Cities are an awesome place to visit if you live in the rural part of a state.  You can get the best of both worlds without having to completely surround your everyday life with tons of people, traffic and noise.  I live in a city and can tell you that it would be nice to visit, but I wish I lived in a more quiet area with less traffic and few less people.  My in-laws live in a small town in Colorado and sometimes when we visit them, we’ll head to Denver for a day trip.  If you live a few hours from the city, plan a weekend trip like we do.  It can be like a mini-vacation!  Here are some ideas to get you started.

Go To A BaseBall Game

Most large cities have a baseball team and who doesn’t like baseball?  I know there are people who may not love it, but it’s such a great american pastime and can be a nice relaxing day or evening.  So, grab a baseball cap, a glove to catch a fly ball and a footlong hot dog at the park!

Walk Around a Museum

If you and your family (or just you!) love history or art, then museums would be the perfect place to spend a few hours.  They are cool, quiet and peaceful.  But if you have small children it may not be the best idea.  Some large cities have children’s museums where kids can run around and explore.  That would be a great option for those of you with little tikes!

Go to the Zoo

The zoo is always nice for everyone.  It gets you outdoors and you get to learn about nature and animals.  Plus, you may see an animal you’ve never seen before, which can be an awesome experience.  Usually, the zoo is an all day event so plan your food wisely and bring sunblock just in case it is a rather sunny day.

Check Out an Historic Distric

Many large cities were created a long time ago and therefore will have at least one historic district.  Since I love history and anything antique, spending sometime on a street or neighborhood with old houses, shops or buildings, really gets me excited!  And if you plan it right, some cities will have special days or weekends that celebrate their heritage.  On these days you will likely find games, crafts, shows and guided tours which would be much more fun than you walking around yourself.

Having a Fancy Dinner

Once you’ve done all of the things you wanted to do in the city during the day, book a reservation at a fancy restaurant at night.  I always think this is a great idea.  Because if you live in a small town, you may not have really nice restaurants and this would be a special treat.

Take in a Show

I live in the Los Angeles area which is the entertainment capitol of the world.  If you head into Hollywood you will find many, many small theaters and a few gorgeous large ones, like the Pantages.  Sometimes it’s nice to see a play that was on Broadway or maybe a local writer’s new work.  I also have a lot of friends who are actors so I see their shows often, but for many of you that is probably not the case.  Take this day to go to the museum during the daytime, then dinner and a show after.  What a great day in the city!