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Palms West Monthly • May 2018 • Page 1
Palms West
Monthly
WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • WEST PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE GROVES • THE ACREAGE Volume 8, Number 5
PalmsWestMonthly.com
Your Guide to Summer Camps! PAGES 9-12
FREE • May 2018
Discovering America America’s national parks are brimming with natural wonders, but visiting these gems will soon get a little pricier.
Rosarian Academy partnership to beef up STEM program Rosarian Academy has announced its partnership with Carnegie Science Center as the first Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathway partner in the state of Florida.
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Care for a podcast with your coffee? No matter who the guest is, the topic of conversation on the newly-launched podcast “The Coffee Life,” by local entrepreneur Sean Scott, seems to always turn to the future of West Palm Beach.
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Flagler Museum serving up tea for Mother’s Day
What better way to honor mom than by treating her to Flagler Museum’s annual Mother’s Day Tea? The popular event returns with two dates to choose from: Saturday, May 12 and Sunday, May 13.
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Royal Palm Beach Seafood Festival to be held May 19-20 Born in downtown West Palm Beach as a one-day event, the popular seafood festival has now grown to be two full days and has moved to the beautiful and spacious 167-acre Commons Park in Royal Palm Beach.
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The entrance to Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. Approximately 1.5 million people visit the 119-square-mile park annually to view the more than 2,000 natural stone arches, hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks.
7 ways to save on national park trips An annual pass costs just $80 and can be used at more than 2,000 federal recreation sites across the country. By LAUREN SCHWAHN The Associated Press
America’s national parks are brimming with natural wonders: cascading waterfalls, towering redwoods, white sand beaches. In 2017, nearly 331 million people visited the national parks. But visiting these gems can cost money and soon will get a little pricier: Many national parks will increase their entrance fees by $5 beginning June 1. In honor of National Park Week held April 21-29, here are seven ways to plan a cheaper national park trip.
TRAVEL OFF-PEAK
Mikah Meyer, 32, wants to become the youngest person to visit all 417 National Park Service sites. In the past two years, the Nebraska native has crossed more than 300 off the list while living out of his trusty 2014 Ram ProMaster, a white, windowless cargo van he’s dubbed “Vanny McVanface.” He’s just one of the more than 330 million people who visited the national park system in 2017. Rooms and campsites fill up fast during weekends, spring break and summer. Meyer suggests visiting offseason to save money and avoid crowds. But there are trade-offs. “Sometimes you’ll go to parks like Yosemite where certain trails and waterfalls are closed because they’re snowed in,” Meyer says. Research seasonal conditions to prevent surprises, and note that some destinations have atypical high seasons. Warm-weather parks such as Death Valley and Everglades are busiest in winter.
VISIT FOR FREE
More than two-thirds of national parks remain free year-round. The others waive
entrance fees on certain dates. The remaining fee-free days in 2018 are: National Public Lands Day: Sept. 22 Veterans Day: Nov. 11 The entrance fee waiver for fee-free days does not cover user fees for activities such as camping, boat launches and special tours. With free days dwindling – down from 10 in 2017 to four in 2018 – and potential fee hikes looming, take advantage.
ANNUAL PASSES AND DISCOUNTS
An annual pass costs $80 and can pay for itself if you plan to visit multiple parks in a 12-month period. A pass covers entrance, standard amenity fees and day use fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle at per vehicle fee areas, or up to four adults at sites that charge per person. U.S. military members and their dependents can get the annual pass for free, as can fourth-grade students and certain volunteers. For seniors, annual passes cost $20 and lifetime passes $80. Access passes are free for U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities. Applicants must provide documentation of permanent disability and residency or citizenship. Travelers can also leverage perks offered by wholesale clubs, frequent flyer programs and other memberships, such as AAA.
SKIP THE EXPENSIVE LODGE
Camp by tent or vehicle to cut costs. Backcountry campsites, which are generally in remote areas accessible only on foot, are usually cheaper than developed campsites, says Kathy Kupper, public affairs specialist for the National Park Service. Campsites at Glacier National Park cost a maximum of $23 per night during peak season, for example, compared with the hundreds of dollars a night you might pay
to stay in a lodge. To avoid camping fees outright, Meyer parks in Walmart or hotel parking lots that allow it. He also camps free in U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management areas near national parks. “Sometimes they have actual campsites with running water and bathrooms, and other times it’s just wherever you can fit your car, there you go,” Meyer says. Contact your local agency offices for details. If roughing it doesn’t appeal to you, try hotels or rentals in gateway communities. Neighboring towns typically have more rooms and are less expensive than park lodges.
BUY SUPPLIES BEFOREHAND
Don’t wait until you’re near or inside the park to stock up on food, gas and other essentials. “The closer you get to these places, especially when they’re out in the wilderness, there’s going to be that convenience charge,” Meyer says. “Something you might buy for $3 at your local grocery store could be $7 or $8 in the middle of nowhere.”
EXPLORE YOUR BACKYARD
Every state has at least one national park site, so you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money to travel to one. “It’s not always saving up for that oncein-a-lifetime trip to the Grand Canyon. You can go for a day or a weekend to a park near you,” Kupper says.
LOOK FOR FREE ACTIVITIES
National Park Service programming, with very few exceptions, is free, Kupper says. That includes activities like ranger-led hikes, snowshoe walks and kayak tours. You can see potential itineraries and book tours at the National Park Service website. Once in the park, stop by a visitor center for more information. “Spending time in nature is good for body and soul,” Kupper says. Doing it cheaply can be good for your wallet, too.