This thread has pretty much summed up my vacations for the last few years.
Gatlinburg, good place to go and rent a cabin in the mountains, VERY touristy. 6 hour drive
Niagra Falls, super cool place to go, but 3 days and you might run out of things to do, stop in buffalo NY and get wings! 6 hour drive
Chicago, super expensive and not relaxing. 6 hour drive