Summer ‘Splorin – Take a Quick and Easy Weekend Trip Before Summer’s Done

By Guest Blogger

Summer is coming to a close soon and there’s the intense need to soak up all the summer vibes you can before fall, football, school, work events or whatever else you have to do.

Does it ever end? No. No, it doesn’t… That’s why we put together this quick and easy vacation getaway list!

My husband and I LOVE a good road trip.

If we can get there in half-day’s drive, we’re going. We had this realization recently that Huntsville is actually a perfect place to live if you love a good road trip.

It is SO CLOSE to so many awesome cities! So, let’s start planning!

Here’s a list of places within 5-7 hours that you can travel to easily for a long weekend of fun. Let us know where you chose to travel! Know some great places that fit within this travel time? Share them with us!

Charlotte, NC – 6 h 49 min

New Orleans, LA (our fav!) – 6 h 31 min 

St Louis, MO – 6 h 24 min

Columbia, SC – 6 h 22 min

Indianapolis, IN – 6 h 12 min

Cincinnati, OH – 5 h 56 min

Augusta, GA – 5 h 23 min

Asheville, NC – 5 h 12 min

Mobile, AL – 5 h 10 min

Highlands, NC – 4 h 39 min

Louisville, KY – 4 h 28 min 

The beach! – Gulf Shores, AL;  Orange Beach, AL; Pensacola, FL; Destin, FL

Gulf Shores

The Mountains – Gatlinburg, TN;  Pigeon Forge, TN; Blue Ridge, GA; Helen, GA (Where one episode of the show Atlanta was filmed!)

Blue Ridge Mountains

Alicia’s Road Trip Tips for Success:

  • Create a baller playlist for the drive! We love to binge podcasts for these long-ish drives and talk or joke about what we’re listening to.
  • Eat a good breakfast. We stop to get a biscuit first thing. It holds us over until we can check out new restaurants in the city we’re going to.
  • Laugh and Learn a lot. If you’re traveling in a car for 4+ hours, you’re going to get to know each other better. You and your partner or friends are going to be stuck in a small space for a decent amount of time. Make the most of it!   
  • Pullover for bathroom breaks… I know you’re excited and you want to get there but we all need a 5-minute break sometimes.
  • EXPLORE! Find new things, try new restaurants, get out of your comfort zone.

Need a shorter trip?

3-4 hours – Regular weekend trip

  • Atlanta
  • Knoxville

2 hours or less – Make a day of it! 

  • Birmingham
  • Nashville
  • Chattanooga
Summer ‘Splorin – Take a Quick and Easy Weekend Trip Before Summer’s Done

Guest Blogger

Guest blogger for We Are Huntsville. Are you interested in writing a post for our site? Email katelyn@wearehuntsville.com.