Top 8 Weekend Getaways for Working Men

Blog post originally published for Ash & Anvil; a Detroit based start-up making shorter guy clothes.

1) Adventurous Colorado

Fly fishing, white water rafting, hiking, and trail biking are some of the amazing possibilities over a weekend in Vail, Colorado. An action packed weekend that will get your endorphins pumping and inspire the poet within you with unspoiled beautiful vistas of nature.

Challenge yourself by tackling one of the many famous fourteeners located throughout Colorado, a few just an hour or two drive out of Vail. High altitude hiking is an incredible challenge that few experience and even fewer have the satisfaction of reaching the summit and standing at the top of the world. It is truly breathtaking literally and figuratively. Don’t forget to breathe and take winter gear with you as you can be sure to expect snow and extreme cold at these high elevations, even at the peak of summer.

2) Classic Boston

Boston is a city that’s easy to fly into, get around on the subway, and walk almost anywhere. Your best bet is staying in a hotel near Copley Square. Grab dinner and go bowling at Kings in Back Bay or find a neat Irish pub to kick back with a Guinness.Then again, nothing says “mancation” like drinking a cold beer, cracking open peanuts, and watching the Red Sox at Fenway Park. If you feel like channeling your inner history nerd, take an American History Tour through Cambridge, Lexington, and Concord — either with a company for dirt cheap or on your own.

For those of us with sweet toothes, stop by Mike’s Pastry in The North End — their cannoli’s are famous for a reason!

3) Las Vegas & Zion National Park Double Header

Fly into Las Vegas and spend your night partying it up and then the next morning heading out to Utah’s nearby Zion National Park. It’s a 2-hour drive to the world’s most stunning canyons and vertical red cliffs. You’ll come home boasting about walking through slot canyons carved by centuries of water erosion and hiking up to Angel’s Landing with vertical 1000 foot drop offs. It’s an adventure you won’t forget anytime soon (even if you had a bit too much to drink in Vegas). Make sure to bring a decent camera with a lot of storage, there are unparalleled vistas within the park. Zion has to be on every guy’s bucket list.

4) Take a Foodie Road Trip

If you’re a fan of driving instead of flying, here’s two road trips that are perfect for the busy urban man looking for time to listen to throwbacks and taste the finer things in life — like high-quality BBQ or bourbon on the rocks.

Central Texas BBQ Trail

Test your taste buds by road tripping between some of the best slow-smoked over the coals BBQ food joints in the world. Follow the “Barbecue Belt” from Austin to San Antonio and everything in between.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail

If you’re not a big BBQ fan, but you enjoy a smooth whiskey — then the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is for you. There are nine historic stops on the tour including popular brands like Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam and Evan Williams. Each distillery is less than 60 miles apart and the entire road trip can be done within a weekend.

5) Southern California Golf Excursion

San Diego has a great network of public golf courses ranging in price and difficulty to work on your swing. With options ranging from Par 3 courses all the way to the famous Torrey Pines there is something to love for novice and hardcore golfers and everyone in between. After shooting a long 18 at any of these courses, there are plenty of beaches to relax and cool off — Seal Beach is a great option. You can also spend time in the city visiting Balboa Park which is filled with cool museums and activities. Don’t forget to grab dinner in Little Italy!

6) Touristy Chicago

One of the easiest trips to do in a weekend would be Chicago. Right in the middle of the country, this bustling city is easy to get to with great food, great environment, and lots to do. You can be touristy by visiting the Bean, checking out the massive Ghiradelli store, eating LOTS of deep dish pizza (Gino’s for sure), and seeing views from the SkyDeck at Sears Tower (it’s hard to call it Willis Tower). If that doesn’t sound interesting, schedule a game to see the Chicago Cubs and drink your head off afterwards at one of the many bars in Wrigleyville. Chicago is also home to a bunch of great museums such as the Art Institute, Field Museum of Natural History and Museum of Science and Industry.

7) Michigan’s Paddle For Pints

If you’re not looking to go far and happen to be based out of Detroit, check out Traverse City for the weekend. Traverse City got its fame from its National Cherry Festival but in case you are all cherried out, the city has a new spin on the bar crawl. The Paddling Micro-Brewery Tour is hosted by Paddle for Pints where on eight different weekends throughout the summer there is a Brewery Pub Paddle on Traverse City’s Boardman Lake & River and West Bay. If you’re looking for a more low-key event, there are plenty of other beer tours where you can rent a kayak for the day and follow their map to taste some of the best midwestern micro brews.

8) The OIe’ Staycation

Sometimes the hardest thing about when life is busy is actually finding time to do things you are passionate about. That’s where a staycation comes in. Stay in your home town but do something you wouldn’t normally do. Force yourself to try a new restaurant, bike a new trail, hang out with friends you haven’t seen in a decade or simply hide out inside and play video games all day. This would be a time to do absolutely nothing in your own space. No errands or work emails allowed!

Honorable Mentions

Abroad Getaways — There are direct flights from Detroit that take you to Amsterdam, Paris, London, Munich, Frankfurt, Beijing, Shanghai all for reasonable prices.