Day Trips You Have to Take if You Win a Trip to ‘Boots in the Sand’ in Riviera Maya, Mexico

If you're thinking about heading to Riviera Maya, Mexico and putting your Boots in the Sand with Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert, Billy Currington and Jana Kramer, we know how you'll be spending your Tropical Nights.  You'll be on the beach listening to some of your favorite country music artists.  But what are you going to do during the day?  Well, I spend a lot of time in Mexico (particularly this area) and I have a few suggestions for you . . .

#1-  XCaret

This natural park is gorgeous and there is literally something for everyone.  As you can see, I wasted no time in finding Spider Monkey Island and reuniting with my cousins.  In fact, we had a very nice chat . . . talked about bananas and picking insects out of each other's ears and butts.  It was a great day.

If you want to lay on the beach at Xcaret, you can do it.  You can even curl up in a seaside hammock.

If you want to swim in an underground river, you can do that too!

I don't know who those people are, but they seem to be enjoying the park as much as we did.  Just look at 'em rocking out those hot pink life jackets.

We visited Xcaret a couple of years ago and could not wait to get to that underground river.  It looked awesome in the brochure and was even more so in person.  When we swam in the underground river, my friend Jane got stuck in a current and we had to push her out.  It was hilarious, slightly embarrassing and I felt like a human tugboat.

Of course, I felt more like a fool when my well-planned underground river practical joke became ill-fated in matter of seconds.  I (zipping ahead like Michael Phelps) was going to jump out of a secret hiding place and scare my friends as they labored along with Jane.  Instead, I accidentally jumped on a tourist that I didn't know and scared the fish food out of her.  Oops!

If you want to swim with sharks or turtles or dolphins, this is the place to do it.  Just watch out for random Americans flying through the air and propelling their bodies toward you!  LOL!

XCaret is beautiful and fun!  And it's less than an hour away from the Hard Rock Riviera Maya!  Get more info HERE!

#2-  Cozumel

Cozumel is definitely worth a day trip!  As you can see, there are great beaches.  The one in the photo happens to be located a few steps away from Cozumel's cruise terminal.  It is ideal for people watching.  To your left you can see people getting hammered at the Three Amigos bar.

To your right, you can watch clumsy humans try to rest in the seaside hammocks.  One time, and I am not kidding, my friends Jane, Craig and I witnessed one particularly husky girl do a complete 360-degree flip out of one.  I howled like a spider monkey!

Also in Cozumel, you can rent speed boats and cruise the Gulf . . .

You can zipline!!

And you can pose for photos that your parents will be proud of . . .

Cozumel is a blast and I highly recommend the day trip!

#3-  Chichen Itza

If you can sober up enough after your nightly Boots in the Sand concerts, you MUST visit a Mayan ruin site.  There are many throughout the Yucatan Peninsula.  In fact, if you have the time, I suggest getting on a bus and riding 2-hours into the jungle to visit Uxmal.  I visited once and paid my respects to the Mayan gods . . .

I also took time to be sacrificed on the altar by some random Ukranian girl with a stick.  I really thought, since she was wearing a turquoise Kentucky Derby hat, that she was going to be harmless.  Instead, she jammed that stick straight into my spleen with the force of Zeus!

While Uxmal is a little far away and a lot of folks are uncomfortable with hopping on a bus and driving through Machete's homeland, I suggest Chichen Itza.  It is the most famous of the Mayan archeological dig sites and very close to Riviera Maya.  And it's magnificent as well.

For more information about Chichen Itza, CLICK HERE!

And keep in mind that the staff at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya will be able to assist with you booking any day trips you are interested in.  But don't hesitate to shop around.  You can find great bargains if you look for them!

If you are interested in booking a Boots in the Sand vacation, CLICK HERE!  Tropical Nights Live runs February 23rd through the 27th and features performances by Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert, Billy Currington and Jana Kramer.  It's going to be awesome.

And, don't forget, you still have time to WIN a Boots in the Sand getaway here at WBKR.com.  To register, CLICK HERE!