Posts Tagged ‘national parks’
Back To School Free Family Activities
Well, the summer is almost over and we’ve been searching for a few last minute things to do with the kids, so this deal day, we’re focusing on a few remaining free and discount activities that you can do as a family before school begins again.
- Once again, the National Park Service is providing free entry into our National Parks this coming weekend, August 14-15. If you haven’t planned your weekend yet, you might want to check out our selection of articles on National Parks.
- SeaWorld Orlando currently has an ongoing promotion with Pepsi that will give you a free admission with each full-priced admission purchased. This offer is good for up to 6 tickets! Tickets must be purchased by August 31, 2010 and are valid through December 21, 2010.
- Are you a Bank of America customer? You can gain free admission to select museums and attractions around the country on September 4th and 5th, just by showing your ID and any Bank of America card or statement.
- Ever wanted to go to a free movie screening? GOFOBO gives out tickets to movie screenings every day. You will frequently need an RSVP code, but you might get lucky and find one at FatWallet. You can also check out the Free Movie Screening Blog. Here is an upcoming example: Hubble 3D – August 14, 2010 – 11:00 AM, Celebration! Cinema-North, Grand Rapids, MI. Good Luck!
Enjoy what is left of the summer!
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Making The Most Of A Weekend At Grand Teton National Park With Kids
Fresh off of a 22-day Road Trip through the American West, Amy over at Pit Stops For Kids has put together an informative article for our readers in anticipation of Fee Free Days at our National Parks this coming weekend. We hope you enjoy!
Grand Teton National Park is one of those destinations that sneak up and surprise you with its (often unsung) beauty and dignity. And it need not worry about being upstaged by next door neighbor Yellowstone; what Teton lacks in geysers it more than makes up for in lack of traffic and crowds and an abundance of hiking, rafting, horseback riding, fishing, and camping.
Located directly to the south of Yellowstone (one park admission gets you into both), Grand Teton is manageable in size, making it easy for families to plan morning and afternoon activities with a mid-day break at their hotel, lodge, or campground. If you have time, day trips to both Yellowstone and Jackson Hole are worthwhile, but if only have a weekend (or just prefer to stay put), there’s plenty to keep you occupied within the park boundaries.
What to See with Kids:
Jenny Lake and Surrounding Areas: Many Grand Teton lakes will vie for your attention, but our families favorite hiking was along the shore of Jenny Lake and up to Hidden Falls. This beautiful landmark can be accessed by either hiking trail from the String Lakes Trailhead (1.5 mile hike in on level terrain) or by shuttle boat from the Jenny Lake Dock by Jenny Lake Lodge.
Jackson Lake by Horseback: Experience Grand Teton true cowboy-style with a horseback ride in the Jackson Lake area. (Stables are located at Colter Bay Village.) As you ride, your ‘wrangler’ will tell you many facts about the area, you’ll get plenty of photo ops of the mountains, and maybe spot some wildlife. Kids as young as eight can ride and it’s a great way to cover more ground than you would hiking!
Grand Teton Range by Bike: Bring or rent bikes to take advantage of the 8-mile-long multi-use pathway that runs along the Teton Park Road from Moose to South Jenny Lake through breathtaking scenery. The path is exposed, so plan on morning or evening bike rides!
Where to Stay with Kids:
There are several good lodging options within the park, but for lake access and family conveniences, moderately-priced Colter Bay Village cannot be beat. Truly an entire community of its own, Colter Bay has a marina with boat and canoe rentals, horseback stables (see above), two family friendly restaurants, a visitor’s center with a Native American heritage center, a convenience store, and a campground, tent cabins, or full cabins to choose from. Our family opted for a cabin, and found both the location (yards from the lake) and amenities (comfortable beds, private bathroom with shower, in-cabin heater) to be a nice change to roughing it. Add the evening campfire program and ice cream for sale in the store, and you’ve got kid heaven!
Photos and text provided by Amy at Pit Stops for Kids.
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Three National Parks To Visit During Fee Free Days
Fee Free Days at our National Parks is upon us once again. Next weekend, August 14-15, the National Parks Service is waiving entrance fees at over 100 National Parks. This is a great opportunity to explore a bit of wilderness before the kids head back to school later this month.
To get you started, we’ve come up with our three favorite parks to visit this August.
- Glacier National Park – With all roads open for only a few short months each year, this is an opportune time to visit Glacier National Park in the late summer months. What makes it even better is that this year, they are celebrating their centennial – it has been 100 years since they became our 10th National Park in 1910. If you only have a day, drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road (or take a tour), take a ranger led hike (or one of your own) and visit the Many Glacier hotel for a quick lunch or to enjoy a one-hour cruise on Lake McDonald (only $14.95/$7.95). Amy over at Pit Stops For Kids recently visited with her family on her 22-day Road Trip – check out what she has to say about Glacier National Park and the Many Glacier Hotel.
- Lava Beds National Monument – Thinking about the record high temperatures that have hit much of the nation the last few weeks, I’m thinking that the kids might like to explore somewhere cool and cool. One of the more remote parks in California, Lava Beds National Monument offers over two-dozen lava tube caves that can be explored on your own. These vary in difficulty, but there are plenty that are family friendly (we did it with a one year-old). As a bonus, the temperature inside is always a cool 52-55ºF.
Exploring outdoors yields lots of cool stuff too, like Native American pictographs (Symbol Bridge/Big Painted Cave/Petroglyph Point), a deep wide crater to peer into or how about climbing a spatter cone. In this mountain region, even outdoor peak summer temperatures hover in a comfortable range (75-80ºF). Check out these tips on caving before you head out. - Valley Forge National Historical Park – For our East Coast friends we recommend Valley Forge. Known as the winter encampment for General Washington and his troops, Valley Forge has lots to offer in the way of both nature and history. Start at the visitor center with a 30-minute film chronicling the trials, tribulations and sheer exhaustion of those men who fought to win our independence.
Take a 40-minute ranger led tour (free), hop on the 90-minute trolley tour (fee) or wander around on foot or motorized carriage (your car) on a self guided tour of the park. Kids always love the interpreters at Washington’s Headquarters and Muhlenberg’s Brigade. Thankfully, you’ll always be able to find some shade to escape the sun on a warm summer day. Bring a picnic lunch and be sure to stop at the playground where your younger kids can burn off some energy. Note that this park is free at all times.
If you are a family on a budget, be sure to take advantage of Fee Free Days next weekend and be sure to check out the remaining dates throughout the year. You can find lots more information on our National Parks right here on our website. And…be sure to check back on Monday when we have a special guest post on spending a weekend in Grand Teton National Park with kids.
If you enjoyed these photos and would like to see more, visit Photo Friday at Deliciousbaby.
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Traveling For Free With The Family
This deal day we’re going a bit outside the box to talk about traveling for free. Okay, so it’s easy to say, but can you really travel with kids for free? Absolutely!
One of the secrets to traveling cheaply with the family is to concentrate on obtaining freebies for the kids first as they are usually the easiest to find. When traveling, you can almost always find restaurants that allow kids to eat for free – okay that was easy. Next, focus on attractions that offer free entry for kids or even for the entire family. Okay, so this one may be a bit more tricky. I start by focusing on the obvious – for example, Washington, DC is going to offer a multitude of obvious options.
Our National Parks are another good example. During National Parks Week, all entry is free. You can also enter for free at select times during the year during Fee Free Days. Lots of museums offer free admission during select times and days. Still looking for more? Check out Free Attractions by state.
Now we’re making progress! So, now that you have free meals and free attractions, how do you get there for free? Yeah, this is the hard part. Obviously, the driving vacation is going to be the least expensive…or is it? One of the easiest ways to get free transportation is to sign up for an affinity credit card or use those piles of frequent flyer miles you’ve been stashing away. Flying is always free for lap infants under the age of two, so if you have a little toddler, you’re half way there.
Using frequent flyer miles is an obvious way to obtain free travel, but even those tickets often come with a small (or not so small) redemption fee and taxes. Besides, you spent lots of money (or at least your employer did) to earn those, so not exactly free, right? Well, there are plenty of ways to earn miles without flying. For example, you can earn miles for just making everyday purchases using one of the branded mile earning credit cards. You can also earn miles for making purchases through an airlines website, eating out and doing things that you normally would do. Check out some of the best affinity credit card programs and decide for yourself if you’re up to the challenge. Check out Southwest Airlines latest offer.
Don’t want all those annoying credit cards…I’ll let you in on a little secret. I earned enough miles with American Airlines to fly to Europe without having to actually fly American Airlines or use one of their credit cards. AA has a relationship with BankDirect, so you can earn miles just for having a bank account. With bonuses and monthly earnings, I was able to earn enough miles for that free trip. Pretty cool, eh?
The same method can be utilized for earning free train travel and even free hotel nights. The key to earning significant miles and points is to concentrate on the bonuses and exploit the unusual earning opportunities. Remember the guy who earned lifetime status with American Airlines for buying food? There are plenty of opportunities out there – check out FlyerTalk and InsideFlyer to become a mileage junkie.
So, traveling for free isn’t impossible, it just takes some research and planning. Go forth, earn miles, eat and recreate for free and travel safely. Check back next week as we dig up more travel bargains for your next family vacation.
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Five National Parks You Should Visit During National Parks Week
Visiting a National Park is an interesting, educational and exciting activity for kids and during National Parks Week (April 17th-25th), it’s FREE!
Our Top Five Picks For National Parks Week…
Yosemite National Park is our top pick. After all, with roaring waterfalls (Yosemite Falls is one of the tallest in the world) as a result of melting snow, Yosemite is the best place to visit this time of year. The Glacier and Tioga roads are closed, but there is still plenty to do…like see BIG trees! Lodging books up early, so be sure to secure a spot before you head out.
With wildflowers in bloom and average daily temperatures in the 70s, Zion National Park is a sure bet destination during National Parks Week. Take advantage of the mild temperatures and slip into the park before the road construction begins in May. The water may be a bit cold (to hike the Narrows), but there are plenty of other activities to keep you busy. Check out our article on Zion before you go.
There has been lots of activity in the family friendly areas surrounding the Great Smokey Mountains, which makes this National Park a top pick for National Parks Week. You can check out the wildflowers and waterfalls, then head down to Pigeon Forge to check out the new Titanic Museum Exhibit. Be sure to review the current road closures before you go.
Shenandoah National Park has lots to offer in spring and with Aramark offering a two-for-one deal at Skyland resort, this is another great weekend family getaway. Wateralls should be running, wildflowers should be blooming and with any luck the mud will have turned hard again. Check out our article on Shenandoah before you go.
Opening to vehicle traffic just in time for National Parks Weeks, Yellowstone National Park rounds out the list. Roads from Mammoth to Old Faithful (via Norris and Madison Junctions) are scheduled to open today as is the road from the West Entrance to Madison Junction. If you are lucky, you will get to see the lingering winter landscape while enjoying the convenience of driving your vehicle into the park. Check out our article on Yellowstone before you go.
If you enjoyed these photos and would like to see more, visit Photo Friday at Deliciousbaby.
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