Favorite places in the US

[dukemomLA]

I started to think about all the places that I love, then decided to limit this thread to wonderful places in the U.S. Personally I relish vacation time in the mountains and the shores. (mostly). I'd love feedback about 'favorite places.'

Mine include:

The Outerbanks, NC (Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Duck) Great fishing, fabulous beachhouses, wonderful beaches, good hurricanes)

Cape Cod, Mass. (Falmouth, Woods Hole, etc.) fishing, unpredictable weather (always a + for me)

Denali, Alaska. No need to say more.

Kania, Hawaii. (Napali coast)

NYC, NY (Anything and everything about my former home)

Marin County, CA (Muir Woods, Mt. Tam, Stinson Beach and Point Reyes)

CA in general. (Yosemite, Big Bear, Venice Beach, Twain Harte in the Sierras, Monterrey, Cambria, Channel Islands, etc.)

NM (Taos)
AZ (Sedona)
CO (Keystone, Golden)

Many more, but I'll stop there.

Would like to spend a week or two someplace new. LOVE TO HEAR SOME OTHER FAVORITE PLACES from DBR addicts.

[Exiled_Devil]

Kania, Hawaii. (Napali coast)

My favorite place on the planet, period, is oon Kauai - a little spot not to far from Nawiliwili harbor. That's all I can say. I'm sworn to secrecy.

I love the Napali coast as well. I hiked the Kalalau trail and it was the most beautiful natural scene I have ever experienced.

Other spots:

My 16 acres in Mebane, NC

Hazard Rock, Narragansett, RI

Linville Gorge

Maui - the entire island

The 100 acre woods across the street from my childhood home in RI

For that matter - all of South County, RI

Delaware River Gap - PA/NJ border

Funny enough, all these are natural. All of my favorite cities are outside the US.

Exiled

[Windsor]

In no particular order:

New York City - always a soft spot for 'home'

Sand Key State Park, St. Pete Florida always in the top beaches in the US - love it for the lagoons and back beaches away from the crowds and the picnic areas

Portland/Columbia River Gorge - love the city and the whole Gorge area. Need to get back there again soon!

Key West, FL - yes it is a giant gift shop, and crowded and a cruise ship mecca but I love it anyway

Gates of the Mountains MT (near Helena) and vicinity - beautiful country

Joshua Tree National Park CA

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but that will do for now.

[hurleyfor3]

Cashiers/Highlands, N.C.
The North Cascades
The San Juans and Silverton/Ouray, Colo.
Tahoe and the California 88/89/4 area
The White mountains, N.H. (but not North Conway)
South Bend, Wash. (Not North Bend; South Bend is on the Pacific.)
Jackson, Wyo.
Big Bend NP, Texas

plus any number of mountaintops

[dukestheheat]

Cherry Grove Beach, South Carolina (beach house, kiteboarding)
Jekyll Island, Georgia (the Club Hotel, specifically; I have spent too much cash there)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (perennial burial ground for opposing victims)
Captiva Island, Florida (go to the BUBBLE ROOM!! Whoo hoooo!).

dth.

[Deslok]

I could name quite a number of spots that I like, but there's only one spot that comes to mind when I think of a favorite place in the US: St John, United States Virgin Islands. Paradise.

Maui, Acadia in Maine, Palmer Square(with a Halo Pub or Thomas Sweet ice cream in hand) Princeton, Duke Gardens, a Jesuit retreat center in the hills of Pennsylvania... all good... but non of them are St John.

[Jfrosh]

I clearly don't get out enough looking at these lists. I have to second deslok's vote for Acadia National Park in Maine, of all the gorgeous Maine coastline this is one of my favorites.

[throatybeard]

West Virginia.

[aimo]

Fort De Soto Park (North Beach), St Pete Beach, FL. Also, take the ferry from De Soto to Egmont Key State Park.

Also, anyplace in the NC Mountains.

[captmojo]

The Wainae on Oahu, so long as the trade winds are working.

Vesta, Virginia near Lover's Leap, on the lake is as close to heaven as I can get on this earth.

[mapei]

The Blue Ridge Parkway
The state of Vermont
Virginia Piedmont
Maryland Eastern Shore
Big Sur
San Francisco
Santa Monica
New Orleans
Barrier Islands of South Carolina
Mt. Mitchell
Chicago
Cape May
Portland OR
Bucks County PA

[Cavlaw]

Chicago, IL
Kiawah Island, SC
Breckinridge, CO

[hurleyfor3]

To the last two of you: I live in Chicago (and yes, I'm in the city) partly because it's so easy to leave.

[tecumseh]

for a downtown visitor / conventioneer Chicago is hard to beat ...I think it has the best downtown to visit in the country because of it's compactness and that most downtowns in the US are really pretty awful.

[TillyGalore]

I second Mapei re Vermont. I love it and miss it (well, not all the snow).

My other favs are:
Emerald Isle, NC
Asheville, NC

Okay, need to do more exploring of US as I have far more places in the rest of world I absolutely love!

[cato]

for a downtown visitor / conventioneer Chicago is hard to beat ...I think it has the best downtown to visit in the country because of it's compactness and that most downtowns in the US are really pretty awful.

Huh. I've been to Chicago a number of times, and always been underwhelmed by the downtown. Not because there's anything wrong with it, but because people love it so much. Good music fesitvals, though.

Best downtown in the US has to be NYC.

[dukemomLA]

I'm thrilled by the responses so far. Many of you have listed 'some of my other favorites' which I didn't include on my first list. And others have provided new possibilities for this happy wanderer. Can't wait to see what else appears on this thread.

[captmojo]

I'm thrilled by the responses so far. Many of you have listed 'some of my other favorites' which I didn't include on my first list. And others have provided new possibilities for this happy wanderer. Can't wait to see what else appears on this thread.

This was a great diversionary idea!

[hurleyfor3]

I've been to a lot of the other places mentioned but for me they don't quite make the cut. When I get home tonight I'll do a pictoral version

[Windsor]

I'm an idiot...I said Sand Key...I meant Ft DeSoto (I was just at Sand Key, which is nice but it's no Ft DeSoto - glad someone else mentioned Fort DeSoto)

virtual tour of the north beach is here:
http://www.pinellascounty.org/virtua...oto_nbeach.htm