Memorial Day Weekend — famous for ushering in the outdoor grilling season and summer's unofficial kick-off — is almost here. Where will you celebrate the long weekend this year? If you’re looking for a change of pace from the same-old barbecue scene, Cheapflights invites you to sample a taste of history instead, with a history-inspired weekend getaway packed with fun — and great airfare deals.
Travelers who choose a historic getaway are not alone. In fact, the Travel Industry Association of America reports that 80 percent of adult travelers have included an historic or cultural activity while traveling, and 23 percent of respondents in a recent Cheapflights survey aspired to travel to "a gateway to history" in 2007.
"Cheapflights challenges you not to do 'the same old thing this Memorial Day Weekend'. Skip the usual grill-fest and hop on a plane to some place fun … all the better if your chosen destination happens to be steeped in Memorial Day tradition," said Jerry Chandler, aviation expert and correspondent for Cheapflights' "Flight News" blog. "With so many destinations to choose from, Cheapflights makes it easy to find the right mix of fun and history - without blowing your whole summer travel budget."
Memorial Day originally honored Union soldiers who died in the American Civil War and later expanded to include all those who died in any military action. Formerly known as Decoration Day, this federal holiday is traditionally observed on the last Monday of May - May 28 this year.
Here are Cheapflights' top picks for a "history-inspired" Memorial Day Weekend getaway, inspired by The National Trust for Historic Preservation. Visit www.cheapflights.com for the latest bargain airfares to these and hundreds of other domestic and international destinations, sourced from dozens of different travel providers.
Cheapflights' "Taste of History" Memorial Day Weekend Getaway Ideas
Waterloo, New York
Fast Fact: Waterloo, which claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, celebrates its 141st consecutive Memorial Day in 2007.
Nearby Things to Do: Visit the home of Harriet Tubman (Auburn), or the historic Finger Lakes Region, boasting beautiful scenery and over 70 wineries.
Flight Deals from Cheapflights: JFK- $77 LAX- $254 ORD- $170
Boalsburg, Pennsylvania
Fast Fact: Boalsburg, located just minutes from Penn State College, also claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day.
Nearby Things to Do: Visit Amish Country (Lancaster), or one of the ten Civil War-related museums in Gettysburg, including one with an authentic Civil War house tour by day and a haunted ghost tour by night.
Flight Deals from Cheapflights: JFK- $77 LAX- $139 ORD- $114
Indianapolis, Indiana
Fast Fact: One of the longest standing traditions of Memorial Day is the running of the Indianapolis 500; it has been held over the Memorial Day weekend since 1911.
Nearby Things to Do: Visit the Indiana War Memorial Plaza Historic District in the heart of downtown Indianapolis, featuring the American Legion Mall, Indiana War Memorial, Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, University Park, U.S.S. Indianapolis, Veterans' Memorial Plaza, as well as the nearby World War II Memorial. Indianapolis is also home of the 2007 Superbowl Champions, the Indianapolis Colts.
Flight Deals from Cheapflights: JFK- $114 LAX- $139 ORD- $114
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Fast Fact: Perhaps most famous for John Brown's attack on slavery, Harpers Ferry is equally notable for the arrival of the first successful American railroad and the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War.
Nearby Things to Do: Visit the Smithsonian Museums, Washington Monument and Arlington Cemetery in nearby Washington DC. Take a rafting, tubing, kayaking or canoeing trip on the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. Outside magazine recently rated Harper’s Ferry one of America’s top five city getaways for these outdoor activities.
Flight Deals from Cheapflights: JFK- $77 LAX- $188 ORD- $58
Richmond, Virginia
Fast Fact: Richmond was the industrial and political capital of the Confederacy during The Civil War. Today, the battlefield/park preserves more than 1,900 acres of Civil War resources.
Nearby Things to Do: Visit Colonial Williamsburg and the world’s largest living history museum, celebrating America’s 400th anniversary this year.
Flight Deals from Cheapflights: JFK- $77 LAX- $161 ORD- $168
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fast Fact: Fredericksburg and surrounding cities — Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania — hosted many famous Civil War battles.
Nearby Things to Do: Visit the Shenandoah National Park, located in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.
Flight Deals from Cheapflights: JFK- $77 LAX- $188 ORD- $58
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Fast Fact: Chattanooga is the site of the nation's first National Military Park, unveiled to commemorate the area's famous Civil War battlefields.
Nearby Things to Do: Head to The Hermitage in Nashville, home of President Andrew Jackson, or to the Atlanta History Center; both feature picnic locations and scenic walks.
Flight Deals from Cheapflights: JFK- $123 LAX- $165 ORD- $77
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Fast Fact: The Vicksburg Civil War battlefield includes 1,330 monuments and markers, a 16-mile tour road, a restored Union gunboat and a National Cemetery.
Nearby Things to Do: While in Vicksburg, take a Mississippi river tour, a historic ghost tour or a historic garden tour.
Flight Deals from Cheapflights: JFK- $124 LAX- $192 ORD- $161
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Fast Fact: Valley Forge is best known for its Revolutionary War battlefields.
Nearby Things to Do: Head to nearby Philadelphia to Visit "Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of Pharaoh's" exhibit at the Franklin Institute, or take a walking tour of the Independence National Historical Park to experience the places where the events of the American Revolution transpired.
Flight Deals from Cheapflights: JFK- $77 LAX- $139 ORD- $114
More information about these historic destinations is available through the National Trust for Historic Preservation www.nationaltrust.org/travel/
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