50 Cheap Weekend Trip and Affordable Family Weekend Vacation Ideas

Ever wondered what all you can do on a short five day trip? Need ideas for a cheap weekend vacation? Stick with me because I'm going to give you 50 five day trip and weekend vacation destination ideas.

There's enough information here on five day and family weekend vacations to keep you busy for years. Ok here we go...

You can take an Upper Salt River Canyon rafting trip, take a trip to Frankenmuth, Utica, Acton, Boston, Watkins Glen, a five day trip through the Mekong Delta, or spend five days in Las Vegas.

Like chili? Then you could travel to Terlingua, TX for the annual Terlingua International Chili Championship. And while there, view the awesome Rio Grande Canyon or the ghost town. Still hungry? Why not take in these events: Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook off, or the Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival in Fellsmere, FL., or the Chitlin Strut in Salley, So. Carolina, or the Boston vegetarian Society's October festival in Boston, Mass. For you Frenchies there's the Giant Omelet Celebration in November at Abbelville, LA.

One event I'll never forget is the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival in, you guessed it, Albuquerque, NM. If you can't get what you want there, try these hot air balloon festivals: Battle Creek Field of Flight and Balloon Festival or the Adirondack Hot Air Balloon Festival in Adirondack, NY held in September or The International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the biggest hot air balloon festival of its kind in Canada.

Ever wanted to get behind the wheel of a real, honest to goodness race car? Ok, then... there's Nascar racing, Indy car racing, drag racing, 1/4 mile midget car racing, hill climbs, mud racing, street racing and soooo much more. For an adrenaline pumping experience visit the Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, FL or Texas Motor Speedway and for under $500 bucks you can be behind the wheel of a heart pounding, in your face, race car for the experience of a lifetime. Then there are the driving schools that teach you the high speed skills that police departments and beginning race drivers use to learn high speed driving.

Still want thrills... consider flying a real jet fighter airplane. Travel out west to Mesa, AZ and enroll in the Top Gun Fighter Pilot School. For the real experience of a lifetime and those with deep pockets you can travel to Moscow, Russia and fly a real Russian Mig.

Ok back to Earth, sort of. Are you a roller coaster junkie or have you been thinking about a roller coaster vacation... just for a change in lifestyle. Try the Revenge of The Mummy, Universal Studios Florida or, the Silver Bullet at Knott's Berry Farm. Here's a few more: Storm Runner, Hershey Park, Thunderhead, Dollywood and the Tsunami at Clementon Amusement Park in Clementon, New Jersey.

How about a little bit of history? One of my favorites is the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Been there? Then try some of these highly rated Museums: Academy of Natural Science, Philadelphia, PA, Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, NY, Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA,

Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, CT, Rice University Art Gallery, Houston, TX, and the Sixth Floor Museum, John F. Kennedy and the memory of a Nation Dallas, TX. While planning a trip to see one of the best museums, you might try to find a vacation rental near the museum you plan to visit as they offer more room for your family and have full kitchens to ease the cost of meals.

Here's a statistic I bet you didn't know. Out of the 25 tallest waterfalls in the World, the USA is host to three. If you love waterfalls, then you could certainly plan an eye opening five day trip to see the following thunderous sights of nature: Snow Creek (660 m, California), Ribbon (491 m, California), and Upper Yosemite (436 m, California.) It's amazing that California has three of the tallest water falls in the world. Disappointed because you live a long way from California? Don't fret. Thirty-one US states boast waterfalls. Find one near you by searching U S waterfalls in your favorite search engine.

We've explored many adventures above ground, but what about below the earths surface? Don't forget about the many great caves in the US. Visiting the depths of a cave offers an experience you just can't find anywhere else on earth. Here are the top five rated Cave tours in the USA: Ape Cave, Vancouver, WA, Moaning Cavern, Vallecito, CA, Carlsbad Caverns, Carlsbad, NM, Jewel Cave, near Rapid City, SD, and Niagara Cave, Harmony, MN. Who knows? You might have just found an interesting new hobby.

Whew! Are we through yet? Actually no. Here are some more great ideas for you.

Here a great idea for a romantic weekend vacation. Have you ever experienced the magic of a riding on a train, the soothing clickity clack of the train on the track as it travels over a bridge, the easy motion of the ride or, the great service offered in the dining cars? I can just about guarantee this will be a most enjoyable way to spend your five day vacation. Book one of these awesome trips: Adirondack Scenic Railroad, Utica, NY, Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road Murder Mystery Dinner Trains, two locations...Blissfield and Charlotte, Michigan, The Austin Steam Train or the Texas Flyer Austin, TX, Blue Ridge Scenic Railway Blueridge, GA, The Café Lafayette Dinner Train, North Woodstock, NH, Chehalis-Centralia Railroad Chehalis, WA or the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad in Chama, New Mexico. For more information on operating train rides go to: www.railsusa.com/links/Tourist_Railroads/

US tourists often plan trips outside the USA. I can recommend that if you are short on time or have a limited budget, you or your family can find plenty of thing to do less than a hundred miles from your front door. Practically all of the suggestions above are right here in the US. This is a great place we live in, and it offers many quick getaways and short trip destinations. Use any of the ideas presented here and be sure to recommend them to your friends and co-workers.

But before we go, consider these other fun-filled adventure packed 5 day vacation ideas: learn to water or snow ski or how to sail a boat. Go fishing... deep-sea fishing, salmon fishing, trout fishing, or learn to scuba dive in five days. How about Sky diving or para-sailing? Just let your imagination go wild.

There's a lot to do and so little time to do it. The point is for you to get out of your surroundings and get your mind off work and other things. Put the sizzle back into your relationship and plan a romantic weekend vacation and just plan on relaxing and having a good time. You'll feel great after returning. The thing I've found about a short five day vacation is that it seems that it is just the right amount of time to spend on a vacation and, you'll have two full days to recover before returning to work.

by Terry Hudson

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