Weekend Getaway from New York?

[jdevaz]

Hello,

My DH and I would like to take a 2-3 day trip during the week between Christmas and New Years to get away for a bit. We live an hour north of New York City and are looking for ideas.
We would prefer a drive no more than 4 hours long each way. Here's the catch - I hate skiing. There are tons of places that cater to winter sports and I'm not a big fan. I'd like someplace that has great hotel and dinner options.

Any ideas?

TIA!

[HeatherFL]

What about Connecticut? I love it there! :)Water's Edge Resort & Spa (http://www.watersedge-resort.com/) is really nice. It's also less than the 4 hour drive time you wanted. I've never been to this resort, but I also hear that Saybrook Inn (http://www.saybrook.com/) is nice. And this one looks nice too: Spa at Norwich (http://www.thespaatnorwichinn.com/). I am not sure about the drive time, though.

I stayed at The Mohegan Sun (http://www.mohegansun.com/) for a meeting and it was really nice, but more of a casino hotel. Not too romantic, but still nice. A LOT of dining options!

~H.

[PG-rated]

Connecticut's a great idea (and I'm not just saying that because I grew up there ;)) - you could stay in a B&B along the shoreline (besides the ones already mentioned, there's the Griswold Inn (http://www.griswoldinn.com), which is beautiful), go to a show in New Haven, and take a trip up to Hartford to see the light display in Constitution Plaza.

Philadelphia is another good idea; we've done several weekend trips there. The museums are great, and I'm sure Independence National Historical Park would be beautiful with the holiday lights still up.

I would suggest DC, too, but I think that might be a little outside your driving range. But if you're interested, let me know and I'll tell you about what's going on here.

[jdevaz]

Thanks ladies!
I'll look up your recommendations. Everything sounds great.

[houseblend]

What about Montreal? It is a very neat city with lots of character. DH is from Albany and we've made the trip from there a couple of times. No winter sports there, and plenty of good food!

[Amuse Bouche]

Montreal might be out of your range. I'd look at places in the Hudson Valley (we stayed at the Lefevre House B&B in New Paltz when we were there recently for a wedding, and it was lovely, and New Paltz is a fun town). New Haven is also a fun option, which a lot of people don't think about, since it has a reputation for being crime-ridden. It's not particularly, especially if you stay near the Yale campus, and there's a bunch of stuff to do -- theater, restaurants, the Yale museums and the campus itself, which is really pretty. I'd stay at the Three Chimney's Inn. I'd also look at Litchfield in Connecticut -- it's a really cute New England town with great dining options.

[HeatherFL]

New Haven is also a fun option, which a lot of people don't think about, since it has a reputation for being crime-ridden.
You hit the nail on the head. My uncle used to teach at Yale and he would say the exact thing to me as reasons some students would choose Harvard over Yale even though they would have preferred the Yale education. This is why I didn't recommend New Haven, but I loved it there and never saw any problems!

~H.

[Adaya]

I don't think a good case is being made for my hometown, New Haven, so I'll leave it alone. Though it is not like New Haven is some kind of pit of hell or anything like that. Like any city you have good areas and bad, and the area around Yale is not the only good part of New Haven, but I digress.

But I think the idea of Mohegan Sun was a good one. When I go home to visit my family, I usually go up there. I also know people that work there. It is a really nice hotel and casino with quite a few really good dining options with Michael Jordan's Steakhouse and Uncas American Indian Grill as my favs. If you're lucky, you might be able to catch a good show. They always seem to have some good performers there. The spa there is wonderful too. I've gotten a couple of treatments and they were heavenly.

There is an outlet mall that isn't too far away if you want to get in some good shopping, and Mystic Seaport is about 30 minutes away.

[PG-rated]

I don't think a good case is being made for my hometown, New Haven, so I'll leave it alone. Though it is not like New Haven is some kind of pit of hell or anything like that. Like any city you have good areas and bad, and the area around Yale is not the only good part of New Haven, but I digress.
I think people were trying to say the opposite - New Haven is often overlooked as a great destination because of an outdated reputation. My two brothers live in New Haven, and I think it's a great place to spend time. :) If you have specific suggestions, why not add them?