Getaways for People (And Organizations) That Like to Explore

This Short Escapes travel guide is for everyone, both leisure travelers and business travelers, who seek to escape to the countryside or to the corners of a city to find special places with beauty and remarkable history. Shortescapes.net takes you on walking, biking or kayaking tours in the U.S. and abroad where you can experience nature, a sense of the past and a bit of adventure in and around the towns and villages near cities and popular tourist spots.

Recommended by top travel writers, each Escape allows you to tramp around lesser-known historic landmarks or neighborhoods, 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 hotel, 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 will also feature a section on Getaway Meetings locations for business and associations that seek more intimate and distraction-free locales in order to exchange information, learn, or build relationships.

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, as well as help evoke a real sense of the past. You will thrust yourself into the soul of a place 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 walks, bike trails, special neighborhoods, villages or the countryside, and smaller or rural hotels and unique restaurants often match their more illustrious counterparts with lower prices and more personal service Many of the major chain hotels have weekend rates for consumers 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.