We needed a break. We just needed to get away and take a nice, long mini-vacation. Mini was about all we were going to be able to afford given these tough economic times. So first and foremost we were looking for cheap air fares and fantastic hotel deals.

My girlfriend was the master of the ultra low airline ticket, so I set her on the task of finding as cheap a flight to somewhere we had never been before. Oh, and it had to come in under $100 round trip, so I knew she had her work cut out for her. She came back with a list of 5 very interesting potential destinations in less than an hour’s time.

Now we had to decide. Spending about an hour Googling the different places, we finally decided that we’d head towards Knoxville, Tennessee. Why? Well, a number of reasons actually.

One, it was actually the lowest priced round trip air fare, so that ensured we could possibly spend a little more on accommodations.

Two, after a bit of looking, I found an incredible deal on an extended stay hotel in Alcoa, which was only about a half hour south and west of Knoxville.

Three, Alcoa, in addition to being the home of the aluminum manufacturer, is where one of my favorite wide receivers from the best NFL team (the Steelers) came from. Mr. Lynn Swan had grown up there.

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