3 Cheap Last Minute Weekend Trips

A great weekend getaway needs to be quick, it needs to be exciting, and it needs to be packed with activity that gets you out of your work rut fast. When money is short, a weekend getaway can be the only shot you get at vacation, so you need to make it something really special. Here are three getaway locations with unique offerings to make your short weekend trip truly memorable.

Scuba Dive Underground

Have you ever wanted to Scuba dive underground and enjoy a spa package in the same resort? Homestead Resort, located in Midway, UT, is an unusual weekend getaway idea for the adventurous traveler. This resort offers the extraordinary experience of swimming in a 55 foot deep crater in a heated, lit underground pool. Midway is less than an hour's drive from Salt Lake City, UT, the location of the Salt Lake City International Airport. For quick weekend spa getaways, Homestead Resort has seasonal themed discount packages for services and lodging.

700 Homestead Drive
Midway, UT 84049
(866) 976-6417
homesteadresort.com‎

Las Vegas has it all.

For a wild weekend getaway, Las Vegas has tons of deals and free events that offer up a good place for a quick trip out of town. Nightly shows along the Las Vegas Strip are a big draw for those who wish to take a quick vacation. Las Vegas has a wide selection of themed hotels that can give you a walk in Paris, a ride on a gondola, a trip to New York, dinner at a celebrity chef's restaurant and theater with the stars, all one night. Las Vegas is a perfect weekend destination for the high-energy traveler who wants to cram everything into one night.

The Fremont Street Experience is an outdoor area where you can walk around and interact with the people in Las Vegas. The Fremont Street Experience also has a massive screen with nightly video theme shows. Fremont Street is good for a complete party location if you don't want to drive; without braving the perils of the streets, you can walk to a Krispy Kreme, indie live music clubs, a strip club and a Walgreens.

For a special romantic dinner, visit the steak house at Binion's at sunset. The view is breathtaking and the steak is better than the purported "best" in the city of Las Vegas.

Binions Ranch Steakhouse
128 Fremont Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101-5604
(702) 382-1600

Austin: sufficiently weird.

If you are looking for a break from the normal city getaways, a trip to Austin, TX might be just enough to clear your head. Austin has a rich art community and also features nightclubs and theaters that offer a taste of social pleasure for the night owls. Austin also has a spring called Barton Springs Pool, a natural-water attraction for swimmers to the area.

If you are taking a midsummer trip to Austin, a must-see natural attraction is the moving of the bats that live under the Congress Bridge over Town Lake. Every midsummer night at dusk, thousands of bats exit the underside of the bridge in the dwindling sunlight. Couples can gather with a picnic and some wine on the nearby grassy area to enjoy the spectacular sight.