BY SHRUTI RAM – STAFF WRITER
There are only a few days left until Spring Break is finally upon us, and Centre students can finally get the sleep, rest and relaxation they’ve been wanting all semester. Well…in theory.
Any discussion about Spring Break plans usually end up going in one direction or the other—Centre students overwhelmingly prefer to go to a Spring Break spot by the beach, such as Daytona or Destin, or just prefer to spend their break at their hometown. But what about students who want a little more untraditional of an experience?
First-Year Annie Trentham is heading North instead of South this Spring Break, and spending it in New York City. Rather than doing all the sight-seeing and going to the tourist traps, Annie wants to explore the city more like a local.
“I want to go to all the cool hole-in-the-wall restaurants. We’re going to stay close to Central Park and we’re going to go to all the museums and see a jazz band,” Trentham said. “I feel like the beach gets boring. I find that there’s so much more to do in the city and so many more opportunities to experience unique and interesting things.”
Other Centre students are going on road trips and exploring multiple states this Spring Break, such as senior Herby Charmant, who is going to Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Texas with his friends.
“I’ve been to beaches and I can go to beaches any time,” he said. “I went to Florida last year, but this year me and my friends wanted to try something different. It’ll definitely be a different experience. We have a whole itinerary, with hiking, relaxing, sight-seeing, camping and other fun things.”
Road trips have always been a popular alternative for Centre students, especially if other plans do not end up working out.
“We actually had anticipated going to the beach but that fell through,” junior Michael Greathouse, who went on a road trip when he was a first-year, said. “One of my fraternity brothers wanted to visit a grad school he had been accepted to in Vancouver so we added some stops in Denver, Portland, and Seattle and made a road trip out of it instead. Lots of driving, but no regrets.”
Some Centre students prefer to spend their breaks a little closer to campus, but still try to find fun things to do.
“I can’t go home like a lot of people do here because I’m from Boston and that’s way too far away to travel,” first-year Sid Tran said. “My girlfriend brought up [going to] Gatlinburg because it’s new and there a lot of things you can do and see there like sight-seeing and other activities like the space needle, go-carting and the sky lift.”
Gatlinburg seems like a popular place for Centre students who want to spend Spring Break somewhere off-campus with friends, but a place that isn’t too far away or too expensive.
“Gatlinburg is unique,” junior Paul Holt, who is also going with a group to Gatlinburg, said. “People go there for formals all the time, so we thought, why not go there for Spring Break? It will be a shorter Spring Break destination, so people can still go home and see their families for a few days. It has totally different, interesting opportunities like hiking, Dollywood, small amusement parks, and even bars if you’re over 21.”
Whether it is going out-of-state, on a road trip to multiple states, or just staying close to home, there are many Spring Break alternatives that do not involve breaking the bank or going to Florida like most people do. Whatever your plans are, The Cento wishes everyone a safe, relaxing, happy Spring Break!