As a homeschooling family living on one income, I know that the budget often doesn’t allow for special outings. You may be surprised that even now that we spend our time on the road with my husband’s job, we still don’t spend a great deal of money on our activities. In fact, it’s rare that we pay much for a day out, because we find so much available for free.
We’ve discovered many sites by accident, as we’ve learned about various communities over the course of our travels. And though we’ve traveled to some pretty neat places with my husband’s job, it’s the locations ‘near home’ that we miss the most. With that in mind, my suggestion to you is that when planning a trip; don’t overlook what you have in your own backyard.
Take a look at your community with fresh eyes. Pretend that you are visiting your area for the first time. Stop by the Visitor’s Center or Chamber of Commerce to collect brochures, ask about discounts they could offer and ask for recommendations of free or low cost outings. By staying close to home, not only will you save on travel expenses, you’ll learn about the community in the process and if you homeschool, you should be able to count your outing towards your state history requirements. Allow me to give you an idea of where to begin as you start to explore your hometown.
Have you ever noticed the Historical Markers that you see in front of buildings or alongside the road? Did you know that the markers are placed there to commemorate the people, places and events that have contributed to local, state, or our countries history? There are even some markers that are of global significance. I love reading the markers because they give tidbits of historical information. Normally, that’s about all I’m interested in learning at the time, but sometimes, we may find something really interesting and we’ll make a note to research it further. You can find the complete list of markers by state and by category at this website. You’ll be amazed to find the history that was made right near you!
Last year, I decided that the kids and I would begin to explore each of our city parks. Surprisingly, there were 33 parks for our city of 51,000 residents! We were pleased to find a historical blockhouse, butterfly garden, protected wetlands and monuments of historical significance to the community. I had no idea that all these treasures lay within our city limits! Not only did we have many city parks, there were also many county parks that included a bird sanctuary and haven for injured wild animals. You’ll be surprised by the diverse habitats you’ll find nearby. You’ll find a complete list of city parks in your own phone book or city website under parks and recreation.
While traveling, we also always check out the state park websites. You’ll find many parks offer free or low-cost events and programs that are appealing to families that love to learn about the world we live in. In the past we’ve taken hikes to learn about the birds and insects, gone seining in the ocean and the bay, taken a twilight wildlife bus tour of a remote area and learned to go crabbing.
Don’t forget about the National Parks. I always search out national parks when we’re traveling because they are often free or charge a very nominal admission fee. Though each site is different and some are more elaborate than others, most do have some type of interpretive/museum type display, a quick video and possibly some type of tour or Ranger led program that you can participate in. Make sure that you ask about the Jr. Ranger program while you’re there. You’ll also find lesson plans that you may chose to complete before your arrival to enhance the experience.
Our family enjoys touring historical houses and though I couldn’t find a nationwide listing, if you do a search of historical homes in your area, I’m sure you’ll come up with plenty of ideas to get you started.
What about local museums or historical houses? You can find a list of museums across the country by state, city or type here. You’ll also find out about special events that are offered.
Another website that I found useful is from the American Heritage Magazine. Here you’ll find a list of battlefields, parks, museums and historic homes listed by region, state, theme and type.
Finally, do you have any nearby homes or buildings listed as a National Historic Landmark? This is typically sites, buildings and structures of particular significance to American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture. You’ll be surprised to find that your area probably has a number of properties on this directory.
I know this isn't an exhaustive list, and I've failed to talk about AZA and ASTC reciprocal memberships, but this will certainly give you a starting point whether you need a quick afternoon getaway nearby, a weekend trip or a full blown vacation. And if you have any websites that you've found particularly helpful, why not leave a comment and share it with us below? As always, Happy Travels- Tonya
© 2009 Tonya Prater/Live the Adventure
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Okay, so I try to post a travel tip each week. That had been on Tuesday's so I thought the name Travel Tip Tuesday would be catchy and cute. Well....I decided just for fun, I would do a web search of the name and was surprised that someone else already uses that name! Uggghhh. I certainly don't want to infringe on anyone's name so I am changing Travel Tip Tuesday to Tonya's Travel Tips. Fitting, I hope...
© 2009 Tonya Prater/Homeschooling…Live the Adventure
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Sometimes when you think of travel, you forget to take advantage of the attractions close to your own home! Sure, it may sound glamorous to travel around the country, visiting whatever you stumble upon but don't forget about that awesome park 15 minutes away, or the unique carrousel downtown. I couldn't believe it when we were staying in Virginia Beach and the clerk at the library told me that she'd only been to the ocean once, and she had lived there her entire life! The ocean just wasn't a big deal and wasn't worth fighting the crowds for. I can understand not wanting to deal with the crowds, but there is a such thing as an off season! The same clerk was fascinated when I told her that we were from Ohio and she remarked how fortunate we were to live by one of the Great Lakes! She'd visited family in Cleveland and just looooved Lake Erie! See, sometimes we think something is better if we have to travel a huge distance to get there, or if we have to pay more to see it, and aren't appreciative of what's close by. My 4th grade teacher once expressed regret that she'd never visited the Smucker's Jelly Plant and she grew up right down the road. She always thought since it was close by, she could visit anytime and yet she never did. So, when you're planning a weekend getaway or a quick vacation, why not make a list of what's nearby and visit some of the local attractions? You may be surprised by what you find! ~ Happy Traveling!
© 2009 Tonya Prater/Homeschooling…Live the Adventure
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I know it's not Tuesday, but the internet at the hotel has been sporadic at best this week. However, this morning I guess you could say that a new travel tip fell in our lap. Just keep in mind that all of the travel tips I post are tips that we use ourselves or tips we have discovered on the road. Here's your tip and then I'll share the story behind it:
When traveling, make sure that you always park in well-lit, highly visible areas as close to your room or hotel office as possible!
Of course, this is something we've always known, but last night when my husband finished working, the hotel parking lot was pretty full so he parked around back. He did park right under a light, but we couldn't see his truck from our room. We also found out that the renovations at the hotel just began around back, so guests are no longer staying in back of the hotel. This morning when my husband went out, his truck had been broken into and someone had tried to get the truck started so they could drive it away. The ignition was so messed up that my husband wasn't even able to get the truck started so he had to miss a day of work. We made a police report, talked to the hotel staff and are waiting to hear from risk management. We're not sure what to expect from them. We also had to have a locksmith come out to repair the ignition. He said that the would-be-thief never would have gotten the truck started that way. Thank goodness for incompetent thieves! My husbands trailer and tools were locked up tight and they didn't steal anything from inside the cab. I guess we got off cheap with a $150 locksmith bill...it could've been much worse!
© 2009 Tonya Prater/Homeschooling…Live the Adventure
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I'm sure many of you have heard of AAA. Some people chose to enroll in the club for peace of mind with the roadside assistance. Our membership has certainly paid for itself several times over. We've had our vehicles towed on more than one occassion and several years ago I went through a period when I couldn't seem to remember to remove my keys from inside my van before locking it! Thank goodness we had AAA then!
Some chose to join AAA for the travel planning services they offer; did you know that AAA is the largest travel agency in North America? Although I don't normally use one of their agents when I'm planning a trip, I do love the online triptik feature and always peruse the Tourbooks before visiting an area.
But the biggest reason I see to join AAA is the money that you can save while traveling! In one week, we were able to save enough money off our hotel room with the AAA rate that our membership was paid for! How could we resist? Hotels aren't the only places you'll save. You'll save on rental cars, campgrounds, discount tickets to big attractions (like Disney) and even retailers. A membership is worth consideration...
~Happy Traveling!
© 2009 Tonya Prater/Homeschooling…Live the Adventure
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