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A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.599.3142. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: March 10. All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be emailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Dana Schmitz, contributor; Sydney Portilla-Diggs, student correspondent; Stephanie Hall, student correspondent; Nick Young, special contributor, photography and layout.
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Top 10 places to visit on Spring Break
Please note: This list contains 10 places you can visit during the Spring Break. And they are all within reasonable driving distance. So, fly to Cancun if you want, or jump in the ol’ jalopy and do something different.
10. Beach Bumming
You do not need Padre Island or Puerto Vallarta to get some rays. Gulf Shores, Ala., and Pensacola and Destin in Florida are pristine destinations to show off that new Speedo you received for Christmas. And all three destinations are 11-12 hours away.
9. Skip Old Mexico
According to its website, New Mexico is the “Land of Enchantment,” whatever that means. Anyway, Cougar News considers our neighbors to the west to be one of the most scenic in the nation. Explore the Carlsbad Caverns or the White Sands at Alamogordo. Or hit the slopes.
8. Home, Sweet Home
Yeah, it’s less than extraordinary, but not everyone can get away for a road trip. Therefore, it’s time to explore the many attractions in Dallas/Fort Worth including the Body Worlds exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science, the Fort Worth Stockyards or that cool looking magic shop in downtown Plano.
7. Boomer Sooner
Luckily, to really enjoy Oklahoma, you don’t have to go to Norman and endure those incessant Sooner fans. Instead, just eke over the Red River to Ardmore, Okla. and the nearby Turner Falls Park. GREAT camping opportunities with a lake, fishing and the chance to view Oklahoma’s largest waterfall.
6. Slick Willy
Isn’t it weird that we pronounce the end of “Kansas” in the word “Arkansas” differently? Anyway, the latter state is a beacon of beauty, especially up north in the Ozark Mountains. Also, make it a point to visit as many presidential libraries as you can within your lifetime. Knock out William J. Clinton’s in Little Rock.
5. Amarillo by Morning
West Texas is like a living museum, a testament of the state’s potential and fate’s fickle tickle. Whether it was oil or cattle, west Texas is tribute to more lucrative times. Broken dreams, however, can not soil the beauty and ruggedness of the area. From Amarillo -- where artist Georgia O’Keeffe once called home -- down the Llano Estacado to the delightful Marfa, the entire area is rustically simple yet wrought with ghosts.
4. Crummy, but Not Forgotten
Cougar News will never forsake the city of Galveston. Smeared by many a’ beachgoer who prefer heading east or to Corpus Christi, Galveston, it turns out, just needs a little love. Plus, the seafood is pretty good without breaking the bank.
3. The Gothic South
Mississippi isn’t just a river. It’s the literary Mecca south of the Mason-Dixon line. Visit William Faulkner’s home, Rowan Oak, in Oxford, or Eudora Welty’s in Jackson. Richard Wright’s house is in Natchez. Visit playwright Tennessee William’s home and the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale.
2. Pine Soul
East Texas holds a very special place in Cougar News’ heart. The region is the most beautiful in the state! Scenic blacktop that snakes through the towering timbers. Quaint small towns that seem to be frozen in time. Visit the oldest city in Texas, Nacogdoches, home to the SFA Lumberjacks.
1. Make Your Mother Proud
OK, Branson, Missouri, is probably the least cool place to visit during Spring Break. But just imagine: When you and your classmates are recounting tales, the beach/camping/Mexico trips will be static; anecdotes Andy Williams and Yakov Smirnoff will really turn some heads.
What a country!
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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