Mesa Verde National Park offers new guided tours for 2010

by Kraig Becker on

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is preparing to open next Thursday, April 22nd, and to celebrate, the park will be offering several exciting new guided tours. Additionally, the Fair View Lodge, the only hotel within the park’s boundaries, has spring time specials for those who elect to stay on site when they visit.

The most popular attraction in Mesa Verde is the world famous cliff dwellings that were once inhabited by the Pueblo Indians, prior to their move from a hunter-gatherer tribe to a more advanced agrarian society. The park offers a number of great interpretive tours of those ruins, including the three-hour long “Classic Pueblo”, which includes visits to Triple Cities, Square Tower overlook, Sun Point and Sun Temple, The tour also includes a hike to Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in North America. The price for this archeological and cultural walk through the past is just $35 for adults and $17.50 for children 11 and under.

For something a bit more in depth, check out the “Far View Explorer”, which is five hours in length and includes visits to a number of archeological sites throughout the park, including the Spruce Tree House in the Chapin Mesa area. The cost of this tour is $25 for adults and $12.50 for children, and includes a box lunch.

Finally, the half-day long “700 Years” tour visits Pueblo sites that span the length of the tribe’s history, beginning in 600 AD and running through 1300 AD. Visitors are shuttled throughout the park aboard comfortable coaches, taking short hikes on a variety of trails and visit ancient dwellings. Running four hours in length, the price of this tour is $45 for adults and $34 for kids 11 and under.

To entice visitors further, the park is offering their Spring into Mesa Verde package for travelers who want to spend the night at the Fair View Lodge. $139 gets you a nights stay in a standard room at the lodge and includes two reserved seats on the Classic Pueblo tour. This price reflects a 25% savings over booking the stay and tour independently. To make your reservation, call 866-292-8295 or visit visitmesaverde.com and use the promo code SPRING10.

Select national park resorts offer deals on lodging and tours for National Parks Week

by Kraig Becker on

National Parks Week is set to take place from April 17 through the 25, and to celebrate, Aramark, an authorized concessioner of the National Park Service, has announced several great deals on lodging, tours, and retail items.

Several of the lodges that fall under Aramark management are offering two-for-one deals. For example, the visitors to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia can book a nights stay at Skyland Resort for $125 and receive the next nights stay absolutely free. The offer runs from April 18-29, with the deal extending to consecutive nights only. Similarly, visitors to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado can stay for $99 on their first night, and get their second consecutive night free as well. This offer is good from April 22-30.

Visitors to Olympic National Park have multiple choices in their place to stay, with three lodges running specials Book an evening in the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, Kalaloch Lodge or Lake Crescent Lodge for $157 and you’ll receive the second night free. The offer is good in the first two resorts from April 17-25, and in the Lake Crescent Lodge from May 7-31, but must be booked by April 25.

Finally, visitors to the Yellowstone National Park can stay in the Togwotee Mountain Lodge, located 44 miles from the South Entrance, for just $99 for the first night, and receive the second consecutive night free. The booking must be made by April 25, but is valid for stays between May 21 and June 28.

For more great deals from Aramark, including special pricing on tours, t-shirts and more, click here. Most of the special offers are good through National Park Week, when entry to every park in the system will also be free.

Trade in 10 plastic water bottles for a free night at Starwood’s Element Hotel

by Amy Chen on

You’ve probably seen the reusable eco-chic totes that proudly proclaim “I’m Not A Plastic Bag.” Well starting today (April 5), now you can book the “I Am Not a Plastic Package” at participating Element Hotels — in exchange for turning in 10 single-use plastic water bottles at check-in, you can get a free night at a Element property if you’re one of the first 100 people to call 1-877-ELEMENT and mention the promo code GOGREEN.

The eco-friendly Starwood offshoot currently has locations in or just outside of Baltimore, Denver, Dallas, Houston, and Las Vegas (about 15 minutes from the Strip), as well as suburban areas such as Lexington, Mass. (about a 30-minute drive from Boston) and Ewing, N.J. (about 40 minutes from Philadelphia, 1.5 hours from Manhattan). Each extended-stay property has rooms with in-room kitchenettes, Energy Star-rated appliances, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and low-flow faucets — and green amenities such as complimentary bike rentals and electric car charging stations.

Though the idea is to reduce the use of disposable water bottles, I have to wonder how many people are going to actually pack 10 empty water bottles in their carry-ons or suitcases. Even so, if you are among the lucky 100 to book this Earth Day promotion, please don’t buy 10 water bottles at the nearest store once you arrive, guzzle the water (or dump it out), and then present the bottles at check-in. We all know that’s not the point.

Details: The Earth Day promotion is limited to 100 rooms at participating Element properties, where room rates typically start at $125 per night. If you are among the first 100 people to book this package, your one-night stay must be redeemed between April 22 and 25. To qualify for the free room, you must bring and turn in 10 water bottles at check-in. In addition to the free night, you’ll get a free Element-branded reusable water bottle to remind you of how it’s possible to save a little green by being green. Room taxes are also waived, but you are responsible for any incidentals. Limit one free room per guest.%Gallery-73514%

SkyMall St. Patrick’s Day Sale

by Mike Barish on

SkyMall knows it’s St. Patrick’s Day. They also know that it’s Wednesday thanks to their Day Clock. And they’re celebrating with a St. Patrick’s Day Sale offering 25% off your total order.

What better way to celebrate your Irish heritage (or love of all things green) than with a green Slanket, an inspirational faux emerald or just a plain old green duffel bag to store all of your lucky charms. Perhaps you’d like to start walking through the office with a Handmade Irish Shillelagh. Today’s the day to make that dream come true.

Not all of the merchants on SkyMall are participating in the sale and there’s some other fine print worth scanning. But if you’ve had your eye on a piece of SkyMall swag – perhaps something you’ve read about in SkyMall Monday – then today’s the day to pull the trigger.

Get your Disney deals and resources from AOL Travel

by Scott Carmichael on

When it comes to Disney, I’m rather weird – I can recite almost all of Finding Nemo, but I’ve only ever managed to visit their theme parks once. Thankfully my daughter is now at the age where a trip to Disney is going to have to be on the agenda pretty soon, or I suspect there will be rioting.

Our friends at AOL Travel have compiled a fantastic collection of Disney resources. Their articles can help with everything from where to find the best deals, to picking the best time of year to visit Disney World.

The main information hub also offers a great gallery of images from some of the lesser known attractions. Take for example the Richard Petty Driving Experience or the Disney Wide World of Sports – two attractions I had never heard of.

So, next time you start researching Disney, head on over to the Disney pages at AOL Travel. From the main Disney hub, you can also research Disney Cruise Lines, Disney Adventures or the Disney Vacation Club. The pages are easy to navigate and thanks to the daily updated deals, you’ll be able to research and book all from the same site.