Who's Up for a Staycation?

Do you ever find yourself wanting to get away from it all but you don't want to deal with the hassle of airline travel or an all-day drive to get there? So what ends up happening is you stay home becasue you just can't come up with a good place to go that you think will be fun or worth the trip.

Well we are here to tell you that sometimes you have to look closer to home to see maybe what you have been missing. For example, we currently live in SW Florida. For a while we have been wondering where could we go on a vacation that wasn't either Orlando theme parks or a long @8hr drive from our home. Finally we thought, "hey let's look at somewhere that is within no more than 3 hours by car and a place we would not have normally thought of for a staycation. Sarasota came to mind. We had already heard of the famous Ringling Bros Museum and family home were in Sarasota and that interested us. But then we saw that Long Boat Key is just off the coast of Sarasota which has amazing beaches and golf and 4-5 star resort options. After finding our lodging, we planned a 3 night getaway that was within @2hrs of our home. And we had an amazing vacation. We tried some new restaurants, sat pool side for an afternoon, did a little shopping and was able to take in the very popular Ringling Mansion and Museum. We had so much fun that we had forgotten that we had only driven less than 2 hours from our home which was nice when we packed up and started heading back home.

So staycations can be great when we can think of some possible new experiences. Sometimes all we need is a little memory jog to remind us of what may be right around the corner that we have overlooked. So here are 5 ideas of places you might consider if you are within a 3 hour or so drive.

1. Branson/Table Rock Lake MO. If you live anywhere in the SW Missouri area/NW AR or even Eastern OK, a drive to Branson and the Table Rock Lake area may be just what is needed. New golf courses and lodges have opened up in recent years that have made this area a prime spot for a 3 or 4 night getaway. Big Cedar Lodge is beautiful and worth a stay.

2. Nashville TN. Tennessee is a State that has a lot of connecting States that are wihin a short 3 hour drive or so from Music City; KY, GA, AL. MS are all driveable States to Nashville. Maybe think of doing a tour of some of the historic mansions or a visit to a local Bourbon distiller.

3. Louisville KY. Kentucky is another State bordered by at least 5 States that make Louisville a possible 3 to 4 hour drive away. Take in a horse race at Churchill Downs or maybe visit the Louisville Slugger Museum.

4. Finger Lakes NY. Even if fishing or being on the water is not your thing, the Finger Lakes area is chopped full of scenery and things to see and do. It's becoming quite a domestic wine producing area so maybe a winery tour is in order or just enjoy one of the beautiful bed and breakfast inn's in the area. It is an easy drive from areas of PA as well as Northern NJ and most of the State of NY.

5. Cape May NJ. For anyone in the Philly area or anywhere in the State of NJ or Delaware, Cape May is a great option for a staycation. Great beaches, great old-town area for shopping and eating and loads of history from back during WWII. From large resort styled hotels to grogeous B&B's, Cape May should be on everyone's list at some point. Great option for a 3 or 4 night stay.

Hopefully this short list has maybe sparked some other ideas that you might now be thinking of. Not all great vacations have to involve an airline and/or all day travel. Some great vacations are possibly right outside your front door. So our advise, stop and take a closer look around your area. Do tourists come to towns close by? What do they come to see? Looking at your area or region through tourist eyes can sometimes cause you to see things you have always missed.

So what's your thoughts? Do you have areas within a 3 to 4 hour drive that you have never visisted, but now all the sudden sounds like it may be fun? What's your version of a staycation?