Josh Falcone – General Assignment Reporter
Spring break is a time for college students, including those at Southern, to step back and take a breather from the classroom. Some students might go live it up in a tropical paradise while others might stay closer to home, either way there are not too many wrong ways to spend the time.
Communications major, Dan Jennings, spent his spring break this year in New England, after having headed south last year. “This year I went to Boston, MA for my birthday for a few days and then to Kittery, Maine for a day,” Jennings said. “Last year I went to Florida with my girlfriend. Her grandparents go to Crystal River Fla., for a month every year so we got a great deal on a flight and went there for the week. Complete opposites.”
Jennings’ girlfriend, Jessica Beauvais, a nursing major at Southern said the activities the couple did last week were really great.“This year I went to my grandma’s who lives near Boston so I went into the city for a day and enjoyed St. Patrick’s Day with my family from Massachusetts,” Beauvais said, “Then for the rest of the week I am spending my time in Portsmouth, N.H., and the outlets in Kittery. On the way home I stopped in at Hampton Beach.” The couple’s trip to Florida last year was memorable as well, Beauvais said. “Last year,” she said, “I went to Florida on a river and went on an airboat ride to see alligators.”
According to a USNEWS article the college students that forgo travelling on their spring break can use the time doing various activities that will enrich the rest of the spring semester. This includes working, as spring break often happens as the college fund starts to dry up, working a job can assist in replenishing a student’s funds. Using the week to relax and recharge is another tip given by the article, spending some time with family eating home cooked meals and getting a little extra sleep.
Thinking ahead to next year, Jennings said he would like to go back to warm and sunny Florida.“I would love to go to Miami to check out anything and everything Miami Dolphins. Plus I am sick of the cold weather here,” he said. A return to the sunshine state is also one of Beauvais’s desired settings for spring break 2015. “I would love to spend my spring break in Disney World,” she said. “It is my favorite place to go but I also found some all inclusive resorts in Puerto Rico which would also be a cool way to spend spring break.”
TravelChannel.com has many sites selected as great spots to spend any spring break. This includes Las Vegas, where every day is a good day to party at the MGM Grand Wet Republic pool. The white sands, clear water and never ending entertainment offered by its resorts, puts the Bahamas on the list. The Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana is a selection due to its perfect beaches and active nightlife.
Florida has three sites on the Travel Channel list. Miami is a great place to jet off to for spring break with its beaches and extraordinary clubs and close proximity. Daytona Beach is an old spring break standby and is a fantastic road trip destination. Panama City Beach has offered a spring break with celebrities, including Sean Kingston and Kenny Chesney in the past.
Puerto Vallarta and Cancun in Mexico both offer spring breakers two places to party until the early hours of the morning with their wild dance parties and countless bars according to the TravelChannel.com.
StudentCity.com, the number one spring break tour operator, said that South Padre Island in Texas is the place to spend spring break. South Padre Island offers non-stop dance parties and Louie’s Backyard. Louie’s Backyard offers yearly great music shows as well as bungee jumping and go-karts.