Let’s be honest, we’ve all made that 2-hour trip up I-65 to visit the Christmas lights at the Opryland Hotel.
That’s still a ton of fun, but trying something new is always a great idea.
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”44001″]
Most of us all have a few vacation days to play around with during this holiday month and it might be fun to have a little adventure and get out of our comfort zone.
With that in mind, we have three suggestions for a weekend stay to really make the most out of those vacation days.
Louisville, Kentucky
Usually, when you think of Louisville, you think of the Kentucky Derby during the Spring. It isn’t nearly as widely known, but Churchill Downs actually does host many horse races the weekend after Thanksgiving before the track closes down for the cold weather months. It might cause a small fortune to get a seat at the Derby, but regular box seats during this time of the year can cost less than ten bucks! Use that savings to have a mint julep for us while you’re there.
Just around four hours north of Huntsville, Louisville also has a great downtown district filled with both tourist attractions and local historic features.
Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia
If you head into the foothills about two hours on the other side of Chattanooga, you can find this amazing Georgia State Park that also doubles as the entrance to the Appalachian Trail. Featuring a huge staircase against the side of the cascading waterfall, Amicalola also has a wonderful lodge with a hotel and restaurant.
If camping out in the cold or staying in the middle of the wilderness in the lodge isn’t your speed, a great weekend can be made of it by just stopping in Chattanooga for the night. A visit to the Aquarium or downtown there could really top off the weekend!
New Orleans, Lousiana
While this one will require a bit more of a drive from Huntsville and likely won’t be as relaxing as our other recommendations, you can’t really go wrong with a visit to the Big Easy at any time of the year. Whether you’re there for the food, the music, the history, or any other crazy reason to find yourself in this historic city, you’re bound to have a good time.
As the streetcars on Bourbon Street become decked out in garland and lights, there are a ton of things to find to do in New Orleans around the Holiday season. The Crescent City Countdown is a great New Year’s event happening downtown, and there are tons of light displays along the French Quarter and other parts of town.
Do you have any other plans for a weekend getaway in December?
Let us know your ideas in the comments to either this blog post or the Facebook post!
Guest blogger for We Are Huntsville. Are you interested in writing a post for our site? Email katelyn@wearehuntsville.com.
