U.S. Desintation

Charleston, SC...New Orleans, LA...

New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia have plenty of what you seek, and are good that time of year. For something less mainstream, Kansas City has a surprisingly good variety of things to see.

Sorry, I see you’ve already done New York. Another off the beaten track city that’s interesting is Pittsburgh. Or you can drive not too far to Detroit, some great museums, but better IMO to stay in the nice college town of Ann Arbor rather than Detroit city.

Of my recommendations, and others, my top choice for you at that time of year is Chicago.

Late September to early November is really our summer time, fog is gone & weather is glorious in California. What about SF or LA? Lots of museums, cool neighborhoods, fabulous food. I prefer SF for visitors....

SF is a perpetual delight & you don't need to rent a car. Smaller, easy to get around by Lyft or Uber than LA. Join the SF Fine Arts museums of SF. (Call them if you're over 65, don't recall but it was even cheaper & if you and a guest go to one exhibit it's basically the same price as an annual membership.) The Treasures of The Pharaohs is opening soon at the Legion of Honor which might be one of the finest locations of any museum, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. https://www.famsf.org/learn-engage/read-watch-listen/5-things-to-know-ancient-egypt-treasures-pharaohs. I'm not a modern art fan, but the MOMA is pretty fabulous. The Asian Museum is also delightful. Please don't stay very far into SOMA, South of Market Street, it a bit dodgy. We've stayed at the Hyatt Regency close to the ferry docks. Great location. https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-regency/en-US/sfors-hyatt-regency-san-francisco. I love the walk from Crisey Fields to under the Golden Gate Bridge. If you're feeling up to it, you can also rent bikes near there (don't remember, maybe on Market Street? Google it) & ride to Sausalito over the GGB, take the ferry back! Sausalito is a cool little expensive town, amazing water views & I can look up the cafe I like if you're interested. Don't miss the last ferry back or it's all uphill to the GGB! Anything heading 'up the hill' from the Bank of America Building to Top of the Mark has great views and Victorian architecture. Of course there's always the cable cars to make your way back.

In LA you can plan ahead to visit what I call the OLD Getty in Malibu, (read up on how to get there & be dropped off if you're not renting a car. & you need a timed ticket.) I would suggest the La Brea Tar pits but it just closed for 2 years of renovation. There is often hellish traffic, so timing on where and when you drive is essential. The County Museum is amazing, yes there are old neighborhoods but I don't recall, someone else will have ideas. Hope you enjoy your visit!

Recommended/favorite cities - large, medium and small:

Chicago — for museums, architecture, public art spaces and parks, and diverse neighborhoods

Charleston, SC — for history, architecture, nearby plantations and gardens, wandering

Asheville, NC — for Biltmore House (largest house in the U.S.), arts and crafts, nearby Blue Ridge Parkway

And all three famous for fabulous food. Happy planning!

Thank you all so much for the wonderful suggestions! Much appreciated.

There are several possibilities that are starting to stand out for us, especially Charleston, Annapolis, and Baltimore. They seem like they would be a great fit.

The mention of the Treasures of the Pharaohs exhibit at the Legion of Honor also caught my attention. It sounds fascinating and definitely worth looking into as well.

Thanks again for all the helpful recommendations. This is exactly why I enjoy this forum!

Strongly agree with the San Francisco idea.

I did a short trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico in April and loved it.

Chicago, as mentioned. Include Oak Park in your itinerary.

Agree with Santa Fe! Smaller scale but definitely architecture, history, and food.

Have you been to Richmond and Williamsburg? The VMFA is an excellent museum and it's Colonial Williamsburg's 100th anniversary this year. plus Yorktown & Jamestown.

fravet42,
I agree with the Chicago and San Francisco suggestions for reasons mentioned, plus lots of other things to do and see in each place.

Let me add another great place...San Diego. Early California history (Old Town San Diego) and mission architecture, wonderful museums of all sorts in Balboa Park, gardens, the first California mission, parks galore and the Pacific Ocean in various permutations, the San Diego Zoo (world-class), fantastic beaches as well as lots of opportunities for tide-pool exploration........I lived there for five years and it is the loveliest place I have ever lived in my 82 years. Direct flights between Toronto and San Diego also. You will need all seven days there. Check online for what is available just in Balboa Park. Great seafood, Mexican food and Italian food. Good theater and music performances in various venues too.
I now live about 100 miles north and return often just because it is such a wonderful city. Have even gone down just for the day.
Did I mention that the weather should be terrific at that time?

I just saw Santa Fe mentioned. We spent 9 days in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and points south. Another good choice!

San Francisco, Chicago, Charleston SC, and Santa Fe are all good choices. If you have a full week you could combine Charleston with Savannah, Georgia, although they might still be hot in September.

Chicago
Santa Fe
Bangor
Nashville
Savannah
Dallas ( research nearby Canton’s 1st Mondays)
https://www.firstmondaycanton.com/

You've been to NYC, but have you done the Hudson River Valley? The entire region is steeped in history, with a number of smaller museums plus the FDR library, the Eleanor Roosevelt residence, the CIA [culinary Institute of America], West Point - just to name a few. A car would be necessary, and if you time it right you might see Fall foliage.

I recently spent a week in Portland Oregon - great food scene, many interesting neighborhoods, and countless opportunities for outdoor activities, including the Columbia River Gorge.

Consider my part of the country, the SE.
Take in Charleston, SC, then Savannah, GA, then Jekyll Island and St. Simons (near Brunswick, GA), then to North Florida and amazing St. Augustine, Florida.

Other great places are our many National Parks in the Western States.
Yellowstone (mostly in northwestern Wyoming, Glacier (in northern Montana), Utah has four great National Parks and there are more in nearby Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. You may have seen the Grand Canyon when you visited Vegas.

San Antonio for the mission trail, River Walk, Alamo, Sunken Gardens and zoo, art museum, beautiful old neighborhood and Mexican food. Day trips to Hill Country especially Fredricksburg with the Sunday houses where farmers came to town on the weekends and drive through the rolling hills. Austin with the capital building, museums, music and bar-b-que. You could also do a day trip to Nuevo Laredo Mexico, albeit a tacky border town. We would park on the American side and walk across the border. San Antonio has been one of the 10 largest cities in the US as long as I have been alive, which is a long time. FYI, I was born there..

Don't laugh-- Cleveland, Ohio. You could even drive. University Circle is loaded with museums, including the beautiful Museum of Art. The West Side market and surrounding areas. The "Christmas Story" house is also on the West Side. Little Italy near Case Western Reserve. Just up the hill there is Lake View Cemetery-- it houses the Tiffany designed and appointed Wade Chapel. The Lake View cemetery is the Cleveland equivalent of Pere LaChaise-- Rockefeller, Elliot Ness, Alan Freed (Don't forget the Rock n Roll hall of fame is along the lake near downtown) James Garfield's tomb is amazing, among other notables. Chagrin Falls is a beautiful little town to visit, including its famous popcorn shop by the falls. A short drive from Cleveland can take you to Kent, Ohio where there is a fascinating history walk telling the story of May 4, 1970. KSU also houses the Fashion Museum that is worth a look. Depending if the ferry's are still operating, you can take a ferry to Put - in- Bay island.

Another vote for Santa Fe! Interesting museums, architecture, historic sites, day trips, and good food. The fall is a great time for that one (we're scheduled for our 8th visit this October) and we've never had an issue filling a week with things to do, even those we've done before.

I can promise you'll find our favorite little city to be very different (its nickname, BTW, is "The City Different") than NYC, NOLA, LV, Boston, DC, etc.

Time to come to the West Coast which is a very different place than the East Coast cities you have been visiting. Consider Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

San Antonio with day trips to Fredericksburg and Bandera.

https://youtu.be/IwrQac9HOmE?si=nBh3YaHDKReyJX2z

https://youtu.be/X1bzfIb6YnE?si=DzgKXutUX9LSjm6d

https://youtu.be/0MhvUBFMgdU?si=nGe9x119CBTwewh7

Are you from Toronto? Might as well see the other large Great Lakes city, Chicago. This will easily fill a week.

Charleston, Annapolis, and Baltimore.

Baltimore is nice but a couple days will do it, same with Annapolis, although it would be easy to see both in this time frame, and they are close to each other. Charleston is at most 3 full days, unless you stretch things out with plantation visits.

Take in Charleston, SC, then Savannah, GA, then Jekyll Island and St. Simons (near Brunswick, GA), then to North Florida and amazing St. Augustine, Florida.

Agree with the above. If time is short, one can easily spend a week in Charleston and / or Sanannah.

Thanks, everyone! We received so many great suggestions and truly appreciate all the advice. After careful consideration, we've decided to visit San Antonio, Texas, in early October. Thanks again for all your help!

have a good time - 36 Hours San Antonio
(link expires in 14 days)

Despite being the country’s seventh-largest city, San Antonio, in South Texas, never feels like it. Embrace the friendly, small-town vibe and relaxed pace as you stroll the 15-mile River Walk, the city’s lush European-inspired riverside promenade; eat pretension-free street-style tacos and smoky Texas barbecue; and dance with locals to Tejano, cumbia and San Antonio’s legacy brand of Chicano soul on the patio of a community-centered nightlife spot.

Santa Barbara, CA has great weather in September. It’s a small, very beautiful city with several museums, the ocean, and very close to Solvang and the Santa Ynez wineries. You can fly in and out of the airport there or into LAX and drive north to Santa Barbara the 405 to the 101 freeway. Without traffic, it’s 1-1/2 hr drive.

If you are going to spend acweek you need to run up to Fredericksburg for a day and see what was until not long ago the heart of German Texas. Admiral Nimitz who commanded the Pacific fleet in WWII was from Fredericksburg. When he was a student at the US Naval Academy he wrote home complaining that everyone spoke English. Great war museum, wineries, lots of Texas vibe and Ferman vibe. Good food, cute downtown.

Then a day in Bandera Texas. This is cowboy country and there are places to do trail rides.

And you want to do this too.

San Antonio / Bandera are my home towns. Let me know if I can help.

Newport , Rhode Island - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport,_Rhode_Island

Despite being the country’s seventh-largest city, San Antonio

Some cities are annexation crazy so the population inside the city limits exaggerates the size and nationwide importance. SA is really 23rd largest considering metro areas (including suburbs).

Also the Hill Country is pretty flat and Fredericksburg TX, despite it's high ranking on best small US town rankings, is pretty ordinary.

Absolutely do not go across the Mexican border to Nuevo Laredo.
Northern Mexico is largely controlled by the drug cartels and not safe for touring. I have relatives in South Texas and they all tell me the same thing.

The Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio is great! Along with the Missions (we did all of them), it was the highlight of our visit a couple years ago. A walkabout of the King William Historic District was fun too, except it was raining. Dried out with some brews at cozy little Kunstler Tap Haus...which is unfortunately not there anymore (I believe it's an ice cream shop now) so you'd have to go to their larger brewpub for your pint of Confident B_tch. If it's currently on tap, that is.

I wanted the C.B. T-shirt. They were out. Figures.

Spent a night in Fredericksburg and enjoyed a stroll about town and sampling some of the wineries very much.

The King William district has gorgeous old homes. It was the area I was thinking of in my first post. Sorry I mentioned Mexico…my last visit was 55 years ago when we went to Monterey with another couple in our hippie VW van. Not safe anymore. The Hill Country is low rolling hills and cannot be compared to foothills of our mountain ranges. They actually are fun to ride bicycles through the back country farm to market (FM) roads. Local bike clubs or shop can give you info on routes.

I went to Nuevo Laredo a few years ago. I also worked on the border a few years ago. Nuevo Laredo isn't what it used to be, but its not going to kill you either.

When I was young you could cross back and forth with a Texas DL. I didn't know the law had changed so I crossed with a friend who's passport was from a known sponsor of international terrorism. My friend told me I messed up so I googled it ... yup ... screwed up. I walked in the back door of the US station where they searched cars, told an agent what I had done. He let me pass with my Global Entry Card. My friend also got no grief, but it could have gone very bad.

Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle were all nice that time of year. Also I loved exploring Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos in October one year, you could do all three in a week, or just Albuquerque and Santa Fe in 4-5 days.

Nancy J. Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos in October is an excellent idea.

Great suggestions! And, if you want to spend 4-7 days in just one city, then I think San Francisco or LA is the way to go. The time of year you plan to visit is wonderful in California.

Re: San Francisco, the Folsom Street Fair occurs on the last Sunday of September; expect hotel rates to be even more exorbitant than usual. The event itself is concentrated within a fairly small area far from the traditional tourist sites, so it shouldn’t interfere with your visit. Unless you want it to!

Please see the OP's initial post with this edit from 7/10:

"Thanks everyone! My question has been answered. We have selected San Antonio, Texas."

As well from 7/10:
"Thanks, everyone! We received so many great suggestions and truly appreciate all the advice. After careful consideration, we've decided to visit San Antonio, Texas, in early October. Thanks again for all your help!"