One day trip from where you live?
 

I love one day trips. Even when I travel I try to set aside one day for a day trip. Some of my favorite travel memories are from these one day trips.
I am interested in documenting your favorite trips for my future travel dates. I have about 12 more US trips this year.

Here's the general 'rules'.
-You need to be able to leave in the morning and return to the same place you started by bedtime.
-The trip can be a driving tour or a destination. I suppose it could even be a scheduled tour.
-I need it to be an inexpensive outing. Of course you can write anything you want but I hope you have at least one idea for your area that is not really an amusement park type place.

Here's a few of my favorite day trips from Sachse, Texas (NE of Dallas)
1. Canton First Monday, about 70 miles east of Dallas. http://www.firstmondaycanton.com/history1.html
You can spend a whole weekend looking at everything. We go for a day and try to hit our favorites. You get filthy from the dust and it can be hotter than H*** in the summmer. We prefer to go in the cooler months. I also take my dog and she wears a backpack and carries stuff for me :)
2. Glenrose, Texas and Dinosaur Valley State Park. This is SW of Dallas and takes about 2 hours from Sachse.
http://www.glenrosetexas.net/
Another trip I reserve for Spring. Good wildflower viewing in March/April but in the summer it is fun to play in the Paluxy and Brazos Rivers.
3. Jefferson Texas with a picnic at Lake O The Pines. About 2 hours NE of Dallas.
http://www.jefferson-texas.com/
This destination is great anytime! It has a very interesting history.

I am lucky to live in Pinnacle, NC. It is relatively rural but close enough to Winston-Salem for shopping, etc. My favorite day trips include
1. The New River Trail, great converted rail trail for cycling along the river.
2. The North Carolina Zoo, a fantastic facility.
3. Blowing Rock, NC more the area than the town which is very overbuilt and getting worse hourly.
4. The Blue Ridge Parkway

Come for a visit!

From here my favorite place to go is probably Sedona. http://www.visitsedona.com/
It's so beautiful there, great hiking, food, etc. And while I'm by no means into "new age" I do feel that there's something special up there :)

For a driving trip, we love the Apache Trail
http://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/apache_trail/

It goes by 3 lakes and along a beautiful mountain roadway. It's some rough terrain though, so for comfort I'd say SUV only. We usually bring the dog and wind up swimming at Roosevelt Lake.

Since we live in suburb hell, I like my day trips to be more about being outside.

HTH :)

1)Since I live in New Jersey, my favorite and frequently taken day trip is into Manhattan. Usually it is a play and dinner but can also be special museum shows, shopping or whatever.

2)Another day trip for me, as a birder, is a visit to Edwin Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, NJ...a great place to see birds any time of the year. I try to stop at Allan's in New Gretna for seafood.

For people who have never visited Colorado, I always recommend a day trip to Estes Park and the driving tour through Rocky Mountain National Park. You can make the full loop through to Grand Lake and back to Denver in a day. It's a long day, but one I've done with visitors several times.

From Rapid City, SD

Within the Black Hills:
Spearfish Canyon to Roughlock Falls & the abandoned mining town of Tinton, still had houses the last time I was there, though they were being vandalized.

Deadwood for gambling and historical wild west

Mount Rushmore, the boardwalk hike around the base is easy, also history & museum

Crazy Horse monument, the volksmarch the first weekend of June when you can hike up to the outstretched arm

Sylvan Lake, easy hike around, it is also the base of the hike to the top of Harney Peak, tallest mountain in the Black Hills. Hikes to Cathedral Spires and Little Devils Tower nearby.

Custer State Park, hiking & wildlife loop, we've driven through the middle of the free range buffalo herd and the prairie dogs & donkeys are always active.

Lake Pactola, swimming, boating, scuba to see the flooded town under the water from before the dam was built

Bear Butte, holy area for the Lakota. Trees & bushes all the way to the top are hung with prayer bundles. Gorgeous view of the plains to one side and mountains to the other.

The Badlands, hiking, scenic

Wyoming, Devil's Tower

We like to take long day trips to the beach and/or coastal towns. Living in Massachusetts there's lots on offer...

My favorite would be Cape Cod (not on a weekend in summer though as the traffic turns this beach trip into a road trip!) If we don't feel like a long drive we stop off in Plymouth before we get to the Cape.

Portsmouth, NH. Take a boat trip.

Newport, RI. More boats and the mansions...

Providence, RI. Try to see Waterfire in the summer. The river is lit up by braziers and this is accompanied by entertainment (music etc)... and it's free!

Rockport, MA is lovely for a day at the beach and can be combined with other nearby towns... so we have lunch in one town, an afternoon on the beach and dinner somewhere else before we head home. Other towns we've enjoyed include Newburyport, Gloucester, etc.

Aside from the beach we've also enjoyed daytrips to the Berkshires for Tanglewood and New York (long day!)but prefer to overnight.

We're within range of at least half a dozen ski places for winter day trips in MA, NH and VT.

I live near Albany NY. One of my favorite day trips is a drive up the west side of Lake George to Ft. Ticonderoga...especially if there reenactors putting on a mock battle.
They like to reanact episodes from the French & Indian Wars which always involves french speaking reenactors from Quebec. That adds a realistic touch to the event.

Here's what something like that looks like:

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/18437506

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/18437402

I live in Dallas. Last May, I did two one-day trips to <b>Austin</b> and <b>Kansas City</b>. Both involve flying - it was $78 r/t to both cities. This was when AA was having a fare sale against SouthWest from Love Field.

Austin Daytrip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34808787

Kansas City Daytrip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34808796

From San Miguel de Allende, Gto., we can get to colonial Dolores Hidalgo; Guanajuato; San Luis Potosi; Queretaro; Tequisquiapan; Bernal; the Sierra Gorda; Mexico City and the adjacent historic areas; Zitacauro and the butterfly sanctuaries in E. Michoacan; Morelia; Patzcuaro: Uruapan, and Guadalajara.
M

When we spend a week in Maine we typically do day trips. Say you were staying in Wiscasset, you could drive up to Lincolnville (just north of Camden) for a wine tasting, take a picnic lunch to the top of Mt Battie overlooking Camden Harbor. Or you could take a short hike to the Owls Head lighthouse but then head to Waterman's Beach for steamed lobster by the water (not sure if that meets your inexpensive rule but it's reasonably priced).
In NH we like to visit the Musterfield Farm Museum in Sutton during Old Farming Days. You could bring a picnic lunch (we usually do). Stay all day (tractor parade at 2pm) On the way home you could drive up Mt Kearsarge and do a short hike. We have not visited the Indian Museum but have heard it is very good.
It could be a day trip but it's more fun to spend more time in the area of northern VT. The Great Vermont Corn Maze in Danville requires admission but is worth it. Work up an appetite, enjoy the view at the top, head over to Littleton NH for ice cream after dinner at the Miss Lyndonville Diner.
There are some very poorly advertised events in the New England area but the folks who put them on don't really want too many people. There are free concerts on Sunday evenings and you are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch. One small concert venue is a gazebo on a small island so some people let their children play in the water (there's a pedestrian bridge to the island). One time we went to a fiddlers' picnic, sort of a potluck church supper outdoors. The fiddlers ranged in age from young beginners to gray haired folk who are mostly self taught. I think this event is in August and you have to watch the community news listings for that town to see an announcement. Another inexpensive outing is to attend an Old Home Day celebration. In our town it begins with a small parade at 10am followed by games in the park for the kids. The old folks visit (purpose of the event) and enjoy a picnic lunch. A band plays old time favorite songs in the pine grove. We try to get the relatives together for a picnic. The older kids go swimming in the river and climb a rock on the opposite shore so they can jump in. When you are 12 this is very exciting. When our son was 15 he and his friends won the greased pole climbing contest. Norman Rockwell couldn't have painted a nicer day. Very important for young teen boys to invite a couple of cute girls to help them climb the pole.

What a fun thread!

I live in San Jose, CA, so our day trip options are endless. Here is one of my favorites though:

San Mateo Coast - Get up reasonably early and head over to Half Moon Bay for breakfast at the Main Street Cafe - it takes about an hour or so to get over there, maybe a little less from my house.

After breakfast, buy a picnic lunch for later from the grocery/deli across the street and head south on Hwy 1 toward Pescadero.

I like to stop at the beaches along the way, do some beachcombing, watch the waves, try to spot whales, and so forth.

If I am in the mood for a hike in the woods, I will go to Butano state park near Pescadero. There is also a marsh at Pescadero for some terrific bird watching.

Then late afternoon, I head home. Makes for a really nice day. And if I am in the mood for another restaurant meal rather than the picnic, I will go to Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero.

Flew to Kauai, played two rounds of golf, back that night.

Wow, from here I could do a day trip to Chicago.

Or a day trip to Madison.

I could to go Horicon Marsh, or the north kettle moraine, or maybe the south kettle moraine.

I could drive up to Kohler and spend a day at Teri Andre state park right on Lake Michigan.

Or I could go to Tower Hill state park. I loved camping there as a kid.

I could take a day trip to Lake Geneva.

If I were really ambitious, I could take a trip to the Dells, but it's a 3.5 hour drive.

I could spend a day poking around the antique shops in Cedarburg.

That's just off the top of my head. I'm sure if I cruised the internet I'd find lots more to do.

I live on Long Island, and we make lots of day trips to Manhattan (30 minutes away)
Other great day trips we enjoy: North Fork wine country (50 minutes away), Montauk (2 hours), Sag Harbor (1.5 hours), Shelter Island (1.5 hours plus a 5 minute ferry ride), and Atlantic City (2 1/2 hours)

I love living in Park City, UT! Fortunately for me there are many, many day trips. Some of my favorites:

Winter: skiing at any of 10 ski resorts within 5 - 60 minutes of my home

Fall: The Alpine Loop to see the aspens in all their glory, can easily add lunch or dinner at Sundance - yum!

Summer: drive up to the high Uintas, hike, fish, picnic. Lots of people even bike the main road. For toughies only - it goes up to over 10,000 ft.!

Summer: mid-July - mid-Aug, the Albion Basin at Alta for thick carpets of wildflowers just like on the calendars

and on, and on, and on

My favorite (and only) daytrips from Seattle involve hiking or snow sports.

In winter/spring, we drive up to Snoqualmie Pass (one hour away) for a day of snowshoeing with the dog.

In summer, we head up to Paradise at Mt. Rainier (note to Dayle---this is the only place I know that rivals Albion Basin for an outrageous wildflower display). Hopefully, the flood damage will be rapaired and the road opended again in time for this summer's hike. The trip always involves a stop at a bakery in Ohanapacosh.

In late summer or fall, the destination is Cascade Pass, off the North Cascades highway. Incredible fall colors, with hanging glaciers and peaks all around. This daytrip always includes a stop at the blueberry farm for ice cream on the way back.

Other great hikes within a day's drive (out and back) are the Olympic Mountains, Dungeness Spit, and the wilderness beaches in Olympic National Park. Lots to choose from---each with an associated bakery or ice cream stop!

For a day out on the lake and back.

From my perch in Sonoma County, CA:

South:
San Francisco, for sure,for theatre, a museum, or a Giants game
where the drive is only in to Marin
and the rest of the trip is by ferry.
((Y))

North:
Lunch at the Jimtown Store before a
winetasting trek around the Alexander
Valley
or
Lunch at Willi's before treking and sipping in Dry Creek &amp; Russian River areas
((D))
West/North:
Pt Reyes/Bodega Bay/Salmon Creek Jenner/Gualala-all kinds of cominations for dining and/or hiking.

East/North:
Calistoga, with a stop or two for winetasting before a spa
stop.
Clear Lake for boating in the summer.
((H))
I want to try J Correa's day-trip sometime !

R5

Enzian, I love the way you travel...including a stop for bakeries and ice cream!

Enzian,

I have a friend who lives in Queen Anne in Seattle. We actually hiked at Paradise on Mt Ranier one 4th of July weekend. It was beautiful! (the other 2 days it rained....)

From Long Beach, you could obviously go to LA. Or Laguna Beach. Or San Diego. Or Malibu. Or Tem&eacute;cula.

The most special, of course, is to grab the Catalina Express and head to Catalina Island. Arrive in Avalon, enjoy a quiet day of hiking and wonderful sea air, then take the Express back home and dine at L'Opera in downtown Long Beach.

Live in southern NJ, so unlimited daytrips - can do NYC, Baltimore, Washington D.C. etc. My favorite is a trip to Lancaster, Pa. (1hr 45 min) We try to take back roads through lancaster county which is hilling and rural. Go right throught the heart of amish country. These days we usually then hit the shopping outlets (not sure that counts as inexpensive) but there are plenty of other fun things to do including live shows, the pretzel factory (free i think), and more local cute shops. We like to go to one of the smorgashbord(sp?) places for dinner and then we drive home. Another great day is a trip to Baltimore (2 hrs) to the inner harbour including the aquarium and a nice dinner. In the fall/spring a drive to cape may is also fun (1hr 40 min). there are plenty of cute shops, there is a great free children's zoo and a nice off-season walk on the beach.

From Seattle:
Whidbey Island
Mt Rainier
Snoqualmie Falls

From just outside Boulder, Colorado:

-A day at Idaho Springs, with a trip to the hot springs cave and pool, and a drive back home up 'Oh My God' road, with a stop in Nederland for a wonderful Italian dinner.

- A day in Georgetown - walking, eating, browsing, maybe taking the little narrow gauge railroad.

- A day in Colorado Springs - hiking and photographing at Garden of the Gods, drinks at the Broadmoor and a visit to the Falls andor the National Rodeo Hall of Fame.

This is a fun idea!

seasweetie... DON'T tell anyone about the &quot;Oh My God Road&quot;.
That is one of my favorite places when I am working in Denver and I love it because in all the times I have done the trip I have only seen 2 or 3 people total.
It really is the perfect place if you need to remember who's the boss.

from North Jersey:
Delaware river towns - Frenchtown, Lambertville, river drive in PA north from New Hope.
We've beaten this trail thoroughly for years, the small towns are a great relief from city traffic/heat. Some great little cafes, shops, and the PA side north from New Hope is very scenic.

Or north to Coldspring, NY -- cliff side drive along the Hudson is breathtaking. Coldspring is a great little town for antiquing.

From my home in Tennessee:

1. Cherohala Skyway - beautiful drive with numerous lookouts
2. Burgess Falls Natural Area - 3 beautiful water falls
3. Center Hill or Dale Hollow Lakes
4. Fall Creeks Falls State Park

I live in Palo Alto, CA and I love to spend the day in San Francisco. The possibilities are endless.

San Jose, CA here also. We just did a one day trip last week (I did a mini trip report), from Santa Cruz to Hollister and the Pinnacles. Very pretty back there, and so little traffic on Hwy 25! Well, it was a Thursday in March. I also like day trips to Pacific Grove/ Monterey and to San Francisco.

From D.C.- Drive out to the area surrounding Harper's Ferry and Shepherdstown, WV.

Park in one of the lots near the towpath along the river south of Shepherdstown.

Hike along the towpath in the late morning, then have brunch/lunch at the Yellow Brick Bank or another cute place in Shepherdstown, walk around the town exploring the stores and architecture, get a coffee at the hippy-style coffee shop, then hike back to the car and head for home. A great day at any time of year!

San Francisco
Oakland
Monterey
Lake Tahoe
Lake Shasta (just barely)
Lake Berryessa
Point Reyes
Bodega Bay
Gold Country (Angels Camp, etc.)
Marin County
Napa
Sonoma

I'm sure there's more, but I'm drawing a blank now... :)

From Honolulu:

Day trip out to the north shore to watch the big wave surfers. Eat at a shrimp truck or at Cholo's in Haleiwa, perhaps stop into an art gallery in Haleiwa too.

Or fly to Hilo on the Big Island to do a volcano visit and stop into some the art studios in Volcano town.

Well, I love rock climbing and there are many places to climb within a day's drive of where I live in Colorado. Nothing like leaving the house early, coffee in hand, heading out to the cliff, spend all day climbing and get back after dark exhausted. Now that's living!

From Northeast Tennessee, our favorite day trips usually involve putting the top down on our Miata and finding the twistiest paved roads we can. :) Asheville, Southwest Virginia, East Tennessee, North Carolina, Blue Ridge Parkway, even down to South Carolina ... and then there's the national forests and state/national parks, hiking ... there is so much to choose from!

(Although, these days, I don't know how much a scenic drive is an inexpensive outing!)

We went to Houston last weekend for the first time as 'tourists' and it was fun.
We walked around all the parks in the museum district, went to Kemah, San Jacinto Monument and Galveston.
My favorite thing in the world is feeding seagulls and the Laughing Gulls along the Gaveston coast are just so much fun.

I live in the Adirondacks (NY) NW of Albany. Within 4 hours we can be in NYC, Boston or Montreal. For closer areas, we can go to Cooperstown, Albany (NY state capitol), the Hudson Valley, the Finger Lakes, Lake George or Lake Placid. I LOVE where I live...

From Mesquite, my options are a bit more limited.

Las Vegas - for the glitter and entertainment. I don't gamble but if I did, I could do that right here in Mesquite.

Zion NP - for the obvious attractions.

Lake Mead - for fishing, boating, relaxing in the sun.

Except for summer, Death Valley. It's a long day trip but doable.

Valley of Fire State Park - for the stark but enchanting desert scenery.

Brian Head - to get out of the summer heat or enjoy a day in the snow without having to shovel 4&quot; of partly cloudy out of my driveway.

Panguitch Lake in Utah - for some of the best trout fishing around.

Cedar City, Utah to visit my daughter and the grand-babies. My son and those grand-babies also live in southern Utah but they are a bit too far to make it a day trip.

I guess my choices aren't so limited, after all!

I've seen some really good day trips in and around the San Francisco area but my favorite is this one. Leave early in the morning and drive to Yosmite using highway 120. It is the shortest to Yosmite National Park from most bay area cities. I live in Palo Alto. Do this on a Sunday. Have a great Brunch at the Lodge and then a leasurely drive back to the bay area on highway 140. the brunch is wonderful though there is a a price to the brunch. the trip there and on th eway back gives you a GREAT way of seeing Northern Cal. The back roads are endless and after 13 years of doing backroads I still find a new of going and coming from there. I've even drove through a creek and then into a peacock farm. I highly suggest the two roads but my favorite by far is highway 140 both for going in and coming out of the valley. Even if you don't do the Brunch the whole trip is like none other. the valley is so welcoming and refreshing and the views are tremendous.

Now if you are in Gainesville FL take a intertube ride down the Ichetucknee Springs run. it's a great ride in the wilds of a natural florida springs. Can't do that one becasue of the cold water the go to Ocala National frorest and do the canoe ride down Junipture (sp?) Springs. Pick up some Blue carb on the way home.
RG

Charleston, SC!