I spent a weekend here back in March, and boy was it full of fun! I started out in west Knoxville, close to Oak Ridge National Lab. I was 15 minutes driving distance to downtown and only 1 hour away from the Smokey Mountains National Park. With limited time and a few desire places on the docket, I wanted to utilize my time with my girlfriend as best I knew.

On Saturday we headed to downtown in the early afternoon. We set out to explore the World’s Fair Park, including the tower and surrounding area. The Sunsphere is only $2 to see, which is a pretty good deal for the beautiful view. From here you can see the city skyline, Neyland stadium (home of the University of Tennessee Volunteers’ football team), and anything else of consequence. Once back on the ground we walked around the park, which is right next to the UTK campus. We walked around the campus, seeing all the fun buildings and even getting to see the stadium! After an hour or so we headed back to “downtown,” specifically the local hotspot known as Market Square.

Market Square is a hip downtown spot that usually hosts free concerts, art exhibits, or other public events going on, and you can get a lot of local culture here. All of the restaurants on the square are delicious, but local favorites include Café 4 and La Costa. You can also walk down the main drag of downtown Knoxville and see some other cool buildings and restaurants. If you head 2 blocks west of Market Square you run into the old downtown Knoxville, which is a couple more streets of vintage and rustic looking shops. You even can stop by Old City Cigar and pick up a Dominican Churchill!

Because there is a lot of warmth and sunshine in Knoxville, Sunday presented itself as a wonderful time to go see the Great Smokey Mountains. We packed up a picnic basket before leaving and set out south east. After an hour in the car we saw the welcome signs to the Smokey Mountains Park— excellent! We drove a little farther into the woods, found a spot to park and trek, and walked into the woods for about 10 minutes. We discovered a lovely spot full of shade and on a grassy knoll. We enjoyed our picnic and the warm afternoon sun, and even saw some deer! We spent the whole afternoon there, and left around 7, returning to Knoxville.

Overall the weekend was great! It was a nice mix of relaxed, casual dining and city touring, but also included some semi-active, adventurous and outdoor parts too. The cost of the entire weekend was about $75, which would include food and everything on Saturday as well as the picnic and driving on Sunday. So if you’re looking for an inexpensive value vacation, then Knoxville, TN is the place for you!

You must see the statue of liberty while in NYC.

We arrived late Friday night and stayed with a relative of mine for the weekend. Because it was so late, we didn’t do much Friday, but my relative did give us a tour of Manhattan where we saw Ground Zero, Wall Street, and other monumental parts of the city. Saturday morning my friends and I got up and went to a local diner for breakfast(there are diners everywhere). We then traveled to Staten Island on a ferry to get a good view of the Statue of Liberty. I believe the ferry was free. We spent the afternoon walking through Central Park and nearby 5th Avenue. Central Park is beautiful. On nice days there are runners and bikers everywhere. 5th Avenue is kind of the shopping street of the country so it was an experience just walking through.

For dinner Saturday night we went to the newly built Yankee Stadium and had dinner at the Yankee Steakhouse. This was the most expensive part of the trip but it was also probably the highlight of the trip. If you are a Yankee fan like

The walls at Yankee Steakhouse had the signatures of all of the Yankees to ever play

myself, then you need to try to eat there. Besides being inside Yankee Stadium, the restaurant is filled with Yankee memorabilia. The food was also fantastic. I had the largest, most delicious steak I have ever tasted.

After dinner my friends and I visited Times Square. Seeing Times Square at night is probably the most touristy thing you can do in NYC, but it was still fun. Although the rest of the city is completely dark, the lights in Times Square are so bright that it seems like it’s 3 in the afternoon. There is plenty of shopping opportunities as well if you are into shopping. I would warn to be careful when going there as it is not in the safes part of the city.

The lights in Times Square makes it seem like daytime 24 hours a day

After sleeping in Sunday, we stopped by a local bookstore called ——-. It was very cozy and had a nice atmosphere. My relative explained that anytime he needs to get a book for a gift he comes to this store because once he describes the person he needs a gift for, the woman there picks out the perfect book to match the person. He does give really good books that everyone seems to enjoy so I found that interesting and if you are in the area I would encourage checking it out.

To finish Sunday we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Modern Museum of Art(MOMA). Visiting the Metropolitan was very worthwhile. I was in the middle of an arts class in school so seeing the actual paintings of all these artists I had studied was cool. Plus, the artwork there is phenomenal. And if you go to the rooftop there are typically cool exhibits and you get a really good view of central park. MOMA-not so much. It was very interesting and somewhat entertaining, but I don’t think it was art. A broken toilet seat is not art to me. Neither is a piece of paper with a do in the middle. But it was interesting to see how our generation is sadly defining artwork.

Overall, my experience in NYC was great. My only regret was not waiting a few more weeks so that I could be there around Christmas time.

Orlando is a city that attracts millions of tourists every year because of one of the most iconic attractions of all time: Disney World.  People from all over the world will come to spend a day in one of the six amusement parks available: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, or Hollywood Studios.  However, if you are going to make the trip all the way out there then you should think about some of the other nearby attractions.

I went to Orlando with my family, and spent the entire work week hitting up the Disney amusement parks.  And don’t get me wrong, Disney is great and certainly lives up to its hype.  But we were able to get a lot of cool variety out of our trip despite that.

For starters, Friday night we went to the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum.  This was full of amazingly weird oddities from all around the world.  Think of it like the Guinness Book of World Records, except for Strangeness.  So it will feature the shortest couple to get married, or the weirdest escape stories of mentally handicapped criminals held in prison.  And most bazaar of all, just looking at the building from the outside will make you dizzy.

Next on Saturday we took a trip down to the Everglades, just to experience the native wildlife.  If you’re a bird enthusiast, then you’ll especially love this.  But seeing the nature architecture and alligators is still a blast.  Plus, you get to spend the entire day outdoors.

If you aren’t too worn out by Sunday, be sure to get yourself to a Florida beach.  The waters are clear, and Florida weather is so enjoyable.  And there’s really nothing else quite like it.  I remember that it was the middle of the afternoon and it started raining while we were at Disney World.  My family thought that this meant the day was ruined.  But in fact, the rain was heavy for about half an hour and then totally disappeared.  The sun came out, and the ground dried up in no time.

So go to Florida, you’ll have a great time!

On Saturday we went to the Westside Market. The Westside Market is like a blast from the past. It is in two huge buildings that have hundreds of small meat, fruit, and bread bakers. The prices are cheap, the food is unique, and it is all fresh. We spent several hours trying the different types of food. We got some fresh food from the market for lunch, including pastrami and Jewish Rye, Mexican Stuffed Chili Peppers, fresh olives, apple strudels, and the most delicious fruit I’ve ever tasted. We then walked around the Cleveland’s square and explored their Civil War monument.

Cleveland also has a beautiful cathedral and courthouse all within walking distance of the square. Cleveland used to be one of the richest cities in America so a lot of Cleveland old buildings are absolutely beautiful. The old court house is pure marble and has beautiful statues.

After we explored for a while we went to Little Italy and went to a restaurant called Trattoria Roman Gardens. It is a traditional Sicilian Restaurant that makes you feel like you are eating with a big Italian family. The portions are huge and I would definitely recommend splitting a meal. The sauces and noodles are made from scratch and you get fresh bruschetta while you are waiting for your food. When we were done eating we walked around Little Italy. There are several chocolate and wine shops that were on the strip. Little Italy is a fun quaint area that is a great place to visit if you are in Cleveland.

On Sunday we went to Legacy Village which is a really nice shopping center. It also has great restaurants to eat at like Stir Crazy, Cheese Cake Factory, California Pizza, and Brio Tuscan Grille. My favorite restaurant there is Stir Crazy with its really fun and delicious stir fry. We then left to go back to school. It was a fun-filled weekend that was reasonably inexpensive and was the perfect break from the monotonous school work.

First, we spent Friday evening out on the town, exploring Nashville’s exciting nightlife. On Broadway Street, there are countless country bars and other establishments exploiting Nashville and southern culture. Jack’s BBQ is a great place for dinner. After standing in line, watching our ribs made in front of us, we sat down at a small table in their cramped dining room. Their numerous in-house sauces were outstanding, particularly their hot barbeque…be sure to try all of them! Afterwards, we went from bar to bar, enjoying a couple drinks and some very talented local bands playing a variety of country and classic rock. The Stage and Legends Corner are highly recommended. Take a walk down by the river before the end of the night too!

On Saturday, we tried something different and went hiking on some of the county’s best mountain trails. Percy Warner Park has a lot of different options and we enjoyed the medium difficulty terrain, getting some great exposure to nature and wildlife along the way. A picnic lunch in the park is a great way to enjoy a cheap meal outdoors as well. For those who want to see some real luxury, drive around some back roads in Brentwood…a lot of music industry stars have beautiful homes and properties in this area that are fun to dream about.

On Sunday, we grabbed lunch at one of my favorite restaurants…Sportsman’s Grill near Music Square. They offer incredible $5 cheeseburgers (some of the best burgers I’ve had) with plenty of fries and 2-for-1 drafts. Try something from local brewery Yazoo! Spending less than $10 for two great beers and a huge cheeseburger is quite a meal.

Main Street in Blacksburg has plenty of dining options to explore, but one night we drove about half an hour to Catawba VA to a restaurant called “The Homeplace.” The restaurant is aptly named because the location is literally a large house that the owners turn into a restaurant Thursday-Sunday. For just $14 I was served family style and enjoyed all-you-can eat fried chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes, baked beans, vegetables, and biscuits. They also gave me some peach cobbler and ice cream to finish it off. It was an awesome meal and I wish they had a place like this near Grove City. Overall, I would recommend a weekend trip to Blacksburg. The people are friendly and the scenery is great.