Now you have a room, what do you do now? Well, the beach and boardwalk are the best and most obvious free activities. You’ll find that there are often free concerts at the various band shells along the boardwalk. And there are many street performers like jugglers and magicians. (Thanks to jinar55 on Twitter for some great tips.) I live close to the beach and still go to the boardwalk to see the sites. What if the weather doesn’t cooperate? The Virginia Aquarium is a great place to spend an afternoon. There is an admission fee but it’s well worth it. Our friends at Insiderspassport.com have a coupon booklet that includes a coupon for a discount at the Aquarium and several other local venues. Click here to get the Virginia Beach Passport. While you’re at it, click here to check out the rest of their great site.

If you want some non-beach activity check out Mount Trashmore. Yes, Trashmore. This park is 165 acres, 60 feet high, over 800 feet long, and was created by compacting layers of solid waste and clean soil. Recognized for its environmental feat, the park features the Water Wise demonstration garden that boasts xeriscaping where you can learn how to create a beautiful garden with minimal water requirements.

The park opens at 7:30 a.m. and closes at sunset. Facilities include picnic shelters, playground areas, basketball court, volleyball areas, parking, vending machines and rest rooms, plus an extensive street course Skate Park which includes a seven-foot deep bowl and a massive 13.5 ft tall vert ramp. The park also has a walking trail that measures approximately 1.45 miles. Trail maps are available at Park Office. While no private boats are allowed on this lake, fishing is allowed. Click here to find it on Google maps. You can get driving directions or just check out the satellite photos.

Those are just a few of the inexpensive ways to spend your vacation at Virginia Beach on a tight budget. Hope this makes you decide to come out to see all that this resort town has to offer!

Of course the other thing to do in DC is the monument tour. I prefer to do this on foot without any of the guided tours that are available. It allows you to spend as much or as little time at a spot that you want to. While in the area of the Mall and the Washington Monument we stopped at the new National Aquarium. It’s located directly across from the Ronald Reagan Building in the lower level of the Commerce Department. The admission was $7 and the aquarium was actually better that I expected. This is not the Atlanta Aquarium or the National Aquarium in Baltimore by any stretch. It is a very interesting way to spend an hour or two while doing a walking tour. All in all I think it was worth the price of admission. It really shined a light on the incredible value it is to go to the zoo for free.

When we’re in DC we usually eat at Trio located at the corner of Q Street and 17th. The food is always good and not priced too high. Four of us ate a late lunch for around $50. It’s more of a neighborhood spot than a tourist trap so you escape the overpriced menu of many spots near the monuments.

DC can be a very expensive destination but there are many things to do there that a very reasonably priced. You can make this a day trip or better yet, book a cheap room online and stay for the weekend.

One last tip, DC can be very tricky to navigate. If you’re not comfortable driving, the Metro subway system is a great alternative. It’s clean and safe and very affordable. There are stops near most of the major attractions in town including the Zoo. If you prefer there are many Park and Ride locations located well outside of the city congestion. Park there and let the Metro do the driving.

Now that Spring is almost here I start thinking about Knoebels.  When I was a kid we called it Knoebels Grove, now they call it Knoebels Amusement Resort.  Whatever you call it, it’s still the best amusement park value I know of.  I’m not alone in this feeling.  Rachel Ray of Food Network fame rated Knoebels the best value for amusement parks in an issue of her magazine last summer. Without a doubt, if you live within a couple hours of this destination, you need to take a day trip.  If you live further, turn it into a weekend trip.  There is no admission fee and no charge for parking!  Although it’s not likely, you could conceivably go to Knoebels and not spend a dime.  If you have kids you know what a big deal this is.  You have the option of paying per ride or a pay one price for the day.  Kids start at $19.50 and adults at $29.50!  Add a couple bucks if you want to ride the wooden coasters.  Your kids can get the all day pass while you pay by the ride if you decide to try the Pheonix roller coaster.  The Pheonix is a wooden coaster that was disassembled in Texas and brought across the country by train.  The folks at Knoebels painstakingly reassembled the coaster in 1985. 

You can click the Google Map below to find your way to Knoebels.  You can also search for a hotel in the search box to the right.  Knoebels is located in Elysburg, PA.  It’s not a large community so you won’t find a hotel next to the park.   The park does offer cabin rentals starting at $110 per night and campsites starting at $37 per night.  So if you don’t mind roughing it a bit go for it.  For the less adventurous (me) I’ve included a link below to the hotel the appears to be closest to the park. For around $100 you can stay about 10 miles away.

Make reservations only 10 miles from the park for around $100/ night.

 Check the rates at Knoebels – click here

Ride the Phoenix!

Check out the Trip Advisor Destination Guide for Knoebels Here.

Read Dee Smith’s article on great family amusement parks for toddlers!

Check out the destination guide for some great information.

So stay tuned.  We have some great things planned.  We’ll be posting blog entries and doing video reports.  We’ll be doing reviews and putting together some affordable options for you to get away on a budget.