10 Great Weekend Getaways You’ll Never Forget

Chef

There's cooking class. Then there's boot camp. At its three locations (Hudson Valley, New York; Napa Valley, California; and San Antonio, Texas), the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) turns willing food enthusiasts into serious home chefs during its two- to five-day sessions. The intensive immersions focus on topics such as American regional cuisine, desserts, and skills development.

Details: Boot camps start at $895 and include a chef's uniform. Lodging is not included in the price of the program.

Cowpoke

Saddle up and ride with real cowboys at Rowse's 1 + 1 ranch in western Nebraska. As a guest, you'll ride, rope, brand, herd, and sort cattle. In spring, cowpokes can help with calves and foals, while cattle drives are common in summer. And in fall, guests get to saddle up and help with the roundup. Hearty dinners and campfires round out ranch evenings. The Dude Ranchers' Association lists more ranches around the West. If you want the cowboy life and not just trail rides, look for a "working ranch" rather than just a guest ranch.

Details: Three-night stays cost $700, and include a horse and tack, various lessons, meals, and transportation from Kearney Regional or Central Nebraska Regional (Grand Island) airports.

Buddhist Monk

Trade the alarm clock for a temple bell, skip the treadmill in favor of early-morning meditation walks, and rediscover simple pleasures like quiet meals and long soaks in natural hot springs. That's the way of the weekend visitor at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the first Zen training monastery in the West. From May to September, guests are invited to practice Zen meditation and lifestyle alongside monastery residents.

Details: A minimum three-day stay is required. Rates for shared guest accommodations are $63 per person per day and include meals.

Rock Star

You've put your dreams of rock 'n' roll stardom on hold long enough. At Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas, you'll get back on track, starting with your own "rock star counselor." Learn (or perfect) an instrument; write, record, and perform an original song with your backup band; and get tips from members of bands like Cream, the Who, and Jane's Addiction. And like any good camp, this one ends with a performance—yours, live, onstage at a major venue in front of family and friends.

Details: Three-day camps cost about $7,000 and include hotel accommodations at the MGM Grand and most meals.

Lighthouse Keeper

Try out the solitary glory of a lighthouse keeper for a weekend. Lighthouses around the country have Keeper for a Fee programs that allow guests to take on keeper duties and sleep on the premises. At Rose Island Lighthouse near Newport, Rhode Island, nightly keepers raise the flag in the morning, turn on the generators, and then get in some seaside leisure time reading, swimming, or beachcombing for sea glass.

Details: Nightly keepers on Rose Island pay $225 to $350 per night for double occupancy. Weekly keepers pay $1,000 to $2,300.

Ice-Climbing Adventurer

Free your inner adrenaline junkie with a weekend of ice climbing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The REI Adventures weekend getaway introduces people to the fast-growing sport with expert instruction in technical ice axe and crampon use, rope systems, and ice protection. The three-day intensive includes plenty of time for instruction and practice.

Details: Trips cost $450 for REI members and $485 for nonmembers. REI Adventures runs a variety of other weekend immersion trips, including backpacking, backcountry climbing, kayaking, and cycling.

Comedian

Intensive three-day workshops at the famed Second City in Chicago turn aspiring actors into improv experts. Focus on performance and immerse yourself in the principles and processes of improvisation. Delve into sketch-comedy techniques in the all-writing intensive. Or choose to be a double threat and combine the two.

Details: The three-day course costs $295, not including lodging. Weekend intensives are also available at the Second City Training Center in Hollywood.

Nature Photographer

Anyone can snap a picture, but it takes real skill to capture the beauty of nature. Hone your craft at the Yellowstone Association's Photographing Winter Sun, Snow, and Stars course. The intensive, which runs from January 31 through February 3, teaches techniques for making the most of the winter landscape during the day and at night. Participants will hike and snowshoe on snowpacked trails in search of subjects. The Yellowstone Association Institute has dozens of other multiday sessions on topics ranging from writing to wolf tracking.

Details: The four-day course costs $480 ($470 for Yellowstone Institute members). Lodging isn't included, but participants can book a shared room at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch Field Campus for $30 per night.

Astronaut

Did that childhood plan to become an astronaut not work out? It's not too late to get to space—or at least to Space Camp. The Adult Space Academy at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, takes grown-up space explorers on a mission. The program includes a chance to train on astronaut simulators (including the 1/6th gravity chair and the multi-axis trainer), model rocket construction and launch, and hands-on spaceflight history education.

Details: The two-night weekend program costs $549 for dates from August through October or $949 for camps in June and July. The price includes lodging and meals (which, we assume, means all the astronaut ice cream you can eat).

Metal Sculptor

Turn up the heat on your inner artist with a weekend intensive introduction to welded sculpture. The class, offered by The Crucible in Oakland, California, teaches students the basics of arc welding, how to slice through metal with an oxyacetylene torch, and the fine points of using power and hand tools to finish sculpture. You'll end the weekend with a piece to take home.

Details: The class is $355 ($326 for members). Lodging is not included.

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