About ShortEscapes.net

This Short Escapes travel guide is for everyone who wants to escape to the countryside to find special places with incredible natural beauty and remarkable history. It takes you to places and on walking, bike or other tours in the United States and abroad where you can escape the pace of modern life and feel the peace of the lands and small villages outside cities and popular tourist spots.

Recommended by top travel writers, each Escape is an “experience” that allows you to tramp around hidden historic landmarks, plunge into farmland and forest, or just sit undisturbed for hours looking at a spectacular vista that will take your breath away. You can stroll alone on a path once used by George Washington’s troops, follow a trail that William Shakespeare loved, or picnic without neighbors on a hilltop overlooking a ghost town. You can continue the mood at a recommended restaurant in a picturesque setting and then complete the experience at a charming country inn, bed-and-breakfast, or at one of your favorite hotel chains. Or, you can visit any of the recommended attractions to round out the spirit of your getaway.

Short Escapes is more than a travel guide. Each Escape is designed to awaken the traveler’s senses to the moods and flavors of a place and its people and to help evoke a real sense of the past. You will thrust yourself into the soul of the countryside, and learn about the land and its people in a way that can’t be done simply by reading a book or observing artifacts in a museum.

These Escapes cost much less than other forms of travel. There’s no big admission charge to access villages or the countryside, and rural hotels and restaurants often match their urban counterparts in comfort and luxury at lower prices. Many of the major chain hotels have weekend rates for consumers on weekends, because most of their business takes place during the week with business travelers.

Each Escape has its own distinctive character, flavor, and points of historical, cultural, or natural interest. Each includes a walking or bike tour, which can be anything from a short stroll or ride to a five-hour excursion. Nearly all the walks or rides can be shortened to suit your schedule and can be reached by public transportation. All are an easy daytrip from a metropolitan area but can be extended into weekend trips or longer. Also included is information about the history or nature you will encounter on your walk, as well as listings of recommended places to visit, lodgings, restaurants, shops, local businesses, and other nearby attractions.