Best Weekend Getaways

Summers are for vacations, but even during the summer it’s hard to take time off from work; when you want to go away it has to be a weekend retreat. Here are some of the best places around the country for weekend getaways when you don’t have time for a vacation.

California About five hours north of Los Angeles and two hours south of San Francisco, is the easy-going town of Carmel. It’s good for shopping, a stroll and enjoying time away from home. For outdoor serenity, Point Lobos is just to the south where you can take in California’s cliffs and beaches with a hike or whale watching.

Texas Not far from the Texas State Capital of Austin is the tiny town of Bastrop. It sits between the Colorado River — where you can kayak, canoe or paddle board – and the Bastrop State Park – where you can camp and hike. But Bastrop’s charm doesn’t end in the outdoors. The Deep in the Heart Art Foundry hosts tours (by appointment) where you can see how massive metal monuments are made. For entertainment, the Bastrop Opera House holds weekly musical performances and plays.

Florida For architecture enthusiasts, Lakeland is at the top of the bucket list of places to visit. Just east of Tampa, it’s the home to the largest concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the world – he designed the Florida Southern College campus. In addition to architecture, golf is also an attraction; it’s home to courses to accommodate players at all skill levels. There is also a festival for almost every month of the year.

Ohio Northwest of Cincinnati is an outdoorsman’s paradise. Hocking Hills State Park is a recreational area where you can camp or stay in a cabin to enjoy Ohio’s nature at its finest. Discovery hikes are held periodically but there are plenty of biking and hiking trails to explore on your own and find mystical waterfalls, deep, dark caves and cliffs of insanity.

Pennsylvania West of Philadelphia and north of Baltimore, the Pennsylvania Amish settled for a “plain” lifestyle. You can experience the plain lifestyle by touring the countryside in a horse and buggy and explore what life was like before cars and manufacturing. If you’re looking for something more bustling, “America’s Coolest Small Town” – Littitz, Pennsylvania – is in the heart of Lancaster County. There are bakeries, parks and museums to enjoy without having to put in too much effort.

You don’t have to go far to get away, but sometimes a weekend trip is just the refresher we need when we can’t fit in a vacation.