Posts Tagged ‘State’

I need a vacation, but i am broke. Should I just camp out in a State or National park?

I can’t go to a distant park, but maybe a park within 100 miles.
If i camp out alone, will people rob me? Will i get eaten by bears and wolves?
Will i get bored? Do i have to poop in the bushes?

There are no electrical outlets and I only have a small car.

This doesn’t sound very fun.

I live in Washington State and my man and me are in much need of a little vacation/road trip?

What are some fun places to go and relax? Maybe camping or something?

No go for Fourth of July weekend at Crow Wing State Park

No go for Fourth of July weekend at Crow Wing State Park
 Crow Wing State Park is usually booming with visitors over Fourth of July weekend.  Not this year. 

Read more on Brainerd Dispatch

Hillsborough River State Park. Florida, USA

This State Park is a great place to relax, go hiking and enjoy it around…. The staff is so nice. If you don’t want to cook, visit the shopping area. They have breakfast and lunch. Good food and prices !!

East Fork State Park to upgrade camping site with help from state

East Fork State Park to upgrade camping site with help from state
State Rep. Joe Uecker (R-District 66) announced the State Controlling Board released $979,000 in state funding for the East Fork State Park electric upgrade project in Clermont County.

Read more on Community Press & Recorder

Subtropical Sanctuary of the Sunshine State: Florida Travel Information

From the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic seaboard, travel to Florida is the ultimate adventure and getaway for spring breakers, singles, couples, and the entire family alike. The Sunshine State is packed with amusement park extravaganzas, wildlife sanctuaries, pristine beaches, and cruise ship island escapades. Don’t miss your chance to escape to one of the most dynamic vacation destinations in the USA.

Florida is also rife with pertinent heritage before becoming the 27th state of the Union. Florida’s history dates back thousands of years, prior to any European settlements in the region. By the time the first European explorer landed in Florida, the Native American population was thriving, including the Seminole and Apalachee tribes. The region changed hands from Spain to Britain, back to Spain then finally to the United States in 1845. Several war-torn forts and battlefields from the Civil War era and earlier can be found throughout the peninsula and panhandle, including Dade Battlefield Historic State Park in the Southwest District and Castillo de San Marcos (Fort Marion), a National Monument.

Disney, Deco, and Diving in Florida

Once you find your airfare to Florida, you’ll be ready to explore the extensive amusements the state has to offer. Disney World, near Orlando, is one of the most popular destinations and is a short drive away from Canaveral National Seashore, home of the Kennedy Space Center and periodic shuttle launches. On the Atlantic shore, Miami boasts hundreds of historic Art-Deco buildings and hotels along the famous avenues of South Beach. Just north of Miami, Fort Lauderdale is the place to catch a cruise or flight into the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and the Florida Keys.

Popular leisure activities in Florida include SCUBA diving, snorkeling, yachting, horseback riding and exploring the National Parks. Everglades National Park is a stunning 1.5 million acre expanse of green wetlands, hundreds of endangered or rare species like the American crocodile and the Florida Panther, bird and flamingo sanctuaries, and numerous boat and land tours.

Dry Tortugas National Park is also a must see, made up of a cluster of islands west of the Florida Keys in the Gulf of Mexico. The park is teeming with exotic wildlife, both above and below water, and fantastic legends of pirates, gold and a history of military development. Grab your oxygen tank and your airfare to Florida for some of the most spectacular underwater photography opportunities the world has to offer.

The Finer Side of Florida

Many travelers make their pilgrimage to Florida to experience fine seaside dining in the major cities like Miami and luxury communities like Jupiter Island. Hotels and full-service resorts are generously scattered throughout the coastal regions, Orlando and the Keys, and bayside mansions attracts their own class of renters and sightseers alike.

San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura California: Concierge Service

San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura, California has an unusual amenity, especially for a public beach: a concierge.

Park administrators don’t call Anne Dominguez a “concierge,” but it’s OK for visitors to call her that. She’s been special events coordinator at San Buenaventura State Beach for the past 12 years. She helps church groups, corporations, fund-raising committees and even families orchestrate the details of a beach picnic event.

Room for 3,000 Beach-goers

And with good reason. The day-use beach is so busy, and so big, that it requires a full-time staff member to help visitors, especially groups, to make their visit one to remember.

The beach is arguably the perfect large-group picnic venue. It starts south of Ventura’s 1,700 foot-long municipal pier and stretches south for two miles, with a small lagoon. In its center area, jetties frame swimming beaches staffed by lifeguards. Behind sand dunes, the beach offers enough picnics, lawn, barbeques, parking lots and the all-important showers for 3,000 people. It’s the largest day-use picnic area at a state beach in Southern California, according to state parks officials.

Anne has helped facilitate events ranging from the annual Aids/Lifecycle bicycling fundraiser, which draws thousands of participants, to corporate team-building picnics, to families planning a baptism.

She especially enjoys helping church, school and youth groups, since many of the children participating are making their first visit to the beach. For those kids, just being at the beach is thrill enough, Anne says. But she can help group organizers find kid-friendly hotels, cater picnic fare at the barbecue areas, even recommend vendors for jolly-jumps and other activities.

She also likes to arrange for the lifeguard staff to give a talk so the kids have a water-friendly experience.

“We want everyone to be aware of what to do in the water,” she says.

Ventura Hotels Nearby

The beach is close to the Crowne Plaza just to the north near Ventura Pier, and the Marriott to the south, a few yards’ walk from the entrance to the state beach. Families and smaller groups can also find small-scale hotels and bed-and-breakfasts an easy walk or drive away.

San Buenaventura State Beach is also a good “hub” beach for vacationers looking for a Southern California beach vacation that includes not only sun and sand, but also day excursions. Ventura Harbor is two miles’ south, with restaurants, shopping, and charter boats for whale watching and trips to the Channel Islands National Monument. The monument’s headquarters are actually at the harbor. Santa Barbara is a half-hour drive to the north, the Camarillo Premium Outlets shopping area is a half-hour south, and Ventura itself has plenty to entice tourists, in its charming downtown and its Ventura County Fairgrounds right on the ocean.

To reach San Buenaventura State Beach, take U.S. Highway 101 to the Seaward Avenue exit in Ventura. Turn south onto Seaward Avenue, left on Harbor Boulevard and then left on San Pedro Street. The state beach entrance is at the end of the block.

Cost to enter is $8 per vehicle. Groups of more than 30 people may require a permit fee. The park recommends large groups call ahead for reservations. For families and groups of smaller than 30 people, the park is available on a first-come, first-served basis.