Cancelled trip to Europe - now thinking of what to do in US

There are plenty of Civil War battlefields not too far from NY, and Colonial Williamsburg is wonderful. The "only" problem is that there might still be crowds. Another option might be a Canadian maritime province, especially Nova Scotia (gorgeous and uncrowded by US standards).

Wife and I are staying away from public transit of any sort for now. To decide where we go, I first read guidebooks and websites, and compile tips from others on sites such as this one. With this information we then collaboratively come up with a plan. Best wishes

When working, I used to travel all over the U.S. There are so many beautiful places here, but not are all easy to get to due to this country being so large.

In New England, you have so many sights close by. But "Up East", I prefer to go to Coastal Maine and stay in the wonderful B&B's in Camden. They have a picturesque harbor with tall masted ships and schooners anchored. It's a great place to do day trips from.
We also love to travel U.S. Highway 1 from Monterrey, CA down to Morro Bay--stopping to see the Hearst Castle. The area is of incredible beauty.
Another favorite is to go to Seattle and take the ferry out to Victoria, BC.

Situations are changing so rapidly and daily we are holding off on our local travel and avoiding crowds until things stabilize. Do not want to add to the problem.

Mt Vernon, Monticello, Charleston, Savannah, St Augustine, Vicksbburg MS, The Alamo-so far these have not been coronavirus hotspots, but of course this could change tomorrow.

When are the dates that you are planning to travel? (Spring, high summer?)

I would recommend New Mexico but not if you are going in August !! But perfect for springtime/ early summer.

My planned trip is still a few months away so I’m still planning to go. But if worst comes to worst I will be visiting some top zoos in the country. There are quite a few good zoos in the east.

Don't come to California...

We were supposed to depart this weekend for two-week trip to Spain. Officially cancelled last night and hoping United doles out vouchers, even for a basic economy ticket, once we manage to get through the massive hotline wait. I live in MD and work for a school, and have been asked to strongly consider not flying, even domestically, for our upcoming spring break. So, my husband and I decided to go as big as we can by vehicle and will hit the road this Saturday for Santa Fe, NM. We have two weeks and plan to pass through Austin to boost their local economy after the SXSW cancellation, finally see what Marfa, TX is all about, and eat our weight in Tex Mex along the way. Looking forward to some wide open spaces and dessert air.

If the OP is planning to travel in the next couple of weeks, I can tell you that the Mid Atlantic has had a very mild start to the spring. Annapolis, Eastern Shore and beaches of Maryland and Virginia are all looking good right now. Lots of great hiking and mountain towns in Virginia that we were considering, but we really had our hearts on going somewhere new together which eliminated a lot of the Eastern seaboard.

Let us know what you come up with, and happy to answer any questions about our region.

Go to Quebec City and Montreal and pretend you're in France. Also, Ottawa is a great place to visit as well.

Consider visiting some of the wonderful National Parks in the West.
Grand Canyon, Arches in Utah (also 3 more in that state), Yellowstone, and more.
The Canadian Rockies are wonderful (Jasper, Banff and Lake Louise).

there're some good responses in your other similar thread that is still there in "General Europe".

My back-up plan to Europe is Alaska. I just ordered some travel guides. I can't help you with New York as I've never been. I'd suggest ordering some travel guides even though you live there. There might be some ideas you wouldn't think of. I also like to watch videos on You Tube of my planned destinations. Have gotten some great ideas from those.

Happy planning!!! :)

June is a very nice month for visiting Maine. Maine Maritime Museum, Acadia National Park, Fort Knox. Depending on the ages of the rest of the family, a 3-7 day cruise on a windjammer is to die for but they're mostly 12 and up. So sail on the Heron for a morning out of Rockport instead.

Sorry, I hit "send" too soon.

You wrote: "Was wondering how you guys approach this. How do you decide on where to go? How do you decide on what you do?" We approach the initial planning as a family. Those eight years old and up are invited to bring ideas. If your children are young, give them a framework like "Maine" or "Tennessee" so they can check out books from the library or do online research, depending on the age. We used Cynthia Harriman's "Take Your Kids to Europe" when ours were little. It's probably out of print but you can still get it from the library. Her "Day to Choose" philosophy really worked for us - one person is in charge of each day. So 4 people, 8 days, everyone gets two days. It's very relaxing to have someone else planning the activities and meals, but very stressful when it's your turn. Our eight year old had us renting a row boat on Loch Awe in Scotland and spending a day at Legoland, to give you examples from a UK trip. You do have to be "group-minded" and not pick something that takes two days of traveling on either side of the event. My desire to see the Grand National (it's a horse race) morphed into an afternoon at Lingfield Park outside of London, where I placed bets with the bookies and had a blast.

Have you visited Niagra Falls before? Afterwards you could take a trip up into Canada.

Or make a real adventure it and head down towards DC. Personally I enjoy the national parks (shenandoah national park etc)

Think of it as an opportunity to explore some neat places closer to home. Enjoy!

STAY HOME. The virus is popping up everywhere in the US.

Thousands of people are making real sacrifices to slow the growth rate of this epidemic. You need to stay home. Sounds harsh, I know, but it is the truth.