<p>I would avoid Europe in July, as that’s when European take ‘holiday’, so it will be crowded everywhere you go.</p>
<p>You don’t have to cruise to enjoy the Inside Passage. Consider flying into Vancouver, a fantastic destination in itself, and take advantage of the ferry system </p>
<p>[Packages[/url</a>]</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/inside/[/url]”>www.bcferries.com/schedules/inside/](<a href=“http://www.bcferriesvacations.com/packages/]Packages[/url”>http://www.bcferriesvacations.com/packages/)</a></p>
<p>I would recommend Yosemite also but with a HUGE caveat. We had a very low snowpack this year in the Sierra. Half of usual. By July there may be very little water trickling over Yosemite Falls. Vernal and Nevada Fall usually run all summer, though. </p>
<p>I go to Yosemite several times a year. I absolutely love it there. If you have never seen Yosemite Valley, see it for a day, no more. It is waaaaay too crowded for my taste. Traffic, jammed shuttle buses, too many people. You may also have a difficult time getting a reservation for lodging. </p>
<p>I go to the Yosemite High Country which is along the Tioga Road. There are only two ‘lodges’. They are groups of tent cabins with a communal bathhouse. Tuolumne Meadows Lodge and White Wolf Lodge. From those locations you can take fabulous hikes to mountain lakes and meadows and get far away from the crowds. It’s not for everyone. If you like electricity in your hotel room, it’s not for you.</p>
<p>We’re taking our 19 year old to Disneyland. We all love it. It is jam packed in the summer but sometimes that’s the only time you can go. And for the other days there is Southern California to explore - Santa Monica, Irvine, Hollywood, San Diego is closer to D-Land than Hollywood. Fun stuff.</p>
<p>Sedona, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, Painted Desert and the zillion other things to do in the area is one of my favorite trips.</p>
<p>The San Juan Islands and British Columbia are amazing. </p>
<p>The state of Utah has a million great parks. It is a very clean state.</p>
<p>I would skip Colorado which was previously recommended because of the fires - New Mexico, too has fires, and is another beautiful, favorite state.</p>
<p>Ummmmm PhotoOp—did someone move Anaheim? 
(closer to Hollywood by at least 60 miles)</p>
<p>How about a Grand Canyon/Colorado River rafting tour, followed by a night or two in Las Vegas?</p>
<p>How about going to Boston,catching a Red Sox game, spend a few days in Boston, then head north to Maine for some relaxation and great dining…</p>
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<p>Mine, too! We did it when I was in high school and I loved it so much I remembered a lot of the places we visited. I arranged basically the same tour for my family in 2010. I would add in the Canyon de Chelly and Rock Art Canyon - two of our favorite places in Arizona. We spent two weeks in the state and can’t wait to go back.</p>
<p>The OP’ said “S said hiking and walking tours are boring”. Doesn’t that negate most of the National/State park suggestions?</p>
<p>^^^Biking and jeeping or driving through in a car if super mellow! River rafting and horseback riding, caves, rock climbing, etc.</p>
<p>NYC + Hamptond</p>
<p>Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island</p>
<p>Bar Harbor Maine and Arcadia National Park</p>
<p>Berkshires</p>
<p>Catskills and Saratoga Springs</p>
<p>While Utah has some beautiful parks in summer it will be hot. I think H of OP doesn’t want hot. Grand Canyon will also be hot.
Seattle-San Juan Islands would not be hot. With Washington you could get a mix of nature and city.
San Diego weather would be good as long as you stay near the coast.
Another Ca idea is to fly into LAX, spend a couple of days in LA area and head up the coast of Ca and fly home out of San Francisco. The central coast beaches are rarely hot in the summer.</p>
<p>How about Chicago? Weather should be cooler than many locations. Great food. Boat rides. Beach. Great food. Museums. Theatre. Baseball (two teams). Great food.</p>
<p>Another idea. Fly to San Francisco or San Jose and drive about an hour south to Monterey-Carmel. Monterey has an excellent aquarium, a lovely bike path for bicycling or jogging along the rugged coast. You can see sea otters, sea lions and seals up close. You can kayak in the bay. </p>
<p>Carmel is a lovely town, one of the prettiest in the country. Tons of art galleries. Eat at the Mission Ranch. You may meet Clint Eastwood, as I did in April. He owns the place and is a regular. </p>
<p>Then head further south down the coast through Big Sur. There are several spectacular state parks with fantastic ocean views. The one just south of Carmel, Lobos, is really beautiful. Further down the coast are Pfeiffer Big Sur and Julia Pfeiffer Burns state parks. Complete the tour of Big Sur with a visit to Hearst’s Castle. One of the most opulent of America’s castles. Then turn around at San Luis Obispo and head back to San Jose on the 101.</p>
<p>*** San Diego ***</p>
<p>There’s a laundry list of things to do that appeal to many different interests -
Zoo, Sea World, Safari Park, hiking, biking, surfing, boogie-boarding, sailing, Mexican restaurants, Old Town, nice views, the best climate in the USA, USS Midway aircraft carrier museum, Balboa Park, etc.
<a href=“http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors[/url]”>http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors</a></p>
<p>It’s also close enough to Disneyland that you could do that as an easy day trip if you wanted to.</p>
<p>We live in upstate NY and vacationing in the Adirondacks is always fun for our family. Beautiful areas to hike, canoe, swim. Saranac Lake area is lovely, Lake Placid is interesting, Blue Mountain Lake is another popular area. Most of the resorts book way ahead by repeat visitors, but you might find some openings. Have plans and reservations ahead of time because it’s a vast area, but there’s a lot to explore and enjoy.
[First</a> Time Visitors | Adirondacks, NY - Official ADK Region Tourism Site](<a href=“http://visitadirondacks.com/first-time-visitors.html]First”>http://visitadirondacks.com/first-time-visitors.html)</p>
<p>How about breaking the mold completely and going somewhere like Iceland?</p>
<p>Thanks for all the comments, and particularly the links! I’ve revealed my abysmal knowledge of California and am feverishly attempting to rectify that; upstate NY, Niagara Falls and any non-hot areas of Utah are possibilities; and I’m looking into Vancouver as well.</p>
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Stradmom–That would be great for another summer, but this time we have only Monday to Sunday (my son has an out-of-town tournament the first weekend of our vacation week), so I’m trying to stay in the continental U.S. or Canada to minimize travel time. I forgot to include that info in the original post. </p>
<p>Missypie–it looks like you like the food in Chicago, hmmm? We took our S to Chicago when our D was looking at colleges there, so we will try someplace new this summer. We all enjoyed the pizza there! My tennis opponents this morning were big fans of Chicago, too.</p>
<p>Mythmom–we visited the Berkshires, Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park when we lived in New England. The children truly thought Maine was heaven. I agree that they are great vacation choices!</p>
<p>This is our last vacation with our son before he graduates from high school, so I’m trying to go someplace we haven’t been.</p>
<p>My face is red. I forgot you said no New England. Wherever you choose, have a wonderful time.</p>