Now taking suggestions for a great vacation destination within the US?|198288

It_s been a long time since my last REAL vacation, and my husband is soon returning from Afghanistan, and I_m thinking about surprising him with a vacation (we haven_t had much of a honeymoon). We_re not beach people; we like beautiful scenery; we enjoy music history; we_re adventurous and active people who like amusements and other thrill-seeking activities. All suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help.

To combine thrill seeking _ great scenery consider renting a All Terrain Vehicle) four wheeler) A side by side ATV like the Yamaha Rhino would be a blast. There are many of these rental outlets all across the west. Depending on what kind of scenic areas you enjoy _ season you are visiting would help you to decide where to go. One suggestion is:
South-Central Utah_s 275-mile long Paiute ATV Trail is a loop trail with no beginning and no end! It passes through several towns and has side trails leading to others. Dirt Wheels magazine rated the Paiute ATV Trail as one of the best 15 trails in the country. It has been rated as one of the top 5 trails in the country by ATV Illustrated magazine. Many riders consider the Paiute Trial to be the top US trail. This is a good ride in the early spring or fall.

http://www.utah.com/offroad/paiute_trail��

For music history, the first thing that comes to mind is Nashville, TN, as well as Elvis_ home Graceland, also in Tn

I would go to Mackinaw Island, MI. If it were my choice. They have a website, I am not sure what it is but just put Mackinaw Island, MI in your search engine. There are no cars allowed on the island so it is nice island you can just walk around at your own pace. Hope this helps.

My favorite has always been Mesa Verde, Colorado. It_s a national park. Stay in the Far View Lodge. The lodge is on top of the mountain at 8000 feet and at night you can see for 200 miles in every direction.

If you get tired of dead indians in the park, Arches monument and Zion canyon are close by, as is four corners.

Maybe Seattle? It_s beautiful over there with greenery all over. Also, the city center is really nice, lots of stuff to do, shop, visit museums, sightsee. I think there is a Music Experience museum over there.

You could also go snowboarding if you plan to go during snow season. Mt. Rainier is pretty close to there so I_m sure there are a lot of activities, such as hiking or mountain biking.

It_s also only a three-hour drive to Vancouver, so you could pop on over there for a day or two to see the city.

If you like the outdoors, Cooperstown New York. It_s a small _baseball_ town, but you truly get an _outdoorsy_ feeling.

San fransisco thru the Redwoods to Astoria Oregon, finish with Portland Oregon.

NOrth Shore of Minnesota - quite the _artsy_ community in Grand Marais and you could swing over to Hibbing to soak in some Bob Dylan.

Eureka Springs, Arkansas sounds exactly like what you want.

niagra falls may be touristy, but if you haven_t been there, it really is amazing and awe-inspiring. i highly recommend visiting. also, national parks like those in california and washington are beautiful. hike up the waterfall mt. vernal in california_s yosemite.