Where to go in early July that isn't hot and muggy

I am getting so antsy to hear about decisions, it’s driving me nuts. I’m such a planner, and I really wanted to go on a good family vacation this summer, the last one before kiddo goes off to school. But when? All the schools have different start dates, and we have a nephew’s wedding at the end of July. I’ve put together a road trip for beginning of June so at least that’s figured out. I hate the heat and humidity so where could we go in early July that’s not hot and muggy? Any suggestions?

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Pretty much the entire West Coast is not muggy. Some parts can be hot, of course.

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Do you want to drive? Are you looking for scenic beauty or city life and museums? New England -Canada -Great Lakes ???

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It’s on my list for sure. H’s family is in CA and we’ve taken many trips out there; nephew’s wedding is going to be in CA too, so I was hoping for somewhere “new” for us. I’ve lived in OR and WA, and love the PacNW, so that’s certainly a consideration. D has applied to schools in CA and WA and if she ends up in either state I figure we will be doing lots of travel out there in the future. I worry a bit about wildfires that time of year - no stranger to them here in CO so I know they can happen anytime (the awful Marshall Fire occurred on Dec 30 and horribly ironically we got 8" of snow on Dec 31 and have had snow on the ground since then).

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Quebec City is gorgeous during the summer with temperatures rarely going above mid-70s. Great food, beautiful city, and lots of areas to explore around. You could definitely do an Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City road trip…you would roughly be following the St Lawrence up to the seaway.

All three cities have very different feels, Ottawa an amazing open air market, Montreal is super fun, Quebec City feels very European.

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We haven’t spent much time in that region, so that’s appealing. I’m more a fan of city life myself, and would like to expose D to another one of the country’s big name cities while I can (she didn’t care for NYC and Philly). We spent a week in Boston over 4th of July a few years ago and that’s the most NE we’ve been. It rained quite a bit and was pretty warm as I recall. But I might just have to suck it up and deal with it. :neutral_face: DC is the one I’m most interested in taking her to at the moment, seeing as it’s the nation’s capital. But it’s going to be hot and humid, right?

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DC is an amazing city, but yes 10/10 on the hot and humid scale in July!

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Oooh, I could see this being a good option. I will look more into it, thanks!

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Ugh, that’s what I was afraid of.

We used to live quite close to the Canadian border and visited all three cities fairly regularly. If you have any questions, let me know!

There are some gorgeous islands in the St Lawrence that grow lavender, honey, blueberries and other produce - so amazing to visit (those are near Quebec City).

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Thank you! Would you know if it tends to be cloudy/partly cloudy in late June or early July? H is planning on having cataract surgery with the kind of lens replacement that can be adjusted a couple of times but UV light exposure makes the change permanent so I would like to avoid sunny places if possible.

I live in DC – you don’t want to come here in July :joy:

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Because you are farther north in Quebec City, the angle of the sun is much less strong (hence how the temp is high 50s - mid 70s throughout July).

There are about 14-15 daylight hours in Quebec City during July but only 8 of those are ‘sunlight’ hours. The UV index there is about 6-7…to put that in perspective the UV index in D.C. in July is above 9.

It really isn’t known for being super sunny nor particularly cloudy, it is just very temperate. Definitely bring sunglasses for those 10am-4pm hours and a hat, but you should be fine.

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There is always Alaska! Seattle has been getting warmer and less rainy in July and August, usually in the 80’s. The smoke isn’t as bad as eastern Washington, but we can get smoke blowing in from the east and Canada in the summer. Maybe the San Juan Islands?

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How’s DC in late March?

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Absolutely perfect. Look into timing of Cherry Blossom Festival!

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I’m right there with you! I’m a major planner too and not knowing where he’s going in the fall is driving me nuts. Especially since we’re just waiting on one school in order to know exactly where that will be. He’s got other results still to come in, but we only care about one. I think that almost makes it worse for me. Luckily DS isn’t as tense about it. And I’m not telling him how often I’m checking the portal! The thing that’s going to be tough is that I’ve promised him not to tell him if I find out first. The CSU Long Beach acceptance email trailed the portal acceptance by 4 days. If I have to wait that long for DS to know his results from his #1, ugh. But I suppose I can fill the gap with planning. LOL.

And my vote for not hot and muggy if you don’t want Central/Northern California, Oregon, and Washington I throw my vote with those suggesting various parts of Canada. Or Alaska. Awesome and beautiful in summer.

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So you don’t like the SLO going? :wink:

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BAD!!! Bad pun!! :face_with_raised_eyebrow: :laughing:

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Yes! When we lived in the DC metro area, we used to love going to the Smithsonian Folklife Festivals on the Mall, but it was always so hot!