Come Taste the Best in Orange City

The benefits to travel off the beaten paths of large, touristy cities can also be found in your wallet: Smaller cities are typically more affordable than their nearby bigger brethren.

At home and abroad, so-called tier two cities - and even those towns further down the name recognition rungs - are full of surprises for trail-blazing travelers willing to add them to the itinerary.

Ask most visitors where they've been in Ireland, and it's likely to be Dublin, with side trips to usual tourist must-sees like the Blarney Stone and the Cliffs of Moher. To seriously gauge the energy of an eclectic Irish student town, however, get off the beaten path and give Galway a go. Sidled up against the Atlantic Ocean, the city sits roughly 140 miles due west of Dublin. Bike-friendly streets and an outwardly artistic population of less than 100,000 make Galway both approachable and eclectic. There's something Left Bank-ish about the town's Medieval Quarter, home to nightclubs, pubs and boutiques. The city's love of live music burns brightest during the annual Galway Arts Festival, held every summer, when an international array of comedy, music, literature, dance and more fills the streets, parks and pubs.The benefits to travel off the beaten paths of large, touristy cities can also be found in your wallet: Smaller cities are typically more affordable than their nearby bigger brethren.

At home and abroad, so-called tier two cities - and even those towns further down the name recognition rungs - are full of surprises for trail-blazing travelers willing to add them to the itinerary.

Come taste a piece of Ireland at The Rock: Regan's Orange City Kitchen.

www.therockinfl.com | (386) 218-4979 | www.facebook.com/TheRockinFL | twitter.com/therockinfl

Dublin

If you have the opportunity to travel to Ireland, here are some sight-seeing tips!

If you get to Dublin be sure to take the Hop On-Hop Off bus tour on your first day for an inexpensive overview of Dublin. Follow up the tour with a visit to The Temple Bar, a must for young people or the young at heart. This is the nightspot to hear the latest trends in Irish rock. Ireland's national poet, William Butler Yeats, is immortalized in a free National Library of Ireland multimedia exhibition of his works, life and times. Obtain entry via a temporary pass from the information kiosk. While doing literary things, drop by nearby Trinity College Library to view the "Book of Kells," a ninth century elaborately decorated manuscript of the Bible's four Gospels.

For a getaway from the busy city life, head to County Galway. The wild Aran Islands beckon travelers to come for the day or overnight. Make reservations at a bed and breakfast on Inishmore, the largest of the three islands. Borrow a bike or take a hike along the stark, steep rocky cliffs, past stone walls and rocky fields. Discover Dun Aengus, an Iron Age fortress, only one of several prehistoric forts on the Arans. Feel the strong wind as it comes off the water and across the cliffs. Ride the ferry from Rossaveel for the 40-minute crossing. Head north to Connemara, a sparsely populated region featuring lakes, the Twelve Bens Mountain Range and a multitude of bays and harbors.

Come taste a piece of Ireland at The Rock: Regan's Orange City Kitchen.

www.therockinfl.com | (386) 218-4979 | www.facebook.com/TheRockinFL | twitter.com/therockinfl

The Rock

An island in the North Atlantic, Ireland features coastal mountains in the west and interior agricultural lowlands, with numerous hills, lakes, and bogs. The Republic of Ireland occupies about 83 percent of the island of Ireland—Northern Ireland, in the northeast, is part of the United Kingdom. Irish, or Irish Gaelic (a Celtic language), is the country's first official language and is taught in schools, but few native speakers remain. Éire (AIR-uh) is the Irish name for the Republic of Ireland. English is the second official language and is more common.

Come taste a piece of Ireland at The Rock: Regan's Orange City Kitchen.

www.therockinfl.com | (386) 218-4979 | www.facebook.com/TheRockinFL | twitter.com/therockinfl