Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Works For Me Wednesday: Local Guides

We collect local guide books whenever we find them cheap. Tuck one or two in the car, and every errand becomes a field trip. (Okay, I just cemented our nerd status with that line!)

How the frugal family uses local guides:
  • Our state sells its book of historical markers for only $3.50. Spotting the distinctive plaques all over town is a favorite game.
  • Check your city's visitor center for free walking/driving tours and historic maps.
  • Local wildflower and tree guides, often written by area colleges, can help you incorporate native/roadside/free plants in your garden.
  • Antique shopping and outlet guides help you find hidden resources like factory seconds or salvage yards in industrial parts of town.
  • Check the library's regional travel guides for activities "off the beaten path" or day trips you never knew existed so close to home.
  • Don't forget the ultimate free local guide: the Yellow Pages! Stash last year's book in the trunk of your car for free information on the run.

Rocks In My Dryer has more Works-For-Me-Wednesday tips for the family!

11 comments:

Robin said...

They are also nice to put in a guest room. Gives your guests some ideas of things to do while they are visiting.

Joanna said...

For frugal getaways, we visit a town known to have historical significance, and make a beeline for the visitors bureau. We pick up the local travel brochures, obviously- but we found an even better resource. The volunteers at the visitor's center are enthusiastic about what they do, and they describe the must-see sites for us, point them out on the maps, and even draw a good walking or driving route for our day-trip. We've done this in Columbus, IN, Parke County, IN & Savannah GA so far with great luck- and lots of fun!

Anonymous said...

Robin, that's a great idea! Now I know where I should store our collection!

Jenn @ Frugal Upstate said...

I'm one of those goofy people who likes flipping through the yellow pages on occasion just to see what is there! It is amazing what might be in your area that even folks who've lived there forever don't know about.

Another idea is to keep an eye on those "entertainment guides" in the newspaper etc. Sometimes they mention neat free festivals etc.

Anonymous said...

When we are traveling and crossing into another state, we ALWAYS stop at the visitor center and pick up a guide. There are always coupons there too to save on hotel rooms and dinning. Last time we went to La. (we are in Texas) we got a really nice room, with free breakfast, very close to the place were visiting for less than $70.00 for the night. That is hard to beat with a family of 4. We got our guides for free there too. We keep them with our maps in a special 'travel' drawer in our den.

You always have great ideas. Thanks for sharing. Roxie

Unknown said...

The AAA travel guides are great sources of information too. I love using those on road trips. You never know what small museum or historic church you might otherwise just drive by. I like to stop every couple hours and stretch, so I might as well do it somewhere neat if possible. :)

I read the AAA guide for my city too, and I found out that our state office building downtown has a free observation deck on the 40th(?) floor. It had great views of our area!

G.P. said...

Great tips for an innkeeper :)

http://fishcreekhouse.blogspot.com/2007/05/sweet-impressions.html
Happy Wednesday
gp in Montana

Darcy said...

Great tip! I need to do this....we are fortunate enough to get to live where many people come to vacation in the summer. I'm sure I'm missing out on all kinds of fun things around me!

H said...

Have you seen the local-tourist guides in the Sunday Tennessean lately? It looks to have some good recommendations on things in the area.

theups said...

These are some really good ideas!!! Good for homeschooling AND for date nights, too!!! We LOVE finding new interesting places!!

Thank you for sharing this!

His,
Mrs. U

Jennifer said...

What a great idea! I have been trying to come up with some ideas for some *fun days* this summer, as we aren't going on vacation and we will be schooling on a light schedule all summer. This is perfect! Thanks!!