Over 35 Vacation/Travel thread.

[_zman]

Any travels plans brahs? I'm headed to the SW, mostly Arizona next month. Hope to hit some more national parks this summer.

[Corbi]

Any travels plans brahs? I'm headed to the SW, mostly Arizona next month. Hope to hit some more national parks this summer.

Saguaro National park is decent, I wanted to hit up the Petrified Forest park but ran out of time. AZ is fun with a lot to see.

Myself am headed to Louisville next month for a Kid Rock concert and then in July have an Alaskan Cruise planned.

[StinnerOzz]

Whew - just returned from 10 days visiting San Antonio and San Diego with the family. Absolute non-stop fun stuff! Both Seaworlds (got to feed a walrus!), Alamo, SD Zoo & Safari Park (like another zoo, but more open. They have what' said to be the only 2 platypus on display in the country), Knott's Berry Farm, Legoland, kayaking, whale watching, fishing, and all the typical "when in town" things like mini golf, go karts, museums, parks and city walking, touristy attractions, and regional fast food/local food culture hunts.

On the flight home I was looking at plans for the rest of the year to include a long weekend trip to NC for some family/friend visitation and Carowinds amusement park, another long weekend to VA for Busch Gardens and the other park in the area, yet another long weekend to Disney World for Halloween (got to see this before my 7y/o stops caring so much about non-scary Halloween stuff), a week or so back in Orlando for Discovery Cove, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and some small stuff, then finally as per my wife's wishes, a quiet do-nothing vacation in Marco Island for at least 4 days likely in December. If I can figure out a quick, easy route I'll add a stop in NJ for Nickelodeon Universe or MO for Silver Dollar City to the above. Knock our some parks that we'd like to do but have no other interest in the area!

[Bando]

Any travels plans brahs?

Rough summer for me. Got around 15k in home repair stuff and only a little over 8K tucked away for that budget line. Already paid for Zack Brown Band late this summer so that's a done deal. Lake property is fully paid for so if I'm not on the lake I'll be watching contractors go up and down ladders from my porch.

Hope you guys have some better stories and hope I have some next summer.

[Corbi]

Whew - just returned from 10 days visiting San Antonio and San Diego with the family. Absolute non-stop fun stuff! Both Seaworlds (got to feed a walrus!), Alamo, SD Zoo & Safari Park (like another zoo, but more open.

Did you by chance happen to go to the San Antonio zoo? It starts out a little slow but ultimately it's pretty good and I would recommend it. We tend to go to a lot of zoos whenever we hit a new town, just got back from Detroit and the zoo there is ok for the price, the polar bears and penguin exhibits are pretty nice but otherwise nothing real special.

[_zman]

Saguaro National park is decent, I wanted to hit up the Petrified Forest park but ran out of time. AZ is fun with a lot to see.

Myself am headed to Louisville next month for a Kid Rock concert and then in July have an Alaskan Cruise planned.

We're headed to the northern part, but Saguaro looks pretty great. Another place for another trip. Petrified Forest might be close enough tho.

Hoping to also hit The Redwoods and Tetons for the 2nd time this year. We'll see what time allows for.

Whew - just returned from 10 days visiting San Antonio and San Diego with the family. Absolute non-stop fun stuff! Both Seaworlds (got to feed a walrus!), Alamo, SD Zoo & Safari Park (like another zoo, but more open. They have what' said to be the only 2 platypus on display in the country), Knott's Berry Farm, Legoland, kayaking, whale watching, fishing, and all the typical "when in town" things like mini golf, go karts, museums, parks and city walking, touristy attractions, and regional fast food/local food culture hunts.

On the flight home I was looking at plans for the rest of the year to include a long weekend trip to NC for some family/friend visitation and Carowinds amusement park, another long weekend to VA for Busch Gardens and the other park in the area, yet another long weekend to Disney World for Halloween (got to see this before my 7y/o stops caring so much about non-scary Halloween stuff), a week or so back in Orlando for Discovery Cove, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and some small stuff, then finally as per my wife's wishes, a quiet do-nothing vacation in Marco Island for at least 4 days likely in December. If I can figure out a quick, easy route I'll add a stop in NJ for Nickelodeon Universe or MO for Silver Dollar City to the above. Knock our some parks that we'd like to do but have no other interest in the area!

That all sounds pretty great.

Rough summer for me. Got around 15k in home repair stuff and only a little over 8K tucked away for that budget line. Already paid for Zack Brown Band late this summer so that's a done deal. Lake property is fully paid for so if I'm not on the lake I'll be watching contractors go up and down ladders from my porch.

Hope you guys have some better stories and hope I have some next summer.

Hang in there brah.

[PhDPepper1111]

Rough summer for me. Got around 15k in home repair stuff and only a little over 8K tucked away for that budget line. Already paid for Zack Brown Band late this summer so that's a done deal. Lake property is fully paid for so if I'm not on the lake I'll be watching contractors go up and down ladders from my porch.

Hope you guys have some better stories and hope I have some next summer.

no fun to spend the money, but the lake sounds pretty good!

My only travels this summer will be to colleges with my daughter to decide where she's going.
Only other trip on the immediate horizon is St Louis in November for IPL North America drug tested championships. Plan to take a week to see some of the sights in St Louis and area.

[StinnerOzz]

Did you by chance happen to go to the San Antonio zoo? It starts out a little slow but ultimately it's pretty good and I would recommend it. We tend to go to a lot of zoos whenever we hit a new town, just got back from Detroit and the zoo there is ok for the price, the polar bears and penguin exhibits are pretty nice but otherwise nothing real special.

We did not go to the San Antonio Zoo. We had 60% of a day available to us (excluding our SeaWorld day), and we chose to do River Walk, Alamo, etc. Since we knew we were doing the San Diego Zoo & Safari Park in the next days, it wasn't a priority. Also with 2 SeaWorlds during that week, there was nothing we were going to miss out on.

The Detroit Zoo is my local area, we like it. Small enough to not be a chore and big enough to not suck. We also like to hit a zoo almost everywhere we go, though after a while the impressive ones are few and far between. The SD Safari Park was a bit unique, and especially the platypus being available. I loved that. I did some light research and it's said that they have been attempted to be kept on at zoos outside their natural location but ultimately failed relatively quickly. Seems seeing one of these outside down-under is incredibly rare, so I'm very glad we had the opportunity.

[Corbi]

We also like to hit a zoo almost everywhere we go, though after a while the impressive ones are few and far between.

If you make it overseas 2 of the most impressive zoo's are Prague and Budapest. The Prague one is massive and the elephant area alone is worth the price of admission, the Budapest is also very large and has a fantastic collection of animals. One of the best parts is some of the exhibits are free range where the animals and you are actually together, in the kangaroo and wallaby area they are hopping around and next to you, same with the bat house as well as the Lemurs. Had some Lemurs come right up to my wife and were licking her fingers as she had eaten a chimney cake previously and still had a bit of cocoa powder on her hand.

[Bando]

My only travels this summer will be to colleges with my daughter to decide where she's going.

Been there done that.

From one Dad to another, don't be scared to ask current students (not your peppy pretty, smiling tour guide) the tough questions.

College my Daughter selected looked like a sleepy little picturesque Uni.

It was 15 weeks straight of partying, date rape drugs and no quiet places to study. She got out after a semester but we had no indication that it was going to be like that from our visit.

[StinnerOzz]

If you make it overseas 2 of the most impressive zoo's are Prague and Budapest. The Prague one is massive and the elephant area alone is worth the price of admission, the Budapest is also very large and has a fantastic collection of animals. One of the best parts is some of the exhibits are free range where the animals and you are actually together, in the kangaroo and wallaby area they are hopping around and next to you, same with the bat house as well as the Lemurs. Had some Lemurs come right up to my wife and were licking her fingers as she had eaten a chimney cake previously and still had a bit of cocoa powder on her hand.

That sounds fun! I do want to get overseas a few times once my kid gets older. So many places I'd like to go.

[_zman]

That sounds fun! I do want to get overseas a few times once my kid gets older. So many places I'd like to go.

Been to quite a bit of Europe and Australia. Wanted to move to both pre-pandemic. People are very relaxed compared to here. So many places to see and things to do in Europe. America has a lot of great qualities like food and entertainment, but Europe is a must do for so many reasons.

[PhDPepper1111]

Been there done that.

From one Dad to another, don't be scared to ask current students (not your peppy pretty, smiling tour guide) the tough questions.

College my Daughter selected looked like a sleepy little picturesque Uni.

It was 15 weeks straight of partying, date rape drugs and no quiet places to study. She got out after a semester but we had no indication that it was going to be like that from our visit.

Thanks for the reminder. Her top two choices are my alma mater and my ex's - small town but were party towns when I went there 30 years ago. I think she's leaning to the less party place of the two but yeah that's still anxiety provoking for a dad.

Going to the first college in two weeks but I don't think it's really in the running, then her top two in July.

[DustinTheHuss]

I'm heading to Florida in Sept., but of course it's wide open there. Although we finally dropped the indoor mask mandate so it's so nice to go into a store and breathe!

[userC2FKJDUXFZI]

I'm not working a rear for nothing. Lift with your legs not your back. I need to keep motivating that.

[Gabbar99]

Oops. My wife will be spending another day in Costa Rica. She was standing in line at the airport on the way back when this happened:

https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/d...se-costa-rica/

[supramax]

[Corbi]

Spent the weekend in Louisville and my wife and I were both a bit surprised how good of a time we had. There is a ton to see and do from distillerys everywhere to historic buildings and monuments. Attended a Kid Rock concert, hit up Rabbit Hole & Angels Envy on whiskey row, toured Louisville Slugger museum and factory, hit up Frankfort for Buffalo Trace, saw Daniel Boone's grave. Talbotts tavern the oldest Bourbon bar in the world at close to 250 years old, attended races at Churchill Downs, Muhammad Ali's boyhood home as well as his grave, etc.
Fabulous city to visit, just be careful of your surroundings and stay out of the west side after dark.

[PhDPepper1111]

Glad you had fun Corbi!
It's a ways out but I'm planning to head to St Louis in November for IPL tested worlds. My wife might come along and we might stay a week. Thoughts on what to do there? I have the same impression of thinking there isn't much but the arch and hanging out in a few bars to listen to blues and eat BBQ (which I won't really be able to do since I'll be competing at the end of the week).

[thedickus]

Glad you had fun Corbi!
It's a ways out but I'm planning to head to St Louis in November for IPL tested worlds. My wife might come along and we might stay a week. Thoughts on what to do there? I have the same impression of thinking there isn't much but the arch and hanging out in a few bars to listen to blues and eat BBQ (which I won't really be able to do since I'll be competing at the end of the week).

I live in the area, on the Illinois side. I've been up in the Arch once, when friends from Michigan came to visit, my first and only time. Won't go back up. The Budweiser Brewery tour is pretty cool. I stay away from downtown St Louis especially at night. The Landing area of bars and clubs used to be fun, back in the 90s. Fairly dangerous at night these days.
The Botanical Gardens are nice, the wife and I are members there. Late November they'll have some Xmas displays going.
There are plenty of casinos, but I'm not a gambler. Gotta try a St Louis style thin crust (Imo's) while you're here. BBQ around here is pork. I didn't realize pork steaks were regional to St Louis until I moved away when I was 19. Fantastic Italian food. You can't go wrong with anywhere on "The Hill". La Trattoria Marcella is one of my favorites. Visit "The Loop". It's an area of bars, clubs, and restaurants. Blueberry Hill was owned by Chuck Berry.

[_zman]

I hit up Phoenix, Jerome, Cottonwood, Sedona, Scottsdale and a bunch of other small towns in Arizona. Nice trip, nice people, nice scenery, and everywhere had exceptional food.

Hertz upgraded me to Presidential for some reason, so I rented a 2021 5.0 Mustang, and although I'm a Camaro guy, it made the 600 miles of driving quite a bit more fun.

[PhDPepper1111]

I live in the area, on the Illinois side. I've been up in the Arch once, when friends from Michigan came to visit, my first and only time. Won't go back up. The Budweiser Brewery tour is pretty cool. I stay away from downtown St Louis especially at night. The Landing area of bars and clubs used to be fun, back in the 90s. Fairly dangerous at night these days.
The Botanical Gardens are nice, the wife and I are members there. Late November they'll have some Xmas displays going.
There are plenty of casinos, but I'm not a gambler. Gotta try a St Louis style thin crust (Imo's) while you're here. BBQ around here is pork. I didn't realize pork steaks were regional to St Louis until I moved away when I was 19. Fantastic Italian food. You can't go wrong with anywhere on "The Hill". La Trattoria Marcella is one of my favorites. Visit "The Loop". It's an area of bars, clubs, and restaurants. Blueberry Hill was owned by Chuck Berry.

Thanks good info!

[Corbi]

Glad you had fun Corbi!
It's a ways out but I'm planning to head to St Louis in November for IPL tested worlds. My wife might come along and we might stay a week. Thoughts on what to do there? I have the same impression of thinking there isn't much but the arch and hanging out in a few bars to listen to blues and eat BBQ (which I won't really be able to do since I'll be competing at the end of the week).

Avoid Sugarfire BBQ downtown, worst damn BBQ I have had anywhere.

[StinnerOzz]

Weekend visit to Boston (basically home) to see my best friends and hit up a concert. Nothing special to report, just fun times.

Upcoming plans:

July: NC (Carowinds)

August: Virginia (Busch Gardens, Kings Dominion)

September: Disneyworld Halloween, Kennedy Space Ctr, who knows what else

November: Orlando again for Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens, Seaworld, who knows what else

January: Marco Island for my birthday

February: Kauai, HI, making up our originally-planned trip from 2020. Will hit California on the way so we can do a couple days of parks, likely Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, or Magic Mountain depending how tall my son is by then. Wanna keep that one for when he's able to hit all the rides! Saving Universal for when Nintendo World opens.


Sometimes I wish life had a fast-forward button!

[PhDPepper1111]

Avoid Sugarfire BBQ downtown, worst damn BBQ I have had anywhere.

GOT it.

Weekend visit to Boston (basically home) to see my best friends and hit up a concert. Nothing special to report, just fun times.

Upcoming plans:

July: NC (Carowinds)

August: Virginia (Busch Gardens, Kings Dominion)

September: Disneyworld Halloween, Kennedy Space Ctr, who knows what else

November: Orlando again for Discovery Cove, Busch Gardens, Seaworld, who knows what else

January: Marco Island for my birthday

February: Kauai, HI, making up our originally-planned trip from 2020. Will hit California on the way so we can do a couple days of parks, likely Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, or Magic Mountain depending how tall my son is by then. Wanna keep that one for when he's able to hit all the rides! Saving Universal for when Nintendo World opens.


Sometimes I wish life had a fast-forward button!

Dang sound like some fantastic plans!!

[nutsy54]

I got hooked on cruises a while back, Norwegian. Had a phenomenal three week Panama Canal trip reserved, New York to Vancouver…. in April 2020. So you know how that went.
Then rebooked a regular cruise later that year, “because this Covid thing will pass quickly”. And you know how that went.

Booked, cancelled, rebooked multiple times. Stupid amount of cruise credit. Finally got back out in October 2021, mask free Alaska cruise from Seattle. Then Rocky Mountaineer (Canadian luxury sightseeing train) on a new route through the US Rockies. Then a Mississippi River small ship cruise that was friggin' awesome in December (American Cruise Lines).

Next big escapade is a three week cruise Vancouver to Alaska… to Hawaii this fall (did I mention stupid amount of cruise credit?)

[Corbi]

I got hooked on cruises a while back, Norwegian. Had a phenomenal three week Panama Canal trip reserved, New York to Vancouver…. in April 2020. So you know how that went.
Then rebooked a regular cruise later that year, “because this Covid thing will pass quickly”. And you know how that went.

Booked, cancelled, rebooked multiple times. Stupid amount of cruise credit. Finally got back out in October 2021, mask free Alaska cruise from Seattle. Then Rocky Mountaineer (Canadian luxury sightseeing train) on a new route through the US Rockies. Then a Mississippi River small ship cruise that was friggin' awesome in December (American Cruise Lines).

Next big escapade is a three week cruise Vancouver to Alaska… to Hawaii this fall (did I mention stupid amount of cruise credit?)

Any pics of the Alaska cruise? We are booked for July and getting excited, just hope we pass that asinine covid test.

[nutsy54]

Any pics of the Alaska cruise? We are booked for July and getting excited, just hope we pass that asinine covid test.

It's a pain to post from iPad, so here’s one for now…
My employer does free Covid testing for travel, so it was never an issue

[Corbi]

It's a pain to post from iPad, so here’s one for now…
My employer does free Covid testing for travel, so it was never an issue

Very nice!

[nutsy54]

Any pics of the Alaska cruise? We are booked for July and getting excited, just hope we pass that asinine covid test.