free things:
The marina district - you can walk to golden gate bridge
Golden Gate park - the park is beautiful. If you want to do some of the attractions, the prices are reasonable. The Explorium and the Japanese garden are great
China Town - get out of the "tourist" part, and you be in a whole new place
Fisherman''s Wharf and Peer 39

Lower cost things:
Trolley ride - a SF thing to do
Window shopping (you just have to avoid temptation)
I know there is other stuff, just can''t think right now

You could also go to Wine country for a day. But I would arrange for a tour if you do that. Driving and Wine tasting are a bad combo, and the cops are in the street in full force at closing time.

 

[hoofbeats95]

We went to Vegas last year. I''d love to go again if I could do it on the cheap. How do you find hotel deals with buffets included?

 

[atroop711]

Date: 7/10/2009 3:28:52 PM
Author: brightlight
Have you considered Puerto Rico? It''s kind of in the US but also not.

ditto this. I love a beach vacation without passports