Hi all,

The folks and I will be looking to take a weekend trip coming up in early August as sort of a graduation gift to me. We'll be departing from ATL and I need a little help deciding where to go.

I've been looking at destinations/fares/attractions and have come up with a few ideas, but I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions based on what I'm looking for.

1 - Most likely will take an AirTran flight for a cheaper fare, so looking at primarily their destinations. No real specific region in mind, but we're not looking to go to Florida.

2 - Would like to be able to go from the airport to a hotel or most attractions via a public transit system because we're trying to avoid renting a car. I have no problem riding anything, but I don't want to put the folks on a nasty bus or something, so a city with a little above average and useful transit system would be ideal.

3 - A city that has some decent attractions and hotels that isn't a huge party spot. Just looking for somewhere low key but where they can have a little fun.


So, that's it in a nutshell. Some possible suggestions I have thought of:

ACY, CHS, PHF, Maybe the DC area. Although BOS fits my criteria nicely, I have been there several times so looking for a change of scenery.

If anyone has been into ACY - what are your impressions?

If anybody has any suggestions or places to stay away from, please chime in as it will help us out greatly! Thanks a bunch!  

Quoting MKP1013 (Thread starter): PHF,

There's some stuff in the area, but there's a drive to it. Busch Gradens and Water Country USA. Colonial Williamsburg, The College of William And Mary, and if you want Norfolk. Don't bother with going to Norfolk, nothing really.

If you decide PHF, tell me and we'll meet up with some other local Anutters lol.

CHS is an amazing city - for sure one of my favorites in the US. I usually stay at the King James in downtown Charleston.

Cool things to do in CHS - Go to the French Open Air Market - it has tons of super cool trinkets for sale, and it just a great place to get out, walk around, and people watch. You can also take a horse-drawn carriage tour of the city. This is a lot of fun, as they take you on a historic tour of Charleston and the drivers are actors/tour guides that make the trip very enjoyable. Also, go to the beach or to one of the marshes to look around, there is a lot of gorgeous scenery.

The food in Charleston is also amazing - some of the best seafood around and usually quite reasonable.

Charleston is one of the best looking cities (IMO) in the Southern US, and has some of the best looking people. Take a quick walk past the College of Charleston and you'll see what I mean  

Chicago! There's loads of stuff going on there this time of year, definately not a boring place, and you can take the CTA train directly from MDW to downtown. You can travel by public transport virtually anywhere so that's my suggestion.

While we're at it: Charlotte!

Great downtown and the LYNX LR gets you where you need to go! The whole Downtown area is cool. The Arenascope (check the name) is awesome too; movies, bowling, arcades. There might be some stuff going on in the Time Warner Cable Arena. Walking in Downtown is great becuase it is crowded with bankers! Also, get your picture in front of Bank Of America HQ lol. There's a Bank of America museum too, its cool. Then get Bank of America stuffs to impress your friends lol. CLT is great  

Stay at the Ramada Inn CLT Airport. It's walking distance to the Woodlawn station and free shuttle to CLT. The best Ramada I've stayed in  .

Even if you stay for a day, ask them if they'll take you to the Woodlawn Station for a fee or something. I just hope CLT will get their LYNX to CLT quick  

[Edited 2009-06-29 15:23:16]

AIrTran doesn't always have the cheapest fare. You may do better (and certainly have more options) on Delta. If you are willing to connect you may even do better elsewhere (look at Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, Kayak, etc.)

Of your list CHS would definitely be my pick, but if you are going to CHS from ATL for a leisurely and cheap weekend, why would you put yourself through the hassle of flying? DC is a good choice if you have any inclination toward history or museums, and it has a good public transit system.

I cannot imagine a worse choice for a trip with your parents than Atlantic City. It exists pretty much for gambling; while it has a beach, it's not as nice as any of the myriad beaches closer to you. It's a seedy place (although some of the casinos themselves are quite glitzy), and there are much better outlets for your money, provided you don't intend to spend the entire trip gambling (and if you say money is tight, it would be wise to avoid that altogether).

I agree with the others that CLT is an excellent choice, as is ORF or PHF and the surrounding areas. If you are seriously budget constrained and are going somewhere within a couple of hundred miles I would, without question, drive. Charlotte is only a 4-5 hour drive from ATL up I-85; certainly it's nice to have the car when you get there. If you are absolutely determined to fly somewhere for such a short duration, search multiple sites and look at a map for ideas that wouldn't perhaps be the most intuitively obvious. Look for specials on the big sites (and elsewhere, for that matter), and plan accordingly. Be flexible.

Quoting StarAlliance38 (Reply 1): There's some stuff in the area, but there's a drive to it. Busch Gradens and Water Country USA. Colonial Williamsburg, The College of William And Mary, and if you want Norfolk. Don't bother with going to Norfolk, nothing really. If you decide PHF, tell me and we'll meet up with some other local Anutters lol.

Thanks - Looking at the map it didn't appear that things we're very close.

Quoting OffshoreAir (Reply 2): CHS is an amazing city - for sure one of my favorites in the US. I usually stay at the King James in downtown Charleston. Cool things to do in CHS - Go to the French Open Air Market - it has tons of super cool trinkets for sale, and it just a great place to get out, walk around, and people watch. You can also take a horse-drawn carriage tour of the city. This is a lot of fun, as they take you on a historic tour of Charleston and the drivers are actors/tour guides that make the trip very enjoyable. Also, go to the beach or to one of the marshes to look around, there is a lot of gorgeous scenery. The food in Charleston is also amazing - some of the best seafood around and usually quite reasonable. Charleston is one of the best looking cities (IMO) in the Southern US, and has some of the best looking people. Take a quick walk past the College of Charleston and you'll see what I mean

Great information there, thanks.

Quoting AmricanShamrok (Reply 3): Chicago! There's loads of stuff going on there this time of year, definately not a boring place, and you can take the CTA train directly from MDW to downtown. You can travel by public transport virtually anywhere so that's my suggestion.

Thanks..I visited Chicago back in 2006 for the first time and it was indeed fun. Can't believe I forgot about it. Stayed in the ORD Hilton and took the CTA around..wasn't a bad experience. May def. consider it again. Looking at the CTA map, it appears arriving at MDW is the airport closer to the city. I'll tell the parents about it. Any hotels of the top of your head to recommend?

Quoting StarAlliance38 (Reply 4): While we're at it: Charlotte! Great downtown and the LYNX LR gets you where you need to go! The whole Downtown area is cool. The Arenascope (check the name) is awesome too; movies, bowling, arcades. There might be some stuff going on in the Time Warner Cable Arena. Walking in Downtown is great becuase it is crowded with bankers! Also, get your picture in front of Bank Of America HQ lol. There's a Bank of America museum too, its cool. Then get Bank of America stuffs to impress your friends lol. CLT is great Stay at the Ramada Inn CLT Airport. It's walking distance to the Woodlawn station and free shuttle to CLT. The best Ramada I've stayed in Smile. Even if you stay for a day, ask them if they'll take you to the Woodlawn Station for a fee or something. I just hope CLT will get their LYNX to CLT quick Smile

Cool..sounds like a lot of fun. Will check it out.

Quoting PGNCS (Reply 5): AIrTran doesn't always have the cheapest fare. You may do better (and certainly have more options) on Delta. If you are willing to connect you may even do better elsewhere (look at Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, Kayak, etc.) Of your list CHS would definitely be my pick, but if you are going to CHS from ATL for a leisurely and cheap weekend, why would you put yourself through the hassle of flying? DC is a good choice if you have any inclination toward history or museums, and it has a good public transit system. I cannot imagine a worse choice for a trip with your parents than Atlantic City. It exists pretty much for gambling; while it has a beach, it's not as nice as any of the myriad beaches closer to you. It's a seedy place (although some of the casinos themselves are quite glitzy), and there are much better outlets for your money, provided you don't intend to spend the entire trip gambling (and if you say money is tight, it would be wise to avoid that altogether). I agree with the others that CLT is an excellent choice, as is ORF or PHF and the surrounding areas. If you are seriously budget constrained and are going somewhere within a couple of hundred miles I would, without question, drive. Charlotte is only a 4-5 hour drive from ATL up I-85; certainly it's nice to have the car when you get there. If you are absolutely determined to fly somewhere for such a short duration, search multiple sites and look at a map for ideas that wouldn't perhaps be the most intuitively obvious. Look for specials on the big sites (and elsewhere, for that matter), and plan accordingly. Be flexible.

Thanks for the tips here. Looking at the original post I see I alluded that we needed to go as cheap as possible, but we're not 'seriously constrained.' The idea was to not over do it on the travel or renting a car so we could stay at an above average hotel or be able to pick up souvenirs. Certainly I know Delta has the most options and most of the time more flexible schedule. I've flown them the last three times I've traveled for those reasons, but I always wait to book during AirTran's sale so I can catch Delta's matching price.

Driving to places like CLT or CHS..I agree with you, we probably would drive to those cities. Anything further north, I would lean towards flying because I'm not keen on riding in the car with the folks for longer than 5 hours.

Thanks for the overview on ACY..pretty much what I was wanting to find out. Never been there, so I have no idea.

First. Congratulations on your forthcoming graduation. Quite an accomplishment in any regard!
Now my suggestions will stretch your wings (and budget possibly) by suggesting SEA, SFO and SAN.
Maybe a bit longer of a ride to get there, but you do have the advantage of nonstops on FL or DL. And these are great walking cities with extensive public transport:
SEA. Great city with beautiful scenery, food, nice people and easy-to-use public transportation. You can stay at Sea-Tac Airport and walk to several hotels from the terminal. My personal recommendation is Radisson Gateway at Sea-Tac; Red Lion Inn, and Doubletree are within walking distance too - exit baggage claim, turn right and walk down sidewalk. Request a high floor facing the terminal. Great airplane views and surprisingly quiet. Bus service to downtown Seattle departs from lower level of baggage claim. A real treat for yourself and parents....take the Victoria Clipper for the day to Victoria, BC. Enjoy Fish and Chips on the waterfront at the Black Fin. Several great restaurants right at Pike's Place Market as well for wonderful seafood.
SFO. What more can you say about San Francisco? Great transit system using BART if you stay out near the airport. I've recently stayed at Homewood Suites and Embassy Suites at the airport, but you have to ride the hotel shuttle to/from the terminal to get BART. Maybe splurge on a more conventienly located hotel in or near downtown or close enough to walk to a BART station. Every minute of your day will be enjoyed in SFO. Your parents would probably enjoy the ferry ride to Sausilito and lunch on the waterfront.
SAN. A beautiful city with a great trolly system. Don't miss a visit to the Zoo and while busy, it is less hectic than Los Angeles and locals are great with directions or suggestions of fun things to do. You can almost be guaranteed beautiful weather every day. I stayed at a hotel in Mission Valley which is a bit further out than you might like but it was right on the Trolley line so very convenient.
So. I may have blown a budget, but if you can, splurge to celebrate your accomplishment and enjoy a special trip with your parents. It is only money, but memories are for a lifetime!
Congratulations again, and have a great trip,
Thomas

Quoting PI4EVER (Reply 7):

Thank you sir.

Those are 3 great destinations I would like to visit. Reading what you wrote certainly does rekindle the urge to visit those places. I'll pass the info along!