Spring Break By Type
By LENA KATZ
Don't know where to go for Spring break? Do your homework, and read up on the top vacation spots for all kinds of people, from crazy collegiates to professors to folks on permanent holiday.
Family-Friendly: Nashville
Music hath powers to soothe the savage beast -- and when we say 'savage', we mean 'teenage' -- which is why Nashville, a.k.a. Music City, is a pretty much failsafe family destination. Between checking out the plaques on the Walk of Fame, chowin' down on Southern-style comfort food, and taking in the fabled country show at the Grand Ol' Opry, kids and parents alike will be constantly, happily overstimulated.
April is a particularly rockin' month, packed full of big events like the CMA Awards (open to the public, though tickets are expensive) and the Tin Pan South Festival. The latter features dozens of live performances by songwriters -- though you may not know them by face, you'll recognize at least some of them by sound. These are the guys who Faith Hill and Alan Jackson look to when they need a Top Ten hit. Shows all carry their own cover charge, and most of them aren't very expensive -- plus there are some early shows, in case certain members of your party have a 9:00PM bedtime. Parents: try to ditch the kids and hit the honky-tonks one night of your trip. Teens: See if Mom and Dad will let you off-leash long enough to check out a free show on the lawn of Vanderbilt University. Gossip girls: Keep your eyes peeled, and you might be rewarded with a Nicole Kidman/Keith Urban sighting. Now that's something to email home about.
Music hath powers to soothe the savage beast -- and when we say 'savage', we mean 'teenage' -- which is why Nashville, a.k.a. Music City, is a pretty much failsafe family destination. Between checking out the plaques on the Walk of Fame, chowin' down on Southern-style comfort food, and taking in the fabled country show at the Grand Ol' Opry, kids and parents alike will be constantly, happily overstimulated.
April is a particularly rockin' month, packed full of big events like the CMA Awards (open to the public, though tickets are expensive) and the Tin Pan South Festival. The latter features dozens of live performances by songwriters -- though you may not know them by face, you'll recognize at least some of them by sound. These are the guys who Faith Hill and Alan Jackson look to when they need a Top Ten hit. Shows all carry their own cover charge, and most of them aren't very expensive -- plus there are some early shows, in case certain members of your party have a 9:00PM bedtime. Parents: try to ditch the kids and hit the honky-tonks one night of your trip. Teens: See if Mom and Dad will let you off-leash long enough to check out a free show on the lawn of Vanderbilt University. Gossip girls: Keep your eyes peeled, and you might be rewarded with a Nicole Kidman/Keith Urban sighting. Now that's something to email home about.
College: Bahamas
Cancun's gone 5-star, and Daytona Beach is cleaning up its image -- but who cares about that, when the Bahamas are just a hop-and-skip away from Fort Lauderdale? Cruise ships come into Nassau port several times weekly, while airlines provide constant service to the Bahamas from basically any East Coast city. Nassau and Grand Bahama Island boast beaches to rival Floridas -- and better yet, the Bahamas has an 18+ drinking age. Many of the resorts and clubs are 'all-inclusive' -- meaning you pay once, and drink as much as you can handle.
Round-the-clock mayhem follows: lots of wet tee-shirt contests, dance offs, drunken hookups, and lunatics stripping naked and swimming in the duck ponds. You may find yourself sandwiched in between two drunk girls, while a shirtless local man pours straight rum down your throat. Or freezing your butt off at 7AM because you ran into the ocean with all your clothes on at sunrise. Or going shot-for-shot with an entire Canadian college hockey team. If this is your idea of can't-miss entertainment, a Bahamian spring break is ideal for you.
Cancun's gone 5-star, and Daytona Beach is cleaning up its image -- but who cares about that, when the Bahamas are just a hop-and-skip away from Fort Lauderdale? Cruise ships come into Nassau port several times weekly, while airlines provide constant service to the Bahamas from basically any East Coast city. Nassau and Grand Bahama Island boast beaches to rival Floridas -- and better yet, the Bahamas has an 18+ drinking age. Many of the resorts and clubs are 'all-inclusive' -- meaning you pay once, and drink as much as you can handle.
Round-the-clock mayhem follows: lots of wet tee-shirt contests, dance offs, drunken hookups, and lunatics stripping naked and swimming in the duck ponds. You may find yourself sandwiched in between two drunk girls, while a shirtless local man pours straight rum down your throat. Or freezing your butt off at 7AM because you ran into the ocean with all your clothes on at sunrise. Or going shot-for-shot with an entire Canadian college hockey team. If this is your idea of can't-miss entertainment, a Bahamian spring break is ideal for you.
Liberal Arts (Student or Professor): Taos
With its art galleries and Native American culture, New Age influences and great spring skiing, Taos is like the anti-Spring Break vacation spot. City highlights include Taos Pueblo, where 150 families continue to live and carry on the 1000-year-old traditions of their Native American tribe; the Millicent Rogers Museum, which celebrates one of the first ladies of fashion and art; and Wild Earth Llama Adventures, where you hike and a llama carries your luggage. The city has approximately 80 art galleries (that's more per capita than in Paris, as they're fond of reminding you), many of them located in Historic Taos Plaza, shoulder-to-shoulder with funky shops and enticing cafes. The Historic Taos Inn was once a rooming house for artists and writers; its bar is nicknamed "the living room of Taos" because it draws so many locals. Taos Ski Valley keeps things lively well into spring, with a beer festival and fireworks on the mountain.
With its art galleries and Native American culture, New Age influences and great spring skiing, Taos is like the anti-Spring Break vacation spot. City highlights include Taos Pueblo, where 150 families continue to live and carry on the 1000-year-old traditions of their Native American tribe; the Millicent Rogers Museum, which celebrates one of the first ladies of fashion and art; and Wild Earth Llama Adventures, where you hike and a llama carries your luggage. The city has approximately 80 art galleries (that's more per capita than in Paris, as they're fond of reminding you), many of them located in Historic Taos Plaza, shoulder-to-shoulder with funky shops and enticing cafes. The Historic Taos Inn was once a rooming house for artists and writers; its bar is nicknamed "the living room of Taos" because it draws so many locals. Taos Ski Valley keeps things lively well into spring, with a beer festival and fireworks on the mountain.
Grad Student: Turks/Caicos
For "students" who are in their 30s, have already clocked a couple years in middle management, and have a substantial bank account to fund their springtime adventures, the Turks & Caicos are a suitably exclusive and expensive white sand getaway. The islands are among the least touristy in the Caribbean, but they boast a high celeb visitor quotient -- Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones supposedly just bought a home on one of the cays. On a less starstruck note, Turks & Caicos offers amazing snorkeling and diving, thanks to a vast coral reef system and a vigilant marine preservation effort.
Grace Bay is the most famous beach in Turks & Caicos, and arguably its most beautiful. The stunning white sand expanse boasts some world class resorts, the crown jewel being the Grace Bay Club. The Palms is a good choice for spa enthusiasts; they just expanded and added Sonya Dakar products and services. Alexandra Resort offers good value for the economically conscious jetsetter or the slightly-above-average Joe.
For "students" who are in their 30s, have already clocked a couple years in middle management, and have a substantial bank account to fund their springtime adventures, the Turks & Caicos are a suitably exclusive and expensive white sand getaway. The islands are among the least touristy in the Caribbean, but they boast a high celeb visitor quotient -- Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones supposedly just bought a home on one of the cays. On a less starstruck note, Turks & Caicos offers amazing snorkeling and diving, thanks to a vast coral reef system and a vigilant marine preservation effort.
Grace Bay is the most famous beach in Turks & Caicos, and arguably its most beautiful. The stunning white sand expanse boasts some world class resorts, the crown jewel being the Grace Bay Club. The Palms is a good choice for spa enthusiasts; they just expanded and added Sonya Dakar products and services. Alexandra Resort offers good value for the economically conscious jetsetter or the slightly-above-average Joe.
Endless Vacation: Nicaragua
For hardcore surfers, backpackers and adventure junkies who grumble that Costa Rica is overdeveloped and passé, neighboring Nicaragua offers just the right kind of undiscovered, untamed allure. Some of the best surf spots can't even be accessed by 4x4; you have to pay a local "guide" (15 year old boy who speaks two words of English) to boat you over in a rickety skiff. Then you jump overboard and paddle in to the waves. One such place is Ollie's Point on the Costa Rica border -- it's nicknamed after Mr. North, who gossips swear used the place as a dropoff point. These beaches are completely undeveloped -- look shoreward, and all you see is jungle. If you like to actually see other people occasionally, stay in the funky fishing village of San Juan del Sur. Although it gets lots of surfers, the town also caters to sailing cruisers and sport fishing enthusiasts. It has a handful of hotels, most notably Pelican Eyes and luxury eco-lodge Morgan's Rock. People are friendly, the weather's warm, and the beers are cheap -- what more could you want from civilization?
E-mail the author at lena@lenakatz.com
For hardcore surfers, backpackers and adventure junkies who grumble that Costa Rica is overdeveloped and passé, neighboring Nicaragua offers just the right kind of undiscovered, untamed allure. Some of the best surf spots can't even be accessed by 4x4; you have to pay a local "guide" (15 year old boy who speaks two words of English) to boat you over in a rickety skiff. Then you jump overboard and paddle in to the waves. One such place is Ollie's Point on the Costa Rica border -- it's nicknamed after Mr. North, who gossips swear used the place as a dropoff point. These beaches are completely undeveloped -- look shoreward, and all you see is jungle. If you like to actually see other people occasionally, stay in the funky fishing village of San Juan del Sur. Although it gets lots of surfers, the town also caters to sailing cruisers and sport fishing enthusiasts. It has a handful of hotels, most notably Pelican Eyes and luxury eco-lodge Morgan's Rock. People are friendly, the weather's warm, and the beers are cheap -- what more could you want from civilization?
E-mail the author at lena@lenakatz.com