So for those who still have a couple of vacation weeks to burn this year, I’ve been able to track down some good staycation ideas for Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 27th annual “Historic Morganton Festival” is being held in Morganton this year from September 5th through the 6th.  Amoung some of the highlights from this year’s roster is the band SonicFlood and Craig Morgan.  For more information visit: www.downtownmorganton.com

From September 5-13th you can check out the Cabarrus County Fair in Corcord where you may not find flying pigs but you will see swimming pigs among the many events planned this year.  The quintessential county fair is packed with livestock events, circus shows, arts, crafts, entertainment and rides.  www.cabarruscountyfair.com

Do you like to Whitewater?  Then check out the Whitewater Festival on September 13.   Enjoy all kind of outside activities at the 307 acre National Whitewater Center located 20 minutes south of Center City Charlotte along the Catawba River.  Activities such as rock climbing, kayak/raft races, river tours, high ropes/zip lines, children’s events and of course…food!  Visit www.usnwc.org for more information

One of the oldest Charlotte area gatherings is the “Festival in the Park” being held this year from September 18-21.  This annual art festival has been a tradition since 1964.  Browse the 150 artists’booths featuring local and regional artists displaying their work, from watercolors, oils and pottery to handmade jewelry, clothing and woodwork.  Visit: www.festivalinthepark.org

Many thanks to the “Charlotte Trip” for the wonderful charotte staycation ideas.  You can visit: www.charlottetrip.com for more information on area fall festivals.

I remember once as a boy staying at a friend’s house when his dad helped my friend and me to build a small wooden toy boat.  We built the toy boats in my friend’s garage and took the boats down to local canoe landing on a small creek.  20 years later and it is one of my fondest childhood memories.

Yesterday afternoon I had the kids to myself for a few hours while my wife went shopping with some of her friends.  For the first hour, we kind of stared at each other trying to think of something to do to keep us busy for a few hours, when suddenly my childhood memory came rushing back.

We headed down to our local Home Depot for some free scrap wood.  When Home Depot custom cuts wood for customer, they leave the scrap wood in a cart.  If you ask nicely enough you can usually pick through the scrap wood and pick up some good small project wood for free.  I also picked up a wooden dowl for the stack and some eyelets to attach some string to when we decide to water test our craft.

I kind of had a template in mind when I started this project.  I wanted our boats to look something like this:

I’ll be honest with you, our wooden toy boats are still a work in progress.  I’m hoping to complete them today and I’ll post some pictures of our results.  Hopefully, I can also take some pictures of us launching our boats in a local stream.  I wanted to get this post up so you can start working on your own boats as well.

By the way, I grabbed the photo above from http://www.craftkitsandsupplies.com which has the above kit for $3.60.   Here is a link to the boat kit: Woodcraft Kit - Tug Boat Kit.

I had a really enjoyable evening tonight.  My wife and the kids and I went on a nice bikeride around our neighborhood.  We started out not really with any destination in mind but ended up at a nearby park to let the kids play for a while.  As I was bicycling around and enjoying the beautiful summer evening a thought occurred to me, “now this is a great staycation idea!”.   One thing that kind of put a damper on the evening though was the fact the we realized our daughter is over the 40 pound weight limitation of the bike carrier.  Looks like we might have to invest in a good bike trailer.  Any ideas?

There have been a few terms tossed around this summer regarding the idea of enjoying your summer at home. We have heard the terms:

• Staycation - enjoying a vacation in your local community
• Fitcation - enjoying some time off while focusing on your fitness
• Daycation - taking day trips usually on one tank of gas or less

But now the Austin Daily Herald and the Mower County Fair Board has introduced a new term “Fair-cation”. Which, you guessed it, means going on a vacation at the county fair.

The Mower County Fair Board created this word to help promote the 124th annual Mower County Fair which is taking place in Austin, Texas between August 5-10th. If you want to learn more about this fair, you should really read the rest of the Austin Daily Herald’s article.

Some interesting fun facts about fairs:

• The New York State Fair is the longest running state fair in the country started in 1841
• Mercer County, Kentucky claims it is the longest continuous running country fair in the country
• King County, Washington is the longest running county fair west of the Mississippi

As I was doing research for this article I found a great article at Kids Party Fun.com which had an wonderful staycation idea for kids. Set up your own country fair in the yard or nearby park! Kid’s Party Fun: Country Fair

Enjoy your county fair.

Travel Channel.com is presenting an entire online channel and show entitled, “Beat the Prices” featuring travel ideas and videos highlighting various regional staycation ideas. Some of their featured videos include:

• Staycation: Boating Florida’s Everglades
• Staycation: Miami’s Latin Quarter
• Staycation: New York Culture
• Staycation: New York City To Do
• Staycation: Washington, D.C. Photo Tour

They are also featuring articles such as:

• One Tank Wonders: Twenty trips from 10 cities which you can take with one tank of gas
• Carless Adventures: Trip and tour ideas to explore your local area without spending money on gas

These are just some of the features of the Travel Channel’s “Beat the prices” channel. I’d encourage you to visit TravelChannel.com for more staycation suggestions. Here is one of the featured videos, “Boating Florida’s Everglades”.

Let’s face it, a staycation is about saving money and enjoying the sites and sounds around your home. And what is a good way to save some money? Don’t spend ANY! TheSimpleDollar blog posted a recent article about 100 things to do during a money free weekend. They have some great ideas that could be used on a staycation! Here are just a few of their great money free ideas:

1. Visit your community library
2. Play board games
3. Take digital photographs and share them (on flickr)
4. Make a how-to video for YouTube
5. Practice Origami
6. Have a film festival - watch your favorite movies with your friends
7. Read a book - either one lying around that you haven’t read in a while or one loaned by a friend
8. Have a yard sale
9. Do some sudoku or crossword puzzles
10. Volunteer

That’s just 10 selected from a list of well over 100! I’d encourage you to pick a couple of ideas and make a goal not to spend ANY money. Let me know how it goes.

Do know what I love about the internet? Finding a good blog is only one click away. I found a good one tonight and wanted to share it with you. Check out, GettingOutside.com They have lots of great ideas for enjoying the great outdoors. They have a great forum thread entitled, “Some Ideas for Camping on the Cheap.” Here are some of their suggestions:

1. Plan Ahead
2. Use “Survivorman” Tactics (live off the land)
3. Hike and Bike
4. Carpool with friends
5. Bring the Right Tools
6. Conserve Firewood
7. Enroll in a course at a local state park.
8. Eat Like a Pioneer

They have some other idea as well. You should really read the rest of the article for yourself. After that you should unplug your computer and get outside!

Enjoy your staycation.

We all know that with record breaking fuel costs, flying on a commercial aircraft is expensive and cumbersome. I’m sure that for many of you, the airline ticket prices may be exactly why you are thinking about a staycation in the first place.

However, not all flying is cumbersome.

In fact, flying a small personal airplane can be a extremely rewarding and exciting experience. There is no better way to explore your local community and the sights it has to offer than from the air! One good way to do this is by signing up for a a flight lesson. Be a Pilot.com and 2,000+ participating flight schools have teamed up to offer a “Introductory Flight Lesson” for only $99. You’ll get 30 minutes of flight time in the air with a certified flight instructor flying around your local area. As long as your house isn’t located on the final approach to a major airport, there is a good chance the instructor will take you to see an aerial view of your home. Just be sure to bring your camera! Like I said before, there are thousands of participating flight schools. I did a search near my home and there are over 15 schools just within 25 miles!

Visit Be a Pilot.com for more information and to sign up for your first introductory flight.

One staycation idea that has had quite a bit of popularity is to enhance your local vacation experience by staying at a local hotel. In fact, I’ve mentioned before how hotels are providing discounts and coupons for local residents.

Now, I am a professional piot. As a professional pilot, I have stayed in A LOT of hotels. After a while, they all start to look the same. Same beds, same food and same pool. So when I get a break from professional traveling, and get to travel for fun, the last thing I want to do is go stay at just another boring hotel.

So why not trying stay at a bed and breakfast?

I remember when I was young, one of my most memorable vacations was staying at a Amish Bed and Breakfast in Berlin, Ohio. As a kid, I enjoyed the fact that it felt like you were visiting a long lost relative’s home. I loved meeting and talking to the owner’s of the house and also the other guests. It is a much warmer, friendly environment than a hotel chain.

Find a local Bed and Breakfast.

A great tool for finding a local Bed and Breakfast is to go to Bed and Breakfast.com. You can enter a destination, enter a date and do a search. You can also purchase Bed and Breakfast gift cards, what a great gift idea!

Here’s a good example of a recent local bed and breakfast staycation search. I’m in Indianapolis, Indiana on a business trip and did a search for a local Bed and Breakfast. I discovered the Wheeler House Bed and Breakfast. Located only 20 minutes south of Indianapolis,IN and 40 minutes north of Bloomington’s Indiana University. The Wheeler House is the boyhood home of well know Indiana Empressionist Artist, Clifton Wheeler. Thought to be his first mural, is panoramic view of the Mooresville countryside in the late1800’s/ early 1900’s. Other aminities in this restored 1895 Victorian Home are a Tea Room, Book Store, and Antique Store. All three B&B rooms are decorated with antiques, antique furniture, and collectibles. they each feature private baths and inroom movies. Included with your stay is a 50% dicount at the Silver Owl Teriputic Massage located on property. Massage services are also available in room at no extra charge. For your shopping pleasure, four other Antique Stores are only 2 blocks away.

See how easy that was? Find a local Bed and Breakfast near you for your staycation today!