Staycation: Going to the Park

by Angela Reuss on July 2nd, 2014 | No Comments »

Can’t afford the family vacation you wanted this summer? Never fear! Consider going to the park for a staycation. Here are some fun ideas for how to create a summer park tour that will make you feel like you have been on an extravagant vacation.

We all know the park is free of charge but have you ever taken a road trip to one? What I mean is that most people go to the park locally. But what if we expand our territory and venture out to a completely new and different park every week? There are parks everywhere. What if we drove 50 miles to a park?

Every park is different with its own unique “flavor”- whether it is swimming pools, fountains, concerts, big play lands, fishing lakes, preservations, gardens, rivers, cabins, caves, horses, or something else that may be unique to the area. It’s like a box of chocolates and… well you know the rest… What a cool adventure for the family to discover a new place; a new location; a new activity; a new fun adventure every week!

We live in Cincinnati Ohio; I know there’s at least 50 or more parks we could go to within a 50 mile radius within the tri-state area (Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana)—Most of which, we have not yet seen, heard of, or gone to. They were easy to find because all I had to do is look up the parks by county online and then make a google map or just GPS the address.

3 Reasons Why You Should be Going to the Park on Your Staycation

Saves you time - The average family vacation takes quite a bit of time to plan. But to tour the parks only takes the amount of time it does to get dressed, pack a small cooler with food and drinks along with some frozen bottles of water… and Walla!
Gets away from the house - It’s like touring 12 different cities every weekend throughout the summer without all the hassle and stress to plan a long, faraway trip. Each park can be a new adventure that the family looks forward to doing every week—not just building up the suspense for a one time trip.
Saves you money - You don’t have to worry about finding a hotel; booking a hotel; food, planning activities, buying and/or packing all the travel necessities, clothes, arrangements for the pet, house sitter, etc. The best part about it is other than gas, it’s FREE!

This is a fun, adventurous, and easy way to take an enjoyable road trip during those long days of summer. It’s exciting to experience something new each and every time!

This last trip we went on was to Giles Conrad Park in Hebron Kentucky by the Airport (about a 25 minute drive from us). We live in the city so it was a nice get away to the countryside. We enjoyed walking the trail along the Ohio River, being amongst all the beautiful greenery, and exploring a new park. It was a nice mini-trip away for the family.

I hope this helps give you some ideas on what to do this summer when the kids get bored. Let me know if you decide to do a tour with the family. I would love to know how your mini-trips go!

What is one of your favorite parks to visit?

Featured image from Flickr

Angela Reuss (Cincinnati, Ohio) is the new author of "PLAY The Discipline Solution"- a system that motivates children to do chores while teaching life skills and diminishing entitlement without paying a cash allowance or spanking. She is a single mother of three children and has had multiple careers such as radio host/DJ, photographer and graphic designer.

Angela began working with children at a young age in high school while she studied Child Development. She has also been a photographer for children, families, weddings & entertainers for 17 years. During her years of working in photography, she went into non-profit sector providing social service to the community. Over the last 4 years, she became a DJ and Radio Host. Recently, she became a Global Presence Ambassador for the non-profit organization of Parenting 2.0.

Here life experiences coupled with having her own children, has led to her genius system toolkit titled "P.L.A.Y. The Discipline Solution.” Connect with her at www.thedisciplinesolution.com.