Blog Post: Staycation Still an Option, But Bring Money!

In spite of what some politicians are claiming, I'm not all that sure that our economy is all that healthy yet. What this means is that many people may be electing to have a "staycation" this year as opposed to a more ambitious vacation at, say, Hawaii, Cabo or any other place that requires extensive travel. Budgets are still tight and while many people may decide to stay busy locally this summer. It still may not be all that cheap, depending on what one decides to do.

For instance, the Disney corporation has raised one-day admission prices to their parks from $80 to $87 per adult, per park. If you don't know it already, Disney is one of the few places that considers a ten year old an adult. Therefore if Mom and Dad, a teen and a ten yer old want to go to Disneyland, admission will be $364 for all four. Factor in parking, gas to get there, food and other incidentals and a $500 day is not out of the question.

Universal Studios has raised their admission  prices from $77 to $80. But there's good news: Six Flags Magic Mountain ($61.99) and Knott's Berry Farm ($57.99) have NOT raised their admission prices. Personally, I love Knotts Berry Farm. As far as amusement parks go I think it's a great bargain.

Another new offering for the recreationally-minded is the "zip-line". You will find them on Catalina Island, at Big Bear and at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Zip lines are an elevated cable ride that zips harnessed riders down a steep incline at speeds of 30-45 mph with gravity doing all the work. I love the concept of this and I am anxious to try it. But it costs over $100 for a ride that lasts only a short time. Again, for a family of four (or more) it's not cheap.

There are, of course, less expensive places to take the family this summer. We are well blessed in Southern California with many parks, hiking trails, bike paths, beaches, museums, shopping meccas, zoos, and other unique places like the L.A. County Arboretum, Huntington Library and gardens, Olvera Street, Chinatown, and many other places that still require that one spend some money. But not so much.

In Glendora, we also have , , games to watch being played on weekends, , many and ...well, the list is endless. So if your plans are for a staycation, at least you have plenty of options. I tend to think that someone living in Fargo, North Dakota isn't quite so fortunate!