Memorial Day weekend always reminds me that I love to take road trips. I grew up as a member of a family who traveled a lot and always by car, since my dad is afraid to fly. (At least I know I come by it honestly) I’ve kept that with me and I enjoy to take a drive to random destinations. Last year, a friend and I went to visit a town where an episode of the TV show One Tree Hill was filmed, and on the way back, we were told that we were only a short drive to Oklahoma — AKA, casino country. So what did we do? We drove over the border and went gambling for a few hours.
On Memorial Day weekend, a lot of us feel the urge to take advantage of the extra day off from work, and decide to barbecue or travel to see family. With gas prices averaging around $3.80 a gallon, you may want to hit the road but you don’t want to go far. One of the things I have discovered from being the kind of person who’s willing to hop in the car and take off is that there are a lot of destinations right in your backyard that you don’t want to miss. Here are some ways to find somewhere to go that won’t take you forever.
ThingsToDo.com — This is a great website that divides up local attractions by state and region, so that you can always find something to see close by. I learned that about an hour from where I live is a place called the Fossil Rim WildLife Center, which allows you to drive through the center and see local wildlife like deer, as well as zebras and other things you only get to see at the zoo. You can drive yourself through the paths and the cost is about $20.00 per person. There are group and school rates available.
Check with your local visitors center to see attractions you might not know about. These are not just for non-locals, in fact, everytime I am in downtown Dallas, I stop by the center to look around and see what I might have missed before. The last time I was there, I took the McKinney Avenue Trolley for a historic ride through the upscale district of Dallas. You’d be surprised what you find in your backyard that you didn’t know was there before. The visitors center is a great place to figure out some new places to go and experiences to have. There may be a lot of special events going on for Memorial Day that you don’t know about and can take part in.
A Day’s Outing lets you plug in your current location, define how far you want to travel, when you want to leave, and even the kind of attractions you would be interested in. There is also an iPhone application, making it the perfect companion for vacation travelers and business travelers looking for sights and sounds as they pass through a city or an area.
Memorial Day usually kicks off the summer season which makes us all think of pools, fun, beaches, and vacations. Hitting the road isn’t hard — but most of us like to have an idea of a destination in mind before jumping in the car and taking off. With sites and applications like this, it makes it easier to jump in the car with a full tank of gas and a full iPod of songs. Where are you heading this Memorial Day?
We would like to take an opportunity to thank all of the men and women in our Armed forces who have lost their lives protecting honor and freedom, both home and around the world.
