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querying the hive mind
Any recommendations on road trips this summer?
Hi all - I figured I'd get better feedback here than spending hours on Google (you all know your stuff :)). A friend and I want to do a road trip and see some cool sights this July. He's in Seattle and I'm in Raleigh and we're thinking about going north. We've been to Calgary which was beautiful but looking to try something different. We don't mind a manageable road trip but we'd like to see some towns/cities that have cool bars, restaurants, decent crowd, etc. We also want to hike and do some outdoor stuff. We'll consider it all - from Alaska to Quebec City :) Are there are trips or routes that you'd recommend we look at?
posted by matt755811 on May 09, 2024 at 6:03 AM
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Circumnavigating Lake Superior has been on my bucket list for a while. Seems like a neat thing to do.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 6:28 AM
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If you're going to Canada, I'd say
- Banff has the best scenery - gorgeous mountains and icy blue lakes. Hotels and food can be a bit pricey as it's a small tourist town. It seems like nobody is actually FROM Banff - they all moved there for the mountains. There are quite a few good (touristy and fancy) restaurants. Outside of mountain-enjoyment there's not much to do there, but the mountains are like being inside a postcard!
- Vancouver has the best mix of scenery and culture. Seattle-like vibes, with nice coffee shops, lots of casual restaurants, and fresh sushi. Very pretty mountains and ocean and a cool-temp rainforest right there to explore. Vancouver people wear a lot of hiking clothes in their daily life.
- Montreal and Toronto have the best culture - way better than Vancouver's culture - but the scenery is just normal in both cities. For outdoorsy stuff, in both cities you can drive for a bit and do some nice hiking and camping, the Canadian Shield area is pretty with lots of giant granite rocks, clean cold lakes, and pine trees.
- Montreal culture is more laid back and feels kinda European. The main language is French although everyone there speaks excellent English too.
- Toronto culture is more fast paced and diverse, like a smaller cleaner bright New York City. Has lots of interesting neighborhoods, theatre, comedy, galleries, restaurants of every culture.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:10 AM
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PS, you mentioned Quebec City - strongly don't recommend unless you're really interested in re-enactments of the 1700s era battles of English and French Canada, in which case, it's your paradise.
Otherwise, it's a historical capital city where everything closes really early. And many people there are resistant to speaking English even though they can, so they often give quite a bit of attitude to Anglophones (I actually do speak mediocre French but they were super rude to me and pretended not to understand me! If you're going to Quebec, Montreal is the place!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:17 AM
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Why ya hatin on Nova Scotia? Hit the Stan Rogers Festival. https://youtu.be/TVY8LoM47xI?si=Q30JTP7RyMqT6W2q
posted by at at 7:24 AM
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Yeah I'd avoid Quebec City except for Winter Carnival (BON HOMME) when the locals tend to get a little more welcoming of tourists. But it's in the winter. And winter in QC is fucking miserable.
If you want a little driving and are taking 3 weeks or more for this trip, I suggest getting into Windsor (Ontario) and renting a car and driving east, stopping at London, Hamilton, swing down to Niagara Falls, spend some time in Toronto, stop in and see some museums in Ottawa, and wind up in Montreal. Along the way are many parks and other places of natural beauty, along with the best and most diverse culture Canada has to offer. I'd set aside at least a week for Toronto and Montreal, a few days for Ottawa, and overnight in other places as the mood catches you. Fly home out of Montreal.
Summer in the larger cities in Canada are chock full of outdoor festivals and events, you will not lack for crowds, music and entertainment.
posted by seanmpuckett at 7:52 AM
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A road trip to Tofino might have just the right mix of outdoorsy and restaurant/barsy content.
posted by jimfl at 8:10 AM
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Circumnavigating Lake Superior has been on my bucket list for a while. Seems like a neat thing to do.
I have a similar desire to travel the northern side of Lake Huron (esp. curious about driving to Manitoulin Island and taking the ferry to Tobermory). I imagine the lake coast is likely beautiful up there. But this is just an idea on my part, haven't tried it yet.
If anyone has experience with such routes, maybe you could weigh in? Some time Huron-side could make for a nice hike/outdoor complement to visiting Toronto.
posted by marlys at 8:19 AM
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orrr circumnavigate Lake Michigan!!
- fly into Chicago, enjoy
- drive east and spend a few days in southwest Michigan, checking out breweries, cideries, adorable towns, gorgeous beaches
- a few more days in Traverse City (super happening for its size)/Charlevoix/Sleeping Bear Dunes Nat'l Lakeshore
- ferry to Mackinac Island for a day trip (or overnight but $$$)
- up to Sault Ste Marie! check out the locks then cross into Canada for a few days
- enjoy Pancake Bay Provincial Park, a true gem; Lake Superior PP is great too. the trans-Canada highway from the Soo to Wawa is one of the best drives in North America, and has tons of opportunities for hiking (and swimming if you don't mind the cold water). get shawarma at Georgie's in the soo, you can thank me later. Also the bushplane museum. St. Joseph Island is also a nice day.
- back to the UP. There is so much to see and do here, so you can sort of investigate and choose your own adventure. My top recommendations include Tahquamenon Falls, Manistique, and the unmissable Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (you must get out on a boat, though the hiking is nice too).
- down to my beloved home state, Wisconsin! Check out Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
- drive up through Door County, enjoying the natural beauty, cute towns, art galleries, and wineries. I always recommend taking the ferry out to Washington Island and even further, Rock Island -- nice hiking and biking.
- head down the coast to Sheboygan. I actually really like Sheboygan, but the showstoppers are a little bit to the west in Kohler. Walk around the American Club (get lunch!) and the Kohler Design Center. Then you have to visit the Kohler Art Preserve, which is absolutely the coolest art museum you have never heard of. I cannot overstate how cool this museum is. And it's free. Downtown Sheboygan also has a branch of the art museum, and that's also free. Some nice hikes in Kohler-Andrae SP.
- as you head south check out historic Cedarburg and enjoy some shopping and lunch.
- spend a couple of days in Milwaukee, another underrated city. Enjoy the beaches and walking around in cute, vibrant neighborhoods. The market is fun. Lots to explore.
- fly out from Milwaukee or head back to Chicago and leave from there!
posted by goodbyewaffles at 9:35 AM
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Nthing the Circle Tour of Lake Michigan or Superior. If traveling around Lake Michigan, I recommend maximizing time exploring the UP vs Wisconsin or lower Michigan - no hate to them, but the UP is a special place and summer is a fine time to travel around. Munising in the UP will be buzzing with visitors and is great for Pictured Rocks. Grand Rapids is a little off the circle but great small city, and Milwaukee is one of my fave cities. Hotels will book up along the lake so plan accordingly.
posted by paradeofblimps at 10:13 AM
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the California coast is lovely
posted by mmascolino at 10:28 AM
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Fairbanks, Alaska makes for a badass summer vacation. Or Alaska in general.
We spent a very nice vacation on Bowen Island off the coast of Vancouver.
And, I know it's not north (for you) but if you drive Hwy 550 from Durango to Silverton, Colorado, you will have a story to tell your grandchildren. There's a lot to see, do, and hike along the way.
posted by cross_impact at 12:06 PM
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