Vacation - Minneapolis,MN

It depends on what kind of vacation you are looking for. These are some of my favorites:
Yellowstone/Grand Teton and Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming
Seattle
Myrtle Beach
Colorado Springs/Estes Park Colorado
Maui
Chicago
Banff, Canada (not in the US, but not really international travel)
San Diego
The Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin
Kentucky-- a must stop is Horseshoe Bend Winery near Lexington (email me if you want contact information)
These are all places that I have been to multiple times or would love to go back to again!

Depending on how long of a vacation you want...

A couple of years ago my parents took a 2 week vacation. They started out at home ( about 4 hours south of you) and then drove to South Dakota stayed in a hotel got up in the morning and headed to the Black Hills, they drove through the bad lands some park ( not sure if it was part of yellow stone or not) seen Mt Rushmore and Devil's tower, then went to Colorado to the mountains, traveled down to the Grand Canyon then over to Vegas then to the ocean in California then straight back to MN. They only spent a day or two at each place and most of it was in the car ( it was just the two of them so it didn't matter). But they both said that was the best two weeks they ever had.

Some day I would like to retrace thier vacation with my kids as we have never been on a vacation either.

I love San Antonio TX. There is a ton of stuff to do and great places to eat. But don't go in the summer the heat and humidity is awful. Have fun where ever you end up. I am also very partial to Las Vegas though. We go there at least once a year. Even if you do not gamble there is a ton of stuff do there as well.

Yellowstone! We had so much fun and I can't wait to go back.

Port Aransas, TX. We went there several times before we moved to TX (From Minnesota - small world!). Beautiful beaches, laid back, great place to relax and enjoy, with or without kids!

http://www.portaransas.org/

Wherever you chose to go check vrbo.com and consider house/condo rental. We have found that it is WAY better than staying in a hotel!

Colorado Springs, CO. We lived there 18 yrs. and it is a wonderful tourist area - U.S. Air Force Academy, Cave of the Winds, Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Will Rogers Shrine,, Van Briggle Pottery, etc. Nearby is the Royal Gorge in Canon City, Coors Brewery in Golden, CO, Cripple Creek includes Molly Kathleen Gold Mine, etc. The scenery is out of this world, the air is dry, sunny, and moderate temps. No mosquitoes or humidity. Just drink more water than usual while there to avoid dehydration and headaches. When hiking, go slow & gradual as the altitude will affect you.

One place that I love to go that isn't too far from us Minneapolitans is Michigan's upper peninsula. Cute towns, history, nature, gorgeous beaches, and easily drivable: http://www.uptravel.com/.

Some places we've enjoyed:
Escanaba
Tahquemenon Falls
Fayette State Park (mining town "ruins")
Big Springs
Ft Mackinac and St Ignace
Grand Marais beach
Au Sable lighthouse

My husband and I LOVE beach vacations. We have been all all over Europe and the U.S. Our favorite vacations are always the beach ones--Costa del Sol (Spain); St. Maarteen (Caribbean); Kauai (Hawaii); and Florida. They are so relaxing--no schedules. We read on the beach, take naps, take long walks on the beach, etc. We enjoyed all of our big city vacations, but they're not relaxing (up early doing museums, monuments, churches, etc).

Favorite Domestic Beach: Sanibel Island, FL

You are in such a beautiful part of the country. When are you going? Now? If it will be this summer I'd go to Acadia National Park in Maine. Also, the PA Dutch country area is beautiful, or Sandusky Ohio, or Boston...so many choices up there...Have a wonderful time!!

For ideas go to tripadvisor.com. Lots of great info there!

One fun idea is to fly to FL, rent a car and drive all the way to Key West. This is a gorgeous drive and there are lots of opportunities to stop along the way and enjoy the beaches and scenery. We are lucky because we have family who live in the keys so we are able to stay with them when we go down. We are going there next month for the first time in 10 years and it will be our kids' first time. So beautiful down there, and it's in the country so no international travel headaches!!!

Hilton Head Island was wonderful! We had such a great time. Myrtle Beach was great too but I liked HIlton Head Island more. Have fun!!!