Tips for a "Staycation"

Yesterday my mom and I took a trip to the Atlanta History Center.  As southerners with a long history in both Atlanta and Charleston (where Rhett is from), we love anything to do with Gone With the Wind.  The history center has a temporary exhibit with original papers from Margaret Mitchell's manuscript.  On the way, my mom instructed me to look in her coupon folder and pull out a tourist guide.  At first, I thought she was nuts for carrying around this visitor guide, but when I opened it up and found $5 off coupons for our admission, I realized she is a genious!  This prompted me to write a post about planning a successful "staycation" on a budget.

-Pick up Visitor Guides.  These guides have valuable coupons to museums and attractions all over the city.  Usually these coupons are good for everyone in your group.  You might even discover an attraction you didn't even know about!

-Purchase Groupons (or other discount coupons) in advance.  Today's Groupon is for the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, somewhere I've always wanted to go but haven't ever had the time.  You can also buy discount coupons to new restaurants, spas, painting classes, rafting trips and other great activities you might not do on a regular basis.


-Look for coupons at the checkout counter at local stores.  Recently, I found Buy One Get One Free coupons for LanierWorld (formerly Lake Lanier Islands Waterpark) at Chick-fil-A!  I have also seen coupons for Stone Mountain and other attractions at grocery stores and other fast food restaurants.

-Visit a State Park.  A lot of times these are free or just a small fee for a car to get into.  Our favorite site is Amicalola Falls in North Georgia.  It costs $3 to get in, but we can spend a whole day there.  We pack a picnic lunch, climb the waterfall, play frisbee on the grassy area, and just relax.

-Research free activities.  If you look, there are lots of free things to do in the city.  Some of Atlanta's offerings include a free show at the Puppetry Arts Center on Wednesdays, Family Fun Days on the fourth Saturday of every month at Centennial Park, and Kids Workshops at Home Depot.

Other tips for a successful "staycation" include scheduling start and end dates, putting chores on hold, and taking lots of pictures, just like you would on a regular vacation!

Have fun!