In today's economic climate, not to mention busy schedules, the shorter day trip has become a popular alternative to the longer vacation. So what's the best way to plan an outing (aside from regularly reading this blog)? Travel author Lisa McClintick offers quite a few ideas in her just-published guidebook: Day Trips from the Twin Cities: Getaway Ideas for the Local Traveler.
Of course there are the recommendations to nearby places you would expect—Brainerd Lakes, a day in Stillwater, and so on. But McClintick's book digs further into the travel options by pointing to hidden gems and out-of-the way places that you might not first consider on your own. The book is divided into sections, which are directions you may want to travel away from the cities—north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west, and northwest. Within each of these sections the author suggests three to five day trips according to theme. Daytrip Two in the southwest chapter is called "A Taste of Germany," highlighting the treasures to be found in New Ulm, including a cold mug of Schell's. Each trip features a long list of activities, secrets to uncover within a two- or three-hour drive, a route map for each itinerary, and other tips on where to eat, shop, stay, and play.
A Twin Cities native and current St. Cloud resident, Lisa Meyers McClintick is an award-winning travel writer and photographer who contributes regularly to the Star Tribune, Midwest Living and AAA Living. During her 20-year journalism career, McClintick covered a variety of news beats before moving on to write about the travel sites she enjoys the most. Read more of her travel suggestions at the blog, 10,000 Likes.
This past spring, Globe Pequot Press also published updated guidebooks, including The Carolinas, New Jersey, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Tampa, and St. Petersberg, as well as an updated edition of Day Trips from Kansas City.