Maybe you can’t take a week or two to travel to some exotic spot, but you may be able to take a day trip. Here are some note-worthy cities and some places I either visited or would like to visit while there. Check Covid restrictions before making any reservations.
If you’re near Detroit:
- Henry Ford Museum and Village (Dearborn, MI)
- Pinckney Recreation Area – hiking trails and picnics (Pinckney, MI)
- Island Lakes Recreation Area – hiking trails and picnics (Brighton, MI)
- Corktown (downtown Detroit, MI)
- Toledo Ohio waterfront (downtown Toledo, OH)
- Matthaei Botanical Gardens (Ann Arbor, MI)
- Frankenmuth, Michigan – small town shops and Bavarian village (Frankenmuth, MI)
- Holland, Michigan – lakefront parks, small town shops, and quaint cafes (Holland, MI)
- Detroit Institute of Arts (downtown Detroit, MI)
- Detroit Historical Music (downtown Detroit, MI)
- Apple River Canyon (northwest Illinois)
- Starved Rock State Park (Utica, Illinois)
- Indianapolis, Indiana (downtown waterfront)
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin (downtown waterfront)
- Michigan Avenue shops and waterfront (downtown Chicago, IL)
- Chicago Riverwalk (downtown Chicago, IL)
- House on the Rock (Spring Green, Wisconsin)
- Brown County, Indiana (artist’s heaven, 1 hour south of Indianapolis)
- Galena, Illinois (museums and historic homes)
- Geneva Lake, Wisconsin (Big Foot Beach State Park nearby)
- Laguna Beach – small town with upscale shopping and dining is 1 hour drive from LA (Laguna Beach, CA)
- Disneyland Theme Park – 45-minute drive from LA (Anaheim, CA)
- Santa Monica Pier and Beach (Santa Monica, CA)
- Hollywood Walk of Fame and Chinese Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
- Rodeo Drive – Upscale shopping and dining (Beverly Hills, CA)
- Hollywood Homes Tours (Los Angeles, CA)
- Venice Beach – 12 miles from LA (Venice Beach, CA)
- Runyon Canyon Park – (Los Angeles, CA)
- Paramount Pictures Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
- Grand Central Market – European-style food and drink (downtown Los Angeles, CA)
- Everglades National Park (Homestead, FL)
- Day Cruises – Island Queen (downtown Miami, FL)
- Art Deco Walking Tour (South Beach, Miami, FL)
- Little Havana Cultural Tour (downtown Miami, FL)
- South Beach – Beach, food, and people-watch (Miami, FL)
- Venetian Pool – swimming and sunning – 20 minutes from Miami (Coral Gables, FL)
- East Las Olas Boulevard – food and upscale shopping – 45-minute drive from Miami (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
- Jungle Queen Riverboats – (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
- Clematis St and West Palm Beach – upscale shopping, dining, and nightlife is a 1.5-hour drive from Miami – (West Palm Beach, FL)
- Downtown Naples – upscale shopping, dining, beaches, and nightlife is a 2-hour drive from Miami – (Naples, FL)
- Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (New York, NY)
- Observation Deck Empire State Building (New York, NY)
- Central Park (New York, NY)
- Brooklyn Bridge (Brooklyn, NY)
- Grand Central Station (New York, NY)
- 9/11 Memorial (New York, NY)
- Hudson River Waterfront Walkway (Jersey City, NJ)
- Battleship New Jersey is a 2-hour drive from NYC (Camden, NJ)
- Independence Hall – tour the birthplace of America is a 2-hour drive from NYC (Philadelphia, PA)
- Liberty Bell (Philadelphia, PA)
- The Battery – view mansions, do some upscale shopping and dining near the Charleston harbor (Charleston, SC)
- Waterfront Park (Charleston, SC)
- Isle of Palms – beach, shop, golf, and eat is a 40-minute drive from Charleston (Isle of Palms, SC)
- Magnolia Plantation and Gardens ( Charleston, SC)
- Fort Sumpter National Monument (Charleston, SC)
- Myrtle Beach – shop, eat, sun, and amusement park is a 2-hour drive from Charleston (Myrtle Beach, SC)
- Nathaniel Russell House Museum (Charleston, SC)
- Forsythe Park – is a 2-hour drive from Charleston (Savannah, GA)
- Wormsloe Historic Site – colonial estate all the scenery you could want (Savannah GA)
- Savannah River Waterfront – shopping, dining, and galleries (Savannah, GA)
- The Greenway – stroll, bike, or relax (Boston, MA)
- The Freedom Trail – hiking, culture, and history (Boston, MA)
- Whale-watching Boston harbor (Boston, MA)
- Museum of Fine Arts (Boston MA)
- Boston Tea Party and Ships Museum (Boston, MA)
- Old North Church (Boston, MA)
- Harvard Art Museums is a 15-minute drive from Boston (Cambridge, MA)
- Mount Washington is a 1.25-hour drive from Boston (White Mountains, NH)
- Plymouth Rock – is 1-hour drive south from Boston (Plymouth, MA)
- Mayflower Ship II – fully restored replica of the Mayflower (Plymouth, MA)
- Grand Canyon National Park – a 3.5 hour drive from Phoenix (Grand Canyon, AZ)
- Sedona -a 2-hour drive from Phoenix – shopping, dining, site-seeing (Sedona, AZ)
- Red Rock Scenic Byway – hiking trails, scenic overlooks (Sedona, AZ)
- Camelback Mountain – hiking and scenic views (Phoenix, AZ)
- RoRo Street Art Tour – (Phoenix, AZ)
- Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix, AZ)
- Wrigley Mansion – (Phoenix, AZ)
- Hot Air Balloon Rides (Phoenix, AZ)
- Hole in the Rock – hiking, views (Phoenix, AZ)
- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum – a 1.75-hour drive from Phoenix (Tucson, AZ)