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busy during the day between antique shopping on Royal Street, checking out the funky stores on Magazine Street and visiting the shopping centers at Canal Place, the Riverwalk and New Orleans Centre.
If shopping and exploring the city is too slow, New Orleans offers many exciting tours such as swamp and river boat excursions, historic home tours and museums. According to New Orleans Online, one of the best tours to see is the Haunted History Tour that explains some of the voodoo history of New Orleans along with a tour of the famous above-ground cemeteries and haunted historic homes.
Finding the best restaurants for Creole and Cajun cooking is also fun according to McCoy.
"There are so many good restaurants," McCoy said. "The food down there is so fresh and I love its spicy flavor."
New Orleans wouldn't be the same without its extravagant festivals that occur at all seasons of the year including "Big Four," the French Quarter music festival in April, the Jazz and Heritage Festival in May, the Fresh Art Festival in October, among many others. Of these celebrations the most famous is Mardi Gras that falls on the Tuesday that is 46 days before Easter and is always the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. The big parades, parties and crowds usually pick up the Wednesday and Thursday before Mardi Gras and the city turns into one big celebration.
"Mardi Gras is insane," McCoy said. "I don't know anywhere else where more happy people get together and party."
Bourbon Street is internationally famous for its food, music, bars, and strip clubs, but, during Mardi Gras, the street itself is even a party. New Orleans Online recommends a few bars on Bourbon Street to college students, including Pat O'Brian's, which is famous for its Hurricane cocktails, Preservation Hall, which hosts great musicians, Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, which is the oldest bar in the country and Tropical Isle, famous for its Hand Grenade drink. Other hot spots for students who like to dance include: Cat's Meow, Razzoo and Bourbon Street Blues.
If the team performs well this season. New Orleans may have a lot of Jayhawk fans traveling to New Orleans in April, where the NCAA Men's Final Four basketball tournament will be held.
Beaton said that New Orleans could be an extravagant vacation or a cheap one.
"It's definitely affordable for college students," Beaton said. "You don't have to stay in a five star hotel and eat first class to have fun."
— Erica Wolfe
New Orleans is about a ten-hour drive from Lawrence, and, depending on the season, airplane tickets can be inexpensive.
"Driving is cheap and with a group of people staying in one hotel room it's really not that expensive," McCoy said.
New York City
The Big Apple, otherwise known as New York City, has always set the tone for the world. From food to fashion, from Wall Street to Broadway, this city has it all.
Since Sept. 11, the city has been healing and seems rejuvenated. People have come to trust New York again and, with more than 7 million people living in the city, it is truly more alive than ever.
With the best of the best in stores, clothes and food, prices can run into the extreme. Students on a budget should consider eating at the thousands of little restaurants, which can be just as good as larger, fancier eateries, and can reduce the amount of money spent on food. Otherwise, in a city driven by the power of money, visitors will need a bunch of cash on hand.
Visitors can experience some of the best restaurants in the world, the most prestigious and eclectic stores and the premiere museums of art and history. Also on hand are the hottest clubs, the classiest bars, the most famous coffee shops, the most beautiful parks, movie theaters that are actually theaters, the lights of Broadway, the intimate shows of off-Broadway, the breathtaking landmarks, the thrill of Coney Island and the nearby beaches and mountains. Everything anyone could possibly want to do can be done in the city that never sleeps.
"It is just so cool because everything is always open, it doesn't matter if it's two in the morning or two in the afternoon," he said. "You can never get bored."
Ryan Craig, Leawood junior, said his favorite part of the city was going to Central Park.
— Lindsey Ramsey
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, a city rich in history, has not fallen into the stereotype of being old-fashioned. A visit to southwestern Pennsylvania will enlighten the guest to the modernity of a metropolis right from the pages of a history textbook.
Built on a solid foundation, literally. Pennsylvania cities like Pittsburgh were home to the steel industry that contributed to the nation's industrial growth.The city prospered from its production and continues to be considered a thriving center of business and activity.
--that South Padre Island faces each year much like San Juan Capistrano with its swallows — except Padre's visitors are bigger and tend to raise their blood alcohol level dangerously close to their GPAs.
Right off of Route 579, Pittsburgh is easy to find. If driving there seems too long of a trip, a flight from Kansas City International to Pittsburgh International Airport is about $185, depending on when the ticket is purchased. Once in Pittsburgh, it is considerably cheaper to get around.
Transportation in the downtown area is free until 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Downtown offers many opportunities for enjoyment, including cafes, specialty stores, parks, health clubs and musical venues.
Visitors should definitely do the tourist-style gawk at the architecture. An adult ticket to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater is $10 on weekdays and $15 on weekends. The Heinz Memorial Chapel will also last in the visitor's memory. Historic sites abound for a visitor to tour, including Fort Necessity ($3) and Fort Pitt ($2.50).
If visitors still finds themselves with too much free time on their hands, they should travel to any one of the Carnegie museums. The Carnegie Museum of Art is $8 admittance, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History is $6, and the Carnegie Science Center is $14.
Depending on the day, visitors can take in any number of fine shows, from theater, orchestra, opera, dance and film, to many concerts. Depending on the season, visitors can root for the home team at the many sporting events that occur in Pittsburgh. Football's Pittsburgh Steelers, hockey's Pittsburgh Penguins, and baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates give the fans reason to cheer.
If students just wants to take in the atmosphere, they should not worry. The college population is easy to blend in with and has many activities they enjoy. Shopping, clubs, restaurants and outdoor entertainment abound and aim to please.
Although a trip to Pittsburgh may not be a quick weekend trip, it is definitely a destination to consider when in the area or looking for a great place to visit.
Chelsey Pryor, Washington, Pa., freshman, is from a town on the edge of Pittsburgh.
"There are plenty of things to do there; so much you can do historical wise," She said. "It is a very educational place to go, but there is so much more than just the history there."
South Padre Island, Texas
— Hannah Franko
Imagine miles of beautiful beaches, sparkling blue water, and a small town of less than 2,000 people. Now imagine it being invaded by an army consisting of 100,000 stir-crazy college students determined to fit a lifetime of memories into a week. This is the unusual phenomenon
South Padre Island is an entertaining place to visit year-round. The weather and natural beauty are amazing. Dan Quandt, the Executive Director of the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the island had a number of unusual attributes. It is a true island, located two-and-a-half miles off the southern tip of Texas with wide, clean beaches. Five miles of the island are devoted to the Town of South Padre Island. The remaining twenty-nine miles are virgin beaches with no development just the sand, and lots of water.
In the summer, the island's waters are among the warmest in the nation.
"It's like stepping into bath water," Quandtsaid.
Visitors who prefer an active vacation instead of scoping out bathing suits on a pristine beach needn't worry, because South Padre Island has all the bases covered.
Some of the local amenities include sky diving, golfing, parasailing, dolphin watching, horseback riding, night clubs, a giant water park, scuba diving, fishing and the tallest bungee jump in Texas. According to South Padre local Lucinda Wierenga, who runs spionline.com, "there is even an unofficial 'clothing optional' beach for college kids to hang around."
The best part is that the hotels are cheap enough during the off season that visitors can actually afford these activities. A basic, clean hotel costs as little as $35 a night, and a nice room with a balcony and kitchen goes for $200 a night.
Coca-Cola beach outside the Radisson hotel always has lots of people and free samples for the brave souls who venture out into the sun. Nightclubs like the Bahia Mar, Louie's Backyard, and Tequila Frogs are rocking the night till closing time. Matamoros, Mexico and its clubs are just a short drive away where the legal age to drink is only eighteen. The only problem during spring break is that students need to book early and be prepared to spend some cash. It is much more cost effective to drive 1,100 miles to South Padre Island with a bunch of people than to take a plane.
South Padre Island is extremely friendly towards college students on spring break, though the cops have been on high alert to keep things under control in the past.
South Padre Island can't be beat for a vacation as a wet and wild adventure or a peaceful sabbatical.
Justin LaMort