Found this article that sums it up! http://news.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20110828/LIFE09/108280363/Indianapolis-getaway-s-close?odyssey=nav|head

I include the Indy Marriott website because I recently stayed there and they have a great location right downtown!

This post was submitted by Cristina Chewning.

1. Urban Spoon

This is one of those apps that’s appropriate for staycationers and vacationers alike. I discovered this app while looking for restaurants in cities I was visiting professionally but fell in love with the app while using it to find places locally personally. I found great restaurants right in my neighborhood that I had never heard of before! Urbanspoon is a a restaurant guide serving major cities in North America as well as London. Search for local restaurants by neighborhood, cuisine or price. Find reviews from local newspapers, food blogs and fellow diners. Vote on restaurants and share your take on the best and worst places to eat with your friends.

Urbanspoon – Urbanspoon

2. Gas Buddy

No matter how far you are driving on your staycation (even if it is within your own town) you want to find the cheapest gas on the go – for free! In one click, locate gas stations near you and see their current gas prices. Never overpay for gas again.

GasBuddy – Find Cheap Gas Prices – GasBuddy Organization Inc

3. Any travel app by Sutro Media

Sutro Media develops travel apps that cover a range of cities all across the United States; from Madison to Milwaukee, they have you covered. If you live in an area that applies to one of their apps, I’d encourage to download and install your city’s app on your smartphone. You would be amazed at the destinations right within your neighborhood. You can see the current list of their available apps here (expanding weekly):

http://www.sutromedia.com/apps.html

4. Living Social

Want to save 50%-90% at restaurants, spas, gyms, and more? Download Living Social. This free iPhone / iPad app lets you access LivingSocial’s daily local deals. Each day, they introduce a new, cool thing to do in your city — and give a HUGE discount for trying that new thing. They like to refer to themselves as the “United States of Savings.”

LivingSocial – LivingSocial

How to Make it Happen

Call your local Chamber of Commerce to find out the locations and times of markets in your area. Some markets are large enough that they may have their own website. Arrive early to find the best deals––if it’s a popular market merchants may sell out of goods early. If you become a regular, booth operators may hold back special items for you upon request.

Buy whatever looks good that week, or make a weekly meal list before you go and buy items for the week. Buying from local producers is a great way to eat fresh. But don’t assume that all produce at a Farmers Market is organic. If it is important to you, ask.

Once you have what you came for, just take the time to stroll around. Grab a drink, enjoy the entertainment, and watch other people go about their business.

Additional Activities

1. Consider growing your own vegetables in a backyardgarden.
2. If you can offer a product or service you think people would like, consider renting your own booth at the market.
3. Go to an open fish market for fresh fish.

How to Make it Happen

If you don’t already have one, inexpensive croquet sets—and other backyard games—are available through sporting good stores or discount store chains. Look for these in the spring, or discounted by mid-summer.

Croquet is best played on short grass. Basically, it involves knocking your ball with a mallet and trying to hit the ball through a series of wickets that are set in a figure-eight pattern. For a list of croquet rules, visit www.croquet.com.

If croquet isn’t your style, try other great backyard games, such as badminton, bocci ball or horseshoes. Always remember—safety first! Some games might not be safe if small children are around.

Additional Activities

1. Combine a backyard game tournament with a neighborhood barbecue.
2. Enter a horseshoe contest at a state or county fair.
3. Croquet Australia has a great set-up for kids: http://www.croquet-australia.com.au/Kids/

How to Make it Happen
There are a lot of misconceptions about taking flying lessons and becoming a pilot. And let’s set the record straight about two common myths: You don’t need a lot of money and you don’t have to have perfect eyesight to learn how to fly.

Want to get started? Now is a great time! Saturday, May 15, 2010 is the first annual “Learn to Fly Day”. Learn to Fly Day is about sharing the joy of flight with everyone. Learn to Fly Day is happening all over the country at participating flight schools, airports, and with independent flight instructors so that YOU can learn more about the wonders of flying! In fact there are over 300 locations in 147 cities participating in Learn to Fly Day. And you want to know the best part of Learn to Fly Day? It’s totally FREE!

This Saturday, flight schools and other aviation organizations will host a variety of events including learn to fly seminars, tours of the schools and/or airport and even first flight experiences.

Want to attend or get some more information?  Here are some links:

• All about the Learn to Fly Day: http://www.learntoflyday.com
• Free Learn to Fly Kit: http://www.pilotjourney.com/learntoflykit/

How to Make it Happen

According to the US Orienteering Federation, www.us.orienteering.org, the objective of orienteering is to “…run, walk, ski, or mountain bike to a series of points shown on the map, choosing routes––both on and off trail––that will help you find all the points and get back to the finish in the shortest amount of time.”

Designed as a sport, participants pass a series of control markers that they must punch to prove they’ve been there. The goal is to finish the course as quickly as possible.

For more information on how to get started with orienteering, important safety tips and competition locations, visit www.us.orienteering.org.

Additional Activities

1. Practice your skills with a compass by taking an off-trail hike in the woods. Use caution and never hike where it’s prohibited. Always let someone know where you are going.
2. Try geocaching.
   

How to Make it Happen

Start with the basics. Contact your county assessor’s office for information on when your home was built, who the previous owners were, and if/when there have been any additions to the original building. These records are often online. If online records do not go back far enough to identify the original owners, pay a visit to the assessor’s office for historical records.

If you live in an older home or neighborhood, you might be able to find information at a local historical society. Consult old newspapers or county records to provide cultural context for your home throughout its history. If you can identify the original owners, try to research how they came to your town, how they were employed, and what happened in their lives. Again, local historical or genealogical societies may be able to help with this research.

If you live in a newer house you have the honor of starting its history. Our homes acquire personality through our memories and shared experience. So write down the important events of your history in the house––the milestones and accomplishments your family shares in this home. Take before and after pictures when you renovate or redecorate a room. Save clippings of important local events or natural disasters that your house witnesses or even survives. Some day you can pass these memories on to your grown children, or leave it as a gift to the next homeowners.

Additional Activities

1. Research an historic site. (Idea #51)
2. Join a local historical or genealogical society.

How to Make it Happen

To participate in geocaching, you will need a GPS device and the ability to hike, sometimes in rough terrain. The website, www.geocaching.com, provides helpful tips on how to get started, the location of geocache, and reviews on GPS devices.

Active geocachers not only hunt geocache, they also place them and create hide and seek adventures for others. When you find a geocache, you sign the log left with the marker. You then get online and share your adventure—including stories and photos—of locating the geocache.

Geocaching.com claims there are almost 765,000 active geocache in the world: surely one of them is near you!

Additional Activities

1. Visit different geocache locations around the country.
2. Try orienteering. 
3. Go trail hiking in the mountains.

So grab a drink, stroll through the booths and admire other people’s talents. It may even inspire you to explore your own.

How to Make it Happen

Do an online search to locate major summer art festivals in your area of the country. You can also try contacting your area Chamber of Commerce or arts council for information on local exhibitions. Your state tourism website may also have a list of community art festivals.

Additional Activities

1. Create your own masterpiece 
2. Attend an exhibit of a local artist.
3. Check out a book on a favorite artist or one you want to learn more about.

This post was submitted by Cynthia Igasan.