Last "fee-free" weekend at national parks
This is it, people. Last chance for free admission to national parks like Assateague Island National Seashore, Antietam National Battlefield, Fort McHenry National Monument and 147 other parks that charge an entrance fee. (Some 250 others are already free.)
President Obama and his family are taking advantage of the freebie with a visit this weekend to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone Park. Spokesman Robert Gibbs said the trip is meant to encourage people to visit the national park system.
The National Park Service launched the "fee-free" weekends program in June in hopes of giving families a budget break and also increasing traffic to some of our national treasures. But a story in today's Washington Post says that while visits are up modestly, the offer is having little impact on sales and lodging at the nation's parks.
Maybe the President and his family can pick up a few souvenirs. Maybe more than a few.
Baltimore Sun Photo
Comments
As a regular American citizen I have to say, this idea is great but timeing stunk.
Most people start planning summer vacations in January or Febuary before the kids get out of school. Need the extra time to save money, in economic times like this .
Waiting until June to make this announcement pretty much sets any American, outside a 100 mile radious, up for failure. Not enough time to plan a trip from say, the East Coast, to the Grand Canyon, figure a budget and make the money appear that isn't credit. cards. I say do it again next year and make an announcement earlier in the year and give people a chance to plan. See how that goes. I personally didnt hear anything about this offer until today when I read the article saying this was the last weekend for the offer. I am not President Obama so I can't fly in Air Force One to the Grand Canyon with my kids this weekend to " cash in on this great deal for the American People" Let them pay the entrance fee. It's our Tax Dollars anyway.
Posted by: K. Hollow | August 14, 2009 2:05 PM
I only found out about the "fee free" weekends when I just heard it on Fox News that Obama and his family will take advantage of it. I must agree with K. Hollow, most vacations are planned ahead of time and with no promotion (ie: tv announcements, etc.), the average citizen doesn't know it's available.
I can't say it was promoted that well, but we've written about here on the blog a couple of times and there was a story in the Baltimore Sun back in June when the announcement was made. I almost didn't blog about it today because I thought readers would be sick of hearing the spiel. - MDZ
Posted by: E. Davis | August 14, 2009 3:08 PM
MDZ, I do not live in Baltimore nor do I read your paper or view your blog as I didn't even know it existed. I live in Tennessee and simply found this article via Google after I heard about it on Fox News.
Thanks for reading. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee (and NC) is one our nation's the most beautiful. And admission is always free! -MDZ
Posted by: E. Davis | August 14, 2009 3:42 PM