Road trips constitute quintessential college experiences. These unstructured and often spur-of-the-moment excursions provide a vacation from the same old routine.
Broaden your horizons and embark upon as many road trips as you can. College students especially should take advantage of the inside jokes and life lessons that road trips offer.
Since the starkness of Starkville often becomes overwhelming, State students should travel to these nearby destinations once in awhile:
* Noxubee Refuge: 20 minutes. Familiarize yourself with nature. The refuge, or the “refugee” as my roommate’s sister calls it, provides an afternoon of entertainment, weather permitting. Picnic by Loakfoma Lake or Bluff Lake. Look for red-cockaded woodpeckers, a rare and endangered species of birds. Grill out, hike or throw a football around. Watch out for alligators!
* Columbus: 20 minutes. If you need to get out of Starkville for an afternoon, take the short drive east on I-82. Tour some stately antebellum mansions, some of which ghosts supposedly frequent. Visit Tennessee Williams’ house. Trek through Old Navy. While you’re visiting our neighbors to the east, do not forgot to stop at some local restaurants, such as Ruben’s, for some Southern cooking.
* Birmingham: Two hours. Surround yourself with Southern hospitality. Spend time shopping at Riverchase Galleria, the Summit or Brookwood Village. Order lettuce wraps at P.F. Chang’s and barbecue chicken pizza at California Pizza Kitchen. Go to Five Points or the Ampitheatre. Check out the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Enjoy the nightlife at places such as Tiki Bob’s.
* Memphis: Two hours, 30 minutes. Absorb the blues-style atmosphere. Savor the famous barbecue from Rendezvous or Corky’s. Traipse down Beale Street, stroll through Peabody Place and take in a Broadway show at the Orpheum. Watch a Grizzlies basketball game or a Redbirds baseball game. Meet Ya Ya and Le Le, the pandas at the Memphis Zoo. Tour Graceland-maybe you will even see “The King.”
* Atlanta: Four hours. Peruse this metropolitan city that has Southern charm. Stroll down Peachtree Street. Ride one of the 10 roller coasters at Six Flags. Do some major damage to your credit card by shopping at Lenox Square or another mall. Experience a day of culture and visit the Margaret Mitchell House, High Museum of Art or one of the other myriad museums. Sports fans, go nuts! Watch a Braves, Hawks, Falcons, Beat or Thrashers game.
* New Orleans: Five hours. Revel in the laissez-faire, anything-goes, jazzy atmosphere of the Big Easy! Enjoy a caf au lait and some beignets at Caf du Monde. Browse the shops and restaurants in the French Quarter. Barter for some trinkets at the French Market. Adorn yourself with brightly colored plastic beads. If maniacal mob scenes do not appeal to you, skip Bourbon Street. Explore the famous scenery outside of the French Quarter as well.
* Panama City Beach: Six hours, 30 minutes. Soak up the sun in this beachside party town, called “Gulf of Mexico’s Miracle Mile.” Relax on the beach, shop and mingle at the crowded clubs. Enjoy the sand and palm trees. Try some water sports. Eat some crab and lobster. Spring Break is the most popular time to visit, but Bulldogs can easily go to PCB any weekend.
Cast off your inhibitions and undertake a spontaneous road trip. Fill up your tank with gas, grab some friends and hit the road! My suggestion for this weekend-Mardi Gras! See y’all in N’awlins’!
Jenn Rousey is a senior English, French and communication major. She can be reached at [email protected].