What interests you?
No sense recommending a ski area if you hate the cold and/or snow!

If you think that it is an attractive thing, then I will consider it. I am open to all ideas.

Jim

Jim-1 just get in your car and go whereever the H you want and have fun doing it!! Do not make a plan, go left instead of right, stay here instead of there.

Maybe go see as many national parks as you can~~

You're smart and 'with it'. Volunteer in your local high school. My DH spends two hours, two days a week, aiding kids who are of an age to be freshmen and sophomores, but who have had gaps in their education. These classes help them move up to grade level in reading and writing. The teachers appreciate the help. *Most* of the kids appreciate the help and attention. DH loves doing it.

Retired Seniors are a wasted resource in many communities.

When I retired, 21 years ago, from teaching, I voluntered in the education department at the local zoo. Lots of interesting activities, including a trip of a lifetime, for me,with the zoo director on an African safari.

Also went with a local university professor who was a dean of education, to schools and a college into mainland China.

If you had grandkids, participating in classroom activities.

I read weekly to my grandon's class when he was in the third grade.

Spontaneous trips great fun. Just wake up in the morning, tell yourself you are going somewhere, get in the car,and go! Been there done that.

1. We took a vacation 2 yers ago in which we purchased round trip tickets to Buffalo NY. We rented a car and then for the next 2 weeks traveled around upstate NY. We did not go on interstate highways, just stayed on state and county roads. We went to the Darwood Martin home in Buffalo (FL Wright) Roycroft Colony in E Aurora, to the western end of the Erie Canal and took a barge ride, saw cobblestone homes/museums, went to The Oneida Colony, to/thru the Adirondacks, the George Eastman Photography Museum in Rochester, to all the Roosevelt properties in Hyde Park, the Culinary Institute of America, Olana - Hudson River painters. And more. Hyde Park was as close as we got to NYC. We found hotels/motels one day at a time and we had 2 guidebooks. This was one wonderful trip.

2. If you like architecture, visit Chicago and take every tour offered by the Chicago Architecture Foundation and also go to Oak Park and tour FL Wright properties.

3. We did the same aimless driving tour in Arizona without going to Phoenix or Tucson. That was great, too, and totally different from NY.

4. Last month, we did another 2 week vacation driving aimlessly thru N. carolina. We did the northern half of the state, going from Murphy in the southwest to the Outer Banks. The middle of N Carolina isn't so scenic, but the west has the Smoky Mtns and the east has the ocean. We ate great barbecue, found some great B&Bs, loved the area near Asheville.

My overall vote - get a car, 2 guidebooks....pick a place, stay off interstates and explore!

I love Port Aransas Texas. You've got the Gulf and beaches on the east side and the marina on the west where you can see jellyfish in the morning sun floating right next to the wall. The ferry ride that gets you from Aransas Pass to the Port is fun for me, always see lots of dolphins and big redfish. It's a nice laid back feel to the island and I loved the bird and sea animal watching. I stayed once for 10 days and never got bored. In January, the sand dollars are washing up and are fun to collect by flashlight. Temps on most days are in the mid to upper 70s this time of year with the occasional cool or heat waves.
Nearby is Corpus Christie and the naval attractions and to the north is Rockport with 'The Big Tree', a 1000+ year old live oak with all of it's history stated on the plaques that surround it. Rockport is a sweet town too, lot's of stuff to do, a small but nice aquarium and a rocking Master Gardener's Demo Garden.

The feel of this area is really low key and relaxed, my favorite place on earth to go for a vacation.

Pam

I live near the Nation's Capital (I was born in DC). There is a lot to see and do in this area. Washington has so many sites--the White House, Capitol, Smithsonian Museums (wonderful), Arlington Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, National Gallery of Art, war memorials, etc. About 75 miles west of DC, you will find Luray Caverns. A wonderful day trip, and you can drive through Middleburg, VA--a little town full of millionaires and horses. If you visit this area in the fall, the foliage is breathtaking; in the spring, the cherry blossoms are great. Summer is too hot; winter is often too cold. If you stay in DC, you don't need a car--Metro will take you all over.

If you haven't seen "the west', you could really amaze yourself by the great vast-ness of it. We have seen much of it and are always seeking more. From the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Arches NP, and Canyonlands, to the Giant Sequoias of Yosemite, and the beaches of the Pacific Ocean to the deserts and Death Valley.We are ALWAYS blown away by by the immenseness of the 10,000 ft high mountains that are the Rockies and Sierra Nevada Mountains, lakes & rivers There is never a place on this amazing continent that does not leave me wanting more. Just Do It! We do it in a motorhome, and this year we saw so many small motorhome rentals and many of them being used by people from Europe,,,, German, Danish etc..... all looking at our incredible Southwest.

Thanks for the thoughts. Keep them coming.

I have been in 44 US states and 5 Canadian provinces and 31 other countries.

Once, in the US Navy, I had been stationed in Maine. I drove to my parents house in Pennsylvania, took a bus to Chicago, took a train to California and flew to the Philippines by way of Hawaii and Guam. One great trip.

Recently we flew to California, rented a car and drove around for four days; took a 25 day cruise and returned to Illinois on Amtrak. Another great trip.

Still...there are many places to see. Gimme some hints about your favorite spots (particularly if in your own area).

There is a lot to see in ND, even with all the oil., BUT our weather is cooling down and many of the places are now closed. Look for a tour taking you thru the Baken Oil Fields in the western part of ND Not a good place to drive unless you are use to lots and lots of big trucks. Our best time is spring summer and fall. Not much in the winter because you have to constantly watch the weather/roads etc. They get quite icy and dangerous and of course no one uses chains . but most have either snow tires or studded tires.

Jim, there isn't a lot here to do unless you are a HUGE fan of rock & roll. We do have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. I was, however, not impressed. If you like looking at concert costumes, and don't mind rock music blasting your eardrums you will like it. I don't really know what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I saw! Don't get me wrong, I do like classic rock. In the Akron/Canton area there is the Football Hall of Fame. We have some nice state parks (and NO day use fee!)
Lake Erie is beautiful, in all of it's moods. But it is getting chilly. If you like unique markets, you would enjoy Westside Market in Cleveland. It has some beautiful architecture.

We more often than not pick a direction, not a destination when we take a trip. Once we have chosen our direction, DH starts researching things to do and see in the amount of time we have, figuring how far we can go mileage wise in the time we have.

Houston area is wonderful, the museum district is not to be missed, we have a great zoo, Discovery Green Park has something going on all the time. Then, there is NASA, Galveston, theatre, ballet, close to the Hill Country and San Antonio. I could go on and on. Love where I live! Then, there is where I grew up, Crossville,TN, The most beautiful part of TN great golf, fishing, hiking, waterfalls, parks and theatre! Both are completey different but wonderful in their own ways.

Like old cars? See the Auburn auto museum at Auburn, IN

Interested in aircraft development? Go see the Air Museum at Dayton, OH. Admission free and it will take the better part of a day to see it all. One building has a full sized Atlas rocket, another has a Raptor F22, Drones, and a full size mockup of space shuttle.

Interested in covered bridges? Tour Parke co., IN where there are about 30 covered bridges. However, the best covered bridge tour is Vermont and New Hampshire in the fall.

Like to see fall colors? Take a run along the Blue Ridge parkway. Best colors are in the southern half. Overlook views are all good. In the fall, avoid weekends because crowds turn out in force. They are called "leaf lookers" in that part of the country. Speed limit on most parts of the parkway is 45 mph. Don't plan to rush.

Like ethnic music venues? Go see Irish Fest in Milwaukee, WI at the Summer Fest grounds. Its the largest collection of live Irish music in the world.

Ever wonder about your ancestors? Take up genealogy and research your family. Much can be done by internet, but soon, you'll find yourself wanting to get closer the locations where they have been, and sometimes, those places are the olny places where certain data is available. You'll travel to many county seats and cemeteries. As you trace back more than 100 years, you'll find your connections to early US history, connections that you never expected. In fact, its a good way to study early US history. You'll get views you never see in school books and you may find that some histories in school books were inaccurate sometimes by what was omited. As you travel back in time, you'll find an increase of illiteracy and its negtive effect on family records, and wars: WW2, WW1, Civil War, Mexican War, Black Hawk War, War of 1812, War of the Floridas, and then the American Revolution. Those wars are not very old.

A good digital camera is recommended. In a few cases, its the only tool you'll have for copying old court house records, and of course, there will be many other things to document by photo. Develop a filing system before you travel.

Volunteer work at local agencies.

"Learing in Retirement" at your county trade schools.

Collect photos of light houses, round or octagonal barns, and New England large combination house, storage, and barn buildings. These are disappearing.

As mentioned above, there are many National Parks in the West that have immense or wonderful vistas. For retirees, purchase a Golden Eagle Pass (at the park entrance). It is inexpensive and is good at all National Parks for your life time.

If one of those summer directions is this way, join me on the "Singing Sands" Lake Michigan beach in NW Indiana. All you need is a comfy chair and a cooler full of beer. That's my idea of a 3 month vacation anyhow.

Come to southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. You don't need to go to Boston although there is a lot to see there too. The southern coast of Masschusetts is an undiscovered gem. Old mill towns like Fall River and New Bedford are redeveloping their water fronts and have lots of interesting architecture. The small towns like Mattapoisett, Rochester, Fairhaven and Marion are quaint and charming. There's the whaling museum in New Bedford, lots of Portuguese and seafood restaurants, scenic harbors. and , lovely neighborhoods. You can fly into the nice small airport in Providence and get to this area in less than an hour. Providence is also a lovely city to explore. The East side around Brown and the RISD are lovely to explore with beautiful buildings and museums. Federal Hill on the other side of down town is loaded with Italian restaurants and you'll feel like you're in Italy itself.

Based on a comment you wrote with a photo you posted recently: go somewhere with TREES and lakes/water and great scenery. :) If you love doing things outdoors in all seasons, then you can't beat central/upstate NY -- my neck of the woods -- you won't find many better places for hikers, boaters, skiers, golfers, etc. If you like quaint/quiet, try Vermont or the Massachusetts Berkshires. I'll bet the south/eastern areas in MA and RI mentioned by fran1523 would be beautiful, as would coastal Maine.

Old Fixer, we were just in Michigan City, IN. It was wet and cold! But I am sure it is beautiful from the little I saw.

Tami

One of my favorite trips was flying into Heathrow (OK, not that part), renting a car, and staying at self catering places in the counties outside of London. We'd stay several nights in each place and make forays to see the area. This was mid-September after most tourists had departed.

We stayed at a former oast house beside a pinetum in Kent and in the Georgian House within the grounds at Hampton Court Palace. We had a MIL's apartment beside The Treasurer's House in the Cotswolds. In Melksham, east of Bristol, we stayed in a spacious apartment made from the former mews on an estate. We toured the Jaguar plant in Birmingham and ended with a stay at our only hotel, New House in Sutton Coldfield.

Along the way we made use of our Royal Oak membership to tour historic homes and gardens managed by the National Trust. We visited cathedrals and grocery stores. We had breakfasts and 'suppers' at 'home' and usually had a good midday meal out.

gosh it's been several years but we (2 of my kids and families) and dh and I, rented motor homes and went back to mt rushmore...the kamp-ground (well known name) had more amenities than the original one. they also offered car rental, which was wonderful to do both the actual monument, (and crazy horse) and drove thru the park (the rental car included the entrance fee) we stopped at any of the "cute" (wall drugs, green giant, corn palace) going and coming from Michigan. the one drawback was the time frame 4th of july, and crowded, and we misjudged number of days needed...(so not all the goodies)

have you been following the amazing pictures of the grand canyon, monument valley, ect ? now that was another area we did many years ago, and not much had changed...

btw..is it just you, or do you have a traveling companion? my mom wasn't exactly alone but she did try and go with at least one or 2 people she knew....now my dd when she graduated, her trip was by train (alone) from Chicago to seattle (she had friends there) she had areally great time coach and sitting up, lol..(not exactly for we retired)

So many good things have been mentioned. So many things I have already done.

I was born in NE Ohio, so much of that was mentioned I have seen (not the rock and roll thing). My wife and i took a neat road trip through the finger lakes region and down the Hudson River Valley and then drove slowly east to west across Pennsylvania.

Wall Drug is a stitch, the Corn Palace was something different, but cool. I lived in Oshkosh, Racine and Milwaukee Wisconsin and have seen much of that state.

We lived in Santa Fe, NM for four years (the missus wants to go back, but it is sooo expensive there). I have driven the entire length of whatever I could of Old Rte. 66.

Gosh, at least a gazillion years ago we stopped in Auburn, Indiana and explored. I went to 'the dunes' while a student in high school and have visited Holland, Michigan. I have driven around Lake Michigan (spent July 4th in Traverse City for cherry time).

I used to live in Clifton Forge, VA and the Blue Ridge Parkway is a wonderful experience; as are Jamestown, Williamsburg, Richmond, and Charlottesville. And Smokey Mountains National Park was good back in the 1970s.

Luray Caverns, Mammoth Cave, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon and the Everglades are some of the natural wonders I have visited. And I agree, the weather near Washington D.C. in the summer can be horrible (and that might be an understatement).

I have volunteered for many years. Recently, I have devoted many hours to the beautification of the county-owned nursing home. I am on the board of our local RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program) and have produced 13 30-minute programs for public access cable TV.

I took up photography as a hobby last year and enjoy that, although I still have yet to get into the habit of taking my camera everywhere I go.

Thanks for all the ideas, keep them coming. I love to hear people brag about the area where they live or visit. I told the missus the other day that we ought to sell the house and travel in a Class A RV. NO WAY! She said that could not stand to be with me all the time; she knits with the girls 5 afternoons a week.

Jim

Jim, we own a 30' class A. We love it. We tow a Ford Ranger pick up behind it. We pick a spot that we want to see, park the RV and take the truck to "wagon wheel" out around it until we have seen everything in that area that we want to. Then we pull up stakes, turn the key and go somewhere else. It won't take much longer to automatically take the camera everywhere you go. Especially if it's pocket size, tho we do like the Canon Rebel when we are on the road. We try to go for a month in the spring and a month in the fall. DH still has a job. We are not full time RV'ers, but would like to go for longer periods. Tell your DW that she will find many other knitters in the campgrounds! I am one of them! My needles and yarn go where I go. There are so many times that knitting has been a conversation starter. And she can make a list of yarn shops along the way that I am sure you would be happy to stop for if there is somewhere convenient to park the RV. So many places to explore and yarn to feel! If I need a "down" day, and time to myself, I send DH out on his own for a day. If you can get along in a house daily, you can make it a month in a 30' class A with at least one slide out without killing each other.

What wonderful things you have experienced and contributed!

Tami

I would suggest San Luis Obispo county California.
Lots to see and do.......south county beaches, great Santa Maria style barbecue, vineyards, avocado orchards, citrus and acres and acres of strawberries.
San Luis Obispo has a nice downtown and one of the California missions.
Also a unniversity and a prison.
Up the coast is Morro Bay......a fishing village with great seafood and farm to table places. Morro Rock is an ancient volcano plug.
Up further is the quaint village of Cambria.....a great beach (Moonstone)
Lots of nice scenery and a boardwalk.
North of there maybe 12 miles is Hearst Castle now owned by the state park system. Great tours.
Inland is the long trail of wineries with great wine tastings.
I forgot to mention the Guadalupe sand dunes. They are excavating the Sphinx from a movie filmed out there in the 1920's.
Let me know when you visit this amazing place and DH and I will take you to dinner.

I would suggest San Luis Obispo county California.
Lots to see and do.......south county beaches, great Santa Maria style barbecue, vineyards, avocado orchards, citrus and acres and acres of strawberries.
San Luis Obispo has a nice downtown and one of the California missions.
Also a unniversity and a prison.
Up the coast is Morro Bay......a fishing village with great seafood and farm to table places. Morro Rock is an ancient volcano plug.
Up further is the quaint village of Cambria.....a great beach (Moonstone)
Lots of nice scenery and a boardwalk.
North of there maybe 12 miles is Hearst Castle now owned by the state park system. Great tours.
Inland is the long trail of wineries with great wine tastings.
I forgot to mention the Guadalupe sand dunes. They are excavating the Sphinx from a movie filmed out there in the 1920's.
Let me know when you visit this amazing place and DH and I will take you to dinner.

Tami --- ah ha, thought I saw some shivering, wet, grumbling tourists down at the beach. Try summer next time. For me, Ohio is Cedar Point and coasters.

One of the most memorable things I have ever done in my life was tromping through the everglades a couple summers ago. Took my husband and three kids. Paid a great company called 'Garl's coastal Kayaking' to take us on a day tour of the everglades. Instead of looking from a road, we really did trudge through the everglades in our mosquito suits , into a mangrove, next to an alligator hole. There were no alligators in the hole though. The water was supposedly too high. I Passed by tall trees, brown snakes, 15 kinds of Orchids, airplants, moss. My shoes wouldn't stay on so I had to walk through the muck barefooted, which my guide said was what "Garl" always did. Our guide was a young Doctor, we called him Dr. Don. He was funny and very excited about everything. While traveling down the long lonely Evergaldes highway to the ocean, he saw a giant Eastern Diamond back rattle snake crossing the road. He quickly pulled the white van over, jumped out with his camera and gave us some arousing information about this snake. We went on to the south Florida boarder where our Kayaks were. Dr. Don and his friend took us on a six mile paddle (no current!) where I saw a three gators, about a thousand jumping fish (no good for eatting) , one wild flamingo, lots of sea birds, Storks, ducks and a group of wild manatees. Paddling along shore on the way back we stupidly braved out the mosquitos who flew out to greet us in the dark. I recommend putting the suits back on, looking back at our complaining and flailing arms. Dr. Don had wine, crackers and cheese for us out on the water but we declined because we were determined to get back before dark, which still didn't happen. Although I've been to some pretty interesting places, I'd love to return to, the Everglades was one of the most hands on and the most enjoyable. (in the USA). I have some out of state places in mind that were equally wonderful.

Have to add, the electrified tennis rackets Dr. Don gave us, worked great on the mosquitoes. We were gratefully sizzling the tiny beasts all day.
One more thing. Go to FRANKS fruit market near the park, Mangos the size of footballs. Frank even cut one up for us to take on the trip. Sooooo GOOD!

Missouri has lots of interesting areas, below is a site to get their travel/tourist guide.

http://www.visitmo.com/official-missouri-printed-travel-guide-order-form/utm_source/madden/utm_medium/bingcpc/utm_campaign/visitthingstodo.aspx

It appears that Massachusetts and California would be new to me.

Where else?

Jim

Old Fixer, we went to a light house festival in Alpena, MI for lighthouses on Lake Huron. Then went west so we could do some of the ones on the Lake Michigan side that we had not seen, plus a couple of train watching spots. We have gone in the summer too, and probably will again. It's beautiful.

Jim, hope you find some fun places to go. Have you been to the Mansfield Reformitory and gone on the tour? It was pretty neat when we went, but if you have asthma or mold allergies, wear a face mask. We enjoyed it. There was someplace else I was thinking of last night, but can't remember them.
Tami

I've spent some time in various parts of Massachusetts because my sister lives there. I love it, so I'd say that you can't go wrong with that.

Speaking of mold and stuff...when we were in Palermo Sicily last year, we went into some catacombs. I thought it was neat, the missus had a difficult time breathing and just being there. She left and I wandered for another 30 minutes.

The missus' sister lives in Boxford, Mass and she has gone to visit and went to Newport and Portland and stuff. I was in Maine for two years, I saw much of that, but missed a bunch, too.

You mentioned being to five Canadian Provinces but not which ones. My vote would be Newfoundland and Labrador, first for the friendly people and second for the breathtaking scenery. Casey/Karen has posted so many interesting photos making that my number one place to visit on the top of my bucket list. I think it would have to be a trip with no agenda and go where the roads may take me kind of trip. I am sure a tight time schedule would not do on that excursion.

Newfoundland and Labrador are on my
bucket list!

But...someone commented on DH Mt St Helens sweatshirt this afternoon and I am reminded that it is on my "visit again" list. We went 10+ years ago. I was greatly impressed by the cooperative effort between Washington State and Weyerhauser (?)( the lumber company) in the re-forestation of the vast areas of devastation. The roads and bridges and forests display such a heroic effort to put it all back together better than ever. Ten years ago they had accomplished a startling amount.... I want to see how the project has continued. Weyerhauser had the first visitor center on the way up...we skipped it, and it turned out to be the most interesting. The word awesome is so overworked.... but, it is an awesome sight, the power of Mother Nature. Since then we have visited Seattle in the general area, and the Duck Boats, (amphibious trucks from WWII that ply the downtown streets of Seattle and then the waterways), Space Needle, fish market and underground and not to forget the Boeing Tour, in Everett, where they are building the Dreamliner. (astonishing!).It is impossible for me to begin to imagine buildings as big as multiple football fields...and people scurrying around like ants on the huge assembly lines. One of our more expensive tours, but worth it.

How about light house tours? We just toured several on Lake Huron a couple of weeks ago.