Back-to-School Weekend Getaways: One More Adventure Before Summer Ends
Summer has a way of disappearing faster every year.
One minute, the kids are celebrating the last day of school and an entire summer seems to be waiting ahead. Then suddenly, school supply lists are out, schedules are filling back up, practices are starting again, and everyone is wondering where the time went.
But summer isn't over just yet.
One of the best things about living in the Southeast is how many incredible weekend getaways are just a few hours away. Beaches, rivers, hiking trails, state parks, water parks and quiet campgrounds are everywhere. You don't necessarily need another week of vacation or months of planning. Sometimes all a family needs is Friday afternoon, a full tank of fuel and somewhere to point the RV.
And maybe that weekend comes after school starts. That's okay, too. Once homework, practices and packed schedules return, a quick weekend away can be exactly the reset everyone needs.
Because here's the thing about summers with your kids:
You only get so many of them. And they go fast.
That's part of the beauty of owning an RV.
Load the hiking boots and find a trail. Strap on the surfboards and head toward the Gulf. Pack the snorkeling gear and swimsuits. Fire up the grill after a day at the water park.
Or don't plan much of anything.
Find a shady campsite, put out the awning, grab a good book and let the kids enjoy having nowhere they need to be.
Before everyone says farewell to summer and life kicks back into high gear, here are some Southeast weekend getaway ideas for squeezing in one more adventure.
1. Trade the School Shoes for Flip-Flops
Sometimes the best way to finish summer is the simplest: go to the beach.
The Gulf Coast gives families hundreds of miles of options from Louisiana through Mississippi and Alabama into the Florida Panhandle.
Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, Alabama offer beaches, fishing, kayaking and family attractions, with Gulf State Park putting you right in the middle of it all.
Dauphin Island, Alabama offers a slower pace with beaches, bikes and fishing.
Biloxi & Gulfport, Mississippi make for an easy Gulf Coast escape, with the Mississippi Aquarium offering a break from the sun.
Keep heading east and you'll find Pensacola Beach, Navarre Beach, Destin and Fort Walton Beach, Florida, with white sand, clear water, snorkeling, fishing, paddleboarding and plenty of reasons to stay outside.
A beach weekend doesn't need much of an itinerary. Make breakfast at the campsite, pack the cooler and spend the day near the water. Then head back to the RV, rinse off the sand and fire up the grill.
That's a pretty good Saturday.
2. Head for the Hills
Ready for something besides sand? Point the RV north.
DeSoto State Park, Alabama offers waterfalls, hiking and biking near Lookout Mountain.
Cheaha State Park, Alabama takes you to the highest point in the state for mountain views and hiking trails.
Stretch the weekend a little farther and Cloudland Canyon State Park, Georgia, offers waterfalls and impressive canyon views, while Chattanooga and the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee open up even more opportunities for hiking and outdoor adventures.
If you have younger kids, don't worry about conquering a mountain. Find a shorter trail, hunt for a waterfall, stop for a picnic and explore.
The goal isn't seeing how many miles you can hike.
It's getting everybody outside together.
3. Cool Off at a Water Park
There is absolutely nothing wrong with letting somebody else provide the entertainment.
OWA Parks & Resort in Foley, Alabama can easily be paired with a Gulf Coast camping weekend. Gulf Islands Waterpark in Gulfport, Mississippi works perfectly with a Mississippi Gulf Coast trip.
Closer to South Louisiana, Blue Bayou Waterpark in Baton Rouge can turn a short camping trip into one last summer splash. Farther east, Shipwreck Island Waterpark in Panama City Beach, Florida, combines easily with a beach weekend.
Parents don't have to plan every hour. The kids burn off some energy. Everyone cools down.
Everybody wins.
4. Find a River, Lake or Swimming Hole
You don't have to drive to the beach to spend the weekend in the water.
Bogue Chitto State Park, Louisiana offers tubing, kayaking, hiking and camping, while Tickfaw State Park provides boardwalks, wetlands and paddling.
In Mississippi, Percy Quin State Park offers camping, fishing and lake activities. Head into Alabama and Lake Guntersville State Park brings boating, fishing and hiking into the mix.
Or point the RV toward Florida, where natural springs like Ichetucknee Springs provide clear, cool water for swimming, tubing and paddling.
Pack the fishing poles. Bring the kayaks. Grab the floats.
Then slow down.
Some of the best family trips aren't packed with reservations and activities. They're the weekends where everyone slows down enough to actually spend time together.
5. Pack for the Adventure You Want
One of the best things about an RV is the amount of gear you can bring along.
Mountain bikes? Bring them.
Fishing poles? Throw them in.
Kayaks? Strap them down.
Surfboards? Load them up.
For snorkeling, head toward Navarre Beach or the Florida Panhandle. For paddling, try Bogue Chitto or one of Florida's natural springs. For fishing, you've got practically the entire Gulf Coast. For hiking and mountain biking, turn north toward Alabama, Georgia or Tennessee.
Instead of asking, "What can we fit in the suitcase?" the question becomes:
"What do we want to do this weekend?"
Your RV becomes the home base for whatever adventure your family chooses.
6. Or Go Somewhere and Do Absolutely Nothing
Here's an option that doesn't get enough credit.
Go camping.
That's it.
Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville, Louisiana can give you lakefront sunsets and trails. Buccaneer State Park in Waveland, Mississippi puts you near the Gulf. Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama gives you trails and beaches nearby.
Or find a campground an hour from home.
Back into the site, put out the awning and stop.
Let the kids ride bikes. Play cards. Cook burgers. Start a campfire. Read a book. Take a nap. Sit outside after dark and talk.
Somehow, these are often the trips the kids remember.
They may forget which attraction you paid to see five summers ago, but they'll remember Dad burning the burgers, Mom dominating everyone at cards, riding bikes until dark or laughing around a campfire.
You don't always have to go far to get away.
Why RVs Make Weekend Getaways Different
Weekend trips can sometimes feel like more work than they're worth.
An RV changes that equation.
Your kitchen, bathroom, beds and refrigerator come with you. Depending on your RV, you might also have an outdoor kitchen, bunks and plenty of storage for all the gear.
You can keep many camping essentials stocked and ready, making a spontaneous weekend much easier.
Grab some clothes. Load the food. Bring whatever the weekend calls for.
Hiking. Surfing. Snorkeling. Tanning. BBQ. Fishing. Water parks.
Or maybe it's just a weekend under the awning with a good book.
That's the freedom.
Don't Forget About the Weekend After School Starts
Back-to-school season can be exhausting.
Alarm clocks return. Homework starts. Sports and activities kick back in. Calendars fill up and everyone is adjusting to a new routine.
That first free weekend after school starts might be the perfect time to escape.
Friday afternoon, leave the routine behind. Saturday, spend the day outside. Sunday, head home.
Monday morning, life starts again, but everybody got a chance to recharge.
One More Weekend. One More Memory.
There will always be another email to answer, another practice, another project around the house and another reason that this weekend isn't convenient.
But there won't always be another summer when your kids are this age.
Eventually, the kid riding a bike around your campsite will be driving. The one asking you to go swimming will have plans with friends.
You only get so many summers together.
So take the weekend.
It doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't have to be a thousand miles away. And it definitely doesn't have to be perfectly planned.
Head toward Gulf Shores. Find a trail at DeSoto. Jump in the water at Bogue Chitto. Snorkel at Navarre. Spend Saturday at a water park.
Or drive an hour down the road, put out the awning and grill some burgers.
Take the pictures. Stay up a little too late.
Make another memory.
Make the Most of the Summers You Have
At Great American RV SuperStores, we believe the best part of owning an RV isn't the RV itself, it's what you get to do with it.
It's the Friday afternoon escapes, the burgers under the awning, the sandy feet, the campfires, the places you've never been and the stories your family will tell for years afterward.
Because the kids won't stay kids forever, and those summer weekends have a way of going by way too fast.
So pack up. Pick a direction. Make the trip.
And when you're ready for an RV that can take your family on the next adventure, Great American RV SuperStores is here to help you find the right one.
Making memories, one weekend at a time.
