Fun Outdoor Activities for Families

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

02 Jun 2009 06:28 AM

Good news for cash-strapped families: You don't need to put the brakes on your summer road trip because you're pinching pennies. Dozens of cities across the country are offering free family fun in the sun this summer.

Take a look at these outdoor adventures that won't cost you a penny to partake in:

VIRGINIA

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is best known for its wild pony round-ups that take place each July. However, the 14,000-acre park also features dozens of other free activities, including bird watching, kayaking, and fishing. The refuge is filled with dunes, marshes and maritime forests. You can find the outdoor-lovers haven on the Virginia side of Assateague Island.

OHIO

Southeastern Ohio's Hocking Hills Region is a Mecca for outdoor extremists. The area is home to spectacular parks, arboretums and sandstone formations. This summer the Hocking Hills Tourism Association is allowing visitors 21 years and older to borrow a digital Flip Ultra video camera to record the area's gorgeous sights and sounds--free of charge. The cameras are available at the Hocking Hills welcome center where Route 33 meets Route 664.

SOUTH DAKOTA

If fishing is your thing, then don't miss the second annual South Dakota Walleye Classic & Festival in Akaska. It takes place this year from August 12-16. In addition to top-rated fishing, you and your family can view a chainsaw artist, watch Native American dancers, comedians and cowboys re-enacting a historic South Dakota shooting, for free.

VERMONT

Take an educational outdoor vacation to Vermont this summer. While there you can help celebrate the anniversary of Frenchman Samuel de Champlain's discovery of Lake Champlain in 1609. To honor the historic event visitors will be allowed to travel the Lake Champlain Bikeways--a network of routes that covers more than 1,400 miles across Vermont, New York and Quebec--for free. The route gives bikers the chance to choose rides based on interests from wineries to sugar mapling. The principal route around Lake Champlain is 363 miles long, but more than 40 additional options range from six to more than 60 miles in length and include paved and gravel roads.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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