Vacations are always fun, but they can be very expensive and time-consuming. Not everyone has enough free time or they don’t want to have to spend the money to go on long vacations, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get to have fun over the summer. Here are some vacation spots that are less than 2 ½ hours away and won’t make you break the bank.

   The first destination is Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah Mountains. It is about two hours and seven minutes from Oakton, which may seem a bit long. However, it has many different activities to choose from and it is definitely worth the trip. A very popular activity is hiking. It costs $25 for one vehicle of up to 15 people to enter the park. The trail is a total of 105.5 miles, but there are many smaller trails to choose from that take about three hours to hike. On the trails, there are amazing views of the Shenandoah Valley and historical landmarks along the way. Overall, the trip isn’t too long and the hike isn’t too expensive either and it is a fun one-day trip to take with your friends and family.

   Another fun destination is, of course, Washington DC. DC has countless museums that are free to visit. It is also filled with historical landmarks and monuments that all have a unique and interesting history to them. DC is only a 30-minute drive from Oakton without traffic, so it is the perfect place to go if there isn’t enough time during the summer to take a long trip.