USATourist Community

 Hi!

 My friend and I have three weeks in the USA at the end of Sept beginning of Oct.

We will be flying to Ohio and staying with friends there for a few days at the beginning and end of our holiday.

 Ideally we want to do a bit of travelling as well and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas about where to go?

We wouldn't mind some relaxing, some water/theme parks, some shopping, some sightseeing! Basically its a mixed bag of interest and we want to get in as much as possible! We're young and single and want to hit some music venues as well! Anything rock'y' would be ideal! I'm hoping our friends in Ohio will take us to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!

 We originally had ideas of flying to LA, Vegas then Memphis, but I think the cost will probably curtail that! Any ideas or suggestions will be gratefully received!

Thanks!

Kiki

Hi!

I recommend that you check out Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio.  It's a pretty large amusement park.  It also has a water park, but that will be closed for the season during your visit. http://www.cedarpoint.com/ 

Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot to visit within driving distance of Ohio that involves the interests you mention.  For shopping you can visit Pittsburgh, PA.  Pittsburgh is by no means a shopping mecca.  But the state of PA does not charge sales tax on essentials like clothing.  So if you plan on doing a lot of shopping, you can save some bucks.  Ross Park Mall is a pretty large shopping center with some high end stores as well as more economical ones.  http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=158

Also in Pittsburgh is Kennywood Park.  This is a small amusement park.  And though it is small, it has some old wooden rollercoasters that are always rated among the worlds best.  This park has a long history and has managed to hold onto it's charm.  It feels quite different frm the larger, newer parks.   http://www.kennywood.com/  During the months of September and October, the park is open only on the weekends.

If you are willing and able to drive further, you can visit the Mall of America in Bloomington Minnesota.  I beleive it is still the largest shopping mall in the usa.  http://www.mallofamerica.com/  Bloomington is in the suburbs of the twin cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul.  The drive from Ohio will take about 2 days.

Another drive destination can be Niagara Falls NY.  www.usatourist.com/english/places/newyork/niagara.html.  This is purely a scenic attraction.  But it is a fun visit.  Drive time will depend upon where in Ohio you are staying.  But in any case the drive can be done within one day.  Be sure to have your papers if you want to cross the border into Canada.

Other than that, I would suggest possibly flying to one location.  You mentioned Memphis.  That is definitely a great place to visit for music fans.  Also, since it is in the south, you'll encounter some warmer weather.  You can also drive to Memphis in 2 days.  Another great city for young music fans to visit is Austin Texas.   

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 Thanks Michelle

Austin Texas will definitely be somewhere we'll look at! 

We are willing to take a flight from where we are staying in Cleveland Ohio, but are trying our best to keep the costs down on travelling so we can do more of the fun stuff!

We were discussing rail travel as well, would you recommend that?

Renting a car a doing a short road trip would be do'able, but I'm not sure I'd want to be driving more than a few hours a day. Neither of us is used to driving for a long period of time and with only three weeks, we'd rather get to the places we want to see as quickly as possible!

Thanks so much for your help!

Rail can be an economical option for traveling a greater distance without having to drive long hours.  But I highly suggest comparing the prices to airfare.  Our national passenger railways are run by Amtrak.  You can start the reservation process to just get information about travel time, route and rate.  For example, I searched for a train from Cleveland to Austin - which is I think the greatest distance you are considering.  A round trip ticket would cost about $344 per person.  The travel time would be a total of 34-36 hours each way.  This train was with a stop in Chicago. 

A search of Southwest Airlines for a round trip flight over the same dates returns the lowest price of $447.40.  That's about $100 more per person.  (Southwest is a discount carrier.  www.southwest.com )  But the flight time, with a layover, is 4-5 hours each way.  So the question is, how much is saving 30 hours worth to you?  Of course some of that time on the train can be spent sleeping.  And it is possible that there will be some interesting sights that you'll pass on the tracks.    

I also searched flight reservations on our site.  www.usatourist.com/english/reservations/reservations-flights.html.  I found that there are a number of options from the national carriers that are cheapest of all!  The flights also had a layover and were about the same amount of travel time.  But there were about 10 flights to choose from with different departure/arrival times at the lowest price - $278 per person. 

Of course all of these prices can vary by dates of travel and the date you book.  Southwest I think specializes more in last minute get aways.  So their prices can come down as it gets closer to the date.  Often times I've seen them run specials for tickets that are under $100 each way!  And who knows what can happen when it comes time for you to travel.  If the summer travel season is slow, the airlines may choose to lower their prices even more.  But if you are certain of your plans now, paying under $300 for a round trip flight of that distance is a good deal. 

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 Michelle

 We've been to see an agent specialising in trips in the USA. They gave us lots of interesting information about the places to go.

They also said that another good way to travel around cheaply is by Greyhound bus and that we can get a 15 day pass. This also means that we can travel the bulk of the way during the night, sleeping as we go, and save a nights cost of accomodation! Is this a popular option?

We've pretty much settled on Memphis and New Orleans as two places we both want to see. We decided that rather than going to lots of places, and seeing very little in each place, we want to choose a couple of places and see as much as possible in each!

Our problem now is that although they're happy for us to go to Memphis, after Hurricane Katrina, our parents (moms in particular!) are worried about us going New Orleans. Do you have any knowledge about whether its ok to travel there now or not?

Thanks!

The Greyhound buses are definitely a cheap alternative method of transportation.  Unfortunately, they can be slow, uncomfortable and downright inconvenient at times, but they are usually inexpensive.  They typically attract the poorer travelers, students, and folks that are afraid to fly. 

New Orleans is a fine place to visit.  The old French Quarter and the entertainment districts were spared from the flooding.  Most of the devastation occurred in the poorer neighborhoods.  Many of them have not yet fully recovered.  You can visit the city and still find the tourist areas untouched by the damage.  It still has the music, the food and the culture of the Grand Old City that it once was.  Unfortunately, some of the musicians and entertainers that contributed to that wonderful culture have been displaced to other cites and may never return.

You will be there in hurricane season, but New Orleans is no more susceptible to that danger than any other city along the southern coast line including Florida.