Your Favorite Vacation Spots Other Than Disneyland?

[Model3 McQueen]

A couple of days ago I found myself in Tuscon, Arizona, visiting the Pima Air & Space Museum to celebrate a certain family milestone. To my surprise, they had over 200 aircraft including an A-10 warthog, B-17 "flying fortress", and most intriguingly - the second SR-71 Blackbird ever made. Although Tuscon is the furthest from my favorite place to visit, this museum is totally worth the trip. (Check out some of the pics I took below!)

That being said, I've mentioned a few times before that I've been wary (now on the edge) regarding Disney, TDA, leadership decisions and what they've been doing with the parks. I've spent my young / young adult life being content with vacationing only at Disney, and now since around 2016 my desire has been sharply dying, so i'm reaching out to all of you to seek some alternatives. I currently have a list going which includes:

California State Railroad Museum - I've heard it's possibly the best railroad museum in the country. Just have to wait til it opens.
Knott's Berry Farm - It'd be a new experience, plus I can't argue with the ticket price
Smithsonian Museum of American History - Again, one of the best of its kind so I've heard.
Orlando / Jupiter / Palm Beach / Miami - Anywhere that's near a beach and has good food
USS Missouri & USS Arizona - Because I like to be humbled as well

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and I have no desire to go there. I also feel like I know the Phoenix area in and out so unless we have something here that's "one of the best in the country / world" that I don't know about, i'd like to avoid local spots as well.

The ultimate goal is to find places I can visit for a day or over that would be just as fun, if not more-so, than Disney at a price that wouldn't shake my next month's due mortgage payment.

So tell me, what're your favorite vacation spots that don't include the mouse? Don't be shy to share some pictures!

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Universal Orlando is the best!

 

[Model3 McQueen]

Universal Orlando is the best!

The last time I was in a Universal park was in Hollywood over 10 years ago and the only thing I remember enjoying was Jurassic Park! But I forget Universal Orlando is considered a better park, although I've never been!

 

[Californian Elitist]

I don’t consider Disneyland a vacation spot, but Rome and Italy in general is my current favorite place to vacation.

The U.S. is cool, but I’m an international traveler, through and through. The fact that we’re banned from traveling to so many places frustrates me. It’s embarrassing.

With that being said, I’m hoping to get to Carmel-by-the-Sea this year and hopefully Yosemite next year.

 

[DrAlice]

Camping at national and state parks throughout the west. Take me to a trail where there are hardly any people and I am happy.

Of course, Maui is very nice also. You know, if you're into that sort of thing.

 

[mickEblu]

Our favorites are Hawaii (3x), Cancun (3x) and Italy, specifically Sicily. Been to Kauai, Maui and Oahu. Kauai being my favorite of the 3 Hawaiian islands.

Hawaii is great as it’s a short flight, you can find great food, beautiful Culture, weather and nature.

Palermo, Sicily was awesome as I got to meet a lot of family for the first time but also because it’s just an amazing island with beautiful beaches, lots of history/ beautiful architecture and delicious street food.

There’s something special about the beaches and water in Cancun. I think my favorite beaches are there and I’ve been to a few different Caribbean islands like St. Thomas, St. John, Belize, the Bahamas and a couple others.The hospitality (and food) is great in Cancun and Mexico in general. I found the hospitality and food in the Caribbean to be lacking. Of course so much of this depends on where you go, where you stay, who you re with etc...


As far local we like to go to Vegas, Palm Springs and Santa Barbara. Yosemite was awesome. Want to go to Sequoia National park soon. Speaking of National parks, really wanna see Yellowstone one day. Sadly I haven’t seen a lot of the cities in the U.S I want to visit. New York, Chicago (went once when I was 7) and New Orleans are high on my list as well Savannah/ Georgia and Charleston. Also want to do a bucket list road trip across the country, specifically through most of the South. Still need to do the PCH road trip up the California coast too. Haven’t done that since I was a kid.

 

[smooch]

I don’t consider Disneyland a vacation spot, but Rome and Italy in general is my current favorite place to vacation.

The U.S. is cool, but I’m an international traveler, through and through. The fact that we’re banned from traveling to so many places frustrates me. It’s embarrassing.

With that being said, I’m hoping to get to Carmel-by-the-Sea this year and hopefully Yosemite next year.

I feel very lucky to have grown up in a situation where my family has been financially capable of traveling each year during summer. I would definitely agree that Rome / Italy in general is amazing to visit, my family went to Rome and Florence and it was incredible. The food was amazing, the historical sites and museums were incredibly fascinating, and if you're into wine, we went to two vineyards near Florence and travelling that whole wine country was absolutely beautiful. We also went to Czech before we went to Italy because my mom was born there and came to the US when she was 8 and she hadn't been back since then. Prague is beautiful, we did a few "tourist" locations in the city but we spent a lot of time with family in the city and in the small village she lived in, so we had a little different experience than a normal tourist there would.

Camping at national and state parks throughout the west. Take me to a trail where there are hardly any people and I am happy.

Of course, Maui is very nice also. You know, if you're into that sort of thing.

My parents have had a time share at the Westin Villas on Maui for about a decade now and we have pretty much gone at least once a year aside from last year when we traveled to Italy and Czech instead and while I loved exploring other cultures outside of the country they are definitely a little more of an "active" vacation where you're walking around all day and learning history and about other cultures, but in Maui we spend a lot more time just relaxing. We also have been to the Cayman Islands and St. John which were fun because they were still relaxing tropical vacations but there was a new sort of island life and culture to explore that was different than Maui since we have gone many times. They're different types of vacations and it just depends what you want to do, but judging from your examples @V/N McQueen I think you would be more interested in a vacation traveling and going to things like museums and learning.

Within the US I have only really been to Vegas (right outside of it) to visit family which I don't think I'd really go to on my own, casinos and such aren't my idea of fun but to each their own. I went to Connecticut to visit close family friends and we didn't do anything there like a museum or whatever, we just spent time with friends and did things like going to a hockey game / visiting local spots they enjoy. I've been to New York twice (once on a combined trip when I was like 9 where we went to WDW for the first time, and another when we were in Connecticut and took a train for a day trip) and they were a lot of fun. I would love to go back again as a grown up and experience the city more, we barely scratched the surface of activities because we were so young.

Sorry I don't have much input for stuff within the US, I would love to see more of the country throughout my life, Hopefully this input is helpful in any way, I just wanted to share my thoughts on where I've been.

 

[westie]

The wife and I do a lot of Vegas trips because we get really good deals on air and room plus it's an hour flight from the bay area. Much like WDW we really enjoy trying the different restaurants. WDW is also on our list. While we go there once a year, being former AP'ers we would do DLR at least 6 times a year. It's an hour flight as well but, we can do several Vegas trips for the price of one DLR trip.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

I’ll second/third everyone that has said you should definitely visit Italy! Rome, Florence and Venice are great. Venice is probably my favorite international city because of the uniqueness of the city with no roads, or you also have Milan and Turin in the north if you’re looking for more contemporary cities. Palermo (Sicily) is very nice as well, I just didn’t care much for Naples or Pisa to be honest.

Locally, Vegas is great for a weekend, and the rates at the Mirage, Paris, and New York New York are usually great for the quality, price, and location on the strip. In Los Angeles Getty and/or Getty Villa are nice day trips, as well as Live Steamers, the LA Zoo and Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn (near Griffith Park). I know you’re not sold on the Bay Area, but I would recommend the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio, if you haven’t been and are back in the area. Sacramento does have the Train Museum and State Capitol, my favorite local spot is probably still San Diego. Hotel Del is where I proposed to my fiancè, so I’ll confess I’m biased but it’s probably one of my favorite US cities. Perfect weather, you’ve got Gaslamp, beaches, zoos, and generally more “down to earth” people by California standards.

As far as out east both NYC and DC are great trips if you avoid the dead of summer. And yes, the Smithsonians really require a multi-day trip. Air and Space, natural history are the my personal highlights. As is a night/monument tour.

Finally, Hawaii is great. Recommend Maui and Oahu. Oahu is busy/dense but the Polynesian cultural center is fantastic and worth a visit at least once. I do think Aulani is worth checking out, even if it’s pricey (as to be expected)!

 

[Mac Tonight]

Prague.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

Thank you everyone for your input! I've read them all thoroughly and you all have great ideas. I'm a bit surprised at the amount of recommendations that require international travel - I haven't really ever thought about it, save for maybe Japan to visit Tokyo Disneysea & Hiroshima. To be frank, i'd be a little scared to travel so far away from home. It doesn't help that my confidence in learning new cultures, norms and customs are fairly low. I'll need to really save some bucks for these places as well.

I've been to Mexico (Rocky Point) and Canada (Buffalo, NY area) when I was younger. I know my dad wants to visit Italy someday, and i'm sure that'd be an amazing experience. Now it's about digging deep and finding the funds to do all of this LOL.

 

[PiratesMansion]

Japan is my favorite-beyond TDR, Kyoto is one of my favorite cities and Tokyo itself has all sorts of interesting sites too. Hiroshima is likewise a place that everyone should visit.
I've also been fortunate to visit Italy, Germany, Austria (all on HS or college choir trips), China, England, France, the Carribbean, and Canada. All have sites worth seeing and exploring.

International travel, in general, is neither as stressful nor as expensive as many people imagine. As with anything, the more you research and explore your options, the less stressful and expensive it will tend to be. Language barriers can sometimes cause difficulties, but in my experience it's mostly in your own head, and once you visit one international country, you're much better equipped to understand what you need to do/know to best experience others.

Otherwise, I'm a big park/coaster buff and that's where most of my focus still lies with travel. My favorites are:
-Silver Dollar City (Branson, MO)-the best theme park in the midwest and one of the best in the country. Well themed, lots of entertainment that changes throughout the year, great rides and food, a one hour cave tour included with admission, and many festivals/events throughout the year; in particular, their Christmas event is fantastic and one of the country's best. Unfortunately not conveniently located to many other places, which means it doesn't tend to get the numbers of visitors or amount of recognition it deserves.

-Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH)-you know this one: coaster capital of the country (yeah, SFMM has more, doesn't matter) set on a peninsula in Lake Erie. The second oldest park in the country, with a phenomenal coaster collection and a great atmosphere. And, of course, you also have the beach and all of the other lake-related activities (and surrounding islands) at your disposal.

-Kings Island (Mason, OH near Cincinnati)-Theme Park (or "theme park," if you prefer) with a large coaster collection that is aided by the terrain the park sits in and especially shines in the darkness of fall nights. Most famous as the home of the Beast, the world's longest wooden roller coaster and one of the most (in?)famous coaster rides of all time. Wonderful atmosphere in its own right. Probably the least "notable" of the parks on this list when considered objectively, but it has really grown on me over the last decade as the coasters have gotten better and the park has gotten nicer.

-Kennywood (West Mifflin, PA outside of Pittsburgh)- Another genuinely historic park that features many historic and rare rides from the past (some of which are the only surviving models) with a mix of newer attractions as well. Situated on a bluff overlooking a river, many of the coasters utilize the terrain very effectively, and all of the wooden coasters, meticulously cared for, date back in whole or in part to the 1920s. One of only two parks in the country to have been declared a National Historic Landmark.

-Knoebels (Elysburg, PA)-Perhaps the ultimate traditional amusement park. Set back in the woods of Appalachia in the middle of nowhere, Knoebels features a lot of old and rare rides that have been relocated and refurbished to run to their fullest potential. The park itself is gloriously odd, with no entrance fee or gate, cheap prices, lots of wonderfully weird signage and decorative touches, good and cheap food, and of course a wonderful collection of (mostly) vintage rides.

Honorable mentions:
-Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, TN)
-Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA)
-Knott's

 

[TP2000]

Thank you everyone for your input! I've read them all thoroughly and you all have great ideas. I'm a bit surprised at the amount of recommendations that require international travel - I haven't really ever thought about it, save for maybe Japan to visit Tokyo Disneysea & Hiroshima. To be frank, i'd be a little scared to travel so far away from home. It doesn't help that my confidence in learning new cultures, norms and customs are fairly low. I'll need to really save some bucks for these places as well.

I've been to Mexico (Rocky Point) and Canada (Buffalo, NY area) when I was younger. I know my dad wants to visit Italy someday, and i'm sure that'd be an amazing experience. Now it's about digging deep and finding the funds to do all of this LOL.

Japan is wonderful, and you'd be surprised at how easy it is to maneuver around with almost every important sign having English on it. And with the Japanese, a big smile plus one or two simple Japanese words for "please" and "thank you" is all you need to have the red carpet rolled out for you even with a language barrier. The Japanese are truly wonderful people and they love Americans! You literally can't go wrong there.

That said, a closer destination you might enjoy is one of my favorites...

The San Juan Islands and the two Boeing museums in the Seattle area.

First, there is the Seattle Museum of Flight just south of downtown Seattle that takes in all sorts of aircraft and spacecraft, whether or not it was built by William Boeing and his company; from Kitty Hawk to the Concorde and everything in between. It's an aviation geeks dream, but anyone with just a passing interest in aircraft or American history would be entertained for hours. The museum is located at the Boeing Field Airport facility just south of downtown, but Boeing has done a good job of representing the entirety of aviation instead of just Boeing products at this museum.

They also have some historic passenger planes that you can explore in addition to a Concorde, like an original 707 Air Force One, a United 727 from the swinging 60's, and the very first 747 that was used for the famous photo ops of 1969.

Home | The Museum of Flight

The Museum of Flight holds one of the largest air and space collections in the US and aims to become the foremost educational air and space museum in the world!

www.museumofflight.org

Secondly, north of Seattle about 30 minutes in the city of Everett is the incredible Boeing factory tour in an experience called the Boeing Future Of Flight. The Boeing Future Of Flight and factory tour ties for first with the Kennedy Space Center as the most impressive factory tour I have ever taken; more impressive than the Ford factory tour in Michigan, the Mercedes factory tour in Stuttgart, and vastly more polished and professional than the disastrously bad and embarrassing official guided tours I've taken at Disney World.

The Boeing Future Of Flight tour is a multi-part experience that starts in a techy theater, then turns into a bus tour across the sprawling Boeing factory airport and complex, and ends with a walking tour inside the absolutely massive building where they build all the widebody Boeing jetliners; the 747, 777, and 787. You walk along glassed-in catwalks with a guide who describes the manufacturing process as armies of workers build jetliners beneath you.

The Boeing complex in Everett is sprawling and massive, and the main factory building is the largest building in the world by volume. The place is huge and the experience takes several hours.

Attached to the tour experience, and as part of your ticket, there is also a Boeing museum that showcases the history of the Boeing company and Boeing products. Plus the obligatory museum restaurant and gift shop.

Boeing Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour 30 mi N of Seattle

One of Seattle's favorite aviation attractions. Experience the Boeing Factory Tour. Great for Events.

www.boeingfutureofflight.com

I recommend doing this Boeing Future Of Flight factory tour visit after you've visited the Museum Of Flight on the other side of town, so you can see how Boeing developed within the broader aerospace industry.

And as you are now in the northern Seattle suburbs, you are a short ferry ride from the stunning and fabulous San Juan Islands of Puget Sound. There is a ferry terminal adjacent to the Boeing factory in Mukilteo, and a major terminal further north on I-5 in Anacortes, and the Washington State Ferry System can get you all around this incredible corner of the USA. You can camp in the woods, stay in luxury resorts or modest motels, or do airbnb in hip little island towns with good dining and shopping, etc. Hiking and boating and whale watching are all available on the various islands, or you can just sit on the beach and look at the scenery. A rental car is a must, in my opinion, as it really helps to think of this as a very picturesque road trip assisted by ferry boats.

This is a rugged coast, so don't expect to lounge on the sand. But do expect to be wowed by the scenery. And do expect to eat some of the best seafood you've ever had.

The Orca whales don't perform on cue like at Sea World, but if you're patient you're bound to spot a few.

Home

Visit the San Juan Islands in northwest Washington State. World-class whale watching, kayaking, biking, hiking, farm-to-table dining, cozy lodgings. Pebbled beaches, stunning sunsets and deep green forests - the San Juan Islands are Inspiration for the Senses!

www.visitsanjuans.com

 

[DrAlice]

Shout out to Jasper National Park in Alberta. Gorgeous.

If you are near the Seattle Area: Rainier Natl Park is crowded, yes, BUT a drive-through and a stop at the Grove of the Patriarchs is very worth it. A short walk through 1000-year-old trees is awe-inspiring.

And since everyone is mentioning Italy, I'll give you an alternative: Croatia.

Prague is gorgeous, also. Loved it. Random memory of Prague: watched a black-light theater puppet show of the story of Faust, that was mostly in German. oh the 90s....

 

[cmwade77]

Some recent ones we have discovered on our cross country road trip:

• Silver Dollar City
• Dollywood

I know you said not involving the mouse, but if you are doing a road trip there, in Kansas, there is Marceline and the Disney Hometown Museum as well. And not far from that is the Kansas City Zoo, just watch the weather and make sure it isn't going to be too hot. There is quite a bit to see on the Road Trip we took (and this end of June through July 4th weekend, so should still be doable, just watch current rules):

Copy of Cross Country Road Trip

Copy of Cross Country Road Trip road trip makes stops at 4701 Clark Avenue, Long Beach, California, United States, St. George, Utah, United States, 9659 Adelaide Circle, Littleton, Colorado, United States and others. Plan your road trip with Roadtrippers.

maps.roadtrippers.com

 

[Robbiem]

i love to travel and aim to visit a different country every year. So far I’ve been to 34.

Japan is definitely my favourite place to travel. Its very easy to get around, people are friendly, there is so much to see and its very reasonable once you’re there. Fukuoka on Kyushu island Hiroshima and Kyoto on the mainland are all fantastic. Another exotic country I loved was Thailand very fiendly people - we were there during lockdown and everyone was so nice to us When we had to change plans and return to the US (unlike swiss air but thats another story).

coming from England travel to Europe is close for us. As others have said Italy is gorgeous. Venice and Rome are a bit touristy but still nice (Prague is a bit similar) Florence is amazing but my favourite cities were Genoa and Milan. Other great places to visit in Europe are Athens (Greece is amazing), Tallin in Estonia (a real life fanatsyland) and Lisbon.

closer to your home I really,loved vegas. To us Brits the southwest is very exotic so going into the desert and visiting the Grand Canyon and valley of fire was amazing. Not being a gambler meant that I could stay in a nice hotel with good dining and entertainment fairly cheaply. Cape Cod and the Boston area was also a very lovely place. The only places in the US I never really liked was LA (too big and hard to get around) and Washington (Not very fiendly).

I’m sure wherever you go you’ll have fun

 

[Travel Junkie]

The U.S. is cool, but I’m an international traveler, through and through. The fact that we’re banned from traveling to so many places frustrates me. It’s embarrassing.

With that being said, I’m hoping to get to Carmel-by-the-Sea this year and hopefully Yosemite next year.

It really is an embarrassment American's are banned from most countries right now. I am going to Yosemite next month. It is reservation only at the moment and they are severely restricting capacity so the park feels pretty empty. That will be a dream since Yosemite is usually so crowded.

Some of my favorite countries are:

- Thailand
- Singapore
- Japan
- China
- Austria
- Czechia (Czech Republic)
- Hungary
-Argentina
Just to name a few

The world is a beautiful place. I hope that after this is all over more people will go out and seek out new places instead of just going back to the same place (whether that is Disney or anywhere else) over and over.

 

[cmwade77]

I was sticking with U.S. travel due to current situations, as for international travel, Canada is very nice as well, Vancouver is awesome, well pretty much anywhere in Canada is.

 

[Stevek]

I've only vacationed at WDW 4 times and never at Disneyland being a local and wouldn't remotely put Disney on my favorite list.

Maui
Kauai
San Diego
San Fran
Flagstaff
Yellowstone
Banff
Victoria BC

Sadly, there are many, many places I want to visit but who knows if that will ever happen. I'd love to see Australia, much of Europe and Japan.

 

[smooch]

I’ll second/third everyone that has said you should definitely visit Italy! Rome, Florence and Venice are great. Venice is probably my favorite international city because of the uniqueness of the city with no roads, or you also have Milan and Turin in the north if you’re looking for more contemporary cities. Palermo (Sicily) is very nice as well, I just didn’t care much for Naples or Pisa to be honest.

Locally, Vegas is great for a weekend, and the rates at the Mirage, Paris, and New York New York are usually great for the quality, price, and location on the strip. In Los Angeles Getty and/or Getty Villa are nice day trips, as well as Live Steamers, the LA Zoo and Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn (near Griffith Park). I know you’re not sold on the Bay Area, but I would recommend the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio, if you haven’t been and are back in the area. Sacramento does have the Train Museum and State Capitol, my favorite local spot is probably still San Diego. Hotel Del is where I proposed to my fiancè, so I’ll confess I’m biased but it’s probably one of my favorite US cities. Perfect weather, you’ve got Gaslamp, beaches, zoos, and generally more “down to earth” people by California standards.

As far as out east both NYC and DC are great trips if you avoid the dead of summer. And yes, the Smithsonians really require a multi-day trip. Air and Space, natural history are the my personal highlights. As is a night/monument tour.

Finally, Hawaii is great. Recommend Maui and Oahu. Oahu is busy/dense but the Polynesian cultural center is fantastic and worth a visit at least once. I do think Aulani is worth checking out, even if it’s pricey (as to be expected)!

I wish I went to Venice and Milan on my family's trip to Italy, what was your favorite part of the city? If I'm not wrong isn't the water level there constantly rising and thus in the future the city risks being submerged? I thought I saw a video of the city flooding a little while back and it looked super scary. Milan would be fun because it is such an important location for fashion which I am very in to.

Thank you everyone for your input! I've read them all thoroughly and you all have great ideas. I'm a bit surprised at the amount of recommendations that require international travel - I haven't really ever thought about it, save for maybe Japan to visit Tokyo Disneysea & Hiroshima. To be frank, i'd be a little scared to travel so far away from home. It doesn't help that my confidence in learning new cultures, norms and customs are fairly low. I'll need to really save some bucks for these places as well.

I've been to Mexico (Rocky Point) and Canada (Buffalo, NY area) when I was younger. I know my dad wants to visit Italy someday, and i'm sure that'd be an amazing experience. Now it's about digging deep and finding the funds to do all of this LOL.

I second your idea for Japan! My family actually had a trip planned for this summer but we had to cancel obviously due to coronavirus which makes me so sad. I was excited to experience Japanese culture and to explore the temples and areas around them that look beautiful, and I was also very excited for Tokyo Disneyland and more specifically Disney Sea. I'm not gonna say it would've been the highlight of my trip as exploring Japanese culture would be incredible, but obviously as a Disney Park fan I was so excited to see the best Disney Park / theme park in the world, I have a friend from high school who runs a roller coaster review website who went to the park last year and while he wasn't necessarily reviewing coasters there he did a review of the park as a whole and I spoke to him about it and he told me it blew away his expectations and was an incredible experience. He also spent another week and a half in Japan with a few friends and they said it was their favorite trip they've ever been on. Hopefully we can travel next year given it is safe to do so, but we will have to wait and see/