Where to take a short and sweet sisters' trip west of the Mississippi?
June 20, 2024 10:03 PM Subscribe
My two sisters and I are looking forward to taking our first trip together in October but are feeling overwhelmed by all the options. Please help us narrow it down!
The three of us (all in our mid-to-late 30s) have finally made the stars align such that we'll be taking our first trip, just the three of us, this fall, sans husbands and kids. One of us is in the Bay Area; the other two are in the Twin Cities (MN). We have a very specific and limited timeframe: October 17-20.
We are all progressives who love bookstores and yummy food and drinks (alcoholic and otherwise). One of us loves hiking, camping, and the outdoors; the other two are more "nature appreciators" who like seeing beautiful natural sights for a while and then retiring to a comfortable hotel room (and are generally more inclined toward taking a trip to a cool town/city rather than a national park). Two of us have small children, one of us has a very demanding job, and we.are.all.tired.
It would be amazing to get any and all suggestions about where we could meet up for our brief trip, given the staggering number of options. General criteria:
- Somewhere in the US roughly between California and Minnesota (doesn't need to be equidistant; just not, say, NYC or Florida)
- Accessible via major airlines and then ideally a 2-hour-drive max (we can rent a car)
- Not hot and humid (at least in October)
- Access to nature in some form (could be a national park, could be a fun town/city with cool nature therein/nearby)
- Lodging that is not wildly expensive (not bare bones but not extravagant luxury)
So grateful for any ideas you might have!
The three of us (all in our mid-to-late 30s) have finally made the stars align such that we'll be taking our first trip, just the three of us, this fall, sans husbands and kids. One of us is in the Bay Area; the other two are in the Twin Cities (MN). We have a very specific and limited timeframe: October 17-20.
We are all progressives who love bookstores and yummy food and drinks (alcoholic and otherwise). One of us loves hiking, camping, and the outdoors; the other two are more "nature appreciators" who like seeing beautiful natural sights for a while and then retiring to a comfortable hotel room (and are generally more inclined toward taking a trip to a cool town/city rather than a national park). Two of us have small children, one of us has a very demanding job, and we.are.all.tired.
It would be amazing to get any and all suggestions about where we could meet up for our brief trip, given the staggering number of options. General criteria:
- Somewhere in the US roughly between California and Minnesota (doesn't need to be equidistant; just not, say, NYC or Florida)
- Accessible via major airlines and then ideally a 2-hour-drive max (we can rent a car)
- Not hot and humid (at least in October)
- Access to nature in some form (could be a national park, could be a fun town/city with cool nature therein/nearby)
- Lodging that is not wildly expensive (not bare bones but not extravagant luxury)
So grateful for any ideas you might have!
Best answer: If none of you have been, Flagstaff + grand canyon?
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 3:58 AM on June 21 [1 favorite]
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 3:58 AM on June 21 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Seconding Santa Fe. As a Twin Cities progressive foodie bookstore and nature lover, I loved it. A little annoying to get to since flights in to Albuquerque from here are mostly inconvenient, but I'm a direct flight princess...
posted by advicepig at 6:13 AM on June 21 [1 favorite]
posted by advicepig at 6:13 AM on June 21 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Colorado, specifically Estes Park near Rocky Mountain NP. You can drive around and then do small hikes.
posted by soelo at 7:06 AM on June 21 [1 favorite]
posted by soelo at 7:06 AM on June 21 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Portland Oregon and the Columbia River Gorge seem like a good fit if you don’t mind some rain!
posted by alygator at 12:43 PM on June 21
posted by alygator at 12:43 PM on June 21
Best answer: Fly to Phoenix, drive up to Sedona. The weather will be lovely, the red rocks are stunning to look at whether or not you want to hike, and Sedona is a funky, weird place where you can have some good food, check out little shops, and enjoy nice hotels for relaxing.
Fly to Denver, drive the short distance to Boulder for a slightly bigger city to explore than Sedona. Hiking in the Flatirons is an option, or you could do a day trip to Brainard Lakes or RMNP (via Estes Park as suggested above). In Boulder, Pearl St is fun for hanging out/shopping/eating. Go to the cool tea house, book stores, breweries.
Fly to ABQ, drive up to Taos to stay. Enjoy great art and artisan shops in town, do a drive to some historic sites nearby, hike in the desert or the mountains if you want.
posted by luzdeluna at 10:27 PM on June 21 [1 favorite]
Fly to Denver, drive the short distance to Boulder for a slightly bigger city to explore than Sedona. Hiking in the Flatirons is an option, or you could do a day trip to Brainard Lakes or RMNP (via Estes Park as suggested above). In Boulder, Pearl St is fun for hanging out/shopping/eating. Go to the cool tea house, book stores, breweries.
Fly to ABQ, drive up to Taos to stay. Enjoy great art and artisan shops in town, do a drive to some historic sites nearby, hike in the desert or the mountains if you want.
posted by luzdeluna at 10:27 PM on June 21 [1 favorite]
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Accessible via major airlines and then ideally a 2-hour-drive max
~1hr from ABQ
- Not hot and humid (at least in October)
mountain desert "land of enchantment" [nm.gov]
posted by HearHere at 10:58 PM on June 20 [4 favorites]