Lesley Carhart 
Don’t tell my family, I don’t want to spoil the surprise - but I think for my birthday this year I want to save up as much as I can and take them (my adult, extended family) on a trip somewhere. I hope I can pick somewhere good and make it work. I think it would be a nice surprise. Maybe Sedona, Asheville, or New Orleans.
Joe Uchill@hacks4pancakes Fun!
Kevin Thomas ✅@hacks4pancakes very cool!
RRBI vote for Asheville.
@rrb I’ve never been there, what’s some fun stuff to do?
@hacks4pancakes Well. What you hear about is the Vanderbilt Biltmore mansion, which is nice but a site for tourists. The city has an interesting vibe. It somehow became a hippie destination in the Blue Ridge mountains of NC (red-necky). Somewhat like Austin in that way, a weirdo mecca in the middle of a country music type area. Downtown has a nice formerly really upscale district moving towards bohemian. Lots of micro-breweries. Good beer. Nice food. A number of interesting small neighborhoods. Just a pleasant place to kick around with good food and drinks. In the middle of the Blue Ridge mountains. Pleasant weather a lot of the time. Southern Appalachia will never be too frigid. Nor is it hot in the Summer. Interesting arts district on the river.
@rrb I’m looking for something restful with good food and culture so that sounds nice
Michael K Johnson@hacks4pancakes @rrb If you go to Asheville and your family appreciate good vegetarian or vegan food, I can recommend the Laughing Seed. It's on my list for a return visit. https://laughingseed.com/
@hacks4pancakes I forgot downtown has lots of nice buskers playing music on the streets and some good music venues. But, for a real treat, around Christmas Asheville native Warren Haynes has a jam session each year with his best friends that he invites. That makes it a unique blend of the best musicians. Also, bluegrass.
Maxim Weinstein@hacks4pancakes @rrb Eat and drink! We did a great food tour when we were in Asheville several years ago. I haven't been to Sedona, but New Orleans and Asheville are both fun (albeit very different, notwithstanding the good food/drink in both.)
@maximweinstein @hacks4pancakes
I like all three. In New Orleans pay attention to the part of town you are in. They built some projects right next to tourist areas. Keep your eyes open. Great food. Garden District is gorgeous. Music is wonderful.
Joshua Doll 🤷♂️@hacks4pancakes Sedona is beautiful.
@brektyme is there good stuff to do there?
@hacks4pancakes Sadly I only drove thru, but it was very beautiful. My wife stayed at a resort there on her trip from VA->CA when we moved back home, it was my present to her for having made the trip with two tiny terrors aka our daughters who were three and almost one at the time.
All that being said it did look like some hiking and other outdoors type things.
Cowgirlcoder@brektyme @hacks4pancakes Sedona has world-class art, hiking, skiing, the food is good, it’s close to the Grand Canyon. Lots of high-end resorts and B&Bs. And, of course, the landscape.
@cowgirlcoder @hacks4pancakes IMHO second only to Yosemite in beauty.
gizmomathboy, FC@hacks4pancakes I've only been to Asheville but it's got a lot going on.
Others have noted the Vanderbilt estate. I'm all for eating the rich but the grounds are amazing.
The mansion is typical gilded age excess.
Their wine is ok
New Orleans is some place we'd like to go and a good friend is from there. Part of the Katrina Diaspora.
That Anonymous Coward
David Seidl@hacks4pancakes another vote for Asheville. Wonderful hiking in the area, great food, make sure you do the tourist thing and take the bus tour. It is a ton of fun.
PaulFromChicago@hacks4pancakes If it's the early winter, New Orleans. Late winter, Asheville.
For summer, I'd do Carolina Beach. But not everyone likes drinking cheap beer on the beach wearing a Dekalb Ag hat.
Chris Atzinger@hacks4pancakes that’s badass and what a great idea!
int penguin 
@hacks4pancakes +1 vote for Asheville. There's no shortage of great food, great drinks, or fun things to do and see in Asheville. 
I can personally vouch for these from previous trips there, but this is just a small fraction of a percentage of awesome places there:
Fun places to go:
- Biltmore Estate
- Pinball Museum
- Asheville Art Museum
Shopping:
- French Broad Chocolate Lounge
- The Spice & Tea Exchange
Breweries:
- Highland brewery tour
- Wicked Weed Funkatorium (if you like sour beer)
Downtown Restaurants:
- Chai Pani
- Jerusalem Garden Cafe
- Chestnut Restaurant
- Isa's French Bistro
- Zambra tapas
Douglas King@hacks4pancakes
My partner and I went to Asheville last year. Had a lovely time. Check out the Moogseum.
My partner and I went to Asheville last year. Had a lovely time. Check out the Moogseum.
Altytwo Altryness, BS 
@hacks4pancakes not a problem, we’ll keep it between the 33K of us.
Carmen Crincoli
Dewey Ritten Fun! I'd steer clear of Nola/Gulfcoast states in August though.
@deweyritten why, just the weather? I used to live there…
August is getting really into hurricane season. Just something to consider if the whole country is your oyster for this <3
@deweyritten ah, it wouldn’t be in August but I see your point on hurricane season
@hacks4pancakes did u serve in Nola?
@hacks4pancakes thank you for your service. fun place to be, my parents were stationed nearby in Mobile, USCG
Christopher Aedo 
@hacks4pancakes I just got back from a birthday trip to New Orleans and can highly recommend it. Some of the nicest people in the world there, and I had some of the best meals of my life there too.
genehack@docaedo happy birthday!
Chris (so far)
Thomas Reed@hacks4pancakes Honestly, Sedona has gotten too crowded in recent years, at least for my liking. In that general area, I’d recommend Page, Arizona instead. The slot canyons there are really something to see. Antelope Canyon is the really well-known one, and it has gotten very busy and commercialized, but there are other less-well-known canyons where you can take your time exploring.
@thomasareed this is more to relax and be near restaurants and culture (and an airport), I might do that by myself?
@hacks4pancakes Ahh, yeah, that would be a more Sedona activity than a Page activity. 🙂
Jesse Cail@hacks4pancakes that's an amazing thing to do! Wherever you all end up, I am sure it will be a memorable experience.
P.S. I vote for Sedona.
tr3ndki11@hacks4pancakes gf and I went last year and found a super cool ghost tour of downtown.
We did the classic tour with Brian…it was as much a history lesson of the area as a ghost tour, in a good way.
Allan Chow@hacks4pancakes would Mexico be an option
@grumpasaurus we aren’t resort people?
Steve Torrente@hacks4pancakes That's so fun. There are so many amazing places to see, but the day-to-day can really take up our whole focus sometimes.
pejacoby@hacks4pancakes Sedona is a GREAT place for a family vacation. We did the whole family a couple years ago, stayed at the lodge-place up by the airport on the mountain, did the Pink Jeep tours, hiked the trails. Really a great time for ages 8 to 80.
Nick 'The Viking'Depending on time of year, I'd say Sedona. But all 3 are excellent choices.
HTTP 1.1/418 Teapot@hacks4pancakes That sounds lovely. Hope it works out well!
Mavwreck@hacks4pancakes New Orleans has great food & good music but I’d avoid it during either Mardi Gras (too busy) or the summer (too humid - I was there in late June…never went below 90% humidity).
@hacks4pancakes the only one I haven’t been to is Sedona but the people I know who have *rave* about it. The other two I’ve been to several times and were amazing every time.
So … uh … I’m not a lot of help here I suppose.
So … uh … I’m not a lot of help here I suppose.