When we first moved to the US from England, I used to love 3-day weekends. We didn’t get that many in the UK but the US gets a lot and a 3-day weekend is an awesome time to take a weekend vacation. During my 20 plus years in the US, I took many weekend vacations but these five are some of the most memorable. If a 3-day weekend trip is in your near future, why not look at these travel ideas? 3-days doesn’t sound like much, but it’s amazing how far you can go and what you can see.
New York City, New York – A 3-day weekend vacation in New York City is a great travel idea. Three days in New York is just enough to wet your appetite and make you want to come back for more. Start out by staying at one of the city’s many bed and breakfasts (The Sofia Inn starts at $125 a night) or at a hotel (The Clarion Hotel Park Avenue for $120 a night is a great deal). Eat breakfast at one of the city’s famous delis, and then head out for shopping on Fifth Avenue. A horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park, and dinner at Blue Chili on W. 51st Street. Don’t forget to visit the Natural History Museum or the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, and of course a trip to New York wouldn’t be complete without going up the Empire State Building. You can also take a bike tour around the city or a Circle Line Cruise and, of course, eat more food, whether it’s Indian, Chinese, Italian, Thai, or Ethiopian, it’s all in NY.
Dallas, Texas – A 3-day weekend vacation to Dallas, Texas isn’t always something that people think about, but Dallas is a nice city and there’s tons of things to do. Stay at any of the areas motels (prices starting as low as $49 a night), then head to El Fenix for absolutely perfect Tex-Mex Mexican food. In the afternoon, visit the Texas Book Depository, now a museum, and see where President Kennedy was assassinated from. In the evening, one of the most fun places in Dallas is The West End, the renovated warehouse district now full of shops, restaurants and fun bars. Another day, take the McKinney Avenue Trolley through the arts district then onto Deep Ellum for an evening of live music and great food. Greenville Avenue is also a cool place to shop as it’s hip, cool and very family friendly. Dallas isn’t just one of Texas’ main cities, it’s also a wonderful place for a 3-day weekend holiday.
Beverly Hills, California – Sure, it sounds expensive but Beverly Hills can be seen without blowing all your money. Stay at a motel or hotel out of the main Beverly Hills city limits, and your hotel budget falls immediately to less than $125 a night. Walk up Rodeo Drive and window shop at the almost 100 shops (or buy, if you’re really feeling flush), then stop for a fine lunch at Prime Grill. Have drinks at the Beverly-Wilshire Hotel made famous in the movie, Pretty Woman, and dinner at Morton’s. Plus, don’t forget Beverly Hills is only 15 minutes from Santa Monica and Venice and 30 minutes from Malibu, so a drive to the beach and some fun on the sand is also on the cards. You can do Beverly Hills quite cheaply, you’ll just feel like a million bucks while you’re doing it!
New Orleans, Lousiana -If you have a 3-day weekend and want to take a vacation, traveling to New Orleans is almost mandatory, if nothing else to help the city after Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans though really is a magical city in its own right. From the French Quarter to The Garden District, some of the prettiest architecture in the country is here. Stay at the Renaissance Arts Hotel or Lamothe House Hotel for the true New Orleans experience. Eat beignets (little doughnuts) at Cafe du Monde, go to The Warehouse/Arts District and check out the city’s many art galleries and boutiques and, at night, don’t forget to drink a Hurricane (a divine alcoholic drink that will knock you on your butt) at Pat O’Brien’s Bar. New Orleans is still there after its hurricane – thank God – and a 3-day weekend vacation there will give you the time of your life.
Atlanta, Georgia – The quintessential Southern city full of Southern hospitality a 3-day weekend vacation in Atlanta will give you that down home Southern feeling. Hotels in Atlanta worth staying at for a 3-day weekend include The Westin Peachtree Hotel and the Renaissance Atlanta Hotel. Once there, don’t forget to visit The Georgia Aquarium, one of the country’s largest aquariums full of the usual and not so usual marine life, go to Centennial Olympic Park or the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum to learn all about the lady who wrote Gone With the Wind, Atlanta’s favorite daughter. One of the most popular things to do in Atlanta is a tour around the CNN Studios, as they’re headquartered here, and eat dinner at Tringali’s or Agatha’s – A Taste of Mystery, if you’d like to solve a fun murder mystery while you’re eating your dinner. Atlanta is also famous for its hot jazz and R&B;, so make sure you fit in a night out dancing at one of the city’s lounges.
These five American cities are wonderful destinations for a 3-day weekend vacation. Travel on a 3-day weekend doesn’t have to be difficult, in fact, if you’re in the general vicinity, driving there is an option too. Just remember, a 3-day weekend is a great time to do some traveling, so don’t waste it sitting around at home. Get out and experience one of America’s favorite cities, any of these five will absolutely guarantee you’ll be visiting another of them on your next 3-day vacation.
SOURCES: 3-Day Vacations, New York Bed and Breakfasts, Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau,, City of Beverly Hills,New Orleans Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, and Atlanta Music
