Campus is warming up, class attendance is dwindling because everyone wants to lay in the sunshine on the quad, and every store is out of sunblock. This can mean only one thing—Spring Break is right around the corner! While some people will pack up and head straight to the beach for a week on the Gulf Coast, there are plenty of other places to consider for a road trip, all within a few hours of Tuscaloosa! Her Campus Alabama presents the five best cities for a different, yet full-filled Spring Break!
- New Orleans, LA
Welcome to the city of jazz music, crawfish, and Mardi Gras! The crowds from the festival last month are long gone, presenting the perfect opportunity to explore the city without the fear of heavy crowds, roadblocks for parades, and the inevitable drink spill. No matter what you want to do, New Orleans is sure to have something to please you. Spend the week exploring Jackson Square right by Bourbon Street, enjoying the Cajun cuisine or a streetcar tour of the city. New Orleans is renown for its nightlife, so take some time to explore the different bars and share a few drinks with your friends! Before you leave, make sure to stop at Café Du Monde to have a beignet—you won’t regret it!
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- Charleston, SC
Charleston, South Carolina: best known for its history, architecture, and southern hospitality. The town is beautiful, and touring the city to take in all the different neighborhoods could easily take days! One stop you have to make is the Charleston City Market, which is filled with local goods like woven baskets and spices. Inside the market are delicious local restaurants and tourist shops, full of gifts to bring back for family and friends. Outside the market, horse-drawn carriages wait to whisk you away on a quick ride around the scenic area. If historical sites are more your cup of tea, take a tour of The Old Exchange Building & Provost Dungeon, which is steeped in American history. The Declaration of Independence was read there, and the builing served as a prison during the American Revolution. Now, the South Carolina Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution offer guided, costumed tours of the site.
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- Asheville, NC
Looking for a nature-filled vacation with some movie flair? Asheville is the perfect place to get away! Take a taste of the best cuisine in Asheville during Eating Asheville, a walking food tour that takes you to the best places to eat in town. If adventure is more your style, take a tour of the city…on a zip line! The DuPont State Forest is just a short car trip from the city. At DuPont, enjoy everything from pet-friendly waterfalls, mountain biking, horseback riding, and hiking trails. If you’ve seen The Hunger Games, the park may look familiar. The entire movie was filmed in this area! In fact, Asheville has a rich movie history. Other movies filmed in the area include Dirty Dancing, The Fugitive, and Forrest Gump.
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- Nashville, TN
If you want a taste of Greek mythology without traveling overseas, Nashville is the place to be! The town boasts a real-life replica of the Parthenon, located in Centennial Park just a few miles from downtown Nashville. Besides the history and the culture in this Tennessee town, Nashville lives up to its nickname of the “Music City” as the leading city for country music. Take a day to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, where you’ll get a blast from the past from exhibits of all the artists who’ve had the honor of being inducted over the years. And the country music offerings don’t stop there! The Grand Ole Opry has performed a weekly concert since the 1920s and continues today. Who is performing during this year’s Spring Break? Dierks Bentley, Kacey Musgraves and The Black Lillies, just to name a few!
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- Atlanta, GA
In Atlanta, you can find… well, anything! Some fun outings include touring the CNN Studio, hearing a performance from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concert, taking a shopping trip to all the outlet malls around, or exploring the extensive World of Coca-Cola. Atlanta also offers a day of thrills at Six Flags Over Georgia, a theme park full of rollercoasters and rides. Another highlight of Atlanta is the Georgia Aquarium, which is one of the world’s largest aquariums. Besides extensive exhibits showcasing all kinds of underwater animal life, they offer a behind-the-scenes tour, topical movies in a 4D theater, and a new interactive program called Beluga & Friends, which gives you a unique encounter with beluga whales. If you want to get even closer to your deep-sea friends, you can dive with the whale sharks on your trip…for an extra fee!