Need a Labor Day getaway? 6 alternative destinations
- The San Juan Daily Star
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
By Gabe Castro-Root
If you haven’t planned a getaway for Labor Day weekend, it’s not too late. The holiday may be associated with slow-moving road traffic in the minds of many travelers, but a car isn’t the only option to get out of town for a few days. From theaters and museums to kayaking and hiking, here are some of our favorite spots within a two-hour radius, by plane or train, from six major U.S. cities.
From New York: Toronto
The easiest way in and out of Toronto from New York is via Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, the city’s secondary airport, which is situated on an island downtown. A Porter Airlines flight from Newark Liberty International Airport is just over an hour. Then, spend the long weekend exploring the city’s museums and lakefront greenery. (Porter also flies to Toronto City Airport from Boston, Chicago and Washington.)
Visit Chinatown for some of Toronto’s most exciting food options, including Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese. Wander through the Toronto Music Garden, which was designed with input from cellist Yo-Yo Ma to “interpret in nature” the impact of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Suites for Unaccompanied Cello.
The subway, tram and bus network makes it easy to get around downtown. And a short trip northeast of the city’s core is worthwhile to visit the Aga Khan Museum, which stands out for its architecture and Islamic art in a city with no shortage of renowned museums.
From Chicago: Kalamazoo, Michigan
Ride Amtrak’s Wolverine or Blue Water lines two hours around the southern tip of Lake Michigan to visit Kalamazoo, Michigan, a lively college town that can be enjoyed in a weekend.
Walk, run or bike on the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail, a 24-mile paved path through town. Then head south to learn about the history of women in aviation at the Air Zoo, a Smithsonian-affiliated aerospace museum next to the city’s airport.
Find a tasty breakfast at the Kalamazoo Farmers Market on Saturday morning, and later grab a drink from Bell’s Brewery, one of the oldest craft breweries in the state. (You can also sign up for a tour of its factories in Kalamazoo or neighboring Comstock, Michigan.)
From Dallas: Durango, Colorado
September is among the best times of year to visit this southwestern Colorado town, which serves as an ideal starting point for mountain recreation and is also a worthy destination in itself. Direct flights from Dallas are just two hours.
The nearby San Juan National Forest boasts a robust trail network among 14,000-foot peaks. For a mellower nature experience, the area is home to stunning drives including the San Juan Skyway, a 236-mile loop designated an All-American Road by the U.S. Transportation Department for its “exceptional traveling experience.”
Take a day trip on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to Silverton, Colorado, a charming former mining town deep in the San Juan Mountains. And for a dramatically different landscape, the Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park are just an hour west.
From Los Angeles: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque’s scorching summer temperatures typically start to ease in September, so Labor Day marks the beginning of an ideal season to visit. Flights from Los Angeles are less than two hours and operate from Los Angeles International Airport as well as Long Beach and Hollywood Burbank airports.
Explore Southwestern art at the Albuquerque Museum and learn about Native American history at Petroglyph National Monument, home to what archaeologists estimate could be more than 25,000 petroglyphs. Most of these rock engravings are thought to be several hundred years old.
Ride the Sandia Peak Tramway for a panoramic view of the city’s desert surroundings, then choose from a wide range of food and drink vendors at Sawmill Market. Stick around a couple extra days to catch the start of the New Mexico State Fair on Sept. 4.
From San Francisco: Ashland, Oregon
Ashland, Oregon, is known for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and that’s a major reason to visit, but hardly the only one. Flights are about an hour from San Francisco to Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, just 20 minutes outside of town. (The six-hour drive up Interstate 5 is also scenic.)
The Shakespeare festival season runs through October, and many plays are held outdoors. Wineries with mountain views dot the hills around town, and the Ashland Japanese Garden offers a space for quiet reflection within lush Lithia Park.
And for the first time in a century, the Klamath River is flowing freely after a massive project to remove four hydroelectric dams wrapped up last year. As a result, new opportunities to kayak, raft and fish abound.
From Boston: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax doesn’t have the name recognition of Toronto or Montreal, but the waterfront city is an easy getaway surrounded by lush greenery and thousands of lakes. Flights from Boston are barely more than an hour on American Airlines or Air Canada, which operates the route in partnership with PAL Airlines. PAL is not affected by the Air Canada flight attendants’ strike.
Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, a 19th-century military fort in the heart of downtown, offers an immersive education on Canada’s military history along with expansive hilltop views. Admission is free through Sept. 2 along with all national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas overseen by Parks Canada.
A couple blocks south is the Halifax Central Library, where you can marvel at the mind-bending central staircase and take in views of the harbor from the building’s green roof. And the rugged outdoors opens up at the city’s edge — hike and paddle through the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes and Terence Bay wilderness areas, each less than 30 minutes away by car.