Not enough Weekend destinations from Chennai?

Many of my friends in Chennai go to Bengaluru, as they've exhausted all weekend options in and around Chennai. Greg Moran, co-founder of Zoomcars said they've deferred opening a branch in Chennai as they feel Chennai doesn't have too many weekend destinations, that could ensure sustained demand for self-drive rental cars.  Relatives who visit Chennai often cut short their trip, as they feel there’s nothing else to see and if I ask them to come again, they often say No, saying “We've seen everything No?”.

I am publishing below my own list of weekend destinations ex-Chennai, though there’re plenty of such lists already available on the net. So far I could list 25 places within city, 10 places within some 100kms distance and 20 destinations which are little further but can be covered in a 2-3 days trip.

Are below places good enough to keep people engaged weekend after weekend? So is it true that Chennai doesn’t have enough weekend destinations? Let us say compared to Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai and other cities? Prima-facie it feels so. But if you feel there’s more one can explore, please do comment.

Type 1: 25 Places within city limits of Chennai (Few hours/30-40 kms )

#	Destination	Description	Recommended time of visit
1	Kapaleeshwar Temple	Religious place	Early morning
2	Marina Beach	Beach	Early morning/ Evening
3	Besant Nagar Beach	Beach	Early morning/ Evening
4	VGP	Beach/entertainment	Normal business hours
5	MGM	Amusement park	Normal business hours
6	T Nagar/Pondy Bazaar	Shopping area	Evening
7	Anna Memorial	Monument	Any
8	Guindy National Park, Snake Park	Zoo	Normal business hours- 8AM onwards
9	Nehru Planetarium	Museum and Planetarium	Any
10	Anna Library	Library	Normal business hours
11	Gandhi Mandapam	Monument	Any
12	Vandaloor Zoo	Zoo	Normal business hours (9AM onwards
13	Theosophical society	Scenic avenue	Not open on Sundays, check their site for access information
14	Music Academy/ Egmore theater	Cultural activities	Depending on program
15	Light house at Marina	View of the beach	10 Am to 1 PM, 3PM to 5PM
16	Alliance Francis	Cultural activities	Depending on program
17	Valluvar Kottam	Monument	10 AM to 5 PM approx
18	Astalakshmi temple, Besant Nagar	Religious place	Any
19	Santhome Church	Religious place	Any
20	Cholamandal Artist Village, ECR	Art & Culture	Normal business hours
21	ISKCON Temple, Sholinganallur	Religious place	Any
22	Jagannath Temple, Kanathur ECR	Religious place	Any
23	Queensland amusement park, Bangalore road	Amusement park	Normal business hours
24	Semmozhi Poonga (Theme park on Cathedral road	Park	Any
25	Rajiv Gandhi Memorial	Monument	Any

26           Chennai Rail Museum                  Museum                          10 AM to 9 PM [Details]

Type 2: Nearby destinations from Chennai (Short visits-half day or 1 day, 100kms)

#	Destination	Distance from Chennai	What to expect/do?	Season
1	Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary	100	Bird watching	Mid November to Mid Feb
2	Pulicat Lake	100	Bird watching, boat ride	Mid November to Mid Feb
3	Mahabalipuram	60	Temples, beaches	Any
4	Alamparai	100	Fort, backwaters	Any
5	Dakshin Chitra	20	Cultural experience, handicrafts, South Indian tradition etc	Any day, afternoon is better
6	ATV Ride near Mahabs	50	Polaris Offroad ATV ride centre Detailed review here	Any
7	Visit Royal Enfield Factory	50	Guided tour of the legendary factory. Detailed review here	Check on RE website for fees and appointment
8	Muttukadu boat ride, Crocodile bank	50	Entertainment Sunset at Muttukadu	Normal business hours
9	Kovalam	40	Beach	Any
10	Kancheepuram	80	Temples	Any
10	Wild Tribe Ranch	40	Outdoor Adventure	Normal business hours

Type 3: Weekend destinations (Approx 200-800kms round trip, one or more night stay, often clubbed with other nearby places)

#	Destinations	Total Round Trip Distance	What to expect	Season
1	Chandragiri-Talakona-Horsley Hills	650-700kms	Waterfalls, hill station, fort	Any
Chennai is very close to Andhra Pradesh and above destinations, all located in AP state, can be explored in 24 hours if you’re pressed for time or in 48 hours in a relaxed mode. 24 hour plan: Start from Chennai very early in the morning, take the route towards Tirupati, breakfast on the way and reach Chandragiri fort (170kms) by 9AM (its opening time). Spend 1 hour here exploring the fort & museum, leave for Talakona waterfalls, another 50kms from Chandragiri fort. Reach by 11.30 AM, spend time at the falls till 1PM, lunch at the community cottage and head towards Madanapalle. Reach Horsley hills (130kms from Talakona) by evening, spend a few hours, leave for Chennai by 6.30PM. Chennai is 300kms from Horsley hills and you may reach home/hotel by midnight. 48 hours plan While above plan can get very hectic, you can do the same in a relaxed mode, by spending a night either in Tirupati or Talakona or Horsley hills. Adequate accommodation options are available here. This will give you more time at each of the places and can avoid continuous/night driving, you may even include visit to Tirupati temple if interested. Related posts:  Talakona * Horsley Hills * Chandragiri
2	Pondy-Pichavaram-Tranquebar	600kms	Scenery, Mangrove forests, Danish fort	Any
Leave from Chennai early in the morning, spend an hour or two in Mahabalipuram if you’ve not been there, then head to Pondicherry. (you are recommended to take a quick diversion to check out Alamparai fort) Spend few hours in Pondy exploring rock beach, Ashrama, drive further to Pichavaram near Chidambaram. Target to reach by noon or 2PM. At Pichavaram take a boat ride into Mangrove forests to explore the scenery and birds. Once done, you may head towards Tranquebar. Depending on your budget and comfort zone, you may opt to stay either at Chidambaram town or Neemrana Bungalow on the beach at Tranquebar or Karaikal town. If daylight permits explore Tranquebar, else relax for the day Day 2: Explore Tranquebar and Danish fort (Try visiting it Day 1 itself if possible. Fort opens at 10AM, little too late if you wish to start early and explore other places) Once done with Tranquebar, you may either head to Velankani (a popular church town) or return towards Chennai. With small deviations you will be able to explore Gingee fort and or Vedanthangal, depending on how much time is left and the interest levels of the group. Add Point Calimere if you have time and if it is a season of birds (Nov-Feb) More details on Pichavaram * Neemrana Bungalow on the beach, Tranquebar * Danish Fort
3	Salem, Yercaud, Kolli Hills	800kms	Hill stations, view points	Any
You may either drive down all the way to Salem or take a bus/train to Salem and then hire a cab there. If you start on Friday night, you may reach Salem on Saturday early morning. Drive uphill to Yercaud. Yercaud is poor man’s ooty and offers lots of view-points, few temples, caves and boat rides. Lots of accommodation options are available in Yercaud, including multi star resorts. You may opt to stay here in Yercaud or drive down to Salem town and spend the night there On Day 2, drive towards Kolli hills. Kolli hills offers a bunch of view-points, a temple and more than that, you’ll enjoy driving through the hair pin bends. Related posts: Yarcaud * Kolli Malai *
4	Vellore, Yelagiri, Hogenakkal	500kms	Waterfalls, hill station	Any
Leave from Chennai early in the morning, head to Vellore. Spend some time visiting the Golden temple in Vellore and then head to Yelagiri. Yelagiri is a small hill station and offers nice viewpoints and a temple. With some local help you can also do some trekking around the hills Basic accommodation available on top of Yelagiri- if you like the place and wish to spend a night, you can opt to stay here, else get down and drive towards Krishnagiri. You can stay at any hotel in Krishnagiri or Dharmagiri Day 2: Head to Hogenakkal falls. Water level and activities may vary depending on what time of the year you visit the falls. Try coracle ride in the waters, swim where it is safe to. Start return journey by noon, to reach Chennai by evening time. Related: Yelagiri bike trip  * Hogenakkal *
5	Tada, Nagala, Nagari	100kms towards AP	Trekking	Any
Trekking destinations- go with expert trekkers or join treks organized by Chennai Trekkers Club. Can be one day activity or multi day trek with overnight camping in the hills
6	Gingee Fort	250kms	Fort	Any
Can be explored off GST road while returning from Pondy or a dedicated day could be spent to explore this ancient fort. More details here
7	Bangalore and nearby	800kms	Multiple	Any
Drive towards Bangalore and explore Antaragange in Kolar, Nandi hills, Bannerghatta and other places in and around Bangalore
8	Velankani, Tanjavur	800kms	Religious	Any
Velankani shrine is very popular amount the Chirstians and short distance from there is Tanjavur with its popular Bruhadeeshwar temple.

Type 4: Super long Weekend destinations (Approx 600kms + oneway, 1000kms+ round trip, 3-4 days recommended).

Some of these involve very long drive or could be covered by flight for part of the distance to save time. Some of these can be visited directly from other towns like Bengaluru/Hyd etc as well with less travel.

#	Destinations	Total Round Trip Distance	What to expect	Season
1	Kadapa, Gandikota, Belum caves (AP/ Telangana)	1200kms	Caves, valley, monuments
Leave from Chennai on Friday night, reach Kadapa by Saturday morning. You can keep this town as your base for this trip. Refresh, have breakfast and then drive to Gandikota. You can have lunch here and then leave for Belum caves Back in Kadapa and rest for the day Day 2: You may visit Talakona & Horsley hills and return to Chennai Alternatively you may leave on Saturday morning, reach Kadapa by noon and visit Belum caves and Gandikota in leisure, return to Chennai by Sunday evening, without deviating to Talakona Related: Belum Caves * Gandikota
2	Ooty	1200kms	Hill station	Any
Ooty needs no introduction. This queen of hills is 600kms from Chennai. You can leave on Friday night, spend 2 days in Ooty and come back by Monday morning, or take few days off and extend your stay.
3	Kodaikanal	1200kms	Hill station	Any
Another popular hill station similar to Ooty
4	Valparai, Athirapalli falls	1200kms	Hill station	Any
Scenic hill station, less crowded that Ooty and Kodaikanal- scenic drive, less stay options and close to Athirapally waterfalls, Kerala.
5	Munnar	1200kms	Hill station	Any
Scenic hill station, just across Kerala border. Read my travelogue on Munnar
6	Vishakapattanam (Vizag)	1700kms	Beach, valley	Any
800 kms from Chennai, Vizag can be reached by flight or by road/train. Once there, explore RK beach, Araku valley, caves, Kailasagiri, Submarine museum and other places of interest Add Simhachalam if you have some more time
7	Rameshwaram	1200kms	Temple, Scenery	Any
Visit Rameshwaram for religious purpose or to explore the popular Pamban bridge and Dhanushkodi villages.
8	Madhumalai Wildlife Reserve	1200kms	Wildlife	Any
Again the closer route is via Bangalore & Mysore, Bandipur & Nagarahole can be added to plan if you have few extra days.
9	Palani, Srirangam	1400 kms	Temples	Any
Palani can be added to plan while visiting Munnar/Valparai etc as it is closer
10	Kanyakumari	1400kms	Monument, beaches
At the other extreme of TN, Kanyakumari is popular for its scenary, monument in the sea among other things
11	Badhrachalam Telangala	1400kms	Temple and Scenic drive	Any
Add it to plan along with Hyd/Vizag, since traveling just for Badhrachalam might not make sense. It offers nice drive and temples
12	Hyderabad	1400kms	Multiple	Any
Visit for Golconda fort, Charminar, Ramoji film city and many other attractions

Update, 17 Sep:
Few more destinations: 
1. Lepakshi, AP, 350kms from Chennai
2. Thandikudi, TN, 400kms from Chennai
3. Nellore-ongole-jonnavada (suggested by a reader- Balasubramanian
4. Vellore-amirthy-jamnamaruthur trip/trek.
5. Tiruvannaamalai 

Distances are indicative. Depending on where you're staying, actual distance may vary. Also read: Places to explore near Chennai- Early morning and late evening *