Done-
- Lately we've been doing an annual trip to New Orleans
- mind you we live in TX, so this is convenient for us, but we like to go to the Hill Country- lots of neat little places between San Antonio & Austin
- We're stopping in Biloxi on our way back from WDW in AUgust and looking to add that to our regular rotation.
Horizon/Wish List
- Alaska...as nice as the cruises are, I want to fly into Anchorage and drive up to Denali for half of the trip and then down to Kenai Fjords for the other half- supposed to do this a few years ago, but had 3 major house problems that ate the $
- Australia...DH and I both want to do this...I must dive the Great Barrier reef + I want to do a great white shark cage dive
- Scotch, castle and Golf tour in Scotland...pretty self explanatory
- the violence scares me too much right now, but Israel, Egypt and Jordan are on my bucket list
New Orleans! We lived in the area for 12 years. Soooo spoiled to good food now. We like to go back and visit friends and revisit our old haunts. Biloxi, too. This is all part of the country where we grew up. It's fun to go back to NO & Mississippi and remember the good ol' days. We also like to see how things have changed since the storm. I have tons of pics from post-storm stored. Very wild time in our lives.
The Hill Country is gorgeous!!! The Hyatt out near Sea World is so nice. Love it. In fact, that's where we evacuated to when we had to leave for Gustav in 2008. I was only 2 days post-surgery. I wasn't supposed to get in water but we rigged waterproof bandages so I could load up on muscle relaxers and float down that lazy river. Sooooo niiiiiiice. We're hoping to get back out that way and try some of the restaurants we've seen on Man vs. Food. I gotta try one of those giganto cinammon rolls!
Alaska! Back in the 80s my grandparents took a train from Fairbanks down thru Denali and all. A friend of ours took his family to do it just a few years ago. Both say it's the most amazing thing they've ever done.
Australia! Reminds me of when Brian came home from his last day of Kindergarten and I asked him where he wanted to go for vacation that summer. I was expecting "Nana's House" or "Disney World". His response was, "Australia!" I almost died! When I asked him why he said, "I want to go see Steve at his house at his zoo." Brian was such a huge Croc Hunter fan. When Steve died he cried and cried. That was his hero. I still have the sweet letter he wrote to Terri Irwin around here somewhere. Poor little guy.
Tracey went to Scottland when he was 12. He wants to take me over there so bad. He says the colors of green are like nothing he's ever seen. And he tells me not to expect castles to be like Cinderella's on the inside because they're not. :lol:
My dad is 23 year Navy veteran and has been all over the world. I asked him once what was the best place he's ever been, which he enjoyed most. He said the Middle East. Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, etc. He's a huge history buff to begin with. He loved the Middle East a lot. Wish it was safe to travel there.
Williamsburg - we spent a week there last Thanksgiving and did Busch Gardens.
Anywhere else in FL - I was born there and I have loads of family so I've done the east coast of the state.
So I know I might be nuts - but Vegas scares me! Ha! I know! I'm so silly.
As for Europe, I've done England and Ireland. But I would love to do more of it. The hubby and I are thinking that trip will be for maybe a 10 year anniversary or something.
I agree, it does not always have to be Disney. But because we have so much fun there, we kind of default to it. But I miss experiencing something for the first time. Going exploring and on an adventure. With Disney - its so much fun and I love it but I know it inside and out. There is always new stuff to do and try there, but I am excited to try and do something new. Hmmmm...
Oh! My dad was stationed in Norfolk (again) when I was 12-13. We spent summers with him there and went to Busch Gardens. We're talking like 25 years ago, but I remember BG being very beautiful. And the roller coasters were fun. Is it still as pretty as I remember???? I've actually given thought to taking the boys up there.
If you get the chance, Pensacola, Florida is a great place to visit. I've been to the Smithsonian's Air & Space Museum and was quite disappointed because the Naval Air Museum on NAS Pensacola sets the bar so high. That museum is amaaaaazing! I was just there a couple weekends ago to see the new additions. The Blue Angels were practicing while we were there (NAS P'Cola is their home base and their strip/hanger is right next to the museum). It was so much fun. Heck, when I lived in Pensacola I'd go out to the museum just to be there. I never get tired of it. Such an incredible place. The museum is free of charge. The IMax & some of the simulators cost money to do. The beaches on the panhandle are something to see. They're so beautiful. I'm not a beachy girl either. I like to go in the cooler months and just walk in the early morning. :animwink:
I'm nutty with you. Vegas holds absolutely no appeal to me. I hate to gamble. When I put my money into a machine and it doesn't come out I get really angry. Playing cards for money is absolutely nerve-racking. If I don't get my money back I get mad. I'd like to see the shows but then for that kind of $$ I think I'd rather go see some shows on Broadway.
Europe. I've always wanted to go to Ireland (obviously...I'm redheaded, freckled, w/maiden name that starts with O'). I want to see soooo much in Europe, tho. Amsterdam, Austria, Italy, etc. etc. And I've always aaaaalways wanted to go to Russia. I want to see St. Petersburg and Moscow so bad. I've wanted to see those places since I was in grade school and we learned about the Soviet Union.
I know just how you feel. I want to see & do new stuff, too. WDW is a great go-to. There's always so much to do. My newest thing is to seek out Disney stuff I haven't done before. That gives me my "new" and my Disney fix together. This year we're trying our first cruise w/a 3-day Dream cruise. Our WDW portions of our vacation are both at new-to-us resorts. Next year we're booked on a 6-night Wonder cruise from Vancouver (never been there) to L.A. w/a 2-day stop in San Fran (kids & I have never been to California). We're hoping to add 3 or 4 days at Disneyland post-cruise to give us a new-to-us Disney park fix. It should be fun. After we do DL in California our next goal is to hit Tokyo Disney. Those parks are supposed to be so far superior to the US parks. Now
that will be an adventure! :wave:
We also would like to go to Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon. I want to take the kids back to Washington DC because they don't remember being there. Plus, it was so unGodly hot when we were there we didn't get to do as much as we wanted to. When we went to the 4th of July fireworks on the National Mall it was so hot we stripped Brian down to just his diaper. It was sooooo miserable. Heck, the Vietnam Memorial at midnight was still over 100 degrees. Ick!
Been to Niagara Falls for bro-in-law's wedding. Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada was pretty. I don't know that I'd go back just because I have a bad taste for that little smidge of the family. ((Every family has that annoying little thorn, doesn't it?)) Plus, I grew quite weary of hearing about the "Stupid Americans". I do think it'd be cool to see the falls in the winter, tho. Maybe we could go unannounced...sneak in and back out without talking to anyone outside the border agents. :lol:
