Staycation Ideas

Archive for the ‘Outdoor Staycation Ideas’ Category

Well here is a very interesting side benefit to taking a staycation…not being bitten by sharks.

USAtoday is reporting that researchers are reporting fewer shark bites as a result of fewer people traveling to beaches.  Shark attacks are now at their lowest level within the past 5 years.  Reported shark attacks fell from 71 in 2007 to only 59 in 2008.  George Burgress, of the University of Florida, said, “With the price of gas high, fewer people went to the beach.”

So there you go.  Another added safety benefit of taking a staycation this year!

You can read the orignal article from USAtoday here:

Shark attacks drop; recession blamed – Science Fair – USATODAY.com

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?

Are you looking for some ideas for things you can do in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio and northern Kentucky on your summer staycation.  Here is small list I put together.  I have to give credit to the CincyMoms.com forum for some of these ideas:

1. Visit the Cincinnati Zoo (voted #1 family attraction in Cincinnati)
2. Newport Aquarium
3. Stay a night at the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason (indoor waterpark)
4. How can you forget, King’s Island ?
5. Drive to the Kentucky Horse Park
6. Mammoth Caves
7. Six Flag’s Kentucky Kingdom
8. Columbus’s COSI isn’t too far away.
9. Hocking Hills makes a nice weekend getaway
10. Hueston Woods State Park is a great staycation destination
11. The Beach Water Park is a great way to cool off on your hot staycation
12. Have you been to CoCo Key in Cincinnati yet?
13. We love visiting the Cincinnati Museum Center
14. Coney Island is home to Sunlite Pool – the world’s largest recirculating swimming pool!

Do you have some other ideas? Be sure to submit your staycation idea or you can comment on this post to let me know of other great staycation ideas for Cincinnati.

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.

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.