EARLY YEARS: Staycation ideas for families that won’t break the budget

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) -Catherine Fox is a big believer in the value of vacation.

“I 100% believe that there’s no money that can be put on that mental health, that wellbeing, and that time together,” says Fox.

Through her work with Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, Fox often touts the fun and fairly inexpensive recreational options our hometowns have to offer.

“Head down to the New River trail. Head over to the Lynchburg trails by the river. And of course, everything that we have in our backyard, including the ever popular mountain biking,” says Fox.

In this era of inflation and high gas prices, Fox says you don’t have to spend hours on the road or in the sky to enjoy time off.

Our region is flux with staycation ideas, including a day on Smith Mountain Lake.

“And that’s when you incorporate like a putt putt experience, and then you have lunch at Bridgewater Marina, and then you get the boat and then you’re out tubing,” says Fox.

Other local suggestions include the Peaks of Otter, National D-Day Memorial, or Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest.

For some retro fun, head to the Pinball Museum.

“People are drawn to pinball, they’re drawn to those retro fun games that you would see at the Starcade, so those are some great opportunities in our backyard,” says Fox.

As for Fox, one of her favorite ways to relax is floating on one of our region’s beautiful rivers.

“There’s no better feeling than being on a tube in the middle of a river, and you’ve got greenery all around you and you’re going probably one or two miles per hour down a river and you’re doing nothing but floating,” says Fox.

That escape from the daily grind can be as close as your own backyard.

“It’s just an opportunity to take your day and your week and put it behind you and then really start to enjoy the people around you,” says Fox.

Click this link to fill out the form for the VBR Savings Pass.

And this upcoming weekend, you can get the family out for a 3-mile fun walk/run on June 11 to raise awareness and support for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. You’ll find the details here.

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