When it comes to weekend getaway planning, thorough research is key to ensuring a memorable and stress-free trip. In this post, I’ll share some of the resources I use when planning a quick weekend getaway and the itinerary items I always include.

What to look for when weekend getaway planning:

I’ve found that using the following categories as guidelines for my research typically offers me a sufficient list to have a great weekend full of new experiences.

I start with my Google sheet having all 5 of the below headings and then as I’m doing my research, I just input places to go or things to do in each of the categories until I feel like I have enough to make a weekend out of it.

Once I’m done researching, I move onto the planning stage and try to make my schedule. Here are 5 categories I initially research for great weekend getaway planning.

Food/Drinks

I wouldn’t say that I’m a “foodie” but I love to eat and visit local bars and breweries so picking out a few spots to have a great meal and beer is typically at the top of my list of things to do when starting my research.

Eating out for every meal can get pretty expensive, but I still try to eat out once a day while I’m visiting a new city so I try to prepare at least 4-5 options in this category including some breakfast, brunch, lunch/dinner, and brewery spots.

I like to research the best-rated places as well as find some local opinions via blog posts and even asking my Facebook friends/family.

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Museums/Monuments/Botanical Gardens

Museums are hit or miss, but I always include a few in my itinerary if the city has them. Most bigger cities have a Natural History museum and although they all generally have the same things, I enjoy visiting them.

I know I don’t find history museums entertaining, so I tend to shy away from visiting them, but if you’re a history buff, there are usually plenty of museum options for you.

Botanical gardens, similar to natural history museums, are almost all the same, but I still like to visit because every now and then, one just really blows me away. I also find them to be really peaceful.

I do not have children, but if I did, I would probably add a discovery museum to all my city visits because they’re just so cool!

If you’re visiting smaller cities with significant history or monuments that mean a lot to the town, I like to visit those as well to learn a little bit about the history and growth of the community. (Example: The Alamo in San Antonio, TX, or the Wee-Chi-Tah Monument in Wichita Falls, TX.)

Outdoor Activities

As an outdoors girl, I ALWAYS try to find something I can do outside, whether that be a hike, a visit to a park, a rooftop bar, or a nature trail I can wander. One of the categories I keep on my travel planning itinerary is outdoor activities. I want to ensure I find some good spots to get outside and enjoy nature.

If I’m road-tripping, I enjoy little parks along the route and will stop for an hour or so for a break if I can fit it into the schedule. These stops often surprise me! You can read about one of my recent road trips stops in my blog post titled “A Great Stop on Your Roadtrip: Chalk Ridge Falls“.

Some things I look for in a city are free flea markets and festivals happening in the streets or parks or food truck locations because they’re often parked in places where it would be nice to eat outside or take a stroll.

Sporting Events/Theatre Shows

I like sports and theatre, but I don’t often travel to specifically see a game or a show. However, if I’m in town, and there is an event going on, there’s a good chance I’ll try to make room in my schedule to attend.

The last time I was in Denver, I had no plans to go to a baseball game, but there was a game happening while I was walking around downtown and since I was last minute (and because the Rockies weren’t very good that year), I was able to score a ticket for only $8! How could I say no?!

I’ve been to quite a few theatre shows, hockey games, baseball games, and other events just by seeing what’s going on around town while I’m doing my weekend getaway planning.

Shopping

When visiting big or small cities, doing some shopping is typically a fun pass time for travelers. Even if you’re like me, and don’t tend to buy much while traveling, it’s still fun to walk down the cobbled streets of smaller cities and visit the local shops or even to step into new malls and spend hours walking around perusing through shops you’ve never heard of.

Shopping makes for a great rainy-day itinerary too. You can stay busy even if you have to stay inside. Many malls across the world also include movie theatres and restaurants if you need additional things to do to avoid bad weather.

Resources for your weekend getaway planning

There are a million websites, apps, and blogs you can access to learn more about any city in the world and sometimes doing too much research can lead to information overload.

To avoid information overload, I tend to stick with some of the basics when planning quick weekend adventures. I know I don’t have a lot of time, and I don’t want to exhaust myself on these trips because most often, I’m back to work Monday morning. So here are my recommendations on where to look first and avoid getting lost in the depths of the internet!

#1 Google Maps

This is my number one, go-to site for finding new and fun things to do in cities I’ve never been to. You just type in the city name, click the “things to do” label across the top and start sorting through all your options!

Not only do I look through the “things to do” options, but I remove that filter and spend some time just zooming in around different parts of town to see what comes up.

You can search for restaurants, museums, parks, landmarks, local attractions and so much more. Google Maps has it all!

**Did you know you can download Google Maps of cities and use them offline if needed? Read more about how to do that in my post – How to Download Google Maps for Offline Use.

#2 Instagram Location & Hashtags

Instagram is a great search tool for weekend getaway planning. If you type in the city you’re visiting in the search bar, you will immediately see other people’s posts from around that city. You can scroll across the top of the results page to see accounts, tags, and places too!

I personally love looking at the accounts tab and finding accounts specifically based around that city to get ideas. A few accounts I’ve found and followed that showcase cities close to me are @visitaustintx, @houstonhotspots, and @visit_dallas. If you’re visiting any of those cities in Texas, I’d highly recommend you check them out.

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#3 Yelp

If there are a lot of bar/restaurant options in a town and I could easily go to any of them, I often visit yelp.com to look for the top restaurants in the area. I will take notice of the top restaurants within my price range and typically visit at least one of them.

I also use Yelp when looking to book services such as spa days and mani/pedis!

Now, be advised, Yelp rankings are entirely based off user review and sometimes the reviews are absurd, but restaurants that have a lot of reviews tend to be pretty on point.

#4 Untappd

I have a terrible memory so I tend to forget whether I’ve tried certain beers before. This has occasionally put me in a position where I order a beer I didn’t like last time and still don’t like this time, just because I forgot whether or not I’d tried it.

That’s where Untappd comes in. It’s a great app not only to help me find local breweries or venues that serve a large selection of different beers but an app that allows me to check in and rank each beer that I’ve tried.

If you’re a person who enjoys visiting breweries, or just drinking beer, this app may be for you! (It’s free!)

#5 Weather.com

Ensuring you know what type of weather you could encounter while on your trip can make or break your itinerary. I ALWAYS have an “if it rains” list of things to do so if I have to stay indoors, I’m still prepared with a list of things to do to entertain me.

I’ve found weather.com to be the most accurate weather source, but you can really use any website. Just check the weather and be prepared!

#6 Pinterest <- My favorite!

I have a travel blog, which means I genuinely find value in reading about other’s experiences. Pinterest is both visual and informational and I love that.

When I know where I’m going I typically just search the city name (EX: Austin, TX) or I’ll search something like “things to do in Austin, TX”. The search engine will scour the internet and find blog posts for me to read and learn from.

Conclusion

Effective weekend getaway planning involves a blend of research, resource utilization, and an adventurous spirit. Take your time, scour the internet, but also leave room in your itinerary for some spontaneous adventure and relaxation! Having a solid list of ideas and a general plan alleviates stress while traveling, but over-scheduling can cause exhaustion and travel fatigue.

Reminder: always prepare a bad-weather itinerary too so you never have to feel like you wasted a day due to the weather!

Happy planning weekend warriors!