So, it's Friday once again, and since we're settling into a new school year, and everything is pretty much starting up for the year at our church, we're done with our trips. Last year, we traveled a lot, but this year, we've got zilch planned. It's sort of depressing, but I guess I should chill out, and remember that there are some folks who hardly ever get to travel.

Even still, I'd rather be jaunting off with my family somewhere this weekend, like...

NYC- 12 hr. drive from my house.

I'm a Jersey Girl, and love me some NYC. I'd love to take my husband again, and just spend the day exploring the city with him. I'd even like to take my son back to NYC. He had his first NYC experience last October and got to eat at a pretty snazzy celeb-chef restaurant with our family. I know he'd love Central Park and getting to see the real animals that he's seen in the Madagascar movies!

Asheville, NC- 2.5 hr. drive from my house.

There's just something about Asheville that I love. The downtown is so artsy and bohemian. I love all of the little shops, cafes, bookstores, restaurants, boutiques, and all of the interesting people you see. There are a ton of art galleries that are open to the public, too- it's always neat to pop in and see how people have been inspired. The rest of Asheville is lovely. They have fantastic shopping, and we always enjoy walking around Biltmore Village... they have the fanciest McDonalds I have ever seen- with chandeliers and a gorgeous grand piano inside.

Baltimore's Inner Harbor- 6.5 hr. drive from my house.

Hubby and I lived about twenty minutes south of Baltimore when he was in graduate school at UMD for two years. We were actually smack in between Baltimore and DC. I absolutely loved Baltimore, and would rather go there than into DC. I loved the whole feel of the harbor, and aside from having lots of great shopping, restaurants and attractions, there was a huge, gorgeous park overlooking the harbor, and behind it, beautiful old row houses. I thought it would be pretty cool to own one of those row houses and have a roof-top garden and patio, the huge park to play in, and old churches, right within walking distance. Sometimes I sort of miss living up there.

Southport, NC- 4 hr. drive from my house.

I love Southport, which I know I've mentioned before. We never stay in Southport- but it's easy to get there from Oak Island, NC, or Holden Beach, NC. Southport is actually where Safe Haven is centered, and was filmed. It's not a big place, by any means... it's just a cute little coastal community with a whole lot of Southern charm. We love popping into the little shops and boutiques, hitting up the Port City Java Cafe, walking around (love looking at the old houses), and eventually catching the Southport Ferry so we can take a ride over to Fort Fisher and go to the aquarium, or head into Wilmington. I can't go to Southport without going to the Christmas House. I buy at least one new ornament for our tree, each time we're there. It's a tradition that I love!

The Blueridge Parkway- 2.5 hours from my house.

When we're up in the NC mountains, we love it when we take the time to get off of the Interstate, and take a ride on the Blueridge Parkway. This drive goes on for hours and hours, and you have to make sure your gas tank is full before you get on, because there are zero gas stops along the way. Every fall, hubby and I used to take a day to drive along the parkway during one of the peak weekends for color of the changing leaves. We would pack a picnic lunch, and stop off at an overlook to eat, and just enjoy our beautiful surroundings. We'd then spend the rest of the day talking while driving, and looking, and finally, we'd wind up in Asheville to do a little walking around and some shopping, before having a nice dinner out somewhere. This is definitely one of those things I'd recommend doing in your lifetime if you haven't already, and if you live in the area. I can't wait to bring our son into this special tradition! It's only a few weeks out from peak color weeks!

Where would you rather be this weekend?