Since I originally wrote this blog, we’ve done exactly 0 of these long weekends. Yet they are still all appealing to me, so my list appears to be enduring!
Long weekends and short trips are the bread and butter for us vacation lovers; it’s great to plan the big trips for months in advance, but it’s also great to take those more frequent, quick, short-notice trips (as in a few weeks to a couple of months in advance). We head to the north Georgia mountains a couple of times a year to enjoy a weekend of solitude, mountain air, and to simply get away from the city. Some of our other recent quick trips have included Panama City, Asheville, Disney World, and Jacksonville/Saint Augustine.
But here is my current list of quick trip destinations I hope to accomplish in the coming few years:
- South Beach, Miami – on a business trip to South Florida a few years ago I made a detour through South Beach to see what it was all about. I loved the architecture and the Latin feel. I’m a big fan of Cuban cuisine and culture. And I learned while taking care of my elderly parents in the last couple of years that South Beach was their first vacation destination after getting married. All this adds up to a compelling desire to go, probably hopping on a quick cheap flight down on a Thursday night and returning Sunday night. http://www.visitsouthbeachonline.com/
- Pro Football Hall of Fame, Canton, OH – I’m a football fan, both college (Bama) and pro (NFC: Saints, AFC: Patriots). I built a home theater (hmm, potential blog?) because I’m a movie fan, but I find myself enjoying it for watching football, at least this time of year, more than watching movies. To me, the history of the sport is fascinating: the teams that have come and gone, moved from city to city, and have consolidated, the whole evolution of the NFL. I’ve been looking for a book on the history of professional football for a couple of years but haven’t managed to find one. So firstly I’d like just to see the HOF, but I’m hoping they have some books in their library on the history of the sport. Canton is just far enough to make a drive painful, so like a trip to South Beach it seems the best trip would be a Thursday night flight there (to Akron or even Cleveland) with a Sunday return. http://www.profootballhof.com/default.aspx
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland – speaking of a potential flight to Cleveland, I’d love to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I doubt I have to explain why. Perhaps in the same trip as a visit to Canton, football on Friday, rock-n-roll on Saturday; sort of the “hall-of-fame man-trip weekend”. http://rockhall.com/
- Manhattan – I’ve been to Manhattan several times on business, including once interviewing with Microsoft the month after 9/11. I like big cities, I like discerning the character of the city, and NYC has a unique character. I’d like to go for a 4 day weekend, take in a show or two, and hit the big museums. There are more resource sites on New York City than I could possibly provide links for here.
- KY/TN whiskey distillery tour – I recently did the tour of the Coors brewery in Golden, Colorado, and I’ve done a few other brewery tours in the past. Apparently it’s time to step up my adult beverage touring game. Recently I’ve developed a taste for the fire waters of American blue grass country, particularly the flavored stuff. I predict that flavored bourbons and whiskeys will do for their spirit what flavored vodkas have done for theirs. The Evan Williams varieties are our favorites, by the way. But if we go on a distillery tour, this one has to be on any short list I create: http://www.jackdaniels.com/visit This trip would be a pretty easy driving trip for us.
- Salvador Dali museum, Tampa – Lori and I went once before, so long ago that she was pregnant with our first child (he’s 24 now). We–I in particular–are big fans of Dali, and they have a new facility…so time to go back. http://thedali.org/home.php
- Iowa State Fair – even before it was mentioned in every other “top 10” show on the Travel Channel, I wanted to go to the Iowa State Fair. This is the short trip entry on my list that’s been here the longest and never seems to get high priority. Maybe in 2013 I can change that. http://www.iowastatefair.org/
That’s my complete short trip wishlist (at the moment), but as I was writing this Lori asked what I was blogging about. I explained and she said, “ooh, Harry Potter World at Universal Studios Orlando.” I explained politely that this is *my* blog 🙂 but as I’m sure I will enjoy helping her cross that one off her list, I guess it deserves an honorable mention. http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/
