The weather is hot and the days are long—the perfect time to enjoy some travel nursing! The summertime brings not only warmer weather and more beach days but also festivals and celebrations to keep you entertained. People gather far and wide to enjoy several summer traditions that can’t be duplicated anywhere else. With travel nurse contracts available nationwide—even around the world—you can experience as many celebrations as you can fit into your travel nursing schedule.
For travel nurses, moving with the seasons is an exclusive benefit to travel nursing and the best way to find adventure. If you’re ready to get out there and have some fun, here are five cities with the best summer celebrations you should visit during your travel nurse assignment.
Five Cities to Visit During Your Travel Nurse Assignment
1. Lake Charles, Louisiana
The Cajun Music and Food Festival in Lake Charles celebrates years of preserving and promoting Cajun music and heritage with continuous live Cajun music, traditional Cajun foods, arts, and crafts. Enjoy local Cajun foods from gumbo to jambalaya while listening to traditional Cajun music. Visitors can even participate in the Cajun waltz and two-step dance contest or learn from the local two-steppers themselves. The energy and spirits at the Cajun Music and Food Festival are guaranteed to leave you full and happy!
2. Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is the UFO capital of the world, if not the universe, which is why the UFO Festival makes perfect sense. This year’s celebration marks the 75th anniversary of the Roswell incident, and believers and skeptics alike are encouraged to join the festivities. Enjoy family-friendly events and live entertainment, including a laser show, costume contest, carnival, guest speakers, and maybe even an alien abduction—if you’re lucky.
Travel nursing is all about taking a break from the mundane, so attending the UFO Festival is a travel nurse’s chance to get weird and downright otherworldly.
3. Traverse City, Michigan
When people hear Traverse City, they think of the Cherry Capital of the World. For eight days, the National Cherry Festival brings in over 500,000 people to sample pies, pancakes, and a wide array of foods made with Traverse City’s iconic fruit. When you’re not eating, you can enjoy parades, concerts, an arts-and-crafts fair, an air show, and amusement rides. The National Cherry Festival has over 150 events and activities, and 85% are free, great for travel nurses bringing their families along. Kids can enjoy pit-spitting, pie-eating contests, turtle races, and more without paying a penny!
4. Readington, New Jersey
North America’s largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival takes place in Readington. The Festival of Ballooning is where thrill-seekers can watch balloons of every color and shape take flight. At the 744-acre site of Solberg Airport, families can witness ascensions of colorful 100 sport and uniquely shaped hot air balloons twice daily, including iconic New Jersey Lottery Sunny Days, unicorn, giant sloth, and 110-foot tall Unique Photo panda bear. The biggest draw to this festival is the live concert lineup of Grammy Award-winning artists such as Collective Soul. Beyond the concerts and hot air balloon rides, activities at this festival include fireworks, a 5K run, yoga, and various food vendors to satisfy a hearty appetite.
5. Denver, Colorado
The Dragon Boat Festival, only a two-day event, is the perfect break from your travel nurse assignment. This event is centered around the dragon boat competition, with more than 50 teams of boaters racing their way across Sloan Lake in intricate and colorful dragon boats. Historically, the Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and minister known for his patriotism and contributions to classical poetry and who eventually became a national hero.
Now, patrons can enjoy interactive events, including a spicy ramen-eating contest and spring roll-making classes, the Taste of Asia Food Court with some of the area’s best Asian restaurants and chefs, a traditional lion dance extravaganza, and almost 100 different performances.
Summer is a wonderful time of year to experience the beauty of many cities and cross items off your travel nurse bucket list. Whether you seek culture, community, or comfort food, these cities host amazing summer celebrations and so much more. There’s nothing wrong with taking travel nurse contracts with your vacation time in mind—it’s how you have your cake and eat it too.
So many events and festivities are happening worldwide. Our job board has the most current travel nurse jobs available and top travel nurse locations, so you can celebrate wherever you want. Let’s go travel!
