(09-14-2015, 08:21 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: Screw that!  If the guy has NEVER had a vacation he needs to do Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson style!

I have been to Vegas on a business trip. Stayed at the Venetian. Went to an open bar party at the Hard Rock and Tommy Lee was the DJ. Pretty good time in the evenings, all work during the day.

That is my thing, I have been to many places, but always for work, never for fun.

(09-14-2015, 08:34 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I have been to Vegas on a business trip. Stayed at the Venetian. Went to an open bar party at the Hard Rock and Tommy Lee was the DJ. Pretty good time in the evenings, all work during the day.

That is my thing, I have been to many places, but always for work, never for fun.

The free ride...  Nice!

(09-14-2015, 08:48 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: The free ride...  Nice!

That trip was so insane. 10 hours a day or so on the trade show floor and then parties until the wee hours. By the last day everybody was dragging ass. Free booze, free cigars (this was the tobacco industry), free food. It was a great time. I didn't see much of Vegas besides the Venetian, the conference center attached, and the party areas.

Right now, I live near the Oregon coast, and I love it. Less than a two hour drive. A little bit of mountain driving, but it's so nice. We usually stay in Seaside, which is touristy town, but it's not overcrowded. I am excited because we're getting ready for a family cruise to Alaska in May. Alaska is a place that I've been wanting to visit for some time.

(09-15-2015, 04:25 PM)Bengal Dude Wrote: Right now, I live near the Oregon coast, and I love it. Less than a two hour drive. A little bit of mountain driving, but it's so nice. We usually stay in Seaside, which is touristy town, but it's not overcrowded. I am excited because we're getting ready for a family cruise to Alaska in May. Alaska is a place that I've been wanting to visit for some time.

One of the best camping trips I ever took was on the Oregon coast.  I had friends living in Astoria so stayed with them a couple of days.  Then I went down to the dunes for a couple of days and then a few more days at Crater lake.

There is also a world class aquarium on the Oregon Coast.  When I made the trip out there back in the 90's aquariums were not as common as they are now.

Virginia Beach :]

(09-18-2015, 08:50 AM)magikod Wrote: Virginia Beach :]

I'm telling ya...VA Beach is where it's at.

always enjoyed vacationing to Hilton Head Island.... its a drive but once your there you can travel by bike all over the island.

Recently just been doing cabin/camping trips with friends... Went up to lake Huron 2 years a go and hiked around hocking hills last year

(09-18-2015, 08:50 AM)magikod Wrote: Virginia Beach :]

(09-18-2015, 11:19 AM)RICHMONDBENGAL_07 Wrote: I'm telling ya...VA Beach is where it's at.

If you like picking up sailors.

OBX. Just get something Ocean front. Do not get anything sound front bugs will eat you alive.

Just got back front there a few days ago lol.

(09-14-2015, 03:07 AM)Wyche Wrote: We just returned from Myrtle Beach a little over 24 hours ago.  Labor Day week is a good week to go if you want to avoid the big crowds.....and the rates are killer.

(09-18-2015, 12:47 PM)Synric Wrote: OBX.  

Just got back front there a few days ago lol.

September is by far the best time to go to the beach.  Weather is still plenty warm, and the rates are much lower.  

I am lucky that my girls often have a fall break that includes the last week of September.  When we did the required pilgrimage to Orlando for the theme parks I could not imagine having done that in the middle of the summer.  The heat would have been too much.

My family and I just got back from Disney World (my girlfriend has gone pretty much once a year for her entire life) but it was mine and our two children's first time there.

I was definitely reserved about going down because ... first half the reason we went down is because my girlfriends mother lives there, so you know..the mother in law thing... second is because I don't care for amusements parks and the fact that Disney is the most popular park in the world I figured it would just be swamped with people.

Well I was pleasantly surprised with the whole vacation... outside of my girlfriend acting like a three year old (brat three year old)for the first couple of days.. I was very happy with the vacation.

Grant it we are lucky because her mother works at Disney, so we didn't pay for a single park...we just paid for our hotel at the All-Star resorts, food, and gifts.  (heard average family of 4 can spend up to $7,000 for a week there...YIKES)

I'm not sure where it falls on my all time list of places to visit..but have to say I was pleasantly surprised with my first trip to Disney.. if you ever are thinking about going, late August is an ideal time to go...it may be HOT, but its not overly crowded!!!

I am simple, I also like visiting Ohio a lot...I don't mind the Jersey Shore (AC and Cape May are my favorite two places)... Am going to try to go down to North Carolina soon and spend a week down there looking around.

(09-15-2015, 04:25 PM)Bengal Dude Wrote: Right now, I live near the Oregon coast, and I love it. Less than a two hour drive. A little bit of mountain driving, but it's so nice. We usually stay in Seaside, which is touristy town, but it's not overcrowded. I am excited because we're getting ready for a family cruise to Alaska in May. Alaska is a place that I've been wanting to visit for some time.

The entire Oregon coast is stunning, and might actually be the most beautiful coast I have seen!  Also loved Seaside.  We drove the PCH and as it was late and we were hungry and sleepy, so we found a Best Western on the GPS that was another 20 miles in a town called Seaside.  We checked in to an ocean front room and found a nearby restaurant on the main road that we got take out from.  In the morning, we wanted donuts for the drive (we were going down the Columbia Rivere Gorge) and asked the concierge for a recommendation.  They gave us directions to a little spot a few blocks away.  It was in the middle of it all, and we quickly learned how cool that town was.  We immediately decided that the next time we go to Oregon we would actually plan a few days there.  What we thought was a sleepy little town was so much more!

(09-18-2015, 01:15 PM)fredtoast Wrote: September is by far the best time to go to the beach.  Weather is still plenty warm, and the rates are much lower.  

I am lucky that my girls often have a fall break that includes the last week of September.  When we did the required pilgrimage to Orlando for the theme parks I could not imagine having done that in the middle of the summer.  The heat would have been too much.

Absolutely.....we discovered that on our Honeymoon in Hilton Head.

(09-12-2015, 11:52 AM)Johnny Cupcakes Wrote: I've never been to Destin, but from what I've heard it's a pretty trashy tourist trap.  It's like the butthole of Florida.

Vegas is fun...for like 3 days, and then it just makes you wanna go home.  Regardless, I've been to Vegas 3 straight years and will be there again this coming March.  We have a blast for a few days and then head off to one of the nearby national parks.  Zion and Grand Canyon are only a few hours away, and both are worth a vacation on their own.  The fast times of Vegas are balanced out by the slow times of the parks.

New Orleans is cool. I was there this summer for work for a couple of days.  It seemed like I might get tired of it after those couple of days though.  The food, culture, music, and architecture are all great, but the city still seems like a novelty that would get old quick.  You can find some solid beaches within a couple hours' distance though, so if you diversify your vacation, you'll probably have a great time.

You don't know shit about Florida do you?
I've been to Norleans at least 20 times. Is cool the first two or three times after that it's a dump and FULL of gang thugs.
Being a resident of Florida many of us vacation near Mexico Beach and Scenic HWY 30A where I live and have worked for the past 25 years is one of the top vacation spots in the world! Look it up.
Crab Island in Destin is gorgeous when the water is right. You may as well google some pictures of that while your confirming what I said about the top vacation spots. Grayton Beach was named the #1 beach in the country just a couple of years ago. Go ahead and look up Seaside and Rosemary Beach while you're at it.
The only complaint that locals have with the panhandle is over development, hence the reason why we like to go to the Mexico Beach area during the crowded tourist season. It's not over developed, yet!
In the off season it is beautiful here.
Just laughable really, "the butt hole of Florida"! Ha, that's why Jason Aldean,Troy Aikman, Jason Whitten,Jerry Jones,Tom Criuse,Luke Bryan,Chris Janson,Billy Currington,Blake Shelton,Steven Tyler,Miranda Lambert,Sheryl Crow,Mathew McConaughey,Reese Whitherspoon,Michael McDonald,Sean Payton,Drew Brees,Justin Timberlake,The Indigo Girls, Katie Holmes,Willie Nelson,Jim Carrey,Bob Hope,Roy Scheider, every famous golfer that you can name,Michael Jordan,Brittany Spears,RG3,George Bush 1 and 2, and god knows who else cause those are just off of the top of my head; has owned a home or comes here for vacation almost every year.   

(09-19-2015, 08:42 PM)coachmcneil71 Wrote: You don't know shit about Florida do you?
I've been to Norleans at least 20 times. Is cool the first two or three times after that it's a dump and FULL of gang thugs.
Being a resident of Florida many of us vacation near Mexico Beach and Scenic HWY 30A where I live and have worked for the past 25 years is one of the top vacation spots in the world! Look it up.
Crab Island in Destin is gorgeous when the water is right. You may as well google some pictures of that while your confirming what I said about the top vacation spots. Grayton Beach was named the #1 beach in the country just a couple of years ago. Go ahead and look up Seaside and Rosemary Beach while you're at it.
The only complaint that locals have with the panhandle is over development, hence the reason why we like to go to the Mexico Beach area during the crowded tourist season. It's not over developed, yet!
In the off season it is beautiful here.
Just laughable really, "the butt hole of Florida"! Ha, that's why Jason Aldean,Troy Aikman, Jason Whitten,Jerry Jones,Tom Criuse,Luke Bryan,Chris Janson,Billy Currington,Blake Shelton,Steven Tyler,Miranda Lambert,Sheryl Crow,Mathew McConaughey,Reese Whitherspoon,Michael McDonald,Sean Payton,Drew Brees,Justin Timberlake,The Indigo Girls, Katie Holmes,Willie Nelson,Jim Carrey,Bob Hope,Roy Scheider, every famous golfer that you can name,Michael Jordan,Brittany Spears,RG3,George Bush 1 and 2, and god knows who else cause those are just off of the top of my head; has owned a home or comes here for vacation almost every year.   

I always thought it was because of the lack of state income tax

(09-19-2015, 09:08 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: I always thought it was because of the lack of state income tax

That is definitely one of the reasons, no doubt. Another reason is obviously the white sand beaches, emerald color water, fishing,awesome music venues,artists, hot nearly naked bodies for nine months of the year, and the coastal dune lakes. The panhandle is one of only two places in the world with such coastal lakes. The other being Australia.

(09-19-2015, 09:42 PM)coachmcneil71 Wrote: That is definitely one of the reasons, no doubt. Another reason is obviously the white sand beaches, emerald color water, fishing,awesome music venues,artists, hot nearly naked bodies for nine months of the year, and the coastal dune lakes. The panhandle is one of only two places in the world with such coastal lakes. The other being Australia.

???

Please explain

(09-19-2015, 10:00 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: ???

Please explain

Actually I was misinformed Madagascar and New Zealand also have these dune coastal lakes along with Australia and the Florida panhandle. Basically they are freshwater lakes that are separated from the oceans or in my case the Gulf of Mexico (saltwater) by just a sand bank or a few yards of sand. Like I said it is unique to just a handful of places in the world.
Essentially one can be freshwater fishing or kayaking, walk a few yards and be in a saltwater environment doing the same. We have a lot of natural springs here as well where the water is crystal clear. The water will look like it is only a few feet deep and be twenty instead.

(09-19-2015, 09:08 PM)jfkbengals Wrote: I always thought it was because of the lack of state income tax

Wts, they could build their houses anywhere in the state and take advantage of that loophole. Instead they all flock to the panhandle so state income tax is not the bottom line selling point.