If you’re in a traveling music ensemble then you probably have no need for this article. If you do have the option of leaving our beloved red-bricked campus, then read on.

To get the true nature experience with a touch of luxury, take a day and drive to Pikeville, Tenn., to visit Fall Creek Falls, one of Tennessee’s state parks. Stay at the nearby cabins, inns or campsites and take in the waterfalls and hiking trails as you channel your inner hippie. If you’re a golfer, take your clubs and channel your inner yuppie. The course, home to the Tennessee PGA Junior Academy for 20 years before re-locating to Nashville, offers one of the most challenging 18-hole layouts to be found on the Cumberland Plateau.

If you’ve got two days to spare, get a group of friends and drive two hours to Atlanta. Skip the malls and visit the art museums, the Georgia Aquarium or tour Margaret Mitchell’s house while learning about the history of the South and what inspired the second best-selling book next to the Bible, “Gone with the Wind.”
If you haven’t been to Nashville yet, take a few days to shop and tour the Grand Ole Opry, the Opryland Hotel, the full scale Parthenon or the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Three hours upward is the quirky town of New Harmony, Ind. In this strange town, founded by a Utopian society in early 1800s, you’ll find labyrinths, the roofless church, a colonial downtown area with sumptuous dining establishments like The Red Geranium and an overall local charm to rival the likes of television’s “The Gilmore Girls” Stars Hollow.

Seven hours north of Lee is Chicago. If you don’t go for the famous hot dogs or pizza, go for the shopping on the magnificent Michigan mile, the Adler Planetarium, the many art and history museums, Wrigley Field, Lincoln park, the “loop” downtown where all the subway lines meet in a very confusing way, the botanical gardens, and my favorite–the Navy pier where you’ll find tons of international shopping and a rather imposing 150’ high Ferris wheel.

Many of you will opt for the inevitable nine-hour drive to the Mecca of spring break: Florida. Consider passing on the theme parks and try St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States. Tour the imposing stone castle-like fort, travel the cobblestoned streets of the old Spanish district lined with shops, have lunch at the Colombia Restaurant—which features authentic cuisine from Spain, amazing coffee and a cool gift shop—or check out Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth, but don’t drink the water!

If Mickey Mouse isn’t your thing, visit the Orlando Science Center (IMAX theater and planetarium), or Titanic-The Exhibition (the museum includes a full scale recreation of the grand staircase) or Weeki Wachee Springs, where you can see a live underwater mermaid show. For $25 you can go snorkeling with the manatees in Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park, or for $55 take a canoe trip in Rainbow Springs State Park.

For the student with the most time and money to spend, try the idea that’s just crazy enough to work: Canada. A 13-hour drive will take you to the Bond Place Hotel in downtown Toronto, near the Toronto subway system (TTC) and just blocks away from the many museums, halls and downtown attractions. Rooms will run anywhere between $100-$230 a night so it’s a little pricey, but the experience is worth it; just remember to bring your passport.

Can’t make up your mind? Take on a Jack Kerouac philosophy and make a road trip by combining some or all of these ideas (although I’d consider leaving out Canada). Be safe, be the fabulous representatives of Lee that I know you are, and if you go to Canada, bring me a picture of a Mountie.