Help picking vacation destination

[ronandannette]

You might be surprised at how temperate the San Diego area is, even in summer. There's lots to do in the city; the amazing San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, Balboa Park, the beach if you like. Lots of variety in terms of accommodations and dining. We love it down there.

 

[Frwinkley]

Canadian Rockies...Calgary, Banff, Jasper. We too are from the east coast. As a teacher, I only vacation in the summer. Cannot stand being hot...Canadian Rockies were perfect! By far, one of our best trips ever.

 

[monsterkitty]

My dream trip right now is a tour Philadelphia, Boston, NYC, and then DC. It's the historical aspect that I want.

Hawaii: Split your time between 2 or 3 islands.

California: Start in San Diego, drive up to Newport Beach/Anaheim, then go up to San Francisco.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

The Black Hills? It is really incredible. A nice mix for everyone. One of my favorite spots in the US (and I've been a TON of places in the US).

I 2nd this recommendation. Love it there as well. A great mix of nature and commercialized tourist attractions.

 

[starvenger]

Or how about Vancouver or Banff?
Pacific Northwest?

Lake Louise and Banff. Best vacation we ever did.

Agree with these. Calgary/Banff/Lake Louise/Jasper is a good trip where it's not too hot.

Vancouver can get hot but you can also visit Whistler and Vancouver Island.

 

[ncc1701]

You might be surprised at how temperate the San Diego area is, even in summer. There's lots to do in the city; the amazing San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, Balboa Park, the beach if you like. Lots of variety in terms of accommodations and dining. We love it down there.

San Diego and maybe Maine are my suggestions. If it was mid-June or mid- September I would recommend the Jersey shore . But in July the weather can be anywhere from upper 70s to upper 90s with varying humidity . Sometimes in the same week which we have experienced multiple times.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Normally I would agree but OP said they don’t like heat and Toronto can be surprisingly hot and humid mid-July

Anyplace "can be" surprisingly hot. Given how far north Toronto is on this continent, you just eliminated the entire eastern half of the U.S. and Canada.

 

[bcla]

Anyplace "can be" surprisingly hot. Given how far north Toronto is on this continent, you just eliminated the entire eastern half of the U.S. and Canada.

There is something called "weather" of course. There's no account for why some place that averages highs in the 80s in summer is all of a sudden cooler, or why some place expected to be in the 70s just hit the 90s.

Yellowstone was mentioned. I went once in June. There was still snow on the ground in some places and the staff were saying that they had a sudden snow flurry the previous week. But then it was in the low 80s and I was wearing shorts. Then one afternoon it just rained hard for a hour straight. This was all within a week. Any place can have atypical weather for the location.

 

[mommasita]

Normally I would agree but OP said they don’t like heat and Toronto can be surprisingly hot and humid mid-July

I totally agree. I’m in Montreal, and people can hardly believe the Hot and HUMID summers. TO is identical.

 

[mommasita]

Canadian Rockies...Calgary, Banff, Jasper. We too are from the east coast. As a teacher, I only vacation in the summer. Cannot stand being hot...Canadian Rockies were perfect! By far, one of our best trips ever.

This would be my pick !!

 

[dish rag]

Bar Harbor.

 

[holden]

Agree with these. Calgary/Banff/Lake Louise/Jasper is a good trip where it's not too hot.

Vancouver can get hot but you can also visit Whistler and Vancouver Island.

we went to Lake Louise/Banff last August and the weather was great. Not what I would consider hot al all. Probably 75/80 with cool dry air. It was definitely my kind of weather!

 

[nkereina]

1. Niagara Falls / Toronto. It can be in the 80s in July, but we are also near Lake Ontario which helps keep it a bit cooler than more in-land areas. Niagara Falls Canada has a unique tourist area called Clifton Hill with lots of kitschy things to do (haunted houses, wax museums, mini golf, etc.). There's also a few "resort" areas just across the border on Lake Ontario where there are tons of rental cottages if you're at all interested in the beach or the lake (Crystal Beach, Sherkston Shores). Toronto has the hockey hall of fame if the kids are hockey fans. The Toronto Zoo is also amazing, and we love the African Lion Safari which isn't too far from Toronto. Just outside Toronto is also Canada's Wonderland amusement park.

2. Thousand Islands, NY (Alexandria Bay). Great town on the St. Lawrence River, which helps keep temperatures cooler. Boat tours and water activities. Tons of cottage rentals around. Fun to watch the freight ships come in on the river. Cooperstown is about a 3 hour drive, home of the baseball hall of fame. Montreal and Lake Placid are also under a 3 hour drive.

 

[MamaLema]

Anyplace "can be" surprisingly hot. Given how far north Toronto is on this continent, you just eliminated the entire eastern half of the U.S. and Canada.

Yes I guess I did. OP says their family doesn’t like heat so I am going by that.
I agree with other posters who suggest Banff/Jasper or San Diego

 

[tzolkin]

Fly to Portland Oregon, stay for a night, visit mt hood, then drive along the Columbia rover visiting waterfalls, to the coast, and end up in canon beach for a few days. I’m from Chicago. oregon is one of my favorite places in the world. Spectacular scenery. And the coast line is fantastic.

or fly to Seattle. rent a car and drive to Anacortes to catch the ferry through the San Juan’s. Stop at Friday island for a night or two. continue on to Vancouver island. stay in Victoria, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And drive around Vancouver island.

Would you mind expanding a bit on your suggestions? (Or message me if you don't think it applies to everyone in the thread.) We are planning a trip to the NW this summer and I have just started looking into things we will want to do. We are planning to hit WA, OR, and N Calif, so the list I started is already way too long so I'll need to figure out how to prioritize what we will most enjoy. Our two best friends live in Olympia and Portland so we are going to stop and visit them while we are out there, but haven't figured out what else we want to see. The kids (14 & 16) would like to see Seattle and Portland for a day or so just to check them out and say they've been, but we are more "outdoorsy" so we're really more interested in experiencing the landscape, going to some parks, and checking out smaller towns, breweries, etc.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yes I guess I did. OP says their family doesn’t like heat so I am going by that.
I agree with other posters who suggest Banff/Jasper or San Diego

Western Canada, sure. But San Diego for someone who doesn't like heat, over Toronto?

Weather history for Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Average temperature
July
82 / 62 °F
Record temps
97° / 46° F
Avg rainfall
3.54 in
Snow
0 days
===
Weather history for San Diego, California
Average temperature
July
88 / 67 °F
Record temps
109° / 59° F
Avg rainfall
0.12 in
Snow
0 days
===
Weather history for Banff, Alberta, Canada
Average temperature
July
70 / 45 °F
Record temps
89° / 30° F
Avg rainfall
2.44 in
Snow
0 days

 

[bcla]

I totally agree. I’m in Montreal, and people can hardly believe the Hot and HUMID summers. TO is identical.

Seems kind of unfair. Frigid winters. Hot, humid summers. But much of the upper midwest US is like that.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Hawaii: Split your time between 2 or 3 islands.

As much as we enjoy Hawaii, Maui was hot and humid when we were there in July.

San Francisco is usually cool. Love Maine.

 

[Darcy03231]

I live in the lakes region area of NH and have family in Maine. Mid-July can be hot & humid in these areas too. In fact, we did a trip to Acadia when they had record high temps. If you're traveling during the summer months you really can't rule hot humid weather out wherever you go.

 

[China Expat]

I second Canada...Vancouver, Banff, Victoria, Quebec, Ottawa.