Need Some Last Minute Family Fun?

By Patricia Schultz

Looking for some last minute family fun this summer? I've rounded up some of the best road trip destinations for you and your family. Exploring Atlanta's neighboring attractions by car promises countless surprises around every corner. I always say that travel is a classroom without walls, and it doesn’t have to break the bank either. For instance, take your Chase Freedom card with you and earn five percent cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases on gas, theme park tickets and purchases at Kohl's now through September 30. 

• Head up to the hills and the vibrant city of Asheville, North Carolina. A long-time base for creative spirits, food fans and outdoor enthusiasts, Asheville boasts artists and craftsmen, galleries, offbeat coffeehouses, and locavore restaurants as well as outstanding hiking and white-water rafting - after all, you are only a few enjoyable miles from the Smoky Mountains National Park (the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway also originates outside of Asheville before heading north to Virginia). Asheville's piece de resistence is undoubtedly the late-19th-century Biltmore, the largest private residence ever built in America as imagined by George Vanderbilt II. Home to 1,600 works of art and a 23,000-volume library, it is surrounded by 8,000 acres of parkland and manicured gardens. Almost everyone stops by the winery for a tasting: they say it is the most visited in the country.
• Head to NC's coast for the picturesque beach region full of seafood, architecture, and American history that is called Cape Fear Coast in and around the historic town of Wilmington. There, you will find Wrightsville Beach—known for its attractive architecture and delicious seafood— a charming island joined to the mainland by a drawbridge, and Kure Beach, home to Fort Fisher State Historic Site and Fort Fisher, the last fort to fall to the Union army during the Civil War. For a longer trip, take a ferry across Cape Fear River for a stroll through historic Southport, a charming historic town with galleries, boutiques, and a great marina – and home to some of the freshest seafood in the area.
• The Southwest has increasingly become of point of pilgrimage for foodies - in large part thanks to Charleston, home of low country cuisine, with its unique blend of French, Spanish, African and Caribbean influences. Some of the city’s most hallowed restaurants include Peninsula Grill and Charleston Grill, with more casual options like Hominy Grill and Husk filling out the bill with their own take on excellence. In between meals, surround yourself with the antebellum architecture of the South by touring sprawling plantations like Drayton Hall and Boone Hall while overnighting in atmospheric inns like John Rutledge House and the Wentworth Mansion.
• Take your road trip south to St. Augustine, Florida. It's a very special time to visit the first permanent settlement on the North American continent: this year St. Augustine celebrates the 500th anniversary of the 1513 arrival of Ponce de Leon, part of the multi-year celebration of the 450th anniversary of it’s founding in 1565. The Historic District includes 60 buildings (some dating back to the 16th century) including the Government House Museum, Trinity Episcopal Church, and the Cathedral of St. Augustine. A new addition to town is the swashbuckling Pirates Museum, which is a guaranteed hit with kids.
• Lastly, don't forget to explore what's in Atlanta's very own backyard, such as the new Georgia Aquarium. The largest aquarium in the world, this 9-acre facility has 8 million gallons of both fresh and salt water that contain more than 100,000 different animals – representing over 500 marine species. To see how some of the most interesting cold-water creatures live, check out Cold Water Quest, a habitat for beluga whales, California sea lions, African black-footed penguins, a giant Pacific octopus and more. And if that's not enough, right now until the end of September, Chase Freedom cardmembers receive 5% cash back on admission.

So to all travelers, young or old, let me leave you with this: carpe diem! Get off the couch! The world is huge and its wonders countless: life is short and the list is long.