Ideal Bite

Want a dandy destination that's handy?

Submitted by tmeronek on Fri, 08/10/2007 - 1:01am.

The Bite:

Head to a national park near you. Visiting your local purple mountain majesties or amber waves of grain is a great, inexpensive way to get out and smell the Yankee Doodle daisies.

The Benefits:

Land of the (almost) free. You'll save big bucks compared to a trip to Disneyworld. Bonus: no "It's a Small World" music driving you insane.
Leaving flying to the birds. There are national parks, monuments, or other points of interest in 49 of 50 states (sorry, Delawareans - you'll have to carpool to Maryland); a road trip to a nearby park'll create less CO2 than a flight to Europe, for sure.
Preserving your sanity. Connecting with nature improves your mental health, and kids who engage with nature actually exhibit fewer ADHD symptoms.

Personally Speaking:

Jenifer has vacationed with her family in nearly every national park in the Western States. Her fave is still Denali, AK, despite her accidental encounter with a black bear on the trail (luckily, no blood was shed).

Wanna Try:

National Park Service - find a national park or monument near you.
National Parks Conservation Association - donate or volunteer your time to the top national parks advocacy organization.
National Parks Conservation Association ParkScapes - book a tour designed to minimize impact while enjoying the outdoors.

Marcie Kohenak