State parks offer a winter holiday from the holidays – at a discount
Beautiful Cheaha State Park is among the Alabama parks offering discounts on lodgings this winter, including chalets, cabins, hotel lodge rooms and campgrounds. (Contributed)
If you’re looking for a holiday from the holidays, you’re in luck. And you don’t have to go far.
Alabama’s state parks are offering a 25 percent discount on overnight accommodations at select locations through February. And thanks to the passage of Amendment 2 in November, the money you spend there will stay with the parks system.
Alabama voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 2, which prohibits the Alabama Legislature from using money generated by state parks to fund anything other than state parks. Since 2012, approximately $15 million in state parks revenues have been diverted to fund other state programs.
Amendment 2 passed with 80 percent of the vote, the widest margin of any of the 14 amendments on the November ballot. It even topped the 2012 vote reauthorizing the state’s Forever Wild program, which purchases important lands across Alabama for preservation and protection. About 75 percent of voters approved the extension of Forever Wild.
“Historically speaking, any amendment that involves our natural resources passes with an overwhelming margin,” said Kevin Jones, marketing specialist for Alabama State Parks. “The people of Alabama don’t like you messing around with their natural resources.”
The accommodations at Alabama state parks range from chalets and cabins to modern cottages, hotel lodge rooms and campgrounds. The 25 percent winter discount is available Sunday through Thursday nights.
A new way Alabamians can support state parks is by purchasing the Alabama State Parks car tag, which will be available beginning this month. The specialty tag costs an additional $50, with 80 percent of the proceeds going directly to support state parks (the rest covers normal administrative car tag fees).
“It’s exciting that not only do we get to hang on to the money we earn,” Jones said, “but new programs, like the sale of car tags, confirm that our commitment to the citizens of Alabama is valuable.”
Jones suggested checking out the events section at www.alapark.com for special holiday activities, as well as other opportunities to enjoy state parks this winter.
“Most all of our parks have events planned around the holidays, like the Christmas Buffet at Guntersville State Park or the New Year’s Eve celebration at Joe Wheeler State,” Jones said. “All year round you can find something to do at a state park.”
