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Travel briefs
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 | No comments posted.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Park Service has launched a Web site for visitors with disabilities and other special needs to help them find accessible trails, programs and activities at national parks.
The Web site at http://www.nps.gov/pub—aff/access/index.htm is called “National Parks: Accessible to Everyone.”
Many individual parks have sections on their Web sites about accessibility, and the new national database is a work in progress, incorporating information as it becomes available.
The site lists places where signed interpreters can be arranged for the hearing-impaired and which visitors centers have captioned movies or services for visually impaired park-goers. There are also detailed descriptions of trails, including the type of surface, for visitors who have mobility handicaps or use wheelchairs.
New book to help plan your 'staycation'
NEW YORK — If you’re joining the “staycation” craze this summer by taking your precious vacation days at home, you might find inspiration in “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Backyard Adventures.”
The $12.95 paperback by Nancy Worrell, part of the popular Idiot’s Guide series published by Alpha/Penguin Books, promises “close-to-home activities for fun-focused families” from camping out to arts and crafts.
Ideas include planning an “insect safari” for the backyard or a nearby park, or similar excursions to find plant life and different types of rocks; learning new sports or skills, from kite-flying to skateboarding; and connecting with your neighbors through an ice-cream social or even through your pets.
33 things to do in Houston for $2 or less
HOUSTON — If you’re visiting Houston on a budget, the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau has put together a list of 33 attractions for $2 or less.
Freebies include the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, open daily, and the Sam Houston Boat Tour, free 90-minute round-trip cruises along the Houston Ship Channel. The Miller Outdoor Theatre hosts free productions March to October, with the Houston Shakespeare Festival’s “Julius Caesar” scheduled for Aug. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9; an Aug. 19 screening of the classic William Powell and Myrna Loy comedy “The Thin Man,” and a concert featuring music from the big band era, Aug. 22.
The Houston visitors Web site also highlights a few offbeat museums, such as The ArtCar Museum, at 140 Heights Blvd., nicknamed the “Garage Mahal.” It features “artfully constructed cars, low riders and mobile contraptions,” and is open Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., free admission, http://www.artcarmuseum.com/.
The Beer Can House, located at 222 Malone, is a house decorated with 50,000 beer cans, preserved as a folk art gallery and workshop, http://www.orangeshow.org/beercan.html. You can see it from the street any time for free; admission to the grounds is $2 (admission to the interior of the house is $5), Saturday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.
You can access the full list by going to http://www.visithoustontexas.com and clicking on “Plan A Visit” on the top left, then scrolling down to the “Two Dollars or Less” feature.
Key West’s pink taxis go green with hybrids
KEY WEST, Fla. — Key West’s hot-pink taxis are going green.
Five Sixes Taxi has acquired 10 environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles as the first step to convert its entire fleet.
Company officials project the new fuel-efficient vehicles, that are still painted pink, will get about 38 miles per gallon in the city, versus their previous vehicles’ 12 to 13 miles per gallon performance.
The company plans to replace its other 13 sedans with hybrids by March 2009, and change its 23 seven-passenger Maxi Taxis when a suitable hybrid van becomes available.
The Web site at http://www.nps.gov/pub—aff/access/index.htm is called “National Parks: Accessible to Everyone.”
Many individual parks have sections on their Web sites about accessibility, and the new national database is a work in progress, incorporating information as it becomes available.
The site lists places where signed interpreters can be arranged for the hearing-impaired and which visitors centers have captioned movies or services for visually impaired park-goers. There are also detailed descriptions of trails, including the type of surface, for visitors who have mobility handicaps or use wheelchairs.
New book to help plan your 'staycation'
NEW YORK — If you’re joining the “staycation” craze this summer by taking your precious vacation days at home, you might find inspiration in “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Backyard Adventures.”
The $12.95 paperback by Nancy Worrell, part of the popular Idiot’s Guide series published by Alpha/Penguin Books, promises “close-to-home activities for fun-focused families” from camping out to arts and crafts.
Ideas include planning an “insect safari” for the backyard or a nearby park, or similar excursions to find plant life and different types of rocks; learning new sports or skills, from kite-flying to skateboarding; and connecting with your neighbors through an ice-cream social or even through your pets.
33 things to do in Houston for $2 or less
HOUSTON — If you’re visiting Houston on a budget, the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau has put together a list of 33 attractions for $2 or less.
Freebies include the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, open daily, and the Sam Houston Boat Tour, free 90-minute round-trip cruises along the Houston Ship Channel. The Miller Outdoor Theatre hosts free productions March to October, with the Houston Shakespeare Festival’s “Julius Caesar” scheduled for Aug. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9; an Aug. 19 screening of the classic William Powell and Myrna Loy comedy “The Thin Man,” and a concert featuring music from the big band era, Aug. 22.
The Houston visitors Web site also highlights a few offbeat museums, such as The ArtCar Museum, at 140 Heights Blvd., nicknamed the “Garage Mahal.” It features “artfully constructed cars, low riders and mobile contraptions,” and is open Wednesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., free admission, http://www.artcarmuseum.com/.
The Beer Can House, located at 222 Malone, is a house decorated with 50,000 beer cans, preserved as a folk art gallery and workshop, http://www.orangeshow.org/beercan.html. You can see it from the street any time for free; admission to the grounds is $2 (admission to the interior of the house is $5), Saturday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.
You can access the full list by going to http://www.visithoustontexas.com and clicking on “Plan A Visit” on the top left, then scrolling down to the “Two Dollars or Less” feature.
Key West’s pink taxis go green with hybrids
KEY WEST, Fla. — Key West’s hot-pink taxis are going green.
Five Sixes Taxi has acquired 10 environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles as the first step to convert its entire fleet.
Company officials project the new fuel-efficient vehicles, that are still painted pink, will get about 38 miles per gallon in the city, versus their previous vehicles’ 12 to 13 miles per gallon performance.
The company plans to replace its other 13 sedans with hybrids by March 2009, and change its 23 seven-passenger Maxi Taxis when a suitable hybrid van becomes available.
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