Oh, Oh, Oklahoma

Check out some Oklahoma City sights and activities while you’re in town with nothing else good to do.

• Rock Town indoor climbing gym near downtown OKC
  
  
• Rates look reasonable and, from the looks of it, this place is probably awesome inside.
• Oklahoma River Trails near the Clarion Meridian (airport area)
• 13 miles of level, paved multi-use pedestrian paths
• Runs along the OK River and through various city parks
• Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum
  
• A beautifully-designed and well-maintained memorial to the victims of the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995

Views and Hikes in Phoenix

   If you’re in the Phoenix area, Mesa in particular, with some time to spare and a rental car at your disposal, try driving down to South Mountain Park and Preserve.

 

The drive through the park gives you some fantastic views of downtown Phoenix and the surrounding area, especially around sunset. There are lots of lookouts, pullover spots, and hiking trails to keep you busy, especially if you’re in town for a stayover.

[ official website ]

 

   Again, if you’ve got some extra time (stayover?) to spend a few hours on a hiking trail, I highly recommend checking out Camelback Mountain north of the city. Give yourself a few hours to get up and back. Take plenty of water, too, because this is a fairly intensive hike, but also one that is PACKED with people of all shapes and sizes. Don’t try to park in the parking lot, though, just find a neighborhood down the way that allows street parking and just take the extra 10 minute walk to the park entrance. Whatever you do, don’t wait until a few hours before your flight out to go here because, inevitably, you will almost miss your flight! (It happened to me twice in two months!)

[ official link ]

The Beaten Path

On a stayover in a new city and don’t feel like putting more miles on your walking shoes? Why not get outside and get some fresh air on two wheels?

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is a group based in Washington, D.C. whose purpose is to convert unused and abandoned railways into high quality pedestrian paths. They have created these paths all over the country and have a long term goal of connecting them all to create a nationwide network of biking, hiking, and horse riding trails.

Riding the Hawthorne Trail, Hawthorne, FL

These paths very often run through urban areas and extend into the surrounding countryside, providing you many options to sight see and get a little exercise while you’re at it.

Withlacoochee State Trail, Inverness, FL

Search for a trail here and find a local bike shop to ask about renting gear for the day and don’t forget to bring along a camera to document your trip.

Running in Boston

No, not the marathon!

If you're at the Hilton Garden Inn in Waltham, MA and have the urge to get some exercise during the daylight hours, look for Prospect Hill Park [ link ].

250 acres of woodlands, walking paths, and camp sites can give you that breath of fresh air you need after a long day outside the seminar room. There are paved roads up to the top of the hill, too, for those muddy days up north.

Lookout onto the city of Boston from atop Prospect Hill

The top of an old communications tower at the top of the hill