Friday, August 15, 2008

The price of gas got you down?

I've heard a lot of people say that they are foregoing vacation this summer because the price of gas ... actually the price of everything ... has gotten too high. Recently, the town we live in (Asheville, NC) had their street fair ... it's called Belle Chere and is the largest free street fair in the southeast. I heard a lot of vendors comment that attendance was way down.

So I started to think ... how can we have a summer vacation ... one that isn't all about doing fix-it jobs around the house ... without using a lot of energy or breaking the bank? Easy ... play tourist in your own home town/city ... or one close by.

There are all kinds of things to do close to home. Here are a few ideas:
  • Visit a museum or gallery.
  • Take a walk through an arboretum or botanical garden.
  • Check the Internet for things to do (most cities and towns have their own website with all kinds of visitor information).
  • Go hiking in the mountains or swimming at the beach (whichever is closest to you).
  • Stay in a hotel/motel, close to home, and eat out at restaurants.
  • Attend area festivals.
  • Check out a movie or play.
  • Visit an acquarium.
  • Go to a concert.
  • Have a picnic in the park.
  • Check out a farmer's market.
  • Shop in an area that you usually don't frequent.
  • Wander through a cemetery ... I know ... kind of weird but did you know that some cities actually have graveyard tours?
  • Take a walking tour of the downtown area.
  • If your city has tours of historic areas or any other type of tour, take one.

If you stop to think about it, people from other areas probably come to your area for vacation. So ... why not be one of them ... be a tourist in your own home.

As always, I would love to hear your ideas for reducing, reusing and recycling. Just click on the comments link, located at the bottom of each post, and let me know what you think and how you conserve.