Thursday, September 8, 2011

Budget Travel Coolest Small Towns 2011 Winners

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If you ever watched the 80's TV show Cheers, you'll remember the theme song called "Where Everybody Knows Your Name".  Well that song could have been written for Budget Travel's Coolest Small Towns in America contest, since some of these towns only have a few hundred people (La Pointe WI, pop. 309).

We showed you the candidates for this years contest back in January, and the votes are in!  You can see the winners on our map below, along with previous years winners, and check out the article to see what makes these small towns so unique (and cool) - 10 Coolest Small Towns in America 2011.

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Monday, August 29, 2011

Fish Taco Ground Zero



Some food is closely identified with specific cities - Philadelphia has it's cheesesteaks, New York has pizza.  For San Diego, it has to be fish tacos.

The history of the fish taco predates the arrival of Europeans in Mexico, and Spanish conquistadors were the first Europeans to experience eating one.

Fast forward to 1983, when Ralph Rubio opened up his first Rubio's restaurant that featured his version of the fish tacos he experienced while on a college break in San Felipe Mexico.  Now every Mexican eatery offers them, and they are the subject of culinary competition at high end restaurants.

Who has the best?  The San Diego Union-Tribune has an article called "Quest for the Fish Taco" that sheds some light on some unique San Diego versions, but the only way to know for sure is to go eat a bunch.  Let us know what you decide.

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Friday, August 19, 2011

Best Summer Attractions For Families

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The perennial summer question has to be "where should we go this summer?"  Budget Travel magazine takes a stab at answering that question with their article "16 Best Summer Attractions for Families".

Some of the places you've heard of (Grand Canyon, NASCAR Hall of Fame), some are far away (Denali National Park), and others fairly new (places in the Twilight series).

The official end of summer may be coming up soon, but good weather and smaller weekend crowds mean that you can enjoy these places for months to come.  What are you waiting for?

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Friday, August 5, 2011

Smallest Towns in the U.S.

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What if a town meeting is called and you're the only one that shows up?  Maybe you live in one of the fourteen towns in the U.S. that have a population of one, or the twelve towns that have a population of just two.

Where are these small places of interest?  We've pulled together two lists:
If you ever wanted to be a big presence in town, here's your chance.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

The Best National Park Lodges

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National Parks can be wonderful places to visit, but what if you want to stay the night?  There are a handful of parks that can offer you not just a night in the park, but a special experience too.

The National Park lodges on our map range from expensive (The Ahwahnee) to remote (Phantom Ranch), and have been picked by Sunset magazine and Frommer's as the best lodges to experience:
Which one is best?  Let us know.

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Saturday, July 23, 2011

Best Road Food - Western U.S.

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Sunset magazine, which is "the premier resource for achieving the ultimate Western lifestyle", has put together the absolutely best places to eat along Western highways.

In their article called "Top 41 road food spots in the West", they show you the best places to pull off the road and chow down burgers, milkshakes, fish taco's, breakfast, pie, or just good road food.  Yum!

And if you're in Hawaii, or planning to travel there, don't forget to check out the food places on Kauai and Oahu.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Things To Do: Bar Harbor ME

The New York Times StoreIf someone told you they live on Mount Desert Island, would you think it was in Maine?  It is, and that is where the city of Bar Harbor is located, along with Acadia National Park, which means this "desert" island has a lot to offer.

If you only have one weekend to visit, The New York Times has some suggestions in their article "36 Hours in Bar Harbor, Me.", and we've added a few other options to our map such as B&B's and museums.

Find Great Deals at BedandBreakfast.com!If you'd like more information, try the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce (www.barharborinfo.com), the Maine Office of Tourism (www.visitmaine.com) and the Acadia National Park websites (www.nps.gov/acad).

Find out why this "desert island" is such a paradise.

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Friday, July 15, 2011

Blue Star Museums: Oregon & Washington

Just in time for the start of summer, the Blue Star Museum initiative offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 30, 2011, through Labor Day, September 5, 2011.

Blue Star Museums is a partnership among Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more than 1,300 museums across America, and this edition of our map was inspired by our service members in the Pacific Northwest.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Things To Do: Cape May NJ

The New York Times StoreWhere is the country's oldest seaside resort?  Cape May, located on the southern tip of New Jersey, began hosting vacationers from Philadelphia in the mid 18th century.

When you visit, if don't have much time The New York Times has some suggestions in their article "36 Hours in Cape May, N.J.".

Find Great Deals at BedandBreakfast.com!If you have more than 36 hours, we've also added a few things from our extensive database of unique places, such as 51 Bed and Breakfasts that are right in town and walking distance to the beach, three wineries, and because Cape May is arguably the top bird-watching area in the entire Northeastern United States, we added the Cape May Bird Observatory to your map too.  Tell us how your visit went.

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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Amusement Park Fun Choices



Do you get the most fun at a amusement park that costs the most, or that costs the least?  How is Valley Worlds of Fun, located in Fairmont West Virginia, a better value than Universal Studios Orlando?

The website Mainstreet.com tries to figure these questions out by studying 103 amusement parks using criteria like total cost for a family of four (all day pass, parking, no food, etc.), and whether there are rides (not just activities like mini golf).  Their final report lists the top 10 least expensive amusement parks and the top 10 most expensive in their article "The Most Expensive Amusement Parks".

Just for fun, from the Roller Coaster Database we've mapped the top 10 amusement parks that have the most inversions on their rides.  A roller coaster inversion is an element of a roller coaster track that turns riders upside-down and then rights them, which can be a good indication of the thrill-level.  Fun!

Friday, June 24, 2011

Where Are The Best Burgers in San Diego?

Hamburger Heaven: The Illustrated History of the HamburgerSouthern California has had a large role in providing the world with the food staple we call the hamburger (or burger for short).  McDonalds, Jack in the Box, Carl's Jr, In-N-Out and Fatburger all started in Southern California, and these are just the most widely known.

New burger chains like The Counter and San Diego's own Burger Lounge show that there is still plenty of demand for new variations, and while the most convenient burger can be found at a burger chain, sometimes the best are found at the truly local burger joints like Hodad's or new food havens like Jayne's Gastropub.

Where can you get the best burger in San Diego?  We've pulled together three "Best Burger" lists for you to sample (yes, go eat there):
Let us know when you're done sampling and want to crown a winner.

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Monday, June 20, 2011

Minor League Baseball Is Major League Fun



What do Alabama, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Oregon, West Virginia, Wyoming and 20 other states have in common?  These states don't have Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, but they do have Minor League Baseball (MiLB) teams.

Minor League Baseball offers a more up close and personal experience, with stadiums that average around 10,000 seats versus the 39-68,000 at a Major League stadium.  Add in much lower ticket prices, and suddenly minor league baseball becomes a fun family & friends outing.

Our map below shows the exact location of all 159 minor league stadiums.
Quick quiz:  Which minor league ballpark is the only one to host two minor
league teams?

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There is a lot of new technology that is going into stadiums these days, and Wired.com looks at some of the most interesting in their article called "Fields of Dreams: Ballparks Unveil Tech Upgrades".

If you have an iPad or iPhone, you have lots of options for keeping track of your favorite team and live scores:

MLB.com MLB.com | FOX Sports Interactive FOX Sports Interactive | CBS Interactive CBS Interactive | SportsTap SportsTap | Quizner's Quizner's | Citizen Sports, Inc. Citizen Sports, Inc.

And if you're interested in Fantasy Baseball, there's an app for that too:

ESPN ESPN | Yahoo! Yahoo! | Bignoggins Productions LLC Bignoggins Productions LLC |
Citizen Sports, Inc. Citizen Sports, Inc. | Bloomberg LP Bloomberg LP | Roto Sports, Inc. Roto Sports, Inc.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Blue Star Museums: Kentucky & Tennessee

Just in time for the start of summer, the Blue Star Museum initiative offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 30, 2011, through Labor Day, September 5, 2011.

Blue Star Museums is a partnership among Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more than 1,300 museums across America, and this edition of our map was inspired by the soldiers at Fort Campbell Kentucky.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Follow The Food Celebs To: Indianapolis IN


Man V Food: Season 3Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip . . . with Recipes! (Food Network)Love watching the Food Network shows like Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and The Best Thing I Ever Ate?  How about the Travel Channel food show Man v Food? It's time to follow these professional foodies and try out some of the restaurants they have visited...

If you look at the map of Indianapolis IN there is an interesting resemblance between the surrounding I-465 highway and the racetrack of the Indianapolis Speedway.  Coincidence?

There is lots to ponder about this vibrant midwest metro area, and plenty to do in addition to sampling the variety of food visited by the food celebs.

We've mapped out just a small sample of the things to do and places to go around Indianapolis, and you can certainly find more on our Attraction Map (tab at top) as well as at Visit Indy, the official tourism site of Indianapolis.

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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Blue Star Museums: Washington DC Region

Just in time for the start of summer, the Blue Star Museum initiative offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 30, 2011, through Labor Day, September 5, 2011.

The Blue Star Museums initiative is a partnership among Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more than 1,000 museums across America.  Our map below shows the participating museums in and around the Washington D.C. area, and the states nearby.

Monday, June 6, 2011

National Park Camping

The National Parks: America's Best IdeaIn Parade magazine this week they have "America's Bucket List 2011".  Lots of good stuff like "visit a farm", "enjoy a minor league baseball game", "mail a care package to a service member" - 32 bucket list items total.

Number 24 on the list is "Sleep beneath the stars in a national park", and to help you find a national park to do that at, we've put together a map of the National Parks that offer camping.  Not all of them do.  Out of the 394 National Parks, only 139 offer the opportunity, and here's where they are:

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Best Places To View Wildlife

Travel + Leisure (1-year auto-renewal)Spring has sprung, and nature is starting to reveal it's flora and fauna again.  For this map, we're identifying the best places to view fauna (animals) out in the wild - wildlife.

We've combined the recommendations of three sources:

Travel + Leisure - Best National Parks for Wildlife Spotting
Birding and Wildlife Hotspots - North American Hotspots
National Wildlife Federation - Wild Places

Don't wait too long.  Sometimes the best viewing is early in the season.

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Thursday, May 26, 2011

Blue Star Museums: California

Just in time for the start of summer, the Blue Star Museum initiative offers free admission to active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 30, 2011, through Labor Day, September 5, 2011.

The Blue Star Museums initiative is a partnership among Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts, and more than 1,000 museums across America.  Our map below shows the California museums that are participating.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Rubber Meets The Road: IndyCar & NASCAR


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The Indianapolis 500 is coming up soon, which is one of the premier auto races of the year.  The Indy 500 is also celebrating it's 100th year, which AmericanProfile magazine talks about in "The Indy 500 at 100".

The other popular auto racing series is presented by NASCAR, which runs three racing series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Trucks).

Where do they race?  Check out our map to see all the tracks.  Hurry up though, since the 2011 season has already started.

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The Coolest And Biggest Urban Parks

Cities have a lot of advantages, but not necessarily a lot of green space.  Finding a place to get lost in nature can be important, both if you live in the city or if you are just visiting.

To help you "get away from it all" in the city, we've mapped two lists:

Travel + Leisure - America's Coolest City Parks (12 parks)
Wikipedia - Urban Parks by Size (10 of the biggest)

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Friday, May 6, 2011

Northern California Activities: Spotlight on Kijubi



Every trip starts the same way:
Where are you going, and what do you want to do?

There are plenty of websites that help you find a place to go and how to get there (here's our list), but what can you do when you're there?  Sure you can find lots of attractions to visit, but what about something outside of the box?  That's where companies like Kijubi come in.

Kijubi is an experience marketplace, where you can find activities and experiences that don't fit in a box, but they can fit into your budget.

Although Kijubi helps you find things to do around the world, we'll focus on Northern California this time.  What could you be doing?  Use our map to find out.