It's never too early to think about 2013!

Outdoors in NH (anywhere in the Northeast)

Well, I am anxious to learn where the Fest will be next year. I've placed my summer travel events/plans on hold until I learn ...but time is running out!

EDIT: We love outdoors ....... hiking, etc.

I should also mention that nothing has been finalized or approved yet. Plans and details are subject to change due to any number of circumstances or reasons. We're still in the recon and team building phase. We'll be doing a conference call with Fred shortly after the New Year to report out findings and discuss how to proceed.

A ski resort in summer is an ideal Fest location. Good rates, lots of open space, great driving roads near most of them, I love the idea. I might prefer Vail or Aspen to Sunday River, and in Aspen there's a bit more night life than in Bethel, if you can afford it. But Bethel is close for us, and I'd love going to a Fest there.

bhtooefr said:

IIRC, that area of the country (really, anything in Tennessee and nearby) has been looked at, and nothing suitable was found.

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Whoever was doing the looking must have overlooked it, haha
http://www.fontanavillage.com/
There is so many things to do other then driving(which is why most go there) you won't have enough time to check everything out. Just putting it out there as it seems nothing has been set yet.

HKB3 said:

Whoever was doing the looking must have overlooked it, haha
http://www.fontanavillage.com/
There is so many things to do other then driving(which is why most go there) you won't have enough time to check everything out. Just putting it out there as it seems nothing has been set yet.

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I promise you we did not overlook Fontana Village. Why don't you give them a call and see what the price is for 80 hotel rooms for 3 nights on Labor Day Weekend and request 200 reserved parking spaces and 5,000 square feet of meeting space with on-site catering. Let me know how it goes.

Oh wait... look what's already booked...

Labor Day Weekend
LakeAlooza Party On Fontana Lake with Fireworks
08.30-09.02.13
Our third annual LakeAlooza Lake Party on Fontana Lake. Live music on the docks of the Marina on Saturday afternoon Join us Saturday night August 31st for live entertainment in the Recreation Hall and fireworks on the Green.

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Most of the mountain resorts are booked 2 years in advance for big weekends.

I'm not trying to be a party pooper, but we have put dozens of hours into researching the Smokey Mountain region and it just won't play ball with us.

I wasn't trying to pee in your cornflakes, I did not realize that you were only looking at labor day weekend.
I'll slide back under my rock now

The problem is, the Fest schedule really doesn't work with only a 2 day weekend, given travel and all. And, it's traditionally been Labor Day weekend, so people can plan around that.

HKB3 said:

I wasn't trying to pee in your cornflakes, I did not realize that you were only looking at labor day weekend.
I'll slide back under my rock now

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No worries at all. We have tried really hard to find a good location in the Smokeys and keep coming up blank - it's frustrating.

One last shot for the smokeys
http://www.obergatlinburg.com/
PS it's a ski resort

That facility appears to not have any actual lodging.

http://www.obergatlinburg.com/plan-your-visit/lodging-partners/

Gatlinburg is sort of like a resort town in the smokeys

Gatlinburg? Wasn't that where "Sue" found his father and almost killed him?

Colorado Option (TDIFest2013)

VeeDubTDI said:

I would love to see something happen in Denver (or somewhere in CO). We've done a bit of research and it's a good candidate, although I don't know very much about that area. There are hotels available, prices are reasonable and I think it's a place a lot of people would like to explore.

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I would drag the family up to Frisco, CO every summer and vary the timing (early, mid to late summer). Years ago the town would be invaded by corvettes. Damn gas hogs!! ha! Main street was shutdown during a weekend afternoon for all the cars, similar to what I saw in Michigan.

As for Denver .. I will get to that location shortly.

The Summit area has something for everyone. Hiking, horseback riding or dude type rides in the am (Breckenridge), super-slides in Breckenridge, Breweries (watch out for the local fuzz), boating - if 2013 snow season was deep enough, Leadville (train ride, trout farm, depending on when TDIFest is scheduled, other events), Vail's Farmer's market, gambling down the mountain (Central City), more winding roads than you can shake a stick at, hot air balloon rides in Steamboat, etc.. Shopping for the ladies (and guys).. outlet malls .. white water rafting, fly fishing, the list goes on and on. Condo's up the wazoo -- people can double up -- rent a house that sleeps 20 -- free shuttles to Keystone, Breck, Frisco, Silverthorne (?). Can't remember when the BBQ of the Rockies event is.. generally good eats. Oktoberfest in Breck was a good time this past summer. If you take the time to drive to Aspen.. you can take the long way.. winding roads via the Mt Evans - Trail Ridge Road (14,130 feet, http://www.mountevans.com ). If you don't want to burn an diesel, and cycling is your poison, bring or rent a mountain bike. BTW.. when I drove through the area, the gas station near Copper Mtn was selling diesel for $5.05+ gallon. About 12-15 miles east to Frisco you could buy it for $3.89/gal. I was coasting on fumes after climbing Vail pass.. tried to get that 700 mile range.. but fell short and almost didn't make the pass.. Ha!

We could always invade Moab .. plenty of things there .. middle of no-where. Arch's National park at night, a clear night, very cool.

Okay.. Denver.. the Tech Center is not a bad location. Pricing for hotels is not bad. On the weekends when the business people leave, the prices drop and if you shoot for labor day weekend again.. rates should be reasonable. A number of chain pubs, irish bars, here again.. outlet malls south towards Colorado springs, short trip to South Park (not impressed) but a long 2-lane highway .. if looking for a drive (not that scenic). Water Park north of downtown, Coors or is it Pepsi Field - baseball, museums, Golden - Coors brewery tour (further north - Ft Collins has the Budweiser Brewery Tour and microbreweries), Breweries in Denver, Black Canyon, Durango - four Corners area, Mesa Verde - cliff dwellings, .. heck .. keep going south .. check out the aliens in New Mexico. Albuquerque anyone?

Have a nephew in the Jackson Hole area.. built in tour guide.

Updating my passport next month.. Vancouver anyone? The hotel I stayed in there, Pan Pacific, was very pricey, but a great location.

--Mike

midwestTDI said:

We could always invade Moab .. plenty of things there .. middle of no-where. Arch's National park at night, a clear night, very cool.


--Mike

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In May there is usually a "Miatas At Moab" event. So we wouldn't be the first to have an event there.

Smokey's ? Ashville?

VeeDubTDI said:

No worries at all. We have tried really hard to find a good location in the Smokeys and keep coming up blank - it's frustrating.

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Might know a dancer (pole) or two in Ashville! ha! The Blue Ridge Parkway is a nice road that leads to Ashville. They talk about gas availability as a bullet point but that shouldn't affect the TDI group ;-).

Events and maps can be found here: http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/directory/map

I have only been on a small part of the parkway from Hickory, NC west towards Ashville but had to stop due to road damage by a hurricane (many years go).. it has since opened.

Plenty of hiking and little towns along the way .. since I didn't finish my extended weekend travel in this area (due to the road issues).. this could be a nice location. Fall hasn't arrived by Labor day.. otherwise it could be a top 10 destination and expensive (?) .. once the leaves change.

--Mike

Gaylord Opryland Hotel

deegingerkid said:

While that would be fun, Memphis and/or Nashville would be almost too hot too...and a different hot from Vegas..the dank, sweaty kind of hot.

But Logan, if yould could make it work, I see that possibly being a ton of fun.

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HA! I like the dank, sweaty kind of hot.. funny. But in Nashville.. the Gaylord Opryland Hotel is huge. Wonder what the rates are there.. stay for a week long conference. Not into country but Opryland is right there, they had other tours running out of the hotel, a nearby mall-ish area and plenty of local restaurants.

Other than that.. trying to remember what else .. other than all the ties to music. Horse racing anywhere close? Mint Juleps anyone?

--Mike

bhtooefr said:

The problem is, the Fest schedule really doesn't work with only a 2 day weekend, given travel and all. And, it's traditionally been Labor Day weekend, so people can plan around that.

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The problem with 3-day weekends is that a lot of places are booked month/years in advance. Most Miata events are scheduled on a Fri/Sat/Sun with Friday being arrival/check-in, Saturday the first or main event, and Sunday the secondary event with banquet and event awards in the evening. Thus they're not confined to a 3-day holiday weekend. Sometimes, Mazda even contributes a little toward the event.

San Diego

JSWTDI09 said:

Count me in to help with planning. I would love to see a fest somewhere in the southwest. My town (Las Vegas) or Phoenix are often too hot in the beginning of September, but, LA, San Diego, San Francisco, Flagstaff, AZ, and probably other cities would work great. The closest to here that has ever held a TDIFest is Salt Lake City. I would love to see someone in California start a planning committee. I will help all that I can.

Have Fun!

Don

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Could be a great location .. day trip to Avon or even an night on the island. Had a great time when I was there, decided at the last minute to spend the night and just hang near the water a drink a few. Don't know much about San Diego other than exploring the zoo.

Oppss.. getting my maps messed up.. I meant Avalon (island off of Calif).. vs Avon, CO (skiing, hiking).

midwestTDI said:

HA! I like the dank, sweaty kind of hot.. funny. But in Nashville.. the Gaylord Opryland Hotel is huge. Wonder what the rates are there.. stay for a week long conference. Not into country but Opryland is right there, they had other tours running out of the hotel, a nearby mall-ish area and plenty of local restaurants.

Other than that.. trying to remember what else .. other than all the ties to music. Horse racing anywhere close? Mint Juleps anyone?

--Mike

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If they are anything like the Gaylord Texan in Dallas, EXTREMELY expensive! It is funny how these big resorts try to nickel-and-dime you for everything. A motel that charges $75/night usually has free WiFi, parking, etc. The Texan, in addition to their almost $200/night charge, wanted an additional charge for WiFi, and a per entry/departure charge for parking. The event planners were finally able to get both thrown in for free.

VeeDubTDI said:

Http://www.tinyurl.com/tdimap is a pretty representative sample of TDIClub members.

Also, the VCDS locator link in my signature.

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Hey.. no dot for Omaha.. LOL

romad said:

The problem with 3-day weekends is that a lot of places are booked month/years in advance. Most Miata events are scheduled on a Fri/Sat/Sun with Friday being arrival/check-in, Saturday the first or main event, and Sunday the secondary event with banquet and event awards in the evening. Thus they're not confined to a 3-day holiday weekend. Sometimes, Mazda even contributes a little toward the event.

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I'll note that TDIFest has very little going on on the initial Friday, too. Really, just the meet and greet, and maybe a movie or something, like happened this year.

The problem is, due to the national scope of the event, travel time. The Friday before and the Monday after are usually used as travel time, and for a 3 day weekend, that means only burning one vacation day, not two, for most people.

Same time constraints exist for Miata owners, but the events are still sold out. Maybe those of us who own Miatas are more laid back and just "don't worry, be happy"

Well, aren't a lot of the Miata owners that attend those events retired? (I know the Buckeye Miata Club had more than its share of retirees when I was a member.) And, I'd guess more disposable income and better jobs that allow for more vacation time, too, for those that are still employed.

bhtooefr said:

Well, aren't a lot of the Miata owners that attend those events retired?

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Oh, that's discouraging.

bhtooefr said:

Well, aren't a lot of the Miata owners that attend those events retired? (I know the Buckeye Miata Club had more than its share of retirees when I was a member.) And, I'd guess more disposable income and better jobs that allow for more vacation time, too, for those that are still employed.

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Well, I attended MORE events (regional, national, and international), BEFORE I retired. Since I've retired, I've only attended 2. Conversely, before I retired, I only attended 1 monthly meeting per year (and had to use vacation for that), but since I retired, I attend every month even though it is a 150 mile round trip.

As for more disposable income, a TDI costs more to run and maintain then a Miata, so that is a wash.

I once got hit by a Miata in a crosswalk on a bike.... ewe to the Miata's of the world since then!!

Hey now, my first car accident where I was driving was with a Windstar, you don't see me hating on Windstars because of that!

(You see me hating on Windstars because they're utter crap. )

The Labor (Labour) Day weekend has been frequently used due to the Canadian and US sharing of that three day weekend time.
There's no requirement that a fest needs to be over that weekend. The 2001 fest was in Mid-September to co-incide with Speed Week at Bonneville.

Maybe in 2016 it can be held in July: Canada Day is on Friday; Independence Day is on Monday.

romad said:

Maybe in 2016 it can be held in July: Canada Day is on Friday; Independence Day is on Monday.

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That's a great idea! Get another thread started, "It's never too early to think about 2016"

Next year's `Fest seems to have gotten on to a slower start; `16's ought to be a blast with plenty of time for planning.