Best places to visit on the east coast of the U.S.

It looks like we may actually get to go somewhere for two weeks in October.  (not too hot, not too cold, but mostly, no classes I HAVE to teach.) :) Anyway, we want to spend at least 4 days in Ontario, visiting family and friends (and hopefully a few forumites), but are thinking of hitting two places on the east coast...one for the beaches maybe, and one up north just to see the beautiful northeast.  I don't really want to tour cities, as cool as those are. (although if there are a few 'must-see' sites, please let me know).   Also don't want to go hiking for days, as much as I would have enjoyed that before the aches and pains.  Any ideas? 

Go to Philz.

Where's that near?

I knew this would be the right place to come. :)

Where's Phil live?

Mike, those sound like wonderful places.  When is the best weather for Miami's South Beach?  Carolina beaches would be warmer than Florida's in October?

Chesapeake has always intrigued me, for some reason.  And, well, all those other places you mentioned too.  Hmmm....  Thank you.  I'll do some checking. 

For me I think Miami Beach in Late January is near perfect.

70* in the afternoon and salt in the air.

In October it could be 70* but could also be 98*.

Good luck choosing!

The beaches in NC are great in October... for sitting on and watching the hurricanes approach. Definitely something you'll remember.
I think Oct. in Florida is the beginning of tourist season (Mike?), and they get hurricanes, too.
Raleigh has a great natural history museum and once done there you can walk across the square for some good food and live music. Live music is better; bumper stickers should be issued.

Thanks Craig, but been there, done that.  :)  (hubby's from about an hour away from there.  The coolest time I ever saw it (literally and figuratively!) was in the winter...icicyles EVERYWHERE...mostly hanging sideways from the wind.  That was pretty cool.  Oh, and plenty of parking close by too!  lol

Thanks for clarifying, Mike.  I don't mind 98 so much if I'm on a beach.  Well, it's been that here for a month and it's getting a little old.  I think 70 at the beach is cold though.  So, we'll see what happens.

Phil, they really pronounce it 'LongGuyIsland??!!'  That's a good one.  I know, I know...I sound funny too.  Not nearly as funny as the rest of my family though (and no one can explain THAT!)  lol.  I'm afraid NY and LI isn't on my list of places I'm dying to see.  My idea of a big city is about 90,000.  lol  But definitely thanks for the invite!  :)

So, Greg, the water's already too cold in October, huh?  I'm afraid I'm probably spoiled anyway, having spent several years not far from a tropical beach.  But I'm ready to see something different, so you never know.  Are you and Herb anywhere near the beach?

Another vote for the coast of Maine - particularly northern Maine.

Another bonus... if your timing is right perhaps some New England fall colors?

If you're going to the north, go to Martha's Vineyard.

if you're going to the south, go to Florida - anywhere along the coast.  personally, I prefer the gulf side of florida, but the Atlantic sides' better than most other destinations.  I love visiting florida.  I know the residents hate that...oh well...

  Cape May is a nice beach with a quaint feel to it compared to Ocean City ,Atlantic City and Wildwood. This time of year the temps in the ocean are nice.

  We always preferred Cape May because of the victorian history,houses and family atmosphere( compared to the others) . Its quite a hop from where you are though,but not as far away as Florida or the Carolinas. They offer Carriage rides,whale/dolphin watching,parasailing,decent motels/ house rentals. If you go there its best to go in on the off hours due to traffic. Friday afternoons are a no no. I would go in either really late or really early.
  Let us know if you plan to pass this way!

Janet, another idea, also New England, if you like "culture" - not to mention history, as well as the ocean, Boston could be another option.

Only got there twice (once was for coporate meetings many years ago in early January during a record cold spell), but it was great.  The high point was as unexpected opportunity to get to hear a Boston Symphony concert.

Should have been more specific about Maine: was thinking Acadia National Park.  Southern Maine coast is kind of like most of the Atlantic Seaboard: flat.  Northern Maine starts to get more rocky and varied.

Also had to go to the Jacksonville, FL. area a number of times, and did get to the Space Center.  The beach at St. Augustine was nice (haven't been to most of the more famous parts of Florida, though did get to Orlando once).

I have to admit, being primarily small town/rural, I realy liked Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire (also particularly Vermont for the old covered bridges).

Ok ... somebody doesn't want me to post this. Doh! This is my 4th attempt. If you're seeing this, it went through this time. AHH!

That time of year there won't be much to do on the coast unless you go further south. Ontario to Florida is quite a trip.

When I go back home to NJ (which I will be doing this September and I can't wait) I always go to Millbrook Village in Northwest NJ along the Delaware. It's an 1800's village. First weekend in October they will have reenactments there, blacksmith ... etc. Depending on which way you go, the drive is quite an experience. The mountain side has eroded and it's down to one lane for a 12 mile stretch. I remember when I was a kid when it was still 2 lanes it was a harrowing experience driving through there. :)

If you're a movie buff ... Friday The 13th 1 & 2 was filmed near Millbrook just over the mountain near Blairstown. My grandmother has lived there almost her entire life, she just turned 98.

If you are in to this kind of thing, there is a very old cemetery at Millbrook Village they don't mention on their web site that I could find. It's a short hike on an old dirt road on the other side of the village. Walpack Cemetery.

There's also a little museum/art gallery in The Delaware Water Gap. Millbrook, Del Wat Gap, and Pocono's are all in 45 minutes of each other. It's called Antoine Dutot Museum & Gallery. There's actually a few cool places to visit in The Gap.

Get back on Rt 80 from Del Wat Gap (or take Rt 611 ... the back way) and head to The Pocono Mountains across the Delaware River in to PA. It's all within an hour drive. There's tons of great restaurants, touristy things, ski resorts and more in The Pocono's, or just go for a drive through the mountains and go leaf peeping.

You'll be near Rt 80 and can hop on and head toward home.

If you're into water sports, you can raft or canoe several places on the Delaware river.  Port Jervis, NY used to offer a good place to do that stuff.  The water could get a little rough when the snow melts in the spring, but it's pretty mellow the rest of the year. 

If you want white water, check out the Lehigh River in PA.  This time of year, it might not be so white, either. 

You can also go soaring--in glider airplanes--in Binghamton, NY.  The region has some special geography/topology where three valleys intersect and several times a year the air currents are such that a glider can actually stay aloft for hours!  The pilots are able to catch the updraft where the valleys meet and climb to a higher altitude, then go off on their own and come back to the updraft and do it all over again. 

Note:  a lot of these ideas are based on stuff I did thirty years ago.  They may have changed a bit since I've done them. 

I spent a year in Boston so here's my thoughts.

Boston's a nice city to visit. Very easy to get around and quite a few places of interest.
It's quite relaxed, and doesn't have that Big City feel. Cambridge is a good place for
relaxing in, and the University museums are worth a look.

From Boston head up to Maine. On I-95 it's about a 5 hour drive,
including stops.

Good stops on the way are Salem, Rockport, Portland.
Though would highly recommend Rockport as its a very picturesque town
and has a very large artist population.

In Maine, Acadia National Park is very much worth a visit. Great variety of landscape,
woodland, hilly, and the classic 'craggy' coastline.

Another alternative from Boston is inland through New Hampshire's White Mountains and onto Vermont.

October is probably the best time to visit New England. The summer heat and hummidity has gone, it's comfortably warm.
And even if you miss the best of the foliage, it's still an amazing sight.

Yea, new england can be fun, since that will be close.  We stayed in Boston a couple of times and used that to hit Plymouth, Martha's vineyard and Salem.  Not much for beaches - it is awfully cold for this texas boy.

Upstate NY is another buecolic place.  Great weather and apples by the bushel as well as mountains.

A less likley place is W. Virginia.  No cities to speak of, but beautiful countryside, moutains.  Hopefully by fall the national pastime of men not wearing shirts will have passed.  I took my Mother and Uncle back to visit their childhood home and dig up family history a couple summers running, and it is a very pleasant place (and cheap).  We stayed in a carriage house w/ two bedrooms and a living room for $50 a night or so near Morgantown.  Even w/o the family history it was pretty cool and relaxing - or would have been if I hadn't been doing all the driving.

None of these places are "on the map" so to speak, and no beaches.  But that is their charm.

@

You guys are the best!  Thank you!  I'm getting excited-er about it by the minute.  :)   FYI, we're thinking of flying from major area to major area, and rent a car while we're wherever we are.  I would love driving the back roads for hours, but that hurts my sitter within about an hour, so we certainly wouldn't get very far...  If we can't get cheap flights, though, we may go to plan B.  My excitement about seeing new places usually exceeds my budget...