Olympic National Park and surroundings set the  stage for a relaxing winter getaway. This year, that getaway is more affordable  than ever.  For November or December travel with the End 2010 with $20.10 Deal, visitors to the area can stay one night at Lake Quinault Lodge (pictured above) or Kalaloch Lodge for $99 and get the second night for ONLY $20.10!

Although it’s one of the wettest regions in the Northwest, there are  plenty of indoor and outdoor activities available to complement an Olympic Peninsula winter escape, rain or shine. Here are some suggestions:

*         Tide pooling at Kalaloch Beach in the twilight hours between 6  and 7 p.m.
*         Storm watching from a cozy cabin at Kalaloch Lodge, as wild Pacific waves crash against boulders
*         Taking a rain forest tour at Lake Quinault Lodge, when fall and winter downpours create the most vibrant setting of the year
*         Watching for the region’s diverse bird species, including crossbills, dippers, warblers, chickadees, nuthatches and thrushes
*         Indulging in the culinary delights of Chef Patrick Norris at Lake Quinault Lodge’s Roosevelt Room, featuring contemporary twists on Northwest fare
*         Relaxing fireside in either lodge’s fireplace rooms or the grand fireplace in Lake Quinault Lodge’s lobby

This package is valid for visits from Nov. 1 to Dec. 30, 2010. Blackout dates include Nov. 23-26 and Dec. 22-26. Visitors must book by November 30. Reservations for either lodges can be made by visiting www.olympicnationalparks.com or by calling (866) 297-7367.

Photo credit:  ARAMARK Parks and Destinations

I grew up in Ohio, which has a surprising number of summer amusements. My favorite, of course, was and is Cedar Point, home to some of the finest roller coasters in the world!

As with most amusements, proximity is the best solution to money saving.  There are options available that include or exclude parking, for seniors/juniors, for unlimited or limited visits. The Platinum pass for ‘local’ visitors is an amazing option for families and includes attractions in 6 states and 1 province!

For not-so-local visitors, though, there are also on-line admission deals and discounts available  on Cedar Point’s website, available ONLY on-line and not at the gate. Many are time sensitive, so if you know Cedar Point is on your summer list, act now! One particularly cool offer is a combined Cedar Point/Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame ticket for $54 per person (over 4′ tall)!  That’s a savings of $13 at least for the two attractions.

Photo credit: ewige

What a great way to finish a great day in Maine!  Because of the more rural nature of Maine, the skies are dark and the fireworks are brilliant as a result.  We love our fireworks up here, and there are many displays planned throughout the summer.

The State Fire Marshall has conveniently provided a listing of approved fireworks displays for 2010 on their website.  This is a great place to start your planning for including a fireworks display in your visit to Maine.  Weather in Maine is variable, to say the least. Always confirm locally that the fireworks will go off as scheduled.

Photo credit: Sabrina Fobes

This annual event is the major fundraiser for the Scribner’s Mill Preservation group.  They pull out all the stops and it is a great historical event.  The Back to the Past celebration is always the first weekend in August.  The efforts of dozens of volunteers and exhibitors help make this a great experience for the whole family.

There are people demonstrating and selling hand crafted items — e.g., spinners and knitters, a tatter, weavers, and a beader. There is a pig roast. There is music. There are diversions for children. There are antique vehicles like a fire truck that periodically shows how water was taken from the nearby stream to put out a fire. There is the mill itself, an amazing feat of restoration. There is a working blacksmith’s shop. There is the house, which is itself being put back to how it looked in it’s hey day.

It is a marvelous way to spend a day. It helps with the mill restoration and is a great step into Maine history.

Photo credit: Sharife

Maine has a lot of outdoors for vacationers to enjoy.  Parks abound.  There is one National Park (Acadia), a piece of the White Mountain National Forest, and 31 or so parks managed by the Maine Bureau of Parks that charge fees. The Appalachian trail passes through or near several of these.

Day passes are completely reasonable to visit one of these parks.  Fees for adults range from $4 for residents to $6 for non-residents, depending on the park.  For children 11 and under, admission is $1.  Senior Maine residents go free; non-residents no more than $4.  If you’ll be in Maine for an extended period, like a summer, or live in Maine, consider an annual pass. $70 vehicle pass gets access to all 31 of the fee-charging parks for a year.

Maine’s natural entertainment is it’s biggest tourist asset. If you go to Maine, don’t limit your visit to the beaches. Look into one or more of Maine’s state parks.

Photo Credit: Chris Dag

I grew up in Ashtabula, Ohio, next to a town park right on Lake Erie.  On a recent visit home, my sister and I took several walks through this park, as one of its entrances is only a couple hundred feet from our mother’s front door.

With the help of the Army Corps of Engineers, Lakeshore Park has grown into a very nice something-for-everyone park. Some of the features include beach, boat launch, Frisbee golf course and bocci courts, picnic tables and hibachis, duck pond with ducks, geese, and swans; pavilions, lots of open space, ball field, playground, bathrooms and a concession stand.  The one notable drawback (in my opinion) is that dogs are not allowed in the park.

Oh, and for those of you who need you some WiFi, Lakeshore Park is equipped!

There is no fee to get into the park, but reservations may be necessary for pavilion space for family reunions, or weddings, say. If you find yourself on American’s ‘North Coast’, specifically, Ashtabula, Ohio, take a visit to this lovely and historic park.

I went to Italy in 2000, a great year to be in Rome.  The Sistine Chapel had just been restored; much of the sculpture in public had been given a facelift; the city was alive.  So, What made the biggest impression on me?  Besides the Sistine Chapel, that is… The Colosseum.  The movie Gladiator was also released in 2000, and the Colosseum played a key part in that film. I had seen Gladiator before the trip, and the Colosseum was whole, had seating, had a floor. I can’t find proof of historical accuracy, but still, all in all, a pretty impressive bit of architecture.

The real thing impressed me no less.   Standing in it gave me goosebumps. The structure is nearly 2000 years old, and except for piracy for building materials and damage caused by nature, what’s still standing — and it’s a lot — is a statement on Roman architectural skills.  It’s history is amazing; its uses varied. Seeing the ampitheatre; seeing the tunnels that ran under the Colosseum floor; standing where there used to be seats and imagining all it was (in my case, with the visual help taken from the movie Gladiator) makes the Colosseum a must-see site on a Rome visit.  And, at least when I visited, there was no fee for entry.

Related Reading: Things to Do in Bolzano, Italy

Photo credit: dumplife
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There is enough budget wise stuff to do in and around here to fill a day.  Boutique window shopping, street performers, amazing food (or pack a lunch), and room for kids to leap and hop are just some of the attractions.  Planning a trip to include Quincy Market (Faneuil Hall Marketplace)?  Make it on a Saturday, bring shopping bags and include a trip to the nearby Farmer’s Market.  There are good deals all day, but visiting at the end of the day is best for two reasons — you’re not toting fresh produce all day AND the vendors are more willing to deal, because they don’t want to tote that produce back home.

Also, the Freedom Trail passes by Quincy Market and the remarkably moving Holocaust Memorial is right there as well.

Photo credit: fuzzcat

There is no one who comes to visit Maine for a week, a weekend or a summer that doesn’t aspire to see, at least, a moose.  The  intrepid wildlife seeker can find an alternative to driving the highways and byways in the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, Maine. Open from April to Veteran’s Day, the park is a self-sufficient facility under the auspices of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (IF&W).

Entrance fees are between $5-$7.00, but your money will be well spent as it goes back to the maintenance of the Park. Many of the animals at the Park were brought there because they were injured or orphaned or have become human dependent and cannot survive on their own in the wild.

A big ‘must see’ at the Park is the Dry Mills Fish Hatchery which raises thousands of Brook Trout annually.

Bring stuff to barbecue, pack a picnic lunch, or purchase lunch from the snack shack.  Stop in at the Visitor’s Center or visit the Nature Store.  Walk the tree trail or animal trail to learn more about the flora and fauna native to Maine.  To locals, especially those with children, visits to this park are part and parcel of summer in Maine.  Visitors to Maine should include it on their travel agenda, too.

This is a gem of a museum.  It is the oldest art museum in Maine and is home to over 17,000 objects d’art.  Found on the corner of High and Free Streets, and visible from Congress St., the PMA is conveniently located for access on a walking tour of Portland.

In addition to rotating special exhibitions and originals by several Maine artists (Winslow Homer and Andrew and N.C. Wyeth, to name three), the museum offers art from the American Neo Classical, French Impressionism, American Impressionism, Post Impressionism, Surrealism, Modernism, and Cubism schools, and Glass and Ceramics as well.

The museum offers lectures, movies, a gift shop, Sunday morning Jazz breakfasts, classes and workshops.

My favorite thing about PMA, however, is that is accessible financially to everyone.  While admission during the week and on weekends is $10 for adults; $8 for seniors and id’d students, and $6 for those 6-17, Friday night… EVERY Friday night… from 5-9 p.m. is FREE! Absolutely.  And includes the current special exhibit.

Photo credit: Cliff1066