Where to go

[D. Shelton]

Kona, HI, USA

[AX17609]

Originally Posted by HHP

I might suggest the Upper Peninsula of Michigan ( Da UP). Lots of small towns, woods, wildlife, scenery, and the lake can be spectacular that time of year. Seeing huge whitecaps on a freshwater lake is pretty unforgettable. One town I visited was half US and half Canada. Everything from fishing camps to luxury resorts but no real tourist traps.

October? Mackinac Island, of course!

[Earl49]

October in the upper Midwest?

The UP. Mackinaw Island, the Soo Locks, Lake Superior shoreline, Pictured Rocks boat cruise near Munising, then up into the Keweenaw Peninsula for some historical forts, old mines and little towns. That area used to be big during the copper boom over a century ago. (I used to live da UP, eh?). October may be a little late in the year, but Isle Royale National Park out in Lake Superior is worth a ferry ride, but is rustic camping and hiking only.

If you want to broaden your horizons beyond CONUS, I also highly recommend Hawaii. Kauai is my favorite island to visit on the ground and Hawaii Island my favorite for scuba diving. Maui is nice too and has its own charms, but traffic is pretty bad these days.

[RustyAxe]

My wife and I have often talked about visiting the upper peninsula of Michigan. Beautiful country, wildlife, and scenic Mackinac Island, and in late October still quite a few lingering fall colors.

Edit - didn't read the post before me, but great minds think alike.

[Alder Statesman]

Asheville NC. The best buskers in the world. We have The Guitar Bar as well as a dozens of breweries (mega and micro), fall color promises to be excellent this year.

We have the Blue Ridge Parkway with The Folkart Center and Destination Center. Day hikes on the Mountaain to Sea Trail and nearby hikes on the Appalachian Trail (Max Patch is my favorite and was featured in A Walk In The Woods movie, though not the book).

You may as well check out the Biltmore Estate: at the winery there is often live music.

[frankmcr]

You're near Portland? Okay . . (but if you don't like trains, stop reading here) . . .

Take the Empire Builder from Portland to Chicago.
Get a room with a lake view at the Drake. Explore the city for a couple of days.
Take the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Get a room at the Millennium Biltmore and explore the city for a couple of days.
Take the Coast Starlight from LA to Portland.

That should leave you with a fair few memories.

[JCave]

Originally Posted by Irish Pennant

We love good people, scenery, sea food (fish and natural harvest) and history.

Bandon? Seriously. Oldtown on the waterfront is great.