The criteria for quick trips are pretty straightforward: the destination should be fascinating and readily accessible. Two wildly disparate places fit the bill beautifully:
Discovery Island Marine Park is just a couple of nautical miles from Victoria, British Columbia’s second largest city – but it might as well be a million miles in terms of mindset. The park is actually an archipelago, where sea lions, otters and eagles flourish.
After a ten-minute boat ride, indulge in a naturalist-led tour of this wondrous refuge. Ocean River Adventures can set you up. There are a couple of flavors: a six-hour land/sea adventure via kayak and foot, and an island boat tour and nature hike which takes about half that amount of time. Either way, you really are transported in time and space to another world, one you and your family will be loathe to leave.
On the opposite end of the adventure spectrum there’s this: a musical exploration of Memphis music. The Tennessee city is nicely linked to the rest of the world via a Delta Air Lines hub, and connected to our collective conscience via rock ‘n roll. If your kid loves music, come show them how it migrated from the real world to their iPod.
Start at the Memphis Rock ‘n Soul Museum on Beale Street. Seven galleries and a digital audio guide lay out the story of how rock and soul were born. From there, head to East McLemore, to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Otis Redding, Booker T, & the MG’s, Isaac Hayes – their legacies linger here. Top off the tour with a sojourn to Sun Studio, over on Union Avenue. The self-proclaimed “Birthplace of Rock ‘n Roll” really is just that, the Alpha point for a musical genre that swept the globe and took no prisoners. Experience outtakes from recording sessions, touch Elvis’ first microphone and steep yourself in the glory that was Sun. Memphis is real, gritty and not to be missed – especially when getting there and back on a quick trip is so darn easy.
(Image: ilovememphis)
