Beaches beckon when spring break rolls around, a time to release the long-sleeved shirts and sweaters and pause the brain from all that studying.
But spring break doesn’t have to mean sand and sun.
Rather, the time off might include a quiet hike through a national forest, a festival celebrating the return of the sun or experiencing a thrilling sport. We’ve compiled a few alternative locations here that are within driving distance of Louisiana.
Get artsy in Texas
Radio Tave is an immersive, surreal, radio-station-themed experience at MeowWolf Houston.
Arturo Olmos
In 2008, one of the most innovative and immersive arts centers opened in Santa Fe, collaborating with artists to bring visitors a unique audience-driven experience. Meow Wolf has since opened satellites around the country, most recently in Houston with Radio Tave, an immersive, surreal, radio-station-themed experience.
The attraction features “ETNL Radio Station” and its crew who have opened a portal to a dimension of art where visitors may explore at leisure to unravel its secrets. Meow Wolf is a creative space that must be experienced to truly understand its interactive and life-sized art. Visit meowwolf.com/visit/houston for more information.
San Antonio’s Hopscotch is a curated 20,000-square-foot art gallery where everything is interactive.
BY CHERÉ COEN | Contributing writer
San Antonio offers its own unique creative experience with Hopscotch, a curated 20,000-square-foot art gallery where everything is interactive, from an adult ball pit and hall of mirrors to art that dances with you as you move. Grab an equally creative cocktail at the bar and lounge area, then pick up unique art items at the gift shop.
Spring bursts forth in Chattanooga, Tennessee, encompassing the 50-plus hiking trailheads within 30 minutes of downtown with a variety of wildflowers.
Chattanooga, Tennessee, has 50-plus hiking trails in the area.
BY CHERÉ COEN | Contributing writer
Visitors may also grab a kayak and enjoy the Tennessee River flowing through downtown or view rushing waterfalls due to winter’s runoff — including the colorful Ruby Falls located deep beneath Lookout Mountain.
Be sure to stop at the city’s new Reading Room, Chattanooga’s only bar and bookstore. Look for special events such as author talks, book trivia and tarot readings.
You don’t have to travel to Washington, D.C., to view dramatic cherry blossoms in bloom, although that’s certainly worth a trip.
Thousands of cherry trees bloom at once in Macon, Georgia, and folks celebrate their debut with the International Cherry Blossom Festival March 20-29.
Ruth Sykes
Thousands of cherry trees bloom at once in Macon, Georgia, and folks celebrate their debut with the International Cherry Blossom Festival March 20-29. In addition to viewing those pink explosions, the festival features around 300,000 to 350,000 Yoshino cherry trees that bloom around the city, a parade, concerts and art shows.
Not to be outdone by its south Georgia neighbor, the city of Brookhaven, closer to Atlanta, offers its Brookhaven Cherry Blossom Festival March 28-29 that marries cherry blossoms with live bands, food trucks and an artist market.
In the last few months, visitors to Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park have dug up some pretty large gemstones.
A 6.03-carat yellow diamond, about the size of a gumdrop, was found at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
Arkansas State Parks
Last summer, Micherre Fox of New York found a 2.30-carat white diamond in the park. Then in January, Jack Pearadin of Arkansas and Michael Schumacher of Wisconsin discovered a 6.03-carat yellow diamond, about the size of a gumdrop.
To date, more than 75,000 diamonds have been unearthed at the Crater of Diamonds State Park since the first diamonds were discovered in 1906 by John Huddleston, a farmer who owned the land long before it became an Arkansas State Park in 1972.
Children ages 6 and under get in free at the park, while children ages 6-12 have a $7 admission fee. The adult admission fee is $15. If crystals are more your thing, several attractions at nearby Mt. Ida let you dig for quartz crystals that are abundant in the area.
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is home to one of the largest collections of rockets and space memorabilia anywhere in the world.
BY CHERÉ COEN | Contributing writer
Want to travel to space but NASA’s not calling? Try the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, home to one of the largest collections of rockets and space memorabilia on display anywhere in the world.
The location serves as the Visitor Center for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. For those still in the learning mood, or just fascinated by weather, check out the current “How We Know the Weather” exhibit featuring 30 interactive displays, live feeds and sensory experiences about the science of meteorology.
Escape to the mountains
If you’re in need of elevation, the Ozarks of Arkansas are within a day’s drive. Secure a cabin in the woods and hike to waterfalls throughout the Buffalo National River area or grab a paddle and tackle the wild river.
Spring is an ideal time to visit the region where spring water produces dramatic falls and provides for thrilling paddling and tubing adventures, the latter of which really takes off in April and May.
The Dolly Parton Experience at Dollywood consists of three buildings that encompass Parton’s 50-plus years in show business.
BY CHERÉ COEN | Contributing writer
Over at the Smokies, Dollywood’s I Will Always Love You Festival runs through April 12 with the debut of two shows, “MotoMotion Freestyle Showdown” — which features choreographed performances of extreme riders, break dancers and aerial daredevils — and “Artreageous,” a 3D visual concert of art, live music, singing, dancing, humor and audience participation.
The popular “From the Heart — The Life & Music of Dolly Parton” show returns, telling Parton’s story about leaving her Sevier County home to move to Nashville in pursuit of her dreams.