One-Day Vacation Ideas Drivable from New Jersey
Some local New Jersey folks like to take the same vacation each year. We have friends who have rented the same Sea Isle house for over a decade. Then there…
August 17: Delaware Water Gap atop the Tammany Red Dot Trail
Credit: K. KatzSome local New Jersey folks like to take the same vacation each year. We have friends who have rented the same Sea Isle house for over a decade.
Then there are others, like my family, who prefer to travel to a new vacation spot each year. That’s not to say that we haven’t visited certain spots multiple times.
We’ve certainly been to Disney World and the Jersey Shore more times than I can remember. When our kids were younger, they were perfect for a fun and easy family getaway.
Now that our children are old enough to suggest and plan our trips we’ve been expanding our vacation horizons much more in the past several years.
We’ve had some great vacations like The Grand Canyon, Ireland, England, Key West, Bermuda, Punta Cana, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas.
All of these vacations had their own type of fun, but they all required at least a week’s commitment. With the kids juggling work, their own plans with friends, and other commitments, we decided to try a bunch of day trips this year. My wife and I have a lot going on at work lately, so we felt it was a good idea to limit our consecutive days off this summer.
We researched looking for trips within a couple of hours of home so we could get an early start and be back home the same day.
Our Day Trip Vacations This Year
Our first day trip was to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, in the Poconos. It’s a cute little town with some unique shops, restaurants and a collection of nice hiking trails. Our family loves to hike, so this was perfect for us. We also rode the “Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway.” It’s a historical tour with fantastic views.
Another day, we enjoyed some amazing hiking at the Delaware Water Gap. The trails are challenging, and the awesome waterfall and other views make it worth the effort.
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was our favorite. We didn’t do a lot of hiking, but we did do some serious walking.
Other than Taylor Swift, my wife, Kathleen, loves all things ghost and paranormal. We went on a fun and interesting ghost tour of the town of Gettysburg. It’s a two-hour walking tour, and our guide, Jordan, was well-versed in all of the spirit happenings mainly related to the Battle of Gettysburg.
Another Gettysburg attraction we’re glad we did was the driving tour of the battlegrounds. We simply downloaded the National Parks app and heard a narration of all of the key spots as we drove through the specified route.
I would highly recommend any of the day trips we chose for our vacation. If you’re interested in any of the spots I’ve mentioned, you can get more information about each of them here...
