Day Trips that Make a Splash
For a desert terrain, Arizona has lot of swimming holes to cool off in. If you’re looking for a good soak amidst picturesque scenery, there are natural spas made from mountain springs and rivers all over the state. Ideal for hikers, picnickers and any type of nature enthusiast, some of these spots you can easily drive to, others require a short walk and some rock climbing and a few are a just reward after a long, hard hike.
Wet Beaver Creek
In the Wet Beaver Wilderness of Coconino National...
August 3rd, 2010 | Heather Wright Schlichting | Read More | Comments: 2Filed under: featuredarticle, hiking, Outdoors & Recreation, swimming
A Sedona Hike Popular Year Round
One of the most popular trails in the Coconino National Forest, West Fork Trail (map) in Oak Creek Canyon is a pleasant stroll that takes you down to a stream and offers unending views up, way up of the cliffs that tower above.
A relatively easy 3 mile hike where dogs are welcome, West Fork Trail has its own parking lot ($10 per vehicle) and public area with picnic tables and toilets.
As you begin your hike, you’ll cross over a magnificent bridge that to me is a kind of grandiose welcome to the...
August 2nd, 2010 | Heather Wright Schlichting | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: featuredphoto, hiking, Outdoors & Recreation, Sedona
Become an Outdoorsy Woman
Afraid of heights, water or sleeping outdoors? Then Become an Outdoors Woman, a program in Prescott that teaches women outdoor skills in the company of other chicks.
For three days every April and August at Friendly Pines Camp, women try to conquer their fears with other girls cheering them on. They paddle, shoot and rappel. But most importantly they bond.
Founded in 1991 by Christine Thomas, a lifelong outdoors enthusiast, Thomas wanted to create a program that would teach women outdoor skills...
July 30th, 2010 | Heather Wright Schlichting | Read More | Comments: 1Filed under: camping, Outdoors & Recreation
Cool Trails to Beat the Heat
One of the most diverse national forests in the country, the 1.856-million acres of Coconino National Forest’s landscape ranges from the famous Red Rocks of Sedona to Ponderosa Pine Forests of Flagstaff, to the alpine tundra of Payson. It’s a fantastic opportunity to explore mountains and canyons, fish forest lakes and float in lazy creeks and streams.
My choice to experience the Coconino Forest was to spend the day in Payson. Only a little over 130 miles away from Phoenix, Payson is...
July 26th, 2010 | Heather Wright Schlichting | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: featuredarticle, hiking, Outdoors & Recreation
Dumpster Diving on Park Avenue
I’m not talking about rifling through smelly trash bags and other debris searching for a semi new pair of sneakers or day old bread. This is about literally climbing up above the rim of a gigantic metal dumpster and leaping in. The dumpster ambiance however, stops with the name.
Dumpster Pools on Park Avenue
For the first 3 Saturdays in August, three temporary Dumpster pools will open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. free of charge on the east side of Park Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets. With Grand Central...
July 21st, 2010 | Steve Mirsky | Read More | Comments: 1Filed under: featuredarticle, Outdoors & Recreation, swimming pools
Picnic in Vondelpark
Vondelpark is one of my favourite summer haunts. I spread out my picnic blanket, open the bottle of viña ducaro tinto (a nice way of saying red wine) bought at Hema department store at €3. The Hema also supplied me with mature Gouda cheese and crispy brown rolls sprinkled with sunflower seeds. A wonderful Côte d’Or chocolate bar is the right way to finish my picnic meal. I grab my cell phone and call my daughter. I am sure she’ll want to join me.
Vondelpark close to Leidseplein and Museumplein...
July 11th, 2010 | Marianne Crone | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: featuredarticle, Outdoors & Recreation
Picnic in Sedona
For a quick escape from the heat, but a chance to still enjoy the outdoors I recently took a day trip to picnic in Sedona.
From Phoenix it is approximately a two-hour drive north on I17 to Sedona. When you exit onto 179, clearly marked as the main road leading into Sedona, take this route all the way to the Sedona Visitor’s Center.
It’s a fantastic resource filled with all types of guides and information on the town. I always head right to the counter and ask a local volunteer for their advice...
July 9th, 2010 | Heather Wright Schlichting | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: nature, Outdoors & Recreation, scenery
Show Low It is!
I love a good road trip. And as a Phoenician my main goal every week in the summer is to escape the heat of the Valley for cooler temperatures and wide open spaces. This week’s adventure is a picturesque drive via US 60 east to Show Low in eastern Arizona.
Situated atop the Mogollon Rim, a long cliff that defines the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau, Show Low is a pleasant mountain town surrounded by national forests. The heavily wooded camping areas, cabins, and fishing lakes are...
July 8th, 2010 | Heather Wright Schlichting | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: Outdoors & Recreation, scenic drives
Chapultepec Park Attractions
Mexico City’s Chapultepec Park, locally known as the Bosque de Chapultepec (map), is the largest park in the capital. Translating to Hill of Grasshoppers in the Nahuatl language, Chapultepec Park was once a refuge for wandering Aztecs and later became a summer residence for Aztec rulers. Today it’s a favorite outdoor recreational and cultural destination among both Mexico City residents and tourists.
Paddle Boats on the Lake, Chapultepec Park, Mexico City
Covering 1800 acres, Chapultepec...
July 4th, 2010 | Laura Nazimiec | Read More | Comments: 2Filed under: attraction, museum, Outdoors & Recreation, park, top-feature
Reflections of The Grand Canyon
“Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.” – Henry David Thoreau
This is how I feel when I visit the Grand Canyon (map); an insect on the sprawling edge of the 277 miles of gold and bronze landscape that in my opinion is one of the most fantastic natural wonders in the U.S., and perhaps the globe.
This is the view looking down from the trail at Havasu Creek.
It seems that I’m not alone...
June 25th, 2010 | Heather Wright Schlichting | Read More | Comments: 1Filed under: featuredarticle, National Park, Outdoors & Recreation
Slippery Waters Ahead
Named by Life magazine as one of America’s top 10 most beautiful swimming holes, Slide Rock State Park in Sedona should be on your summertime must-do list.
You can “water slide” down the smooth rocks that act as a slick natural slide. Or simply relax on the surrounding rocks, have a picnic and marvel at the amazing scenery.
Originally, a 43-acre historic apple farm located in Oak Creek Canyon, the area was acquired by a local pioneer who established a unique irrigation system still in use...
June 18th, 2010 | Heather Wright Schlichting | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: featuredarticle, Outdoors & Recreation, scenery, water sports
Madrid’s Skyline from a Cable Car
Many are surprised to know that there is a cable car line operating from the green lungs of Madrid to its historical city center. The scenery along the way provides an interesting perspective of the city and makes for some of the best views in town. Surprisingly, not many know about this secret, but once you hop on to the cable car, you’ll know what you’d been missing out on.
From the Arguelles district, the cable car ascends above its skyscrapers, and flies over the bustling center of the metropolis....
May 29th, 2010 | Nellie Huang | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: Attractions, featuredarticle, Outdoors & Recreation
Free Saltwater Fishing this Weekend and Next
Whip out those fishing poles, it’s time to head out to sea. Fishing in Florida is safe and there’s no reason to stay away from our surrounding waters. It’s time to take advantage of the reason you live in the fishing capital of the world, and spend the weekend on the water.
Whether you’ve been staying away from the water because of your fear of the oil spill, or you’ve just let that license expire, it’s time to head back out — Governor Charlie Crist announced...
May 28th, 2010 | klynch | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: fishing, Outdoors & Recreation
A Quiet Retreat on Mayne Island: The Blue Vista Resort
The quiet beauty of Mayne Island, located in the Strait of Georgia on Active Pass, has always been a great attraction to my writer’s group, the Scribblers, and last weekend, after a couple of years absence, we eagerly returned to the island and the resort where we have always stayed. With the warm welcome we received from the new owners, it was a real ‘homecoming’. The Blue Vista Resort is situated among towering firs with a glimpse of the ocean. Deer often come to visit. ...
May 26th, 2010 | thevancouverguide | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: Family Friendly, featuredarticle, Hotels & Places to Stay, Outdoors & Recreation
Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival
The antithesis of the Head of the Charles Regatta, the Boston Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival is both an international sporting event and a Chinese cultural celebration. Now in its 31st year, this is North America’s longest running dragon boat festival. This year’s festivities will take place on Sunday, June 13 from 12 PM- 5PM at the Weeks Footbridge which spans Boston and Cambridge. It is quite a spectacle- brightly-colored, fantastical looking boats with a dragon head and tail...
May 25th, 2010 | Maria Olia | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: Arts and Entertainment, Events, festival, Outdoors & Recreation
Dancing the Streets of Old Lisbon
Until the 16th of July you can move your feet to exquisite, traditional music at some of the nicest parts of Lisbon.
Micro Bailes (Micro Balls) will happen at the old traditional streets and squares of Mouraria and Graça districts, through time, until the 16th of July, and to the magic sound of Celina Piedade’s accordion.
So come along… Bring your own instrument, a smile and the will to discover some of the finest alleys the old Lisbon has managed to hide. It’s free.
Micro Baile III
Where:...
May 24th, 2010 | Alexandre Kühl Oliveira | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: Announcements, Arts and Entertainment, Attractions, Events, Family Friendly, music, nightlife, Outdoors & Recreation
Boris’s new cycleways
Boris Johnson is well known as one of London’s cyclists, as well as its mayor. He nearly faced death some time ago when a lorry door swung open just as he approached on his bike – now he’s opening a huge network of new cycle lanes.
Or is he? The Cyclists’ Touring club is not impressed. Apparently much of Boris’s new cycle network is already there – he’s just panning to repaint the lines on the road. It’s legitimate, I think, to ask how painting a narrow...
May 23rd, 2010 | Andrea Kirkby | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: cycling, History & Information, Outdoors & Recreation
Summer’s Coming! Outdoor Swimming Pools Open
Vancouver has several excellent outdoor swimming pools gracing the shores of the beaches and from May 22 on it’s officially ‘summer’ as the pools open for business. All the pools are accessible for people with disabilities and safe, supervised swimming places for children.
Second Beach Pool, Stanley Park.
At Kitsilano Beach, the Kitsilano Pool is the only salt water pool in Vancouver and one of the few in the world. It’s heated and has easy access “beach entry”...
May 23rd, 2010 | thevancouverguide | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: Family Friendly, featuredarticle, Outdoors & Recreation
Staten Island’s Greenbelt Preserve
The Staten Island Greenbelt is not only an impressive 1352 acre oasis encompassing a broad crosscut of landscapes ranging from forest, meadows, to both fresh and saltwater marshes. It’s a monument to open space preservation amid intense urban development pressures. This is the place to escape if you want the Catskills without getting in your car and heading up the Thruway.
High Rock Park Trail Deep in the Heart of Staten Island
Thanks to the foresight and determination of residents beginning...
May 21st, 2010 | Steve Mirsky | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: Family Friendly, featuredarticle, Outdoors & Recreation
Photo Friday: The fountains at Centennial Olympic Park
The fountains at Centennial Olympic Park (map) is amazing to see on a warm summer’s night with your family or your friends. The Fountain of Rings is the centerpiece of Centennial Olympic Park and is one of the most recognized and photographed landmarks in Georgia. Millions of people visit this landmark each year, so if you are visiting Atlanta, do not miss this site. If you live in Atlanta, when is the last time you went down to see the fountains and the lights?
...
May 21st, 2010 | Katrina Verweel | Read More | Comments: 0Filed under: Attractions, Outdoors & Recreation
Recent Top Features
-
The United Nations Headquarters in NYC
The New York City Traveler—March 1, 2011
-
5 Great Los Angeles Hikes
The Los Angeles Guide—February 28, 2011
-
A Memorable Visit to the Saguaro National Park
The Phoenix Traveler—February 28, 2011
-
Five Reasons to Get Up and Go With Go City Cards
Rest of the World—February 28, 2011
-
What’s Stonehenge Like in Person?
The London Traveler—February 27, 2011
-
Visit Haunted London
The London Traveler—February 26, 2011
-
A Trip to Limelight Marketplace in NYC
The New York City Traveler—February 25, 2011
-
Family Fun At British Columbia’s Sun Peaks Resort
The Ski & Snowboard Guide—February 25, 2011
-
Where to Eat: Venice, Florida
The Culinary Travel Guide—February 24, 2011
-
The Beatles & More in Liverpool
The London Traveler—February 23, 2011