Random thoughts, imho........I would say that JULY is the most popular vacation time in America------it's when most everyone takes the traditional "family" vacation.
The reason: kids are out of school! and that's the ONLY reason, because anywhere in or below TN it's dreadfully hot and humid.
(Of course it can get very hot above TN, too......the worst for us was a July 4th vacation in Williamsburg, VA....horrible..... but generally it's below TN
that it's a guaranteed "very hot and humid".)
You can get lucky and it'll be in the upper 80s, but mostly it's somewhere in the 90s, many times approaching 100.
Being able to jump into some nearby water, whether the ocean or a pool, is about the only thing that makes it tolerable.
That said, our family, too, has a history of taking vacations in summer----mostly June when the temps are slightly lower, but still hot.
The Fourth of July holiday allows many families to use the holiday to their advantage, but they must suffer the heat nonetheless. We NEVER do July 4th.
For "drivable" destinations, where does everyone go? Typically Florida.......then other beaches along the East coast...anywhere from North Carolina down to Miami.
But Florida can be a long way to travel for Northerners, so now (since the 70s, 80s, and 90s) they've discovered South Carolina, particularly Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach.
I honestly believe someday Hilton Head will sink
----the traffic has become a real nuisance----but that may be true for any nice destination nowadays.
We just returned from 2 weeks at Hilton Head with kids and grandchildren (ages 3 and 1)......it was awesome but it was hot and humid.
Luckily our temps were only in the 86 range, the next week after returning home it averaged 95. Lucky us.
Everybody enjoy.
