Guys,


I'm planning a vacation trip to US. i will probably have 2-3 weeks.
Need some advice from you about sightseeing places, towns to spend more time...
Planning to go with wife and son (5 years old). So mainly focused for zoo, disneyland, funparks etc.

Please feel free to comment anything. Adding Restaurants, hotels advises are welcome.

So here is the original plan:

1. Arrive at Miami, rent a mustang, spend 2 days
places to visit - Vizcaya, Ocean drive, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
What to do - Swimming, shopping?,

1.5 Cape Coral????SunSplash Water Park??

2. Move to St Petersburg, spend 1 day
places to visit -The Hands-On Museum, The Pier, Ybor City, Boyd Hill Nature Park
What to do - Swimming, shopping?

3. Orlando, spend 1-2 days
places to visit - Walt Disney World, SeaWorld Orlando.What to do - Sightseeing, shopping?,

4. Jacksonville 1 day
places to visit - Bryan Gooding Planetarium, Jacksonville Zoo and GardensWhat to do - Sightseeing, shopping?,

5. Tallahassee 1 day
places to visit -Tallahassee Antique Car Museum, Florida Museum of History
What to do - Sightseeing, shopping?,

6. New Orleans 1 day
places to visit -???
What to do - Sightseeing, shopping?,

7. Houston 1 day
places to visit -Downtown Aquarium...
What to do - Sightseeing, shopping?,

8. Austin 1-2 days
places to visit -Austin zoo, Salt LIck BBQ(Driftwood)
What to do - Sightseeing, shopping?

9. Los Angeles 3 days
places to visit - Disneyland, Cars Land...
What to do - Sightseeing, swimming

10. New York 2 days
places to visit - Central PArk...
What to do - Sightseeing, shoppingThank you all in advance.

 

That's a pretty hefty trip!

Go check out Bourbon Street in New Orleans, its kind of what New Orleans is known for, and definitely try out the Cajun cuisine down there.

 

For Houston:

The Museum of Natural History (http://www.hmns.org) is something I would strongly suggest. It has in it the Cockrell Butterfly Center, IMAX of various movies, the Burke Baker Planetarium, The Challenger Learning Center, and several exhibits all in one place. Also, Hermann Park, the Hermann Park Train, and the Houston Zoo (and its aquarium!) are all in the same area, and easily walkable, and there may even be something going on at the Miller Outdoor Theatre you might be interested in. The Centennial Gardens aren't open yet, but soon(tm). And if you can squeeze it in, the golf course is right there too.

Other things is Kemah Boardwalk and nearby Nasa/Space Center Houston on the other side of Clear Lake. The Boardwalk is pretty nifty, as is the Downtown Aquarium, but the one thing about those is it's not as long an experience as you'd think. The Aquarium, the train, and then a couple of rides and... now what do you do? Move on to... where? It's nice, don't get me wrong, but... short.

Which is why I'd send you to Hermann Park and all it's stuff instead.

If you can swing it, though, The Lone Star Flight Museum, Moody Gardens and Schlitterbahn in Galveston is another destination troika you might consider.

And for shopping? Well, The Galleria and the area around it. You can go NUTS there. Also, there's a new little center at San Felipe and 610 that's got a lotta upscale shops. Woodlands Mall has quite a few interesting things, and a boat. All up and down I-10 from West Loop 610 to West Beltway 8, there is a ton of stuff there. Memorial City, Town and Country Center, The Marquee (more entertainment/food/shopping, but it counts) the Antique Center of Texas, and quite a few others. Just drive around, bam, shopping trip of some sort.

Hotels and restauraunts I don't much have a lot of help for, as I am a cheap bastidge. Maybe one of the other Houstonians will speak up on those, but I'm betting anything in the Galleria would be a good move... Use one of them thar intarweb review thingys maybe.

Sounds like a grand trip though! Have a great time!

/Oooh, look at me using 'troika' semi-correctly without having to look it up...
//I then looked it up to be sure.. Heh.

 

Alaska is not on the list. You haven't lived until you been salmon fishing in AK.

 

Thanks, i have a lot of Alaska around here...i think. We've got temp around 5F and 12inch of snow coming more today. Considering fishing - come to Astrakhan i will give you a tour and plenty of emotions. How about a catfish strong enough to pull you off a boat? To eat plenty of Russia Caviar (black one) price is around 150$ for 125gr officially and half price without documents.

Thank you very much for your directions!!! Those places you have mentioned, surely are interesting, i will try to visit all of them.
"troika" - the meaning is ok, but is used mainly for horses))

Cajun cuisine? Sounds delicious!




How about San Fran? Is it worth adding it now, reducing time in LA and NY??

 

As for New Orleans, The Zoo is one of the best in the country. Riverwalk in downtown N.O. has lots of shopping and sights. A Riverboat ride might be fun too. Aquarium of the Americas is right there and it is spectacular. A walking tour of the French Quarter is in order and Bourbon Street is very ... colorful. Just don't bring your child down there after dark, it gets very "Adult."

In between Tallahassee and New Orleans is Pensacola, FL - home of the US Naval Aviation Museum and NAS Pensacola - home of the Blue Angels.

Just West of that is Mobile, AL - and Bellingrath Gardens, an outstanding botanical attraction.

 

Well, I did say 'semi-correctly'.

You're welcome, and I hope you have a good time no matter what you do here!

 

I would skip Jacksonville and spend one or two more days at Disney. Jacksonville from what I hear gets scarier by the day.

 

I'm with Glenn. Try St. Augustine right down the road from Jacksonville where I live! It's a beautiful place! I can post photos if you like!! There are decent places in Jax.
Way better than Jax and Daytona, plus it's the oldest city in the US! Lots of historic stuff like the big fort in the middle of town called El Castillo de San Marcos, plus St. George street, a walking street made of coquina full of shops, restaurants and all kinds of stuff.

We have an Alligator Farm that's a big hit with zip lines and all kinds of animals and reptiles, the Ripley's believe it or not museum and a bunch of other things

 

Here are a few photos around St. Aug

 

WoW. You are lucky living in such a beatiful place!!!

I like the city looking at these photos of yours. Probably it's starting from the time Englishmen established a Fort? History is still in the air, heh?


Surely i will make a stop there!!!!

By the way ... Who's nice ride is pictured there?

 

It's her (lalayla's) car, and I believe it was the Spaniards that established St. Augustine (correct me if I'm wrong, Floridians). St. Aug is a really nice place to visit.

 

When are you actually taking this trip?


Austin, Texas

Circuit of the Americas

MotoGP = April 19-21
Australian V8 Supercar = May 17-19
Formula 1 = November 15-17


Or, if you're wanting to spend a lot of money....


http://racelandadventure.com/ride-drive/

 

I'm planning smth around second half of June or first half of July.

That Racetrack is awesome!!!

But i'd rather visit some ordinary dragstrip - we don't have any normal dragstrip in Russia and number of legal drag racing is smth around zero.
We have only unlim500 on abondoned military training camp outside Moscow.

And it is interesting to see how it should be and how it is in US.
Maybe i can meet with someone to visit this kind of place, because i think it will be somth mindblowing for me.




Thank you all for the advises, i will surely have a stop at St. Augustine!!!



P.S. By the way anyone planning to visit NY auto show???

 

Every Friday they have Legal Street Racing at the Royal Purple Raceway in Houston.


http://www.royalpurpleraceway.com/

 

I also recommend skipping Jacksonville for St. Augustine. I have so much fun when I visit my sister there. Or you could stop for a while at Canaveral and go to the Kennedy Space Center.

 

Oh, dragstrip? Well.. Houston's got three of them about. The big one in Baytown, Royal Purple Raceway, then there's one Houston Motorsports Park in NE Houston, and then there's one in Sealy, the Lonestar Motorsports Park. Check 'em out if you can!

 

So finally i have received approval for a 2 weeks vacation from my management.
That is why I will leave California for my next trip and focuse this time mainly on Florida (including St.Aug).
And by this i have purchased tickets - arrival to Miami on 25th of May, leave from Austin to NYC on th 5th of June, and leaving NYC back to Moscow on the 8th of June.

 

Wow that's going to be a great trip, action packed for sure. Id say check out one of the aquariums, there's great ones in most of the major city's you'll be hitting but the one in Atlanta ga is the best of the best. It's something to see

 

Oh hey....

Since you're going to be in both the Austin and Houston areas, make sure you spend one day enjoying Schlitterbahn.

The one in New Braunfels, just outside Austin has been voted the best waterpark in the world for 10 years straight. The other one at Galveston Island just outside of Houston is also very nice.