# Planning Central US trip during September



## HudsHut (Feb 16, 2016)

Friends of ours from the UK, would like ideas/advice on places to visit in the Central US during September. They are first visiting friends in Boston, and then....

"We would fly from Boston to either Detroit or Chicago, and do some traveling, for which we have 25 days free.  We are thinking of starting on the road from 4th September until 30th September. It would have to be a circular trip, starting and ending at the same place. 

We’d like to either 

a)      See Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa
b)      See Illinois,Missouri, Kentucky and Indiana
c)       See Illinois,Indiana,Ohio, West Virginia
d)      Any combination of the above as we haven’t been to any of those States, and have no idea what to expect."

They do own a timeshare, but this trip does not need to be limited to timeshare locales. 
All ideas are appreciated.


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## sfwilshire (Feb 17, 2016)

Well, I didn't leave anything in Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio the last time I was there, so I can't immediately think of any reason I'd want to go back. I'm sure there are interesting things to see in any of our 50 states, but those wouldn't be my first choices.

Have they seen the rest of the country? I'd be more inclined to go north or south from Boston. Vermont and Maine, maybe PEI or Nova Scotia. Connecticut and Rhode Island. Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee. West Virginia is probably pretty scenic. Haven't been there since I was a child.

September is a wonderful time to travel. If I didn't have a kid in public school, it would be my first choice.

Sheila


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## Passepartout (Feb 17, 2016)

Why not a circle from perhaps Denver, going north to and across Wyoming, seeing Grand Teton, Yellowstone, down through Utah, seeing SLC, Stay at Park City, on down to Las Vegas via the Utah parks, then a choice of backtracking back over the Rockies to Denver or detour down to Grand Canyon before heading back to Denver.

It would be a bit Park heavy, but there are some timeshares, a plethora of hotels. September is the best time of year in this locale, and it sure isn't anything similar to the UK, though they would ee some agricultural lands too. 

Nothing against the US's breadbasket of the Midwest, but IMO it isn't what I'd show off to European visitors.

Jim


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## Conan (Feb 17, 2016)

If they're visiting or passing through Ohio, they might enjoy

*Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (I confess I've never gone)
http://www.rockhall.com/visit-the-museum/plan/

*Cleveland Museum of Art (world-class)
http://www.clevelandart.org/

*Cedar Point (roller coaster heaven)
https://www.cedarpoint.com/things-to-do/roller-coasters#

*Cleveland Indians baseball
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=cle#y=2016&m=9&calendar=DEFAULT


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## MichaelColey (Feb 17, 2016)

What types of things are the wanting to see and do?


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## SunLover2 (Feb 17, 2016)

Wait a minute! Flying into Chicago is an absolutely fabulous idea. Chicago has beautiful weather in September and there is a lot to do there - art, sports, history, water, sky scrapers! 
Then get yourself to Minnesota! by plane - easy / by car - no problem. You can see the MSP/St Paul area and take some time Up North! Go to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area or any lake area to enjoy the beauty of 10,000 Lakes. Even see Lake Superior to add to the Lake Tour (if you were in Chicago for Lake Michigan). You could drive Hwy 2 East to Mackinac Island, Michigan too. 
With that kind of time (25 days!) you could see a lot of beautiful country!


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## trevm77UK (Feb 18, 2016)

Thank you Sheila for your reply.  I live in the UK , and it was me who asked the original question via a friend. Yes, we've been north from Boston several times, and up to Nova Scotia. And south too. We've travelled to all the west and est costal States too, but not been anywhere in Central US, hence the question. Haven't been to West Virginia as yet, so that may be a good suggestion.

Thanks

Trevor


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## trevm77UK (Feb 18, 2016)

Passepartout said:


> Why not a circle from perhaps Denver, going north to and across Wyoming, seeing Grand Teton, Yellowstone, down through Utah, seeing SLC, Stay at Park City, on down to Las Vegas via the Utah parks, then a choice of backtracking back over the Rockies to Denver or detour down to Grand Canyon before heading back to Denver.
> 
> It would be a bit Park heavy, but there are some timeshares, a plethora of hotels. September is the best time of year in this locale, and it sure isn't anything similar to the UK, though they would ee some agricultural lands too.
> 
> ...


Hi Jim , thanks for your thoughts. Happily, we have been to all the places you have suggested. We have travelled extensively through 33 of your States, but none of the ones I asked my friend about ( the lady who made the original post).

Trevor.


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## trevm77UK (Feb 18, 2016)

MichaelColey said:


> What types of things are the wanting to see and do?


Hi Michael.

I'm the guy from the UK who asked the question of my friend ( I've just joined here). You will see from my previous replies, we have travelled much of the USA. Mainly, we like sightseeing (scenery) and experiencing the different local cultures. We don't like to sit on an Insterstate for hours, just to say we've been there. For example, we loved Monument Valley, which took us an age to get through. And last year , we did Route 66 from Santa Fe (NM) to Santa Monica, which took us the best part of 12 days. Hope I've given you a feel for what we like.

Trevor


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## trevm77UK (Feb 18, 2016)

MichaelColey said:


> What types of things are the wanting to see and do?





SunLover2 said:


> Wait a minute! Flying into Chicago is an absolutely fabulous idea. Chicago has beautiful weather in September and there is a lot to do there - art, sports, history, water, sky scrapers!
> Then get yourself to Minnesota! by plane - easy / by car - no problem. You can see the MSP/St Paul area and take some time Up North! Go to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area or any lake area to enjoy the beauty of 10,000 Lakes. Even see Lake Superior to add to the Lake Tour (if you were in Chicago for Lake Michigan). You could drive Hwy 2 East to Mackinac Island, Michigan too.
> With that kind of time (25 days!) you could see a lot of beautiful country!



Thank you SunLover2.

I've looked up your suggestions, and that seems a good choice. We have stayed in Chicago before, but loved it. So returning and starting a trip from there, would not be a bad idea. Many thanks,

Trevor (Nottingham, England)


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## trevm77UK (Feb 18, 2016)

Conan said:


> If they're visiting or passing through Ohio, they might enjoy
> 
> *Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (I confess I've never gone)
> http://www.rockhall.com/visit-the-museum/plan/
> ...



Thank you Conan.
I'll spend some time checking out your links. Thanks for your time.

Trevor

Nottingham, England


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## taterhed (Feb 18, 2016)

Chicago is an amazing place--especially in the fall.  Sports, museums, the lakefront, food, willis tower, pier etc...  
Mall of the Americas is neat to see...malls are not my thing, but it is something.  
The Ohio amusement parks are certainly different from what you'd find in EU/UK...  Rock and Roll, Football hall of fame all good.  US Air Force Museum Wright-Patt is awesome!
West Virginia is an amazing state with scenic byways and unspoiled wilderness. New River Gorge Bridge, Harpers Ferry, The Congressional Bunker White Sulphur Springs, to name a few.
St Louis is a great city to visit....
Kentucky distilleries (Bourbon!) are a good pic....

So, I guess:  Chicago, St Louis, Ohio, West Virginia, maybe Kentucky would be my picks.  Have you visited Nashville?  If not, it should be on your list--along with the many Civil War parks/sites...

cheers.


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## sfwilshire (Feb 18, 2016)

Passepartout said:


> Why not a circle from perhaps Denver, going north to and across Wyoming, seeing Grand Teton, Yellowstone, down through Utah, seeing SLC, Stay at Park City, on down to Las Vegas via the Utah parks, then a choice of backtracking back over the Rockies to Denver or detour down to Grand Canyon before heading back to Denver.
> 
> It would be a bit Park heavy, but there are some timeshares, a plethora of hotels. September is the best time of year in this locale, and it sure isn't anything similar to the UK, though they would ee some agricultural lands too.
> 
> ...



My kids still call our trip where we flew into Denver and visited Glacier National Park, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons one of their best trips ever.

Sheila


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## sfwilshire (Feb 18, 2016)

trevm77UK said:


> Hi Michael.
> 
> I'm the guy from the UK who asked the question of my friend ( I've just joined here). You will see from my previous replies, we have travelled much of the USA. Mainly, we like sightseeing (scenery) and experiencing the different local cultures. We don't like to sit on an Insterstate for hours, just to say we've been there. For example, we loved Monument Valley, which took us an age to get through. And last year , we did Route 66 from Santa Fe (NM) to Santa Monica, which took us the best part of 12 days. Hope I've given you a feel for what we like.
> 
> Trevor



How about the west coast? San Francisco up through the redwoods, to Oregon and Washington. Maybe on up to British Columbia and Alberta. We flew into Vancouver one year, stayed a week on Vancouver Island, then drove over to Jasper, down to Banff and back to Vancouver. It was an amazing trip.

Sheila


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## sfwilshire (Feb 18, 2016)

taterhed said:


> Have you visited Nashville?  If not, it should be on your list--along with the many Civil War parks/sites...
> 
> cheers.



Nashville has some nice places. If you come that far down, go east to the Smoky Mountain National Park. Or down to the North Georgia or Western NC mountains. That whole corner of the World has lots of beautiful things to see. Just avoid the tourist traps like Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

Sheila


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## Rusa (Feb 18, 2016)

If you like driving and scenery, you would probably do best to do a loop from Chicago to Minnesota, up north and around the Great Lakes through Michigan and Wisconsin, then maybe pop over to Niagara Falls, and back to Chicago through West Virginia if you have the time, and then northern Ohio along the lakes. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio are basically flat and covered with corn and soybeans. Very boring to drive through, and I've done it more than once. Love Chicago, plan to spend at least two days there first or last; great museums and shopping and generally a fun city.


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## taterhed (Feb 18, 2016)

sfwilshire said:


> Nashville has some nice places. If you come that far down, go east to the Smoky Mountain National Park. Or down to the North Georgia or Western NC mountains. That whole corner of the World has lots of beautiful things to see. Just avoid the tourist traps like Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
> 
> Sheila


 
Asheville NC is a real treat.  Drum night in the downtown area is not to be missed.  Likewise, the champagne bookstore, Biltmore, art etc...

I vote for Nashville, Asheville, Ohio, St Louis, Chicago.


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## ace2000 (Feb 19, 2016)

I don't know if you're interested in this type of thing, but you may want to check out the Mississippi River cruises.  You could take them all the way down to New Orleans, if you had the time.  Otherwise, it's a great way to visit the heart of America!


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## SandyPGravel (Feb 19, 2016)

I have a somewhat biased opinion, but Wisconsin is beautiful.  (Although September is a month too early for fall colors.)  Our state capitol is gorgeous if you are into that sort of thing.  I vote for St. Louis and Nashville, both are easily drive-able from Chicago.  South Dakota and Mount Rushmore are not too far out if you are interested.  If you opt for Nashville, Memphis is another option, great music and food.  Check out the baseball and football schedules for any city you might be headed to, both will effect hotel prices and volumes of people in the area.


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## taterhed (Feb 19, 2016)

SandyPGravel said:


> I have a somewhat biased opinion, but Wisconsin is beautiful. (Although September is a month too early for fall colors.) Our state capitol is gorgeous if you are into that sort of thing. I vote for St. Louis and Nashville, both are easily drive-able from Chicago. South Dakota and Mount Rushmore are not too far out if you are interested. If you opt for Nashville, Memphis is another option, great music and food. Check out the baseball and football schedules for any city you might be headed to, both will effect hotel prices and volumes of people in the area.



Geeze.  How could I omit Memphis.  X2 on that.

 This might be a long trip..... :>


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## BocaBoy (Feb 19, 2016)

hudshut said:


> Friends of ours from the UK, would like ideas/advice on places to visit in the Central US during September. They are first visiting friends in Boston, and then....
> 
> "We would fly from Boston to either Detroit or Chicago, and do some traveling, for which we have 25 days free.  We are thinking of starting on the road from 4th September until 30th September. It would have to be a circular trip, starting and ending at the same place.
> 
> ...


Flying into Chicago (one of the country's great cities) and doing a loop through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois would be a fabulous trip based on the desires expressed by the OP.  You could spend a fabulous week in Chicago and maybe 3 days in Minneapolis/St. Paul as part of this 25-day excursion.


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## Suesue1738 (Feb 20, 2016)

*West Virginia!*

I second the motion to take in West Virginia....it is beautiful!  My husband was born and raised there.  As a couple, we have always lived in Texas.  Several years ago, we took our sons to West Virginia for a week, rented a cabin in the woods (very remote), went hiking through the woods, white-water rafting, etc.  it is just gorgeous!  Nothing like a soft, West Virginia rain,too, pattering on the rooftop....very relaxing.


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## taterhed (Feb 20, 2016)

Suesue1738 said:


> I second the motion to take in West Virginia....it is beautiful! My husband was born and raised there. As a couple, we have always lived in Texas. Several years ago, we took our sons to West Virginia for a week, rented a cabin in the woods (very remote), went hiking through the woods, white-water rafting, etc. it is just gorgeous! Nothing like a soft, West Virginia rain,too, pattering on the rooftop....very relaxing.


 
If you're adventuresome, I x2 the whitewater rafting in WV.  It's really top-notch, but it's simply a tourist attraction (if the water is up)--it's the real deal.  Very exciting.


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## csxjohn (Feb 20, 2016)

trevm77UK said:


> Thank you Conan.
> I'll spend some time checking out your links. Thanks for your time.
> 
> Trevor
> ...



I've been in Cleveland for 68 years and have not seen everything yet so don't believe anyone who tells you there may be little to do and see. 

Conan has some excellent places in his post.  Our lakefront parks are wonderful and you can tour the USS Cod, a WWII submarine.  So much more in the surrounding areas and cities such as music, museums, cultural events, sports, nature.

Let me know if your plans bring you this way and I'll give you some specifics.


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## flexible (Feb 20, 2016)

SunLover2 said:


> Wait a minute! Flying into Chicago is an absolutely fabulous idea. Chicago has beautiful weather in September and there is a lot to do there - art, sports, history, water, sky scrapers!
> Then get yourself to Minnesota! by plane - easy / by car - no problem. You can see the MSP/St Paul area and take some time Up North! Go to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area or any lake area to enjoy the beauty of 10,000 Lakes. Even see Lake Superior to add to the Lake Tour (if you were in Chicago for Lake Michigan). You could drive Hwy 2 East to Mackinac Island, Michigan too.
> With that kind of time (25 days!) you could see a lot of beautiful country!



http://www.grandhotel.com is where we'd like to stay in Mackinac Island


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## MichaelColey (Feb 21, 2016)

MichaelColey said:


> What types of things are the wanting to see and do?





trevm77UK said:


> You will see from my previous replies, we have travelled much of the USA. Mainly, we like sightseeing (scenery) and experiencing the different local cultures. We don't like to sit on an Insterstate for hours, just to say we've been there. For example, we loved Monument Valley, which took us an age to get through. And last year , we did Route 66 from Santa Fe (NM) to Santa Monica, which took us the best part of 12 days. Hope I've given you a feel for what we like.
> 
> Trevor



Perfect explanation.  And that's exactly why I asked.  There's so many different things to focus on when you travel -- scenery, sporting events, shopping, theme parks, hiking/outdoors, museums, historical sites, food, etc.  Knowing what you're interested in helps give better suggestions.

While there are many Midwest locations I would recommend for shopping (Chicago, Mall of America, etc.), theme parks (Sandusky), hiking/outdoors (all over!), museums (Chicago, St. Louis), historical sites (Mississippi River and more), and food (Chicago!), I can't think of any scenic sites that would compare to Monument Valley or the Rockies.  I'm sure there are some, but that's seldom our focus when we travel, so I don't have any to suggest.

From Chicago, you would be at the other end of Route 66, so that might be interesting to you, but that drive through Illinois is anything but scenic (corn field, corn field, corn field, exit that goes nowhere, corn field, corn field, corn field, exit that goes nowhere).


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## SkyBlueWaters (Feb 22, 2016)

Chicago is fun. I live here. Architecture, arts, culture, food, beach, Navy Pier, SHOPPING, museums galore, boating/sailing on Lake Michigan--just all around best city in the world in terms of modern skyscrapers, city planning and architecture. Highly recommend the Architectural boat tour out of Navy Pier.

As for the surrounding areas, other posters have given great ideas. Wisconsin for outdoor adventures, Michigan for Mackinac Island and Traverse City, St. Louis, Missouri has interesting features as well.


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## trevm77UK (Feb 22, 2016)

To everyone. I'm gobsmacked by all the replies to my question ( via my friend). I appreciate so much the time you folks have given to my question, and the help you have all given me. So many pointers !

So it's onwards to the drawing board as to what we do on our visit. It is looking like the starting place is definitely Chicago. Whilst we have been there before, we loved it. That won't be a hardship going back.

My wife and I love the USA, and the American people. Which is why we bought into WorldMark a few years back now, and making good use of it!

Thank you all very much.


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## taterhed (Feb 22, 2016)

trevm77UK said:


> To everyone. I'm gobsmacked by all the replies to my question ( via my friend). I appreciate so much the time you folks have given to my question, and the help you have all given me. So many pointers !
> 
> So it's onwards to the drawing board as to what we do on our visit. It is looking like the starting place is definitely Chicago. Whilst we have been there before, we loved it. That won't be a hardship going back.
> 
> ...



Really, we yanks appreciate the kind words.  

We couldn't have done it without you!  (Or with you )
(Thats American sarcasm)


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