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Destination Suggestions for November 2021 (from East Coast US)

devarae

100+ Posts
Hi folks!

It's been a looong while and I may be doing some wishful thinking, but we are hoping that it might be possible to take a "real" vacation this November. We are scheduling a week off and considering spending it somewhere warmer within ~6 hours flight from Boston Logan. Not sure we're ready to take the leap to anything outside the US though. I'm wondering if anyone has any favorite destinations that would have good food, nice walks, beautiful scenery and/or architecture, that would feel distinctly different than New England/Mid-Atlantic (we live in Maine). We'd really love to go somewhere with a different landscape. I'm kind of worried that all the pent up hunger to travel will mean a lot of places are going to be overcrowded and/or overbooked. We don't care much for nightlife. Arts and culture would be great, though not sure how much might be open depending on what happens

We were thinking of possibly somewhere in New Mexico, Arizona or California, or maybe someplace along the south-eastern coast? Anyone have thoughts, suggestions, or opinions?
 
I lived in Santa Fe NM for 20 years and highly recommend New Mexico. But by November it will be getting cold in northern NM. Snow is possible. If you could go in October you would get better weather and the aspen trees turn gold in the mountains. You could visit northern NM and go into Colorado. Good food - really good food - in NM. Some nice walking areas around Santa Fe. Interesting Adobe architecture and it is very different from Maine.

In Arizona I love Sedona. A beautiful small town with interesting rock formations. Phoenix is not that interesting but I’ve been there many times for work and always liked it. When we vacationed in AZ from Santa Fe we went to Tucson. Great winter weather, good hiking, interesting town, interesting places nearby.

California - an incredible place. If you haven’t been there, that should probably top your list. The coast between LA and SF, the redwoods north of SF, the lovely towns on the coast. I really love California.

On the southeast coast I like Charleston and always thought we might spend a few weeks there some winter. Savannah, where we had the first big SlowTrav party, was beautiful.

Hard to choose but maybe assume you’ll get to all of them eventually and pick the one that would be best in November. I would say Tucson AZ or South Carolina/Georgia.

3A434678-E690-4C96-9464-2F9B593EE14F.jpeg

Aspens in the Santa Fe mountains in October

CB5C7F03-9DD9-4B40-98CE-BA5FE0C74F77.jpeg

Chimayo, northern New Mexico. Old church with “healing” dirt.
 
I absolutely second Sedona. Unbelievably beautiful, great for hiking, biking or even a Pink Jeep tour. Good (not great, but good) food and even a nice woodsy drive (if you rent a car) to Flagstaff. And, if you feel like splurging, there are spas & serenity. I'm not into it, but its also the home of some (in my opinion) weird-ish ideas, like the "harmonic convergence" or the "vortex" that can be interesting/entertaining to hear about.
 
Thank you Pauline and Steve! I'm glad Arizona has so many fans. Based on this feedback and other research, we are definitely leaning that way, with Sedona as our primary location (though I need to read more about Tuscon now) but also swinging up for a night or two at the Grand Canyon which I have never seen (I know it will likely be cold but hopefully also less crowded).

I really hope we can make another trip to the area in the spring some year maybe, and visit the parks in Utah! And a trip to New Mexico! All these areas have such stunning landscapes that are so different from anything I'm used to.

I have spent time in CA though not so much as a tourist (we lived in Palo Alto when I was a kid and I was at Berkeley for a summer during college). So that is another option too...
 
How about the United States Virgin Islands? St. John is magnificent! You can visit Virgin Islands National Park with its many hiking trails of different skill levels. Have a look at: www.alltrails.com/us-virgin-islands/saint-john You can also go snorkeling with sea turtles. Rental cabins, condos and private homes available for weekly rental. Try: www.vrbo.com Wonderful sun sets, restaurants with medium to high prices but you are on a real vacation. And, you don't need a passport, just proof of US citizenship. An out-in-the-fresh air, scenic beauty break from pandemic isolation.
 
That's a great suggestion Ritaly! I am going to keep it in mind for a future trip. I finally committed to Arizona for this trip and booked tickets over the weekend. I am going to post our plans in a new thread in case anyone has specific advice for that.
 
The US has a lot of options for everyone's taste - city/rural/countryside, national and state parks, quirky attractions, meaningful attractions, parks, etc == depends on what you like and who's traveling [adults/children etc?]. I just set up a week in Utah among the national parks but in November you'll probably want to go to a state further south = but it depends on what you want to see and do - glad to do some thinking and suggesting but parameters would help.
 
There are lots of places to visit on the east coast of the US such as
  • Connecticut, Road Trip,
  • Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire,
  • Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine, making it the perfect fall weekend getaway. Visitors will enjoy sightseeing, walking along cobblestone streets, admiring old Victorian mansions, and participating in a variety of outdoor recreation.
 
There are lots of places to visit on the east coast of the US such as
  • Connecticut, Road Trip,
  • Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire,
  • Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine, making it the perfect fall weekend getaway. Visitors will enjoy sightseeing, walking along cobblestone streets, admiring old Victorian mansions, and participating in a variety of outdoor recreation.
Thank you! Those are great suggestions for trips. We actually live in Maine and visit Portland often, so for us it wouldn't really be the "change of scenery" we were looking for in the original post, but it is certainly a good destination! :)

But I highly recommend Portland as a city to visit to anyone else following this thread! Aside from the above, it also has a large number of really excellent restaurants of all sorts! I've never heard of Lake Winnipesaukee but will have to check that out as well. Thanks again!
 
I've never heard of Lake Winnipesaukee but will have to check that out as well.
:D I spent a week or possibly two on Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith, NH for Girl Scout camp one summer! It was eons ago. Beautiful lake! I only remember spending a lot of time in a canoe on the lake and the rustic cabin where we slept at night. WOW, haven't thought about that experience in ages!
 

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