I'm always open for learning about nice places to go on vacation, especially with two teenaged kids. Two years ago I discovered Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge Tennessee, right around the Dollywood Area. Sometimes I miss waking up in my cabin to this view...
I loved Pigeon Forge, loved Dollywood as well. Very underrated family park. Bush Gardens is nice as well. I love scuba diving so wife and I do a lot of Caribbean trips, favorite island is Aruba, not so great for diving but the weather is just awesome. Turks and Caicos, Grand Caymans were my favorite diving spot, Puerto Rico sucks, don’t go there.
I've never been to a theme park where the lines for the rides move so quickly. I have no idea how they do it.
Are you saying Puerto Rico sucks for diving or overall? El Yunque is great for hiking, lots of great restaurants and beaches. Bonus is it only takes about 2.5 hours by air from where I am in Florida. It's also where my villa is where I keep my yacht
Did the rainforest and old San Juan, the humidity was unbearable. My wife who loves summer, hated it, just standing there and it’s like someone turned on the shower. Maybe when I own a yacht one day I’ll have a different view of PR. Dominican Republic wasn’t that great either, inexpensive but couldn’t leave resort, very dangerous, waves were tough to overcome to swim as well. Very nice people though.
I was doing my joejet impression with the yacht and villa. Pretty much all Caribbean islands will be a sauna during the summer, between December and March is the best time to visit. Panama was one of the worst I experienced for sauna like weather.
I like the Quintana Roo coastal area in Mexico, very laid back area. Just kick back on the beach with a few margaritas
Turks and Caicos has incredible weather. It's rarely blazing hot. I've been there twice and would go back again.
Sorry it went over my head. Aruba is not humid, that’s why we love going there, very deceiving when it’s 92 degrees out and no humidity because of the constant cross breeze, skin is still being seared, need SPF 30. I roasted my knees going out on dive boat one year, not realizing I didn’t have enough lotion on. Panama must have been nice!
Yeah, I didn't think of Caribbean when I think of Aruba, I thought it was South America, didn't realize it's still the Caribbean Sea down there. Never been but my friend goes there to golf all the time because of the weather.
I like PR alot, but I'm somewhat biased because I have relatives who are Puerto Rican and have family in and around San Juan. Turks and Caicos was a great place if you have a week and need to just sit on a beach and chill, because there's little else to do. But the beaches are top shelf. Continental US, I rank Bryce Canyon up there as the prettiest place I've been. Alaska is pretty amazing, but you need a couple of months to really see it.
Townsend, TN in the Smokies. Cabins by the river with a half hour ride to Gatlinburg, Cades Cove, The Sinks, etc. One downside for some will be that Sevier County is dry. So bring it or go thirsty. Elk Rapids, MI on Lake Michigan. Cabins on the lakefront with boating along the canals to Torch Lake which is the biggest nonstop party in the lower 48. Sand dunes in the lake reach up to within a couple feet of the surface and you have a party going 24/7 free of noise ordinances because you're 500 feet+ off shore. I'd recommend either as a great American vacation.
