Make vacation memories while staying close to home

It's the middle of the summer and your bank account is bare, except for that hard-earned cash you're saving to help cover tuition and book costs next semester. You could really use a break, but with your budget, a vacation seems out of the question. Or is it?

Due to the economy, a new type of vacation has emerged: the staycation. Staying at home and still having summer adventures are easy on the wallet and still add excitement to the summer. Though Middle Tennessee might not seem like a hotbed of exciting activity, there is still tons to do, see and experience if you know where to look.

Food and Fun

To get some entertainment and try some new cuisine, Middle Tennessee has a variety of places for you to visit. Six blocks from downtown Franklin is The Factory, a converted building that now houses everything from antiques to arts and crafts to clothing and dining.

The Boiler Room Theatre offers amazing shows. Tons of restaurants are available for taste-testing, including the classy Boxwood Bistro, the best seafood bar in Nashville, Saffire and a taste of homecooking at the Stoveworks Restaurant. Every Saturday morning the Factory also hosts a Farmer's Market with freshly grown produce for you to buy and use for your own recipes.

A little over an hour from Murfreesboro is Lynchburg, the home of Jack Daniel's Distillery, perhaps the most famous whisky manufacturing plant in the world. You can spend a day touring the grounds of the distillery, soaking up the history of Tennessee's most famous alcohol manufacturer, then head into town for a good old fashioned lunch at Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House or the Iron Kettle Restaurant in downtown Lynchburg.

Outdoorsy Outings

One of the great things about Murfreesboro is its proximity to so many of Tennessee's State Parks, which were voted the best in the nation in 2007. There are three parks only a 40 minute drive away from Murfreesboro: Cedars of Lebanon, Edgar Evans and Long Hunter. Cedars of Lebanon hosts 117 campsites, as well as 30 tent sites that include picnic tables, grills, electricity and water hooks.

There are three bathhouses for showering and such with a laundromat and seasonally open camp store. The park has an olympic sized swimming pool open after Memorial Day as well as four easy hiking trails through the breathtaking cedar forrest for which the park is named.

Against the backdrop of Center Hill Lake and the Eastern Highland Rim is Edgar Evans State Park, which offers both cabins and campsites for those who want to stay in the park. Recreational activities in the park include fishing, boating, swimming and around 11 miles of trail to hike, ranging from moderate to strenuous.

Nestled around Percy Priest Lake is Long Hunter State Park, offering great ways to have fun on the lake without paying those Nashville Shores prices. The park offers camping, hiking, fishing, biking, as well as boating and canoeing on Percy Priest and Couchville Lakes. Many areas of the park are pet friendly.

For a longer drive, one can venture to the Harpeth River State Park, Rock Island State Park or Fall Creek Falls. The Harpeth and Rock Island are a little over an hour away while Fall Creek Falls is a two hour drive from Murfreesboro.

The Harpeth River is famous for its beautiful and leisurely canoe or kayak rides and offers a variety of fishing as well. Three hiking trails head off at the Narrows of the Harpeth taking hikers by ancient Indian ceremonial center Mound Bottom, Hidden Lake, Newsom's Mill Ruins and Montgomery Bell Ironworks. No camping is permitted in the park, but it is close enough to be a day trip.

Rock Island has 10 cabins and 60 campsites for tents, picnicking and a plethora of fun activities, such as boating, fishing, swimming, badminton, basketball, horseshoes, ping-pong, softball, tennis courts, volleyball and more. Throughout the summer, Rock Island offers a variety of programs, including interpretive hikes, canoe floats, boat tours, birdwalks, rock hops in the gorge and live animal shows.

The park also features a 19th century textile mill, an old moonshine distillery and one of Tennessee's early hydroelectric plants. The park has four hiking trails, but the most popular is the Caney Fork Gorge, taking hikers to a gorge view below the dam.

A two-hour drive from Murfreesboro is Fall Creek Falls State Park, one of the most popular Tennessee State Parks. Lodging at the park ranges from campsites to log cabins to the Park Inn where visitors can stay in all the comfort of a hotel, while still having magnificent views of the park.

The park features biking trails, boating, fishing, golfing, horse stables, swimming, a playground and sports field and 34 miles of some of the most beautiful hiking trails in the state, which are open all year round. The park is offering rock climbing workshops through the month of September as well.

Of course, a must do at the park is looking at the falls themselves, which is the highest plunge waterfall east of the Mississippi. A short trail leads to the falls from the parking lot above for visitor's easy access. Five other waterfalls also dot the park.

Each park has their own camping prices and regulations on activities in the park, so it is best to look up on the park's Web site in order to help plan your trip.

There are plenty of local activities and areas that will provide you with a memorable summer vacation without hurting your wallet. So, have some fun in the sun before its back to the books.

Artastic

For those into a more arty scene, there are tons of things to take in to satisfy the starving artist in everyone. Just off the Square, the Rutherford County Center for the Arts is doing a show entitled "Saturation - Exuberant Color Photography" from June 26 to Sept. 27. Gallery hours are from Tuesday-Friday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is always free. The Center for the Arts is also doing a theatrical production of Disney's "Aladdin" from July 9 to 19.

On West College Street in Murfreesboro, The Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County is doing a photography exhibit entitled Visions of the Past: Through the Lens of Shacklett's Photography, showing the changes of the area through the photography of Shacklett's on the Square. 

Downtown is hosting the "First Friday Concert Series" on July 3 featuring the The Crusty Veterans. Admission is free but bring money for the local food vendors. The concert lasts from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Of course, the art museum d'jour in Tennessee has to be the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in downtown Nashville. This summer, exhibitions feature College Print Makers, Museums in the 21st Century, Seeing Ourselves: Photographs of Safe Haven, George Rickey's Three Red Lines, Chuck Close Prints, and Artists' Perspective: Dean Byington.

The best news? College students can get into the Frist for free with their student IDs on  Thursday and Friday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. If you finish touring the museum, you can visit the museum cafe, enjoy music in the lobby and spend time at the museum's bistro and wine bar. If you can't make it on a Thursday or Friday night, you can come any other time the museum is open and pay only $6.50 for admission if you have your student ID.

Magical History Tours

For history buffs, there is plenty to do this summer. As always, the Stones River Battlefield has free admission to tour its grounds and on-premises museum. On July 18-19, the battlefield will be offering artillery demonstrations with free admission at various intervals throughout the day.

For a ghostly encounter, the battlefield is also offering Lantern Tours of the Stones River Battlefield Cemetery on July 11 at 7:30 p.m. with a TBA announced price.

On July 25 at 7 p.m., the Battlefield is hosting Voices From the Past, an interpretive history talk with reenactors. Reservations for this event are required and can be made at the battlefield's Web site (nps.gov/stri).

The Oaklands Historic House Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m., charging admission. The house tours gives insight into the participation of Murfreesboro and what plantation life was like during the Civil War period.

If you are willing to travel to Franklin, there awaits the Historic Carnton Plantation, the subject of the recent best seller "Widow of the South" by Robert Hicks. The tours of the house are $12 for adults and last Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Featuring a restored cemetery and garden, the house is not far from the site of the Battle of Franklin, and gives history lessons on the battle and historic life.

For the union perspective, you can go across town to Carter House with $10 admission and it is open to the public on Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. from 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.