I'm going on vacation... in my OWN CITY!

[Robinrs]

I decided I wanted to get AWAY... but didn't want to spend a lot of money and gas. Michael's out of school and I'm just so tired of using my weekend to clean and organize and just plain never get any rest...

SO I got a hotel on Priceline and got some gcs from Restaurant.com and we're going to vacation right here and ATLANTA!

Mind you, I've never done this before. I've never been to the tourist traps here, never was interested in them.. but my son was born here and it's time he did more than just live here.

I got the Courtyard Marriott for $45 a night and we're gonna do a walking tour, do the Aquarium, Coca Cola, CNN... the works!

Has anyone ever done that within their own city? I think it'll be fun learning more about the town that 7,000 people come thru every week and I've never even tried it out!

 

[Cthia]

That sounds like fun. I wish I had gotten to see more of GA when I went to visit my DB last October. Now I won't be able to see GA since he is moving back here.

We make day trips to see things around in our state.

 

[disykat]

How fun! I've never done it right here, but we have stayed in hotels within an hour or so from home - though usually it's to get away from the kids! We do quite a bit of the tourist stuff close to home, but need to do more!

 

[miss missy]

yep I have, I live near a tourist spot and have done that. Have fun!

 

[froglady]

We do a tourist week every summer. We rent a beach condo and go out to eat every night. We spend the day going to the beach, playing golf and tennis, riding bikes, visiting tourist sights, and shopping.

It's great, because DH can run home to play squash or row if he wants, while the kids and I sleep in and then hit the pool or beach.

We go to a resort about an hour away; just far enough to get away, but not so far that we have a long trip to and from home.

 

[mickeyfan1]

I did the zoo and the World of Coca Cola when I lived near ATL for 3 years, I enjoyed it. I think it's a great idea for you to do, it seems like most people go somewhere else and never see where they live. I know I lived right near DC dor 32 years and only went to the White House once and the Capital 2 time, once was a field trip in school!

Have a great time. Having someone else make your bed, having fresh towels everyday and somebody els cooking your meals, what's not to lik?

 

[Poohbear123]

I thought maybe you were going to do a tour of Alabama where Taylor is from! By the way, AI is on tour here Aug 5th at Sunrise!

 

[CathrynRose]

Has anyone ever done that within their own city? I think it'll be fun learning more about the town that 7,000 people come thru every week and I've never even tried it out!

Yes! And I loved it! Chicago has so much to see, and I hadnt really seen much of it - from a tourist point of view - at all!

Have a great weekend!

 

[CEDmom]

That sounds like a lot of fun. It's usually the case that you never do the touristy things in your own town.

 

[aprincessmom]

DD and I do this all the time...we go to Boston or Providence or Mystic (both less than an hour from our house) or Portland (a little more than 2 hours from our home) and play tourist. It's fun to do because you can go out and not have to worry about parking costs, the ride home (if you stay late), traffic, etc. You just show up at your room and have fun just like all the other tourists!

I do highly recommend doing the tourist things. We've ridden the duck tours and trolley tours in Boston and are highly amused by all the mis-information the guides give out. And you meet some of the greatest people while "touring" the city...people who are visiting from all over are so fun to talk with. We love to send them to some of our favorite things that may not necessarily be on their lists.

Have a wonderful time!

 

[NMAmy]

We have a day once a year that's called "Be a Tourist in Your Hometown." All the touristy things have free entrance that day. It's great and we always take advantage of it.

When we lived in New Mexico, we used to love to go up to Durango, CO because most places (hotels, restaurants, even shops) offered discounts to "locals." Even though we lived an hour away, we were offered the local discount because while tourists come to visit once or twice a year at most, local folks will visit more often.

 

[disneysteve]

We've done local get-away weekends numerous times. Our friends always think we are nuts, but to us, as long as we are out of the house and away from the telephone, the laundry, the mail, etc., we are on vacation. We will usually check in Friday nite, go out to dinner at a restaurant that we don't typically visit, then relax in the hotel watching tv. Saturday, we'll take a ride and do some shopping or something fun, then come back and go swimming before showering and doing dinner. Sunday, we'll have breakfast and get packed up and head home.

When you don't have a lot of time or maybe money is tight, it is a great way to put a little vacation into your everyday life.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

We do it almost every other weekend in the summer. Get a downtown hotel (with outdoor pool) and just be on "vacation for 2 nights. It really makes a difference.

 

[Robinrs]

We've done local get-away weekends numerous times. Our friends always think we are nuts, but to us, as long as we are out of the house and away from the telephone, the laundry, the mail, etc., we are on vacation. We will usually check in Friday nite, go out to dinner at a restaurant that we don't typically visit, then relax in the hotel watching tv. Saturday, we'll take a ride and do some shopping or something fun, then come back and go swimming before showering and doing dinner. Sunday, we'll have breakfast and get packed up and head home.

When you don't have a lot of time or maybe money is tight, it is a great way to put a little vacation into your everyday life.

How'd you get my itinerary???

We're doing almost EXACTLY the same things!

At first my son was but now he's interested. I went on a bus tour last year and realized I know NOTHING about Atlanta. I want him to be as proud of his hometown as I am of MINE, heck, I SHOULD be proud of mine, I want him to feel that way.

 

[disneysteve]

How'd you get my itinerary???

We're doing almost EXACTLY the same things!

Hey, I should be asking you that question. We did it first!

Have a great time.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

We play the tourist quite a bit here since we get relatives visiting us almost every year, but the twist is we are the hotel! I just tell them that they're responsible for food, and we're all happy.

I did spend a weekend at 6 Flags Magic Mountain - that was fun, and I've spent a couple of weekends at the Disneyland Resort (a whole half hour from home), plus all the local stuff, like tours of the stars homes, etc. ...

It's a great get-a-way, and a fun way to spend a vacay.

Have a great time, Robin & Michael!

 

[Kimberly]

Sort of. Stayed in New York City one spring break (I'm less than 20 miles from it) for an entire week with an extremely good rate. Saw the Intrepid, the Gugenheim, and a ton of other sites and still have a ton of great pictures from it!

 

[Bliss]

Gosh, I just had to post when I saw this! I am meeting a new beau who is in the Atlanta area. We are staying there and he is going to give me a romantic tour of his city. I am so excited and am dying waiting for the day. I hope to show him a side of his city he hasn't seen!

What are the nice hotels in Atlanta, for a new couple to stay? What would be romantic places to eat and do?

I am sure he has it all planned out, but I would love to surprize him with something special with regards to his city.

 

[Kitty 34]

Have a great relaxing time within your city limits, Robin!!!

......and no, my little town is way too small to "vacation" in. The closest I've done that is staying at a casino/resort about 90 minutes away.

 

[goofy's friends]

We don't live in a tourist city, but we have done this anyway. I listed out all the things that our city had to offer and each of the kids voted on what they wanted to do and see. We stayed in a hotel and they voted to rent bikes and ride down by the river, go to the zoo, aquarium, picnic at the park and do batting cages. We ended up with 6 things to do in our weekend--it was perfect family time and we had a great time.

Have fun!!