Long Weekend on a Budget?

[billwendy]

Hi -

I would really like to get away for a long weekend in about a month with my DH. We live near Philly, and he is willing to drive no more than 4 hours. Any ideas on what we can do? We have done things like Hershey, Lancaster, NYC already and dont want to repeat them just yet. I was thinking maybe Pocono's??? We arent skiiers, but do love to look at and take walks (not hikes - lol) in the snow.

thanks for your help!!

 

[Shleedogg]

How far away is Boston? DH and I did it for a long weekend a few years ago and had a blast! It was about an 8 hr drive for us though. We stayed in Lowell, MA, which was about 30-40 min outside of Boston. We got a great rate at the Doubltree, $43/night on hotwire or priceline (whichever one lets you name your own price). We did a day in Boston and a day in Salem. Loved them both. The ghost walks in Salem were great, not just your standard witch history, but fun ghost stories that you wouldn't have otherwise heard, and very spooky. Boston probably goes without saying, but lots of fun touristy stuff to do there. We went to Quincy Market and walked the Freedom Trail, visited some old cemeteries and of course Cheers.

DC? Tons of great stuff to do there, and a beautiful city.

What about doing the touristy stuff in Philly? Get a nice hotel room with the money you save on gas. Go to all the restaurants that Philly is known for, go to Independence Hall, etc. For example, I live really close to Buffalo, NY, but have never been to the Anchor Bar, home of the buffalo wing. Sometimes you just never get around to that stuff when you live close by. Again, I'm close to Niagara Falls, but haven't done the tourist thing in a long time. Sometimes it's fun to re-discover.

 

[billwendy]

How far away is Boston? DH and I did it for a long weekend a few years ago and had a blast! It was about an 8 hr drive for us though. We stayed in Lowell, MA, which was about 30-40 min outside of Boston. We got a great rate at the Doubltree, $43/night on hotwire or priceline (whichever one lets you name your own price). We did a day in Boston and a day in Salem. Loved them both. The ghost walks in Salem were great, not just your standard witch history, but fun ghost stories that you wouldn't have otherwise heard, and very spooky. Boston probably goes without saying, but lots of fun touristy stuff to do there. We went to Quincy Market and walked the Freedom Trail, visited some old cemeteries and of course Cheers.

DC? Tons of great stuff to do there, and a beautiful city.

What about doing the touristy stuff in Philly? Get a nice hotel room with the money you save on gas. Go to all the restaurants that Philly is known for, go to Independence Hall, etc. For example, I live really close to Buffalo, NY, but have never been to the Anchor Bar, home of the buffalo wing. Sometimes you just never get around to that stuff when you live close by. Again, I'm close to Niagara Falls, but haven't done the tourist thing in a long time. Sometimes it's fun to re-discover.

All wonderful ideas. We just did Boston in October it WAS fun - we loved that town!! We do DC on day trips and have been recently, same with Baltimore's Inner Harbor. We are really really close to Philly - lol - I can see the tall buildings from my town, and we go in several times/month. We did Niagara Falls last year (a long drive ) but it was AWESOME in the winter! absolutely Beautiful, and got an awesome rate right on the falls in the Sheraton!! That trip totally spoiled me - I could stare at the falls for days!!!!

Keep the ideas coming!!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I just bought rt tickets from Pittburgh to Orlando this morning and paid $108. We leave this weekend.
Not sure if Pit is within the 4 hour drive but that might be an idea

 

[livndisney]

I just bought rt tickets from Pittburgh to Orlando this morning and paid $108. We leave this weekend.
Not sure if Pit is within the 4 hour drive but that might be an idea

I vote for this idea

 

[prncess674]

Why not do a driving tour of the wineries in Northern Virginia wineries. While it isn't Napa, it is fun.

 

[PA Princess]

The Poconos are nice this time of year but they are also really pretty busy - just keep that in mind. For a weekend we like to stay at a resort (Jack Frost and Camelback are the two we have tried). For a week we rent a house. There is a Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos if you enjoy waterparks.

Everyone else already mentioned my other suggestions - DC, Baltimore, or Pittsburgh. DC has so much there is always something new to do. Or stay outside in Alexandria, VA and visit Old Towne and Mt. Vernon.

We also live near Philly (Berks County) and make trips often, but again that is a large city with so much to offer that I bet you could make a weekend with brand new activities. Have you done the UPenn archaelogy museum? It is so cool. Or maybe a performance at the Kimmel Center. Dh and I just saw Wicked a few weeks ago in Philly.

Another idea would be to head toward Lancaster or Gettysburg. Both are fun areas and have pleasant activties - Boyds Bears and history in Gettysburg and trains and the Amish in Lancaster.

Have fun planning!

 

[Purseval]

If you have any sort of a card from Bank of America you can pick a city you are interested in and take advantage of Museums on Us, that is the first weekend of every month. Free attractions vary by city so you would have to look it up. Around Atlanta where we live they typical trip to one of the listed place is $30/person and there are 4 major museums on our list, so that's $240 worth of free stuff