Moab is the kind of place that works just as well for a quick weekendβand this weekend in Moab itinerary makes it easy. With two national parks, a state park, and a lively downtown, you can pack in a lot of adventure without feeling rushed. Hereβs how to spend a weekend in Moab and hit the highlights.
If youβre adding more arch stops to your route, my guide to the Top 5 Stops in Arches National Park is a helpful add-on.
Lunch: On the way down from Salt Lake City, stop at Vessel Kitchen for hearty bowls. My Andrelipe Bowl was loaded with chicken, cilantro lime slaw, mango salsa, avocado, cotija cheese, and Peruvian green sauce. Spicy, but delicious.
Check-In: Drop your bags at the Hoodoo Hilton (splurge-worthy with casitas that feel like your own home) or a budget pick like Bowen Motel right downtown.
Explore Downtown: Spend the afternoon shopping Main Street. Favorites include The Sundry for jewelry, Moab Made for locally crafted souvenirs, and the quirky Moab Rock Shop for fossils and geodes.
Murals: Snap photos at the βGreetings from Moabβ mural at Bowen Motel and the ramβs head mural at Moab Brewery.
Dinner: Antica Forma for wood-fired pizza made with fresh, local ingredients. My favorite? The pistachio pesto pizza with shaved fennel sausageβso different from your standard sausage pie.
Breakfast: Cactus Jacksβdonβt miss the cornflake-crusted French toast with berries and real maple syrup.
Morning: Start with easy stops: Park Avenue Viewpoint, Courthouse Towers, and Balanced Rock. Then head to Sand Dune Arch (a shady slot perfect in the morning) and Skyline Arch.
Afternoon: Drive to Devils Garden to see Landscape Arch, the longest in the park.
Sunset: Hike to Delicate Arch for the bucket-list payoff. Itβs a steep, strenuous hike, but worth every step and a must-do in any weekend in Moab itinerary. Arrive an hour before sunset to grab photos and soak in the glow.
Dinner: End the night at Desert Bistroβfine dining in a charming courtyard. The rosemary honey butter florets alone are worth the stop.
For more ways to explore Main Street, my post Spend a Day in Downtown Moab: Shops, Food, and Local Flavor has extra places to eat and shop.
Breakfast: Grab something quick from Love Muffin Cafe (their bacon sunrise panini with apricot aji amarillo jam is phenomenal).
Morning: Head into Canyonlandsβ Island in the Sky district.
Mesa Arch (easy, iconic sunrise spot).
Upheaval Dome (short but steep hike to a mysterious crater).
Green River Overlook and Grand View Point (short walks to sweeping canyon vistas).
Afternoon: Detour to Dead Horse Point State Park for one of the best views in Utahβthe Colorado River making a giant U-turn 2,000 feet below. If youβre up for a short walk, add the Bighorn Overlook spur.
Lunch/Dinner: Head back into Moab for something casualβMoab Food Truck Park is perfect. Try the sushi truck, then end with gelato (white chocolate raspberry was my favorite).
A weekend in Moab is enough to see the highlights: Delicate Arch at sunset, Mesa Arch at sunrise, the drama of Dead Horse Point, and a taste of downtownβs shops and restaurants. Youβll leave tired, full, and already planning your next trip back.
For a longer adventure, give Moab a full week. But if all you have is a weekend, this 3-day itinerary proves that even a short trip can capture the magic of red rock country. If you decide to extend your trip, my Spend a Week in Moab: The Perfect 7-Day Itinerary breaks down a full week of hikes, viewpoints, and dining.
The tulip fields in the Netherlands look exactly like the photos, except the photos donβt capture how massive the color blocks actually are stretching across the countryside. Or the windmills. Or the sheep randomly standing in the middle of everything like they donβt know theyβre in the most photogenic country on earth.
The honest caveat: tulip season moves fast, the fields rotate every year, and peak bloom is not a guarantee, it depends on the weather, the harvest schedule, and a little bit of luck. But thatβs also part of what makes it feel less like a tourist attraction and more like something you actually found.
Full driving route with towns, parking tips, and what to expect | linked in bio. π·
#netherlands #travelling #tulipfields #exploreeurope
Amsterdam has a way of making you feel like you need to see everything, and then rewarding you most when you slow down anyway. The museums and canal cruises are worth it, but so is just wandering neighborhoods, eating whatever looks good, and sitting along the canals with a grilled cheese and nowhere to be.
First-time visitor guide is on the blog. Link in bio. π·
#travelling #travel #amsterdam #visitamsterdam #traveleurope
10 stops. One very full day. Zero regrets. Amsterdam has one of the best food scenes Iβve experienced anywhere in Europe, but the honest caveat is that some of the viral spots come with lines that will genuinely test your character. I skipped a few. I regret nothing.
Hereβs what actually made the cut on my self-guided Amsterdam food tour:
Fresh stroopwafels at Hans Egstorf: made right in front of you, warm caramel, no line. This one won.
Lourens cookie croissant: flaky outside, gooey chocolate inside. Did not share.
CafΓ© Winkel 43 apple pie: one of the rare viral places that fully lives up to the hype.
Davieβs Amsterdam for the Lelie sandwich: pastrami, pickles, marbled bread. Deceptively simple. Absolutely excellent.
De Kaaskamer to end the day: 400+ cheeses, grilled cheese with what they call ketchup (itβs not ketchup, and itβs better), and bunker cheese aged in underground military bunkers.
The full route covers 10 stops through Jordaan, the 9 Streets, the canal district, and the flower market area with a Google Map included so you can just follow along.
Full guide with every stop, tips for beating the lines, and what Iβd skip vs. do again | link in bio.
#amsterdam #visitamsterdam #netherlands #travel #visitnetherlands #traveleurope
Thereβs a version of Gatlinburg thatβs all fudge shops and tourist crowds, and then thereβs the version that actually makes you want to come back.
Hereβs everything worth doing downtown, in the order Iβd do it: ποΈ
β¨ Start at @gatlinburgskypark before the crowds hit
β¨ Walk the strip mid-morning when itβs still manageable
β¨ @googooclusters stop (see my post from Tuesday: donβt skip it)
β¨ Dinner at one of the local spots off the main drag
β¨ Wander back out at night when the lights are on and it gets actually pretty
This isnβt your overscheduled Smoky Mountain itinerary. Itβs more of a βhereβs what Iβd actually do if I had one solid dayβ kind of list.
Full downtown Gatlinburg guide linked in bio. π
If someone told me Iβd spend five hours at SkyPark, I would not have believed them. And yet. π
Gatlinburg SkyPark sits above the strip and itβs one of those places that looks like a quick stop on paper and turns into most of your afternoon. The SkyBridge alone is worth it β longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America, and yes, you will look down.
β¨ SkyBridge (longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America)
β¨ SkyLift ride up with views of the Smokies
β¨ Walking trails with mountain views in every direction
β¨ Way less crowded than downtown
Fair warning: if heights genuinely freak you out, the bridge might not be your thing. The rest of the park is still 100% worth it. Full guide with tickets, tips, and what to skip linked in bio. π
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