Affordable Adventures on America's Byways

Published on Feb 2, 2010 in Featured Travel Stories and Getaways: Byways on a Budget

These days, the mere mention of a road trip is enough to make your pocketbook shudder. But don’t let a less-than-pleasant economy keep you from experiencing some of the country’s finest getaways. Just gather up your friends and family, leave your troubles behind, and head out onto the open roads of America's Byways. For an exciting, close-to-home vacation that is both fun and budget-friendly, explore a byway near you.

One budget-friendly getaway is the nine-mile-long Arroyo Seco Historic Parkway. This byway runs through southern California’s urban Los Angeles area and is filled with natural attractions in addition to its rich cultural ones. Along the byway’s midsection is the Lower Arroyo Seco Park, an outdoor haven with dirt trails, bridges over natural waterways, and grassy fields surrounded by lush, shady trees. Please the sports fan in your party by hiking or biking up the park’s trails to see a football game at the Rose Bowl Stadium about three miles away, or take the byway south for five miles to watch Major League Baseball at Dodger Baseball Stadium in Elysian Park. Stroll through the neighborhoods and shopping districts along the Parkway and browse the diverse contemporary galleries that are part of the Northeast Los Angeles Art (NELA) scene. Want to save money? Visit on the second Thursday of every month for the Downtown Art Walk, which is free of charge from 12 to 9 pm. Along the way, look for evidence of California’s early 20th-century Arts and Crafts Movement in the natural building materials used in area homes and businesses. Too far to walk from place to place? Park your car and ride the rails! The Metro Gold Line mass transit system runs along (and crosses over twice) much of the byway between Pasadena and Los Angeles. It is a great way to save gas and reduce emissions--and for a few dollars you get unlimited rides all day, so it's easy on your pocketbook, too!

If you live in Washington’s Puget Sound area, the Mountains to Sound Greenway–I-90 can take you on a close-to-home vacation. Come to the heart of downtown Seattle where the byway begins, and explore the stunning variety of marine life forms at the Seattle Aquarium or join in the hustle and bustle of the famous Pike Place Market. Get on the Greenway and drive five miles east to the City of Mercer Island to go swimming off one of the Island’s many beaches, picnicking along the shoreline, or boating from the boat launch areas. Or take the byway 27 miles east of Seattle to Snoqualmie Viewpoint Park, the Washington Department of Transportation’s “Best Special Project” winner for 2008. In addition to fresh air, wildlife habitats, public forests, and the Snoqualmie Native American history that is so much a part of this area, the view at this park is priceless. Enjoy nature, history, and cultural experiences without worrying about your wallet along the Mountains to Sound Greenway.

Folks near Boise, Idaho, can travel through our country’s pioneer heritage on the scenic and historic Payette River Scenic Byway. Start your byway trip just 10 miles west of Boise in the small town of Eagle. Here you’ll find the Eagle Historic Museum, where you can peer into a rich pioneer past with displays of clothing, farming artifacts, blacksmithing tools, and more. Bring the family for a fun, frugal adventure-- you can’t put a price on history! Less than a block away lies Heritage Park. In summer, let the kids cool off from the heat for free with a splash through the park’s water feature. Bring a picnic and join your friends and neighbors at an evening concert in the gazebo. Or, take the byway north for a half an hour to Horseshoe Bend, Idaho, where you can board the Thunder Mountain Train for a two-and-a-half-hour round-trip adventure through the scenic Payette River Valley and the settlements of Gardena and Banks. As you chug along, enjoy your fellow travelers’ company and the magnificent views, and gas prices will be far from your mind.

Spending some time in the Midwest? With two science centers and an abundance of culture, the 27-mile-long Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, will take you to new intellectual frontiers without depleting either your gas tank or your bank balance. Many cultural attractions in downtown Detroit are within a few blocks of each other, so park your car and walk to Hart Plaza, the Detroit Opera House , and the Fox Theater. Take the family to the Detroit Science Center, where everyone can explore science and have a learning experience, all while having a fun-filled adventure! For an affordable fee, watch electrifying demonstrations in the DTE Sparks Theater, see fascinating educational films at the IMAX dome theater, experience the stars at the planetarium, or experiment with the many hands-on exhibits. For more scientific fun that’s easy on the wallet, take the byway to the Cranbrook Institute of Science’s Museum of Natural History in Bloomfield Hills, five miles south of Pontiac. Spend the day immersed in natural science exhibits about dinosaurs, ice ages, native cultures, astronomy, and more. Learn about physics, minerals, and light with captivating, hands-on labs and displays. The museum also features gardens, nature walks, a planetarium, and an observatory to express the interconnectedness of nature.

Want to save money down South? Drive along the Ashley River Road in Charleston, South Carolina, and pick up a Heritage Passport to enjoy discounted, year-round access to 12 historic, botanical, and cultural sites in and around this charming city. Drayton Hall, America's oldest plantation house, is only 30 minutes out of the city along the byway. Tour the home, a stunning example of Georgian-Palladian architecture from the 18th century, take a walk along the lush banks of the Ashley River, and look for souvenirs in the museum shop. Travel a few miles northwest of Drayton Hall and use your Heritage Passport to enter Middleton Place, a plantation founded before the United States earned its independence. Explore the gardens, wander the stable yards, and tour the plantation house to fully experience this important American relic.

A hop across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., the George Washington Memorial Parkway steers you along some of America’s most treasured landmarks, monuments, and reminders of our history. Just southeast of the byway's northern junction with I-495, you can enjoy the simple pleasures of the quiet outdoors for free at Turkey Run Park in Virginia. Stop for a picnic or wander its hiking trails before making your way immediately south of the park to the Claude Moore Living History Farm. Come during special events such as the summer market and autumn’s tobacco harvest, or experience colonial times by dressing up in period costume, cooking over an open fire, sleeping in a tent, and performing other colonial pastimes—an invaluable historic experience for a small fee. Twenty minutes southeast, the Parkway passes Washington, D.C, with its wealth of free parks, museums, and memorials. For more early American history, drive to the byway’s southernmost end and tour the Mt. Vernon Estate and Gardens, George Washington’s residence for 45 years. Peek inside the mansion home, peruse the plantation grounds, hike the Forest Trail, and pay your respects to the Father of Our Country at the Washington Tomb while not paying too much out of your pocketbook.

As many people try to scrimp and save in an uncertain economy and long-distance vacations become tougher on the bank account, America’s Byways are becoming the budget-friendly getaway of choice. Be penny-wise and take one of these splendid roads on an unforgettable journey filled with affordable adventures!

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