Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment
International Environmental Prize to be Awarded in Future in Hamburg
City Mayor Ole von Beust, City Senator for the Environment Anja Hajduk and Foundation President Anthony S. Papadimitriou announced the future awarding of “Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment”, speaking at Hamburg City Hall. The prize is endowed by the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation and is to be awarded in Hamburg every two years for “outstanding contributions towards protecting and improving the environment, including the long-term economical use of energy”. The first award will be in autumn 2010, and the prize may be given to individuals or organisations of all kinds, other than politicians or political parties. It is one of the highest-endowed environmental prizes in the world, carrying an award of EUR 250,000.
City Mayor Ole von Beust: “Our efforts to protect the climate, resources and the environment are increasingly respected, including outside Germany. With the “Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment”, we are now seeing a major international environmental prize coming to Hamburg for the first time. The internationally-constituted nominations committee under the chairmanship of City Senator for Urban Development and the Environment Anja Hajduk is outstanding, from the Hamburg viewpoint, in recruiting Dr. Michael Otto and ‘ZEIT’ journalist Christiane Grefe alongside international scientists.”
City Senator Anja Hajduk: “In view of the massive challenges of climate change and in environmental policy, the “Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment” comes at just the right time. It aims to publicise outstanding research and projects in this area and to offer solutions. The new environmental prize will be a further advertisement for Hamburg’s competence in relation to protection of the environment and the climate.”
Anthony S. Papadimitriou, President of the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation: “The Onassis Foundation and the City of Hamburg share a bond which goes back to the period when the undisputed leading shipping personality of the 20th century, Aristotle Onassis, was expanding his business. Among his pioneering initiatives in the early 1950s has been the order for the construction of a series of tankers in German shipyards, thus offering this industry the significant opportunity for revival and growth. In present time, both the Onassis Foundation and the City of Hamburg share as a priority the concern for major issues concerning the protection of the environment. For those reasons, we were already looking at Hamburg as a potentially suitable venue for the awarding of the “Aristotle Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment”. What rapidly convinced us were the major efforts being made by Hamburg to link together urban development, climate and environmental protection. Our prize is genuinely at home here.”
The Awarding Committee comprises a total of nine people, under the chairpersonship of Senator Anja Hajduk. Members are: Anthony S. Papadimitriou, President of the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation, Christiane Grefe, journalist (DIE ZEIT), Prof. Peter Koutrakis, Professor of Environmental Sciences at Harvard University (USA), Prof. Dr. Mojib Latif, Professor at the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences at Kiel University, Dr. Michael Otto, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Hamburg retail and services group Otto, Prof. Dr. Michael J. Skoullos, Professor of Environmental Chemistry at Athens University, Christine von Weizsacker, biologist; awarded the Kant-World-Citizen-Prize 2006. A ninth member is to be announced shortly.
The commitment to the environment underpinning the Foundation is also a guiding principle for the Onassis shipping company. The company fleet consists entirely of dual-hulled tankers. The company is currently working on using more energy-saving propulsion mechanisms.
Source: Onassis Foundation
Hospital Car Parking Fees Top the List of Life’s Biggest Injustices
Having to pay and display whilst visiting loved ones in hospital is life’s biggest injustice payment according to new research released by The Co-operative ISA’s.
Hospital parking charges head the top 20 of raw deals, with 1 in 6 (17 per cent) people citing fees for visiting sick friends and relatives as the thing they hate to pay most for, making some so angry that they deliberately risk being clamped by refusing to pay.
Having to pay to spend a penny at public toilets also makes the list of fees which get the public’s back up, along with prescription charges, dentist bills and surcharges when booking flights.
The survey, which asked 2,000 people to reveal their most hated charge, reveals that taxes are the UKs most contested charges when combined, with over a third of people (39 per cent) believing that they are unfair. Inheritance Tax came second on the public’s unfair hit list, closely followed by Council Tax third, while tax on savings, National Insurance and Road Tax all made the list.
Zack Hocking, Head of ISA’s at The Co-operative, said: “The research confirms that there are many charges the public ‘begrudgingly’ has to pay for.
“Unsurprisingly taxes are a bone of contention, with even tax on savings coming above prescription charges and dentists bills.”
Despite tuning in on a daily basis the public hate having to fork out for their television licence, which came fifth in the raw deal top 20, with many admitting to tuning in but deliberately not paying, despite the risks associated.
Restaurants that put a service charge on bills should take food for thought from the findings, as nearly a fifth (17 percent) of people dine elsewhere to avoid paying.
Amongst the remaining disservices making the top 20, are expensive train fares, vets bills and higher charges for taxis to get home on New Year’s Eve.
Hocking added: “There is little people can do to avoid paying for most things on the list, but there are some opportunities to get their own back on the Taxman through allowances. A simple way to avoid paying tax on savings is to put money in a tax efficient ISA.”
Every tax year, anyone over the age of 16 is given an ISA ‘allowance’ allowing them to save up to 7,200 pounds Sterling tax efficiently. Investors can choose to pay up to 3,600 pounds Sterling into a cash ISA, or the whole amount into stocks and shares where any growth in the investment is free of capital gains tax. This will rise to 10,200 pounds Sterling for the over-50s from October 6 2009 and for the under-50s from April 6 2010, 5,100 pounds Sterling of this amount can be saved in cash.
The Co-operative offers stocks and share ISAs through The Co-operative Investments, and a Cash ISA through The Co-operative Bank.
Research carried out by 72 Point on behalf of The Co-operative Bank amongst a representative sample of 2,000 adults
CFS provides a big range of financial products and services including home insurance, car insurance, investment products and pensions to over six million customers.
The Co-operative Financial Services is part of The Co-operative Group, which is the world’s largest consumer co-operative with over 3 million members. CFS currently has 5.5m customers and employs over 8,000 staff. It has 110 retail and corporate branches/centres and over 1,000 face to face financial advisers. It has 38bn pounds Sterling of assets under management across its retail and corporate business areas.
Source: The Co-operative Bank
Microsoft’s new search at Bing.com helps people make better decisions
Decision Engine goes beyond search to help customers deal with information overload.
Microsoft Corp. unveiled Bing, a new Decision Engine and consumer brand, providing customers with a first step in moving beyond search to help make faster, more informed decisions. Bing is specifically designed to build on the benefits of today’s search engines but begins to move beyond this experience with a new approach to user experience and intuitive tools to help customers make better decisions, focusing initially on four key vertical areas: making a purchase decision, planning a trip, researching a health condition or finding a local business. The result of this new approach is an important beginning for a new and more powerful kind of search service, which Microsoft is calling a Decision Engine, designed to empower people to gain insight and knowledge from the Web, moving more quickly to important decisions. The new service, located at http://www.bing.com/, will begin to roll out over the coming days and will be fully deployed worldwide on Wednesday, June 3.
The explosive growth of online content has continued unabated, and Bing was developed as a tool to help people more easily navigate through the information overload that has come to characterize many of today’s search experiences. Results from a custom comScore Inc. study across core search engines show that as many as 30 percent of searches are abandoned without a satisfactory result. The data also showed that approximately two-thirds of the remaining searches required a refinement or requery on the search results page.
“Today, search engines do a decent job of helping people navigate the Web and find information, but they don’t do a very good job of enabling people to use the information they find,” said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. “When we set out to build Bing, we grounded ourselves in a deep understanding of how people really want to use the Web. Bing is an important first step forward in our long-term effort to deliver innovations in search that enable people to find information quickly and use the information they’ve found to accomplish tasks and make smart decisions.”
A New Approach to Internet Search
Based on the customer insight that 66 percent of people are using Internet search more frequently to make complex decisions,* Microsoft identified three design goals to guide the development of Bing: deliver great results; deliver a more organized experience; and simplify tasks and provide insight, leading to faster, more confident decisions. The new service, built to go beyond today’s search experience, includes deep innovation on core search areas including entity extraction and expansion, query intent recognition and document summarization technology as well as a new user experience model that dynamically adapts to the type of query to provide relevant and intuitive decision-making tools.
Great search results. Relevant search results are still a top priority for people, yet Microsoft studies show that only one in four search queries deliver a satisfactory result. Bing helps identify relevant search results through features such as Best Match, where the best answer is surfaced and called out; Deep Links, allowing more insight into what resources a particular site has to offer; and Quick Preview, a hover-over window that expands over a search result caption to provide a better sense of the related site’s relevancy. Bing also includes one-click access to information through Instant Answers, designed to provide the sought-after information within the body of the search results page, minimizing the need for additional clicks.
Organized search experience. More and more customers are regularly spending time with search engines, engaging in complex, multi-query and multi-session searches. Respondents also said an organized search experience would be twice as useful in helping find information and accomplishing tasks faster. Bing includes a number of features that organize search results, including Explore Pane, a dynamically relevant set of navigation and search tools on the left side of the page; Web Groups, which groups results in intuitive ways both on the Explore Pane and in the actual results; and Related Searches and Quick Tabs, which is essentially a table of contents for different categories of search results. Collectively, these and other features in Bing help people navigate their search results, cut through the clutter of search overload and get right down to making important decisions.
Simplify tasks and provide insight. Microsoft’s research identified shopping, travel, local business and information, and health-related research as areas in which people wanted more assistance in making key decisions. The current state of Internet search isn’t optimized for these tasks, but the Bing Decision Engine is optimized for these key customer scenarios. For example, while a consumer is using Bing to shop online, the Sentiment Extraction feature scours the Internet for user opinions and expert reviews to help leverage the community of customers as well as product experts in trying to make a buying decision. In Bing Travel, the Rate Key compares the location, price and amenities of multiple hotels and provides a color-coded key of the best values, and the Price Predictor actually helps consumers decide when to buy an airline ticket in order to get the lowest prices.
The new brand portfolio will include the following changes to existing Microsoft programs:
- Microsoft’s mapping platform, Virtual Earth, will now be branded as Bing Maps for Enterprise.
- Technology from Microsoft’s April 2008 acquisition of Farecast is now a central part of Bing Travel.
- Microsoft’s popular cashback program, now dubbed Bing cashback, with more than 850 merchants and more than 17 million products available, will be fully integrated into the Bing Shopping experience.
Yes on Proposition 8: Elementary School Children to Be Indoctrinated With New Gay Curriculum
Alameda Unified School District Adopts Lesbian, Gay, Transgender Education for Students as Young as Five Years Old
Providing yet another example of the threat that gay marriage and the gay agenda provides to school children and parental authority, the Alameda Unified School District last evening adopted a new curriculum, over the objections of hundreds of parents who testified at the board hearings. The newly adopted curriculum specifically elevates respect for gay, lesbian and bisexual students and their families over respect for diverse racial and religious backgrounds.
“This is another wake-up call to every parent with children in the public school system,” said Ron Prentice, chairman, ProtectMarriage.com — Yes on 8. “Elementary school children will be instructed about homosexuality without their parents’ knowledge.” Prentice noted that the curriculum does not provide parents with any sort of opt-out right for their students, and will take affect in the form of six 45-minute lessons, one per year from kindergarten through fifth grade.
“This is exactly what we warned voters about during the Proposition 8 campaign,” Prentice said. “While pro-homosexual activists deny any impact on children, local school boards and the State Legislature press for formal instruction in concert with the gay agenda. Opponents of Prop 8 claim we won the campaign based on lies and deceit, but just imagine how much worse these curricula would be if Prop. 8 failed and gay marriage was still legal.”
Course materials are also up for debate. Among those considered to be added to the curriculum, according to media accounts, is And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. The children’s book is about two gay male penguins creating a family and raising a female penguin, Tango.
“The job of raising children belongs to parents and guardians,” said Prentice. “It is a parent’s responsibility to protect their children from inappropriate and biased content. With the Alameda School District’s decision to adopt pro-homosexual instructional materials, a parent’s job has become that much more difficult.” said Prentice. “By the school board’s decree, many public school children will be trained in beliefs that contradict those of the home. It is no wonder that home schooling and private education continues to grow in California.”
Source: Yes on Proposition 8
2009 Democracy Award Will Honor Cuban Dissidents on June 24
Five honorees represent a new and diverse generation of democratic activists
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) will honor the courage and determination of five Cuban democracy activists with the presentation of its annual Democracy Award at a Capitol Hill ceremony and reception on Wednesday, June 24, 2009.
“The five brave Cubans we honor this year represent the future of their country,” said NED Chairman Richard Gephardt. “All of them have endured significant personal hardship for nothing more than standing up for basic rights and freedoms. With this award, we hope to express our solidarity with their struggle, and let them know that we share their dream of a free and democratic Cuba. “
The honorees are Jorge Luis Garcia Perez, (aka “Antunez”), Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, Librado Linares Garcia, Ivan Hernandez Carillo, and Iris Tamara Perez Aguilar. All five are relatively young, in their 30s and 40s, three are Afro-Cuban, one is a Christian Democrat and another is a Social Democrat, one is a trade unionist and another is a women’s leader. All of them espouse the philosophy of non-violent resistance and activism and, together, the five represent a broad spectrum of opinion and activism. Garcia, Linares and Carillo are in prison; Antunez was released in 2007 after 17 years in Cuban jails. Antunez and Aguilar are living under virtual house arrest since beginning a hunger strike in March of this year.
The award presentation and reception will take place in the Caucus Room of the Cannon House Office Building from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., and will be preceded by a panel discussion examining the prospects for democracy in Cuba, which will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the same room.
The National Endowment for Democracy is a private, nonprofit, bipartisan foundation created in 1983 to strengthen democratic institutions around the world. It is active in more than 90 countries, supporting grassroots, democratic initiatives. More information about NED and the Democracy Award can be found at www.ned.org.
2009 Democracy Award Honorees
Jorge Luis Garcia Perez (“Antunez”) — A 43-year old leader of Cuba’s civic resistance movement who served more than 17 years in prison, having been released in 2007. During that period, his fellow inmates nicknamed him “the black diamond” because of his courage and unbreakable spirit. In “A Word from the Opposition” in the January, 2009 issue of the Journal of Democracy, Antunez highlighted the Movement’s adherence to the principles of non-violent resistance as set forth by Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King. He is married to Iris Tamara Perez Aguilar, another honoree.
Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia is a youth activist and member of the Christian Liberation Movement who was instrumental in gathering hundreds of signatures and mobilizing people in poor, marginal neighborhoods in support of the Varela Project. Garcia organized meetings with neighbors throughout the eastern provinces, turning them into informal town hall meetings where grievances were expressed and the desire for change articulated. He received one of the highest prison sentences of the group of dissidents arrested on March 18, 2003. He has been a leader of the resistance of political prisoners against the abuses of the regime from within prison walls.
Librado Linares Garcia is a young intellectual and founder of the Cuban Reflection Movement. Linares organized independent libraries, soup kitchens for the poor, workshops among various dissident groups, as well as forums and conferences for citizens living in the central region of Cuba. He developed a comprehensive multi-tiered strategy of resistance against the regime, aimed at organizing and mobilizing Cuban civil society through nonviolent means. One of the pro-democracy leaders arrested on March 18, 2003, Linares has been suffering a progressive loss of eyesight during his imprisonment.
Ivan Hernandez Carrillo was an independent labor activist prior to his imprisonment in March, 2003. In his mid-30s and black, Carillo is widely regarded as one of the key youth leaders of the civic opposition. He is from Matanzas province, which, together with Villa Clara province, forms the geographical core of the Cuban resistance. Carillo has continued the resistance struggle during his incarceration.
Iris Tamara Perez Aguilera is founder and President of the Rosa Parks Women’s Movement, whose objectives are to struggle against human rights violations. Born in 1975 in Sancti Spiritus province in central Cuba, she entered the opposition movement in 1999, when her brother, Mario Perez Aguilera, was imprisoned at Nieves Morejon prison. Ms. Aguilera is married to Jorge Luis Garcia Perez (“Antunez”).
Source: National Endowment for Democracy
The Age of Good Health? Healthy Lifestyles on Decline in U.S.
MUSC researchers urge people, especially the middle-aged, to adopt healthier lifestyles
Despite the well-known benefits of physical activity, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, maintaining a healthy weight, moderate alcohol use and not smoking, only a small proportion of adults follow this healthy lifestyle pattern, and in fact, the numbers are declining, according to a study by Dana King, M.D., and colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). The article discussing this research is available in the June 2009 issue of The American Journal of Medicine. Lifestyle choices are associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease as well as diabetes.
King and additional researchers from the MUSC Department of Family Medicine compared the results of two large-scale studies of the US population in 1988-1994 and in 2001-2006. In the intervening 18 years, the number of people adhering to all five healthy habits has decreased from 15 percent to 8 percent. In addition:
- the percentage of adults aged 40-74 years with a body mass index greater than 30 has increased from 28% to 36%;
- physical activity 12 times a month or more has decreased from 53% to 43%;
- eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables a day has decreased from 42% to 26%;
- moderate alcohol use has increased from 40% to 51%.
- smoking rates have not changed (26.9% to 26.1%);
“The potential public health benefits from promoting a healthier lifestyle at all ages, and especially ages 40-74 years, are substantial,” King said. “Regular physical activity and a prudent diet can reduce the risk of premature death and disability from a variety of conditions including coronary heart disease, and are strongly related to the incidence of obesity. In the US, medical costs due to physical inactivity and its consequences are estimated at $76 billion in 2000 dollars. Research indicates that individuals are capable of adopting healthy habits in middle age, and making an impact on cardiovascular risk.”
Since people with diagnosed health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, or high cholesterol were part of the samples, the researchers sought to determine whether such individuals were adhering to the healthy habits to a greater or lesser degree than people without those conditions, and whether adherence had changed over time. The study also concluded that people with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or risk factors for those conditions, were no more likely to adhere to a healthy lifestyle pattern than people without such risk factors.
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a national survey of non-institutionalized persons in the US conducted regularly by the National Center for Health Statistics. The researchers used data from a sub-sample of the NHANES surveys of 1988-1994 and 2001-2006, adults aged 40-74 years, because this age span is the primary time for initial diagnosis of cardiovascular risk factors and disease. In the NHANES 1988-1994, the number of respondents 40-74 years old was 7340, representing a weighted sample size of 78,794,217. For NHANES 2001-2006, the number of respondents was 7811, for a weighted sample size of 65,476,573.
Source: Medical University of South Carolina
Genomics for a Greener World
With the Alberta Government’s May 20th announcement of its contribution towards 2 new genomics projects, Genome Alberta has completed the funding puzzle and is pleased to announce these new and very special projects that will play a leading role in genomic research.
Helping Energy Extraction Become a Little Bit Greener:
Deep inside the world’s hydrocarbon deposits are naturally occurring microbes that have been hard at work for untold years. These microbes have the potential to make it easier and more efficient to pull oil out of conventional wells, remove the bitumen from the oil sands, and clean up tailings ponds. A team led by Dr. Gerrit Voordouw of the University of Calgary now has a total of 11.6 million dollars to work on the project which will sample and explore the biological processes at work in oil wells, oils sands, tailings ponds, and coal beds. At the core of this project is the analysis of the sequencing data with the goal of understanding and exploiting the biological processes at work in hydrocarbon reserves. The project hopes to decrease water use, lower the emission of greenhouse gases, and enhance the extraction of clean burning natural gas from coal beds.
Green and Natural Plant Factories:
“Plants are the world’s best chemists. They can synthesize an immense diversity of molecules. We’re going to identify the genes from more than 75 plants that make those plants produce valuable compounds.” says Dr. Peter Facchini of the University of Calgary. He along with Project Co-leader Dr. Vince Martin from Concordia University has assembled a team of plant biochemists, metabolic modelers, bioinformaticians, and synthetic biologists to harness the potential of plants with high medicinal and industrial value. The initiative will discover plant genes that can be sequenced and used in yeast to produce industrial-scale volumes of biologically derived chemicals such as, pharmaceuticals, food products and insecticides. Dubbed PhytoMetaSyn, the project is worth 13.6 million dollars and will use state-of-the-art metabolomic, genomic, and bioinformatic technologies over the next 4 years to develop the science and commercial potential of synthetic plant biology.
A Funding Leader:
Genome Alberta is excited to have put together 2 such outstanding projects which cross over disciplines and borders. With partners, participants, and supporters from across Canada and into the United States these projects will enhance Genome Alberta’s role as an organization which can initiate, fund, and manage large scale genomics projects. Doctors Facchini, Martin, and Voordouw are leaders in their respective fields and Genome Alberta is looking forward to working with them over the next few years.
Genome Alberta is a not-for-profit organization based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada which initiates, funds, and manages large-scale projects in genomics and other related ‘omic’ areas.
- Genome Alberta is one of 6 similar Genome Centres across Canada funded in part by Industry Canada through Genome Canada.
- These 2 projects are worth a total of 25.2 million dollars over approximately 4 years
- A full and complete description of the projects can be found at
- http://genomealberta.ca/research/projects/environment/PhytoMetaSyn.aspx
- http://genomealberta.ca/research/new_initiatives/oil_sands/
- Major funding for the projects has come from Industry Canada through Genome Canada and the Government of Alberta through Alberta Advanced Education and Technology.
- Genome Alberta was incorporated in 2005 and officially launched in 2006 and since then has invested approximately 17 million dollars in salaries and benefits, 4 million dollars in consumables, and almost 3 million dollars in equipment.
- These projects were reviewed by an International Science Panel and Genome Alberta’s future role will include monitoring the project finances and milestones and bringing together advisory boards to review the science.
- The official titles for the projects are: Metagenomics for Greener Production and Extraction of Hydrocarbon Energy AND Synthetic Biosystems for the Production of High-Value Plant Metabolites
Source: Genome Alberta
Economy Motivates National Retailer to Provide Free Family Summer Activities
With families struggling through the economic downturn, one retailer has decided to do something to help families enjoy activities together as a family at a very affordable price – absolutely free!
Beginning Saturday, May 30th and continuing through Sunday, July 5th, Family Summer Camp events will be held at Bass Pro Shops destination retail stores across America and Canada (crafts and workshops only will be held at Miami, FL and Branson, MO).
Every Saturday and Sunday stores will be offering free craft activities for the kids including decorating a fishing bobber, making key chains, designing their own birdhouse, creating plaster animal tracks and painting a souvenir wooden lure for Dad.
The whole family will enjoy free outdoor workshops about hiking, camping and fishing basics. Other workshops include bird watching, archery, animal identification, plants & insects, and even how to make campfire S’mores. Kids will earn a collectable pin for every workshop completed.
Store activities will vary but could include a laser shooting gallery, casting pond, soft strike foam bow range and BB gun range. You can even have a souvenir photo made or test drive a kayak in the kayak pool. Again, absolutely free!
“This is our way of helping families enjoy affordable, fun activities together and create lifelong memories,” stated Bass Pro Shops President Jim Hagale. “Bass Pro Shops is committed to helping adults and children put away their laptops, video games, and cell phones this summer and head outdoors.”
Bass Pro Shops Family Summer Camp provides families the opportunity to improve their outdoor skills and reconnect with the outdoors. This is a great time to increase awareness and interest in becoming good stewards of the land and its natural resources, to feel good about themselves and to improve their general health and well-being.
Here are some supporting facts and figures:
- Long-term health concerns among children are increasing. According to information from the US Fish and Wildlife Web site (www.fws.gov), Americans, kids especially, spend less time playing outdoors than any preceding generation.
- Kids spend an average of 6.5 hours a day with television, computers and video games and are six times more likely to play a video game than ride a bike.
- According to information from the US Fish and Wildlife site, nature is good for your health. New research shows that children who feel connected to nature have better physical, mental, and emotional health. Other various studies have shown that kids that engage in outdoor classrooms have improved grades and test scores.
- These same studies show that kids involved in the outdoors are more motivated to learn and achieve.
- Studies suggest that families that interact together outdoors create lasting bonds by making life-long memories.
For more information on the free Bass Pro Shops Family Summer Camp, go to www.basspro.com/camp.
More Summer Travelers to Pack Their Bags and Hit the Road this Year
Jiffy Lube Survey Reveals Majority of Americans Will Rely on their Vehicle to Reach Summer Vacation Destination
Think the economy has travelers staying at home this summer? That’s not the case according to a new survey from Jiffy Lube International. In fact, 88 percent of people surveyed say they plan on taking a vacation this summer, up 4 percent from those who indicated they took a vacation last summer.
While people are not willing to sacrifice their vacation, they are changing how they get to their destination. Seventy-one percent of travelers plan to jump in the family car, avoiding buying plane or train tickets and standing in long security lines; 30 percent prefer air travel, 6 percent plan to travel by bus and 6 percent plan to travel by train.
So where do summer travelers plan to go? Jiffy Lube found the top vacation spots for 2009 include: the beach (63 percent), historical sites (51 percent), national parks (46 percent) and museums (40 percent).
Whatever the destination, most vacationers will be putting some miles on their vehicle this summer and need to ensure it’s in the proper shape to get there dependably. In fact, AAA recently announced that it anticipates 7.3 million motorists will find themselves stranded with car troubles this summer(1), and proper preparation can ensure your car makes it the distance.
“As travelers plan for summer vacations in the upcoming months, it’s essential to set aside time to prepare their vehicle for the road,” said John Sanfacon, head of Marketing and Innovations at Jiffy Lube International. “Simple preventive maintenance helps keep vehicles road-ready and will help provide a stress-free road trip this summer.”
Summer Vacation Vehicle Checklist
Drivers can visit www.jiffylube.com/education/automotiveeducation.aspx to review simple tips for vehicle care. In addition, Jiffy Lube offers the following checklist to help travelers get their car ready for their summer vacation.
Check your engine oil & filter – Engine oil is the lifeblood of your vehicle, check your owner’s manual to see how often your manufacturer recommends changing the oil and oil filter.
Clean dirty wiper blades - Don’t get caught in summer showers with dirty or old wiper blades! Simply run a paper towel over your wiper blades to clean off dirt. Also, check for cracks and tears in the blades, and be sure to replace them as needed.
Keep your tires pumped – Winter driving may have worn down your tire treads and pressure. Have a professional check to ensure they are properly inflated. You can find the proper tire pressure in your vehicle owner’s manual or in your vehicle’s door jamb. Be sure to check your spare too!
Stay cool and check the A/C – There’s nothing worse than having your air conditioning stop working in 90 degree weather. Have a professional perform a system check to ensure you’ll stay cool when the weather heats up.
Engine air filter - An engine air filter is like your vehicle’s lung, and the dirtier the air filter, the less clean air gets to your engine, thus affecting how it works. A clean air filter can also increase fuel efficiency. See your vehicle owner’s manual for how often it should be replaced.
Prepare for an emergency – If you don’t have a vehicle emergency kit, create one with items such as bottled water, a flashlight, flares, duct tape, an extra cell phone, energy bars, a blanket, and a can of Fix-a-Flat(R).
To find a Jiffy Lube in your area, please visit Locations.JiffyLube.com. Visit JiffyLube.com to find oil change coupons and promotions, Jiffy Lube news articles, community involvement programs and events, franchise information, and employment opportunities.
Survey Methodology:
The Jiffy Lube International survey was conducted via telephone interviews during the period of February 19-22, 2009. The survey included a national probability sample of 1,001 adults comprising of 500 men and 501 women 18 years of age or older, living in the Continental United States. The survey was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation.
Source: Jiffy Lube International Inc.
America’s Top 100 Family Campgrounds Announced by ReserveAmerica
ReserveAmerica’s “Outdoor Recreation Awards” Also Announced Covering Everything from Best Beaches to Scenic Views!
With the summer camping season quickly approaching, ReserveAmerica, the United States’ leading recreation reservation service, announced the nation’s seventh annual “Top 100 Family Campgrounds,” a guide to help campers and their families plan camping trips at locations across America’s great outdoors. The list also includes ReserveAmerica’s top biking trails, beaches, scenic views, water recreation parks and much more.
“Our seventh annual Top 100 Family Campgrounds list honors outstanding public outdoor recreation facilities that provide a high level of service,” explained Seth Rosenberg, General Manager for ActiveOutdoors and ReserveAmerica. “The guide offers a great resource for campers and their families who are looking to plan and reserve a camping trip for this spring or summer.”
To determine the top campgrounds and locations, over 4,000 parks were reviewed and evaluated on criteria including educational programs, overall beauty and scenery, family beaches, visitor centers and camping amenities such as hot showers and laundry facilities. The featured locations were also selected based on testimonials, campground ratings and feedback provided by park rangers, regional park management and campers throughout the year.
Campers can find anything from a weekend retreat to an extended vacation by browsing through more than 300,000 campsites, cabins, day use facilities, and picnic areas at www.ReserveAmerica.com.
2009 Top 100 Family Campgrounds
Anastasia State Park-St.Augustine, FL
Anthony Chabot Regional Park-Castro Valley, CA
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park-San Diego, CA
Applegate Lake Recreation Area-Squaw Lakes-Siskiyou National Forest -OR
Bald Ridge Campground-Lake Sidney Lanier-Burford, GA
Bayou Segnette State Park-Westwego, LA
Bear Lake State Park-Garden City, UT
Bluff View Park -Clearwater Lake-Piedmont, MO
Brooks Camp Campground-Katmai National Park & Preserve-King Salmon, AK
Bulltown Campground-Burnsville Lake-Burnsville, WV
Burlingame State Park & Campground-Providence, RI
Canning Creek Cover Park & Campground-Council Grove Lake-Council Grove, KS
Castle Crags State Park-Shasta, CA
Castle Rocks State Park-Almo, ID
Cedar Ridge Park-Belton Lake-Temple, TX
Channel Islands National Park-Ventura, CA
Chester State Park-Chester, SC
Claytor Lake State Park-Dublin, VA
Columbus-Belmont State Park-Columbus, KY
Cypremort Point State Park-Cypremort Point, LA
D.A.R. State Forest-Goshen, MA
Dam Site River-Beaver Lake-Eureka Springs, AR
Del Valle Regional Park-Livermore, CA
Devils Fork State Park-Salem, SC
Dreher Island State Recreation Area-Prosperity, SC
Eagle Point-Pottersville, NY
Eel Creek Campground-Siuslaw National Forest-OR
ELS/Encore Lake George Escape Camping Resort-Lake George, NY
ELS/Encore Mt. Hood Village RV Resort -Welches, OR
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park-Ashland, NE
Fishermen’s Memorial State Park & Campground-Narragansett, RI
Fort Boonesborough State Park-Richmond, KY
Fort Clinch State Park-Fernandina Beach, FL
Fort Robinson State Park-Crawford, NE
Fremont Indian State Park and Museum-Sevier, UT
George Washington Memorial Camping Area-Providence, RI
Goblin Valley State Park-Green River, UT
Goose Point Park-Philpott Lake-Bassett, VA
Grand Isle State Park-Grand Isle, LA
Grayson Highlands State Park-Mouth of Wilson, VA
Green River Lake State Park-Campbellsville, KY
Greenbelt Campground-Greenbelt Park-Greenbelt, MD
Gun Creek-Rend Lake-Benton, IL
Hodges Gardens State Park-Florien, LA
Hopeville Pond State Park-Griswold, CT
Hungry Gulch Campground-Sequoia National Forest-CA
Indian Creek-Mark Twain Lake-Monroe City, MO
Indian Lake Islands Campground-Sabael, NY
John W. Kyle State Park-Sardis, MS
Juniper Springs Recreation Area-Ocala National Forest-Silver Springs, FL
Kettletown State Park-Southbury, CT
Kiptopeke State Park-Cape Charles, VA
Lafayette Campground-Franconia Notch State Park-Franconia, NH
Lake Greenwood State Recreation Area-Ninety Six, SC
Lake Lincoln State Park-Wesson, MS
Lake Michigan Recreation Area-Huron-Manistee National Forest-MI
Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park-London, KY
Little Manatee River State Park-Sterling, FL
Little Sand Point Campground-Piseco, NY
Loft Mountain Campground-Shenandoah National Park-VA
Longwood Park-John H. Kerr Dam & Reservoir-Boydton, VA
Macedonia Brook State Park-Kent, CT
Millerton Lake State Recreation Area-Fresno, CA
Morro Bay State Park-San Luis, CA
Mueller State Park-Divide, CO
New River Trail State Park-Foster Falls, VA
Norway Beach-Chippewa National Forest-MN
Occoneechee State Park-Clarksville, VA
Oconee Point Campground-Hartwell Lake-Seneca, SC
O’Leno State Park-High Springs, FL
Paradox Lake Campground-Paradox, NY
Pawtuckaway State Park-Nottingham, NH
Percy Quin State Park-McComb, MS
Pinegrove Campground-Coconino National Forest-AZ
Pocahontas State Park-Chesterfield, VA
Ponca State Park-Ponca, NE
Ponderosa State Park-McCall, ID
Raystown Lake-Hesston, PA
Red Fleet State Park-Vernal, UT
Rock Creek Canyon-Inyo National Forest-CA
Round Lake State Park-Sagle, ID
Salisbury Beach State Reservation-Salisbury, MA
Salt Rock State Park Campground-Baltic, CT
Santee State Park-Santee, SC
Sonoma Coast State Beach-Sonoma, CA
Sunol Regional Wilderness-Sunol, CA
Talbot Island State Park-Sebring, FL
The Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area-Boston, MA
Tishomingo State Park-Tishomingo, MS
Tolland State Forest-East Otis, MA
Trace State Park-Belden, MS
Trout Pond Recreation Area-George Washington & Jefferson National
Forest-Lost City, WV
Twin Lakes Recreation Area-Hartwell Lake-Pendleton, SC
Two Lakes Campground-Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest-WI
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve-Waquoit, MA
Wells State Park-Sturbridge, MA
White Lake State Park-Tamworth, NH
Willow Grove Campground-Dale Hollow Lake-Allons, TN
Woodland Valley-Phoenicia, NY
Zilpo Campground-Daniel Boone National Forest-Salt Lick, KY
Top 25 Amazing Spots
Arethusa Falls-Crawford Notch State Park-Hart Location, NH
Bayou Segnette State Park-Westwego, LA
Brooks Camp Campground-Katmai National Park & Preserve-King Salmon, AK
Carter Caves State Resort Park-Olive Hill, KY
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park-Corbin, KY
Davis Lake Campground-Mississippi National Forest- MS
False Cape State Park-Virginia Beach, VA
Flume Gorge-Franconia Notch State Park-Franconia, NH
Fort Robinson State Park-Crawford, NE
Goblin Valley State Park-Green River, UT
Grayson Highlands State Park-Mouth of Wilson, VA
Hodges Gardens State Park-Florien, LA
J. P. Coleman State Park-Iuka, MS
John W. Kyle State Park-Sardis, MS
Myakka River State Park-Sarasota, FL
Natural Tunnel State Park-Duffield, VA
Oregon Dunes KOA-North Bend, OR
Purgatory Chasm State Reservation-Sutton, MA
R. Shaefer Heard-West Point Project-West Point, GA
San Simeon State Park-Cambria, CA
Spectacle Island-Boston Harbor, MA
State Forest State Park-Walden, CO
Table Rock State Park-Pickens, SC
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park-Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Westmoreland State Park-Montross, VA
Top 25 Biking Trails
Alafia River State Park-Lithia, FL
Ashuwillticook Rail Trail-Lanesborough, Cheshire, Adams, MA
Cape Cod Rail Trail-Dennis to Wellfleet, MA
Chadron State Park-Chadron, NE
Cheyenne Mountain State Park-Colorado Springs, CO
Choctaw Lake Campground-Mississippi National Forests-MS
Croft State Natural Area-Spartanburg, SC
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park-San Diego, CA
Davis Lake Campground-Mississippi National Forest-MS
Douthat State Park-Millboro, VA
Franconia Notch Recreation Path-Franconia Notch State Park-Franconia, NH
Highlands Hammock State Park-Sterling, FL
Jordanelle Rock Cliff State Park-Heber City, UT
Nashua River Rail Trail-Ayer, Groton, Pepperell, Dunstable, MA
New River Trail State Park-Foster Falls, VA
North Bend Park-John H. Kerr Dam & Reservoir-Boydton, VA
Odiorne State Park-Rye, NH
Old Post Road Park-Dardanelle Lock & Dam-Russellville, AR
Platte River State Park-Louisville, NE
Silver City KOA-Silver City, NM
Staunton River State Park-Scottsburg, VA
Steinaker State Park-Vernal, UT
Trace State Park-Belden, MS
Wasatch Mountain State Park-Midway, UT
York River State Park-Williamsburg, VA
Top 25 Bird-Watching Spots
Applegate Lake Recreation Area-Squaw Lakes-Siskiyou National Forest-OR
Belle Isle State Park-Lancaster, VA
Bonny Lake State Park-Idalia, CO
Caesars Head State Park-Cleveland, SC
Caledon Natural Area-King George, VA
Collier-Seminole State Park-Naples, FL
Fort Kearny State Recreation Area-Kearney, NE
Holmes Bend Campground-Green River Lake-Columbia, KY
J.A. Skinner State Park-Hadley, South Hadley, MA
John James Audubon State Park-Henderson, KY
John W. Kyle State Park-Sardis, MS
Lake Lincoln State Park-Wesson, MS
Lake Michigan Recreation Area-Huron-Manistee National Forest-MI
Miller State Park-Temple, NH
Montpelier Creek KOA-Montpelier, ID
Ochlockonee River State Park-Sebring, FL
Otter Creek State Park-Antimony, UT
Plymouth Park-John Day Lock & Dam-The Dalles, OR
Ponca State Park-Ponca, NE
Salton Sea State Park-Riverside, CA
Smith Mountain Lake State Park-Huddleston, VA
St. George Island State Park-Naples, FL
Sweetwater KOA-Sweetwater, TN
Umbagog Lake State Park-Cambridge, NH
Wachusett Mountain State Reservation-Princeton, MA
Top 25 Canoeing Spots
Belle Isle State Park-Lancaster, VA
Blackstone River Valley Heritage Park-Uxbridge, MA
Blackwater River State Park-Holt, FL
Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park-Carlisle, KY
Brooks Camp Campground-Katmai National Park & Preserve-King Salmon, AK
Caddo River-DeGray Lake-Arkadelphia, AR
Caladesi Island State Park-Dunedin, FL
Connecticut River Greenway State Park-Northampton, MA
False Cape State Park-Virginia Beach, VA
Goodale State Park-Camden, SC
Green River State Park-Green River, UT
Hayward KOA-Hayward, WI
Hillsborough River State Park-Thonotosassa, FL
James River State Park-Gladstone, VA
Juniper Springs Recreation Area-Ocala National Forest-Silver Springs, FL
Lake Oroville State Recreation Area-Oroville, CA
Mason Neck State Park-Lorton, VA
Mollidgewock State Park-Errol, NH
Oleta River State Park-North Miami, FL
Onawa/Blue Lake KOA-Onawa, IA
Pillsbury State Park-Washington, NH
Smith Falls State Park-Valentine, NE
Sylvan Lake State Park-Eagle, CO
Tishomingo State Park-Tishomingo, MS
Umbagog Lake State Park-Cambridge, NH
Top 50 Educational & Historical Facilities
Anasazi State Park Museum-Boulder, UT
Applegate Lake Recreation Area-Squaw Lakes-Siskiyou National Forest-OR
Big Bone Lick State Park-Union, KY
Borderland State Park-Easton/Sharon, MA
Bulltown Historical Area-Burnsville Lake-Burnsville, WV
Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum-Fairfield, UT
Canning Creek Cover Park & Campground-Council Grove Lake-Council Grove, KS
Casey KOA-Casey, IL
Castle Island-South Boston, MA
Chippokes Plantation State Park-Surry, VA
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park-Tulare, CA
Columbus-Belmont State Park-Columbus, KY
Douthat State Park-Millboro, VA
Eleanor Roosevelt National Historical Site-Hyde Park, NY
Fall River Heritage State Park-Fall River, MA
False Cape State Park-Virginia Beach, VA
Fort Boonesborough State Park-Richmond, KY
Fort Robinson State Park-Crawford, NE
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site-Washington, D.C.
Fredericksburg/Washington DC KOA-Fredericksburg, MD
Fremont Indian State Park and Museum-Sevier, UT
Gasparilla Island State Park-Boca Grande, FL
Highlands Hammock State Park-Sterling, FL
Holliday Lake State Park-Lynchburg, VA
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historical Site-Hyde Park, NY
John Wingate Weeks Historic Site-Lancaster, NH
Koreshan State Historic Site-Sebring, FL
Myakka River State Park-Sarasota, FL
Natural Tunnel State Park-Duffield, VA
Norway Beach-Chippewa National Forest-MN
Orman House State Park-Apalachicola, FL
Oscar Scherer State Park-Osprey, FL
Percy Quin State Park-McComb, MS
Ponca State Park-Ponca, NE
R. Shaefer Heard-West Point Project-West Point, GA
Santa Fe Trail Park & Campground-Council Grove Lake-Council Grove, KS
Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park-Big Stone Gap, VA
St. Andrews State Park- Panama City, FL
Staunton River Battlefield State Park-Randolph, VA
Tishomingo State Park-Tishomingo, MS
Trinidad Lake State Park-Trinidad, CO
Utah Field House of Natural History State Park and Museum-Vernal, UT
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historical Site-Hyde Park, NY
Walden Pond State Reservation-Concord, MA
Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion Historic Site-Portsmouth, NH
Westmoreland State Park-Montross, VA
Wilderness Road State Park-Ewing, VA
Williamsburg KOA-Williamsburg, VA
Willow Grove Campground-Dale Hollow Lake-Allons, TN
York River State Park-Williamsburg, VA
Top 50 Fishing Spots
Applegate Lake Recreation Area-Squaw Lakes-Siskiyou National Forest-OR
Bear Lake State Park-Garden City, UT
Blackberry-Siuslaw National Forest-Tidewater, OR
Blue Creek- Oologah Lake-Oologah, OK
Bolsa Chica State Beach-Orange, CA
Brooks Camp Campground-Katmai National Park & Preserve-King Salmon, AK
Burns Run West – Texoma Lake-Cartwright, OK
Burnsville Lake-Burnsville, WV
Calamus Reservoir State Recreation Area-Burwell, NE
Cayo Costa State Park-Boca Grande, FL
Choctaw Lake Campground-Mississippi National Forests-MS
Claytor Lake State Park-Dublin, VA
Davis Lake Campground-Mississippi National Forest-MS
Dent Acres Campground-Dworshak Dam & Reservoir-Ahsahka, ID
Downstream Campground-Garrison Dam Lake-Riverdale, ND
Fort Pierce Inlet State Park-Fort Pierce, FL
Gasparilla Island State Park-Boca Grande, FL
Grand Isle State Park-Grand Isle, LA
Greenbo Lake State Resort Park-Greenup, KY
Grenada Lake-Grenada, MS
Hungry Mother State Park-Marion, VA
Hyrum Lake State Park-Hyrum, UT
J. P. Coleman State Park-Iuka, MS
John W. Kyle State Park-Sardis, MS
Kentucky Lakes/Prizer Point KOA-Cadiz, KY
Kiptopeke State Park-Cape Charles, VA
Lake Cumberland State Resort Park-Jamestown, KY
Lake Francis State Park-Pittsburgh, NH
Lake Lincoln State Park-Wesson, MS
Lake Manatee State Park-Bradenton, FL
Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area-Ogallala, NE
Lake Ogallala State Recreation Area-Ogallala, NE
Lake Warren State Park-Hampton, SC
Manchester KOA-Manchester, TN
Mollidgewock State Park-Errol, NH
New River Trail State Park-Foster Falls, VA
Occoneechee State Park-Clarksville, VA
Otter Creek State Park-Antimony, UT
Percy Quin State Park-McComb, MS
Plymouth Park-John Day Lock & Dam-The Dalles, OR
Quail Creek State Park-St.George, UT
Sandisfield State Forest-Sandisfield, MA
Santee State Park-Santee, SC
Scusset Beach State Reservation-Sandwich, MA
Spinney Mountain State Park-Lake George, CO
St. George Island State Park-Naples, FL
Sugarloaf KOA-Sugarloaf, FL
Trace State Park-Belden, MS
Umbagog Lake State Park-Cambridge, NH
Yuba Lake State Park-Levan, UT
Top 50 Hiking Trails
Appalachian Trail-MA
Artist Bluff-Franconia Notch State Park-Franconia, NH
Black River Hike & Bike Trail-Clearwater Lake-Piedmont, MO
Brighton KOA-Brighton, ONT CANADA
Brooks Camp Campground-Katmai National Park & Preserve-King Salmon, AK
Burnsville Lake Trail System-Burnsville, WV
Cape Perpetua-Siuslaw National Forest-Yachats, OR
Castle Crags State Park-Shasta, CA
Chippokes Plantation State Park-Surry, VA
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park-Corbin, KY
Deer Creek State Park-Midway, UT
Douthat State Park-Millboro, VA
Fairy Stone State Park-Stuart, VA
False Cape State Park-Virginia Beach, VA
Fort Robinson State Park-Crawford, NE
Gaylord KOA-Gaylord, MI
Grayson Highlands State Park-Mouth of Wilson, VA
Holliday Lake State Park-Lynchburg, VA
Holmes Bend Campground-Green River Lake-Campbellsville, KY
Hopkinton State Park-Hopkinton, MA
Hungry Mother State Park-Marion, VA
Indian Cave State Park-Shubert, NE
Jordanelle Rock Cliff State Park-Heber City, UT
Kiptopeke State Park-Cape Charles, VA
Kodachrome Basin State Park-Cannonville, UT
Koreshan State Historic Site-Sebring, FL
Loft Mountain Campground-Shenandoah National Park-VA
Lory State Park-Denver, CO
Middlesex Fells Reservation-Malden, Medford, Stoneham, Melrose,
Winchester, MA
Monadnock State Park-Jaffrey, NH
Myakka River State Park-Sarasota, FL
Natural Bridge State Resort Park-Slade, KY
North Sydney/Cabot Trail KOA-New Harris, NS CANADA
Oconee State Park-Mountain Rest, SC
Oscar Scherer State Park-Osprey, FL
Pawtuckaway State Park-Nottingham, NH
Percy Quin State Park-McComb, MS
Pillsbury State Park-Washington, NH
Ponca State Park-Ponca, NE
R. Shaefer Heard-West Point Project-West Point, GA
Ray Behrens-Mark Twain Lake-Monroe City, MO
Red Fleet State Park-Vernal, UT
Rockport State Park-Peoa, UT
Smith Mountain Lake State Park-Huddleston, VA
Steinaker State Park-Vernal, UT
Tishomingo State Park-Tishomingo, MS
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park-Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Torreya State Park-Bristol, FL
Trace State Park-Belden, MS
Wasatch Mountain State Park-Midway, UT
Top 25 Horse-Friendly Parks
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park-San Diego, CA
Bear Brook State Park-Deerfield, NH
Blue Creek-Oologah Lake-Oologah, OK
Bridalveil Creek Horse Camp-Yosemite National Park-CA
Bristol/Kingsport KOA-Blountville, TN
Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park-Burkesville, KY
Dubois/Wind River KOA-Dubois, WY
Fairy Stone State Park-Stuart, VA
Frank Russell Recreation Area-Mark Twain Lake-Monroe City, MO
Golden Gate Canyon State Park-Golden, CO
Grayson Highlands State Park-Mouth of Wilson, VA
H. Cooper Black Jr. Memorial Field Trail and Recreation Area-Cheraw, SC
James River State Park-Gladstone, VA
Lake Anna State Park-Spotsylvania, VA
Limon KOA-Limon, CO
Little Manatee River State Park-Sterling, FL
Myakka River State Park-Sarasota, FL
Myles Standish State Forest-South Carver, MA
New River Trail State Park-Foster Falls, VA
Staunton River State Park-Scottsburg, VA
Stub Stewart State Park-Buxton, OR
Taylorsville Lake State Park-Taylorsville, KY
Trace State Park-Belden, MS
Wilderness Gateway Campground-Clearwater National Forest-ID
York River State Park-Williamsburg, VA
Top 25 Kid-Friendly Parks
Alafia River State Park-Lithia, FL
Applegate Lake Recreation Area-Squaw Lakes-Siskiyou National Forest-OR
Barr Lake State Park-Brighton, CO
Barren River Lake State Resort Park-Lucas, KY
Bayou Segnette State Park-Westwego, LA
Beaver Brook Reservation-Mill Street, Belmont/Waltham, MA
Burns Run West-Texoma Lake-Cartwright, OK
Cedar Ridge Park-Belton Lake-Temple, TX
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park-Ashland, NE
Fort Boonesborough State Park-Richmond, KY
Fort Robinson State Park-Crawford, NE
Leesylvania State Park-Woodbridge, VA
Longwood Park-John H. Kerr Dam & Reservoir-Boydton, VA
Morro Bay State Park-San Luis, CA
Nantasket Beach State Reservation-Hull, MA
Odiorne State Park-Rye, NH
Oleta River State Park-North Miami, FL
Pawtuckaway State Park-Nottingham, NH
Percy Quin State Park-McComb, MS
Pocahontas State Park-Chesterfield, VA
Rudds Creek Campground-John H. Kerr Dam & Reservoir-Boydton, VA
Shelby/Mansfield KOA-Shelby, OH
Trace State Park-Belden, MS
Twin Lakes State Park-Green Bay, VA
Wisconsin Dells KOA-Wisconsin Dells, WI
Top 25 Park Beaches
Bear Brook State Park-Deerfield, NH
Caladesi Island State Park-Dunedin, FL
Calamus Reservoir State Recreation Area-Burwell, NE
Choctaw Lake Campground-Mississippi National Forests-MS
Claytor Lake State Park-Dublin, VA
Demarest Lloyd State Park-Dartmouth, MA
Emmet KOA-Emmet, MI
Fairy Stone State Park-Stuart, VA
Fort Pierce Inlet State Park-Fort Pierce, FL
Harvey Gap-Rifle, CO
Holliday Lake State Park-Lynchburg, VA
Lake Lincoln State Park-Wesson, MS
Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area-Ogallala, NE
Longwood Park-John H. Kerr Dam & Reservoir-Boydton, VA
Myrtle Beach State Park-Myrtle Beach, SC
Nantasket Beach State Reservation-Hull, MA
Naples Marco Island KOA-Naples, FL
Revere Beach Reservation-Revere, MA
Rudds Creek Campground-John H. Kerr Dam & Reservoir-Boydton, VA
San Elijo State Beach-San Diego, CA
South Sandusky Day Use-Benton, IL
St. George Island State Park-Naples, FL
Sugarloaf KOA-Sugarloaf, FL
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park-Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Wallis Sands State Beach-Rye, NH
Top 25 Picnic Areas
Ashland State Park-Ashland, MA
Bayou Segnette State Park-Westwego, LA
Beaver Brook Falls-Wayside, Colebrook, NH
Benbow Lake State Recreation Area-Humboldt, CA
Burnsville Lake-Burnsville, WV
Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum-Fairfield, UT
Clarksburg State Park-Clarksburg, MA
Claytor Lake State Park-Dublin, VA
Collier-Seminole State Park-Naples, FL
Elrod Ferry-Hartwell Lake-Hartwell, GA
First Landing State Park-Virginia Beach, VA
Hodges Gardens State Park-Florien, LA
Jones Gap State Park-Marietta, SC
Lake Lincoln State Park-Wesson, MS
Lake Manatee State Park-Bradenton, FL
Little Manatee River State Park-Sterling, FL
Mt. Sunapee State Park-Newbury, NH
Niobrara State Park-Niobrara, NE
North Bend Park-John H. Kerr Dam & Reservoir-Boydton, VA
Occoneechee State Park-Clarksville, VA
Paonia State Park-Crawford, CO
Platte River State Park-Louisville, NE
St. Mary KOA-St.Mary, MT
Trace State Park-Belden, MS
Winthrop/N Cascade KOA-Winthrop, WA
Top 25 Romantic Spots
Applegate Lake Recreation Area-Squaw Lakes-Siskiyou National Forest-OR
Bald Nob – Franconia Notch State Park-Franconia, NH
Belle Isle State Park-Lancaster, VA
Caladesi Island State Park-Dunedin, FL
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park-Corbin, KY
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park-Ashland, NE
First Landing State Park-Virginia Beach, VA
Gasparilla Island State Park-Boca Grande, FL
Hodges Gardens State Park-Florien, LA
J.A. Skinner State Park-Hadley, South Hadley, MA
Moore State Park-Paxton, MA
Niagara Falls North KOA-Youngstown, NY
Occoneechee State Park-Clarksville, VA
Odiorne State Park-Rye, NH
Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park-Dawson Springs, KY
Percy Quin State Park-McComb, MS
Ponca State Park-Ponca, NE
Raystown Lake-Hesston, PA
Redman Campground-Wasatch Cache National Forest-UT
Rend Lake-Benton, IL
Ridgway State Park-Ridgway, CO
Rockport State Park-Peoa, UT
San Antonio KOA-San Antonio, TX
Sonoma Coast State Beach-Sonoma, CA
Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion Historic Site-Portsmouth, NH
Top 50 Scenic Views
Applegate Lake Recreation Area-Squaw Lakes-Siskiyou National Forest-OR
Blue Hills Reservation-Milton, MA
Collier-Seminole State Park-Naples, FL
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park-Corbin, KY
Dead Horse Point State Park-Moab, UT
Devils Tower KOA-Devils Tower, WY
Fort Robinson State Park-Crawford, NE
Frank Russell Recreation Area-Mark Twain Lake-Monroe City, MO
Goblin Valley State Park-Green River, UT
Goosenecks State Park-Mexican Hat, UT
Highlands Hammock State Park-Sterling, FL
Hillsborough River State Park-Thonotosassa, FL
Hodges Gardens State Park-Florien, LA
Indian Creek Recreation Area-Mark Twain Lake-Monroe City, MO
J. P. Coleman State Park-Iuka, MS
James River State Park-Gladstone, VA
John W. Kyle State Park-Sardis, MS
John Wingate Weeks Historic Site-Lancaster, NH
Kiptopeke State Park-Cape Charles, VA
Kodachrome Basin State Park-Cannonville, UT
Lake Manatee State Park-Bradenton, FL
Lake Michigan Recreation Area-Huron-Manistee National Forest-MI
Landsford Canal State Park-Catawba, SC
Little Manatee River State Park-Sterling, FL
Monadnock State Park-Jaffrey, NH
Mount Holyoke Range State Park-Amherst, MA
Mt Sugarloaf State Reservation-South Deerfield, MA
Mt. Greylock State Reservation-North Adams, Adams, Lanesborough,
Cheshire, Williamstown and New Ashford, MA
Natural Bridge State Resort Park-Slade, KY
Niobrara State Park-Niobrara, NE
Percy Quin State Park-McComb, MS
Petosky KOA-Petoskey, MI
Plymouth Park-John Day Lock & Dam-The Dalles, OR
Ray Behrens-Mark Twain Lake-Monroe City, MO
Raystown Lake-Hesston, PA
Royal Gorge KOA-Canon City, CO
Saddle Butte State Park-Los Angeles, CA
Shenandoah River State Park-Bentonville, VA
Sky Meadows State Park-Delaplane, VA
Staunton River State Park-Scottsburg, VA
Summit Cannon Mountain-Franconia Notch State Park-Franconia, NH
Tall Chief Cove-Skiatook Lake-Skiatook, OK
Tillicum Beach-Siuslaw National Forest-OR
Tishomingo State Park-Tishomingo, MS
Torreya State Park-Bristol, FL
Trace State Park-Belden, MS
Twin Lakes State Park-Green Bay, VA
Westmoreland State Park-Montross, VA
Willow Grove Campground-Dale Hollow Lake-Allons, TN
Yampa River State Park-Hayden, CO
Top 25 Tours & Events
Ano Nuevo State Natural Reserve-San Mateo, CA
Antelope Island State Park Annual Bison Roundup-Syracuse, UT
Battle Of Bulltown-Burnsville Lake-Burnsville, WV
Borderland State Park-Easton/Sharon, MA
Boston Harbor Islands-Boston, MA
Branson KOA-Branson, MO
Caledon Natural Area-King George, VA
Carter Caves State Resort Park-Olive Hill, KY
Cherry Creek State Park-Aurora, CO
Chippokes Plantation State Park-Surry, VA
Elkhart/Middlebury KOA-Middlebury, IN
Eugene T. Mahoney State Park-Ashland, NE
Grenada Lake-Grenada, MS
Hillsborough River State Park-Thonotosassa, FL
Hodges Gardens State Park-Florien, LA
Koreshan State Historic Site-Sebring, FL
Myakka River State Park-Sarasota, FL
New Hampshire Great Park Pursuit
Newburgh/New York City N KOA-Plattekill, NY
Niobrara State Park-Niobrara, NE
Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park-Big Stone Gap, VA
Staunton River Battlefield State Park-Randolph, VA
The Esplanade Hatch Shell-Boston, MA
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park-Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Wilderness Road State Park-Ewing, VA
Top 25 Unique Cabins
Bear Creek State Park-Cumberland, VA
Cayo Costa State Park-Boca Grande, FL
Chief Timothy Park Cabins-Lower Granite-Clarkson, WA
Cottonwood Cabin-Okanagan-Wenatchee National Forest-WA
Cypremort Point State Park-Cypremort Point, LA
First Landing State Park-Virginia Beach, VA
Fort Robinson State Park-Crawford, NE
Higgins Lake Yurts KOA-Roscommon, MI
Kiptopeke State Park-Cape Charles, VA
Mancos State Park-Mancos, CO
McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park-Shasta, CA
Milan Hill State Park-Milan, NH
Mountain Home Tee-Pees KOA-Mountain Home, ID
Myakka River State Park-Sarasota, FL
Nickerson State Park-Brewster, MA
Occoneechee State Park-Clarksville, VA
Oleta River State Park-North Miami, FL
Pawtuckaway State Park-Nottingham, NH
Percy Quin State Park-McComb, MS
Poso Guard Station Cabin-Sequoia National Forest-CA
Shawme-Crowell State Forest-Sandwich, MA
Spruces Log Pavillion-Big Cottonwood Canyon-UT
Tishomingo State Park-Tishomingo, MS
Two Rivers State Recreation Area-Waterloo, NE
Umbagog Lake State Park-Cambridge, NH
Top 25 Water Recreation Parks
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area-Salida, CO
Burns Run West – Texoma Lake-Cartwright, OK
Collier-Seminole State Park-Naples, FL
Davis Lake Campground-Mississippi National Forest-MS
Downstream Campground-Garrison Dam Lake-Riverdale, ND
Dreher Island State Recreation Area-Prosperity, SC
Fort Collins/Lakeside KOA-Ft. Collins, CO
Frank Russell Recreation Area-Mark Twain Lake-Monroe City, MO
Hillsborough River State Park-Thonotosassa, FL
Indian Creek-Mark Twain Lake-Monroe City, MO
Jessie M. Honeymen Memorial State Park-Florence, OR
Lake Anna State Park-Spotsylvania, VA
Lake Barkley State Resort Park-Cadiz, KY
Lake Cumberland State Resort Park-Jamestown, KY
Lake Lincoln State Park-Wesson, MS
Millerton Lake State Recreation Area-Fresno, CA
New Bern KOA- New Bern, NC
R. Shaefer Heard-West Point Project-West Point, GA
Ray Behrens-Mark Twain Lake-Monroe City, MO
Rudds Creek Campground-John H. Kerr Dam & Reservoir-Boydton, VA
Staunton River State Park-Scottsburg, VA
Stockton Delta KOA-Lodi, CA
Tall Chief Cove-Skiatook Lake-Skiatook, OK
Trace State Park-Belden, MS
Willow Grove Campground-Dale Hollow Lake-Allons, TN
Source: ReserveAmerica