Vail: Eight free ways to rock snowless slopes

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Your skis are jammed in the closet, and you’re more concerned about traffic en route to the beach than you are about getting out to the Rockies. Well, it’s time to change your thinking. Dash off to Colorado this summer, and you can escape the heat and find some exciting ways to recharge away from home. Oh, and you won’t have to pull out your wallet when you get there.

Check out these free ways to have a blast in Vail this summer without dropping a dime:

1. Music: Enjoy the Hot Summer Nights Tuesday Free Concert series

2. More Music: Tuesday isn’t enough? Get greedy and hang out until Thurday for jazz concerts outside the Arrabelle at Vail Square. If you can’t get enough jazz, linger at the Vail Farmer’s Market on Sunday, too.

3. Ride: Stick your kids on a gondola. It won’t cost you a thing, and you can get them out of your hair for a bit.

4. Play: Try your hand at horseshoes or bocce (among others) at Adventure Ridge.5. Hike: Walk the trails of Vail Mountain with a guide.

6. Serve and volley: Are you into tennis? Pick up a match at the Golden Peak Tennis Courts.

7. Learn: Take advantage of free admission to the Colorado Ski Museum.

8. Park: Yeah, it doesn’t sound like much, but anyone who lives in a city, especially, will appreciate this one. Vail Village and Lionshead offer free parking all summer long.

And if this isn’t enough for you, there are some deals to be had. Both the Arrabelle at Vail Square and The Lodge at Vail are kicking in solid discounts, with rates at the former starting at $199 a night and the latter at $149 a night.

Free passes: Museum Day set for Sept. 25

by Amy Chen on

It’s not too early to start thinking about where you should be on Sept. 25, which happens to be the 6th annual Museum Day.

During last year’s Museum Day, an estimated 300,000 people got in free at some 1,300 museums around the country. Hosted by Smithsonian Media and sponsored by Toyota, the annual Museum Day offers a glimpse of what it’d be like if more museums in the U.S. were free — like in London, perhaps.

Though many U.S. museums offer free admission through year-round programs such as Target Free Fridays, the fact that Museum Day falls on a Saturday makes this a family-friendly (and budget-friendly) event.

Starting July 1, you can print the free museum pass from Smithsonian.com. The pass is good for two people at one of the participating museums. Though the list of registered venues hasn’t been finalized yet, confirmed museums include the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), the Adler Planetarium (Chicago), the Experience Music Project (Seattle), and the Dallas Museum of Art.

The value of the Museum Day pass depends on where you go. For example, general admission at the Museum of Fine Arts is usually $20 per adult, while entry to the Experience Music Project normally costs $15. Adult tickets at the Adler Planetarium and Dallas Museum of Art each regularly cost $10. If you’ll be traveling in late September, it’s worth trying to take advantage of these savings.

If you don’t see a museum near you, keep an eye on www.smithsonian.com/museumday for updated venues. Even if the museum charges for parking, chances are the free Museum Day pass will make this family outing less expensive than going to the movies.

Details: Starting on July 1, download your Museum Day Ticket from www.smithsonian.com/museumday. Limit one pass per household (or per e-mail address).

[Photo Credit: Amy Chen]

Ski for free at Stowe when you stay at Topnotch Resort

by Katie Hammel on

Ski season is in full swing at resorts throughout the US, and now through April 10, you can “ski for free” at Topnotch Resort in Stowe, Vermont. The resort sits at the base of Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak, which reaches nearly 5,000 feet. It offers luxury accommodations on 120 acres, 40 minutes from Burlington Airport. .

This season, included in accommodations rates, you’ll also receive two adult lifts tickets to Stowe Mountain delivered by the resort’s “Ski Concierge”, shuttle service to and from the mountain, and overnight ski storage. Rentals are available from the resort’s Nordic Barn. In addition to skiing, the resort offers tennis, a spa, and horseback trail rides.

Rates start at $250 (plus tax) for weekdays and $350 for weekends. Blackout dates include January 28-30, February 7-20, February 25-27, and March 21-23. Rate outside of the promotion start at $300 per night, and lift tickets at Stowe can cost $84 per day per person, so this deal would save you around $200 per day for two skiers….which means more money for apres ski fun and hot toddies by the fire.

Get warm with a free trip to the Cayman Islands

by Katie Hammel on

It’s been a doozy of a winter so far, and there are no signs that the temps are suddenly going to increase. You’ve got a long few months to go before you get warm again….unless you happen to win the Cayman Island’s new contest. The lucky winner will receive a trip for four, including air and hotel, to the tropical Cayman Islands.

The winner and friends will stay at the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort on Seven Mile Beach, and will receive a free boat and snorkel trip to Stingray City, where they’ll swim with massive stingrays.

To enter, you’ll need to upload your best photo that shows one of your coldest winter moments. Upload it by March 1 and encourage all your friends to vote for you. The ten entries with the most votes will move on to the final judging, and a winner will be announced by March 10. You must be 18 or older and a resident of the US to enter and travel must take place by December 31, 2011.

Of course, for many people, the worst of winter will be over by March 10. So maybe the contest won’t help you escape the cold right away, at least not in the most literal sense. But maybe the thought of a Cayman Islands vacation – especially a free one – will warm your heart just a bit.

Win a free trip to Costa Rica from Nomadic Matt and Gap Adventures

by Katie Hammel on

Globetrotting blogger Nomadic Matt took his very first international trip to Costa Rica with Gap Adventures back in 2003. Ever since then, he’s been traveling the world, blogging about his adventures and teaching others how to make money from their own blogs. Now he’s paying his success forward, and awarding one of his lucky readers a free two-week trip to Costa Rica with Gap Adventures.

The winner will go on the Gap Adventures Costa Rica Explorer Tour that departs on March 28. The trip includes stops in Tortuguero, at Arenal Volcano, Monteverde and Manual Antonio National Park. Most breakfasts and a few lunches and dinners are included, but the winner will be responsible for other meals and activities not included on the tour. Airfare is covered in the prize, and the winner does not need to be from the United States.

The winner does have a few responsibilities though, other than just going on a pretty sweet (and almost totally free) trip. You will need to blog about your adventures both on the trip and afterwards, reflecting on the experiences had and the lessons learned. But don’t worry, Matt will be there to help you out with a blog set-up and tutorial. You will need a computer, digital camera or video camera though, and for that, you’re on your own.

So how do you win? You can check out the full list of instructions on Nomadic Matt’s website, but the gist is that you’ll need to write a 500-word blog post or create a 90-second video explaining why you want the trip and what you hope to get out of it. The top 50 entries will be voted on by the public, narrowed down to a field of ten, and then chosen by Matt and a panel.

You must enter by February 14th, and you need to be 18 year of age or older to win.