5-5-5 Staycation Campground Special
“Staycation,” according to Wikipedia, is a recently coined term for “a period of time in which an individual or family stays at home and relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home to area attractions.” We’d like to add to that the idea of getting away from home without going far from home. The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association reports that the popularity of outdoor camping jumped 7.4 percent between 2007 and 2008. It’s a trend you can take advantage of now with a 5-5-5 Staycation at a Broward County Park.

It works like this: For the 5 months from May 1 through September 30, 2009, visit any one of our 5 campgrounds and get $5 off per night per campsite. C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, Easterlin Park in Oakland Park, Markham Park in Sunrise, and T.Y. Park in Hollywood all offers sites with full RV hookups, and all have picnic tables, charcoal grills, and restroom complexes with hot showers. C.B. Smith and T.Y. include laundry rooms, while T.Y.’s restrooms are also air-conditioned. Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach offers a unique Rent-A-Tent package, in which each site includes a platform with a pre-set-up 10-foot-by-10-foot canvas tent (capacity six), a fire ring, a grill, a picnic table, electricity, and running water. Two tepee sites provide the same amenities as the Rent-A-Tent sites. (No RV sites are available at this location.)

All campgrounds provide after-hours security. For an additional fee, two pets per campsite are allowed with proof of current vaccinations and appropriate licenses. Pets must be registered at check-in and must be kept on leashes no longer than six feet at all times when not inside the RV or tent.

As a bonus, for every night you stay, each registered camper (up to four campers) will receive a coupon worth $1.50 off admission to any of our aquatics facilities, including Paradise Cove at C.B. Smith Park, Tropical Splash at Central Broward Regional Park, Safari Isle at Markham Park, Splash Adventure at Quiet Waters Park, and Castaway Island at T.Y. Park. Passes are valid during normal aquatics facility operating hours from May 1 through September 30.

?: C.B. Smith, 954-437-2650; Easterlin, 954-938-0610; Markham, 954-389-2000; Quiet Waters, 954-360-1315; T.Y., 954-985-1980.

$: After discount: $25/site/night for tricounty residents (Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach); $35/site/night for non-tricounty residents; $30/night for Rent-A-Tent or tepee package (Quiet Waters only). Additional fees may apply.

R: Reservations are highly recommended.

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Make a Splash…
…at a Broward County Park, where four of our five aquatics facilities are now open daily. Starting on Monday, May 4, the following water parks will be open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:20 p.m.: Paradise Cove at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines; Tropical Splash at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill; Splash Adventure at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach; and Castaway Island at T.Y. Park in Hollywood. Sessions will be in effect. The Safari Isle pool complex at Markham Park in Sunrise will reopen on Saturday, May 23, with hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week.

And while you’re at our water parks, enhance your visit by reserving one of our colorful, 20-foot-diameter Funbrellas, which can accommodate parties of up to 30 people (40 at Quiet Waters). Rentals are $35 on weekdays, $75 on weekends and holidays. Call the park office of your choice for additional information.

?: Paradise Cove, 954-437-2690; Tropical Splash, 954-321-1170, ext. 18335; Safari Isle, 954-389-2028; Splash Adventure, 954-360-1315; Castaway Island, 954-985-1980, ext. 252.

$: Fees vary by park. Call for details.

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BCT: C.B. Smith – Routes #3, #5, #7, and #23; Central Broward Regional – Routes #18, #36, #40, and #81; Markham - #23; Quiet Waters – Route #14; T.Y. – Route #3, #12, and #17.

Passports to Savings
Stressed out by the cost of gas and air travel? Don’t sit home and mope. Opportunities for fun, affordable leisure activities are as near as a Broward County park. And if you take advantage of Individual or Family Parks Passports, having fun can be even more affordable. The passports, which are prorated on a quarterly basis, allow for unlimited access (excluding some special events and the optional parking fee at Hollywood North Beach Park) to regional parks charging the $1.50-per-person gate entrance fee on weekends and holidays (children 5 and under free). The passes are currently available at regional park offices and are good through September 30, 2009.

Here are just a few of the recreational opportunities available at a Broward County park:

•           Water parks (including swimming pools, waterslides, tube rides)

•           Target range (pistol, rifle, skeet, trap, sporting clays)

•           Camping (including primitive group camping)

•           Picnic shelters and pavilions, playgrounds

•           Cricket, soccer, football, volleyball

•           Jogging, walking, biking, mountain biking

•           In-line skating, skateboarding

•           Horse and pony rides

•           Model steam train rides

•           Nature trails, butterfly gardens

•           Golf, disc golf

•           Cable water-skiing

•           Tennis, racquetball, netball

•           Batting cages, softball, baseball

•           Boat rentals

•           Dog park

•           Educational farm tours

•           Observatory for stargazing

•           Model airplane field

•           Personal watercraft area

New Individual Parks Passports are $25 each, while Family Parks Passports are $60 each and good for up to six people, although at current prorated prices (good through June 30) they are $12.50 for individuals and $30 for families. For more information, call or visit the park office of your choice.

There’s Etiquette, Then There’s Petiquette
Don’t know the difference between a finger bowl and a doggie bowl? Then you need to check out the latest round of Dog Park Petiquette Classes, a free series presented by the Broward County Parks and Recreation and Animal Care and Regulation divisions, in partnership with the Pompano Pet Lodge and Doggie Daycare and the K-9 Advisor. You’ll learn the “How-To Formula” for a safe and enjoyable experience at a dog park, including information on a variety of topics: your body language and how it affects your dog; the proper introduction to a group setting; aggression and dog fights; overheating; your dog’s health; and more.

Classes, each of which includes a lecture followed by a question-and-answer session, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, May 6, July 8, September 16, and November 18 at Fern Forest Nature Center in Coconut Creek; and on Thursdays, June 11, August 20, and October 15 at the Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park in Hollywood. Follow-up dog park visits will be held the Saturday after each class.

?: Parks Animal Care Section, 954-938-0617.

R: Preregistration is required.

BCT: Routes #12 (Anne Kolb) and #31 and #42 (Fern Forest).

Horse Sense
Saddle up for the 2009 Tradewinds Horse Camp, for ages 9 through 16, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays starting on June 8 and ending on August 6.

Each four-day session includes daily riding instruction, weather permitting. Instruction also includes: breeds and colors; anatomy of the horse; appropriate riding equipment, tack, and general care of the horse in the show ring and on the trails; nutrition and feeding; and routine, preventive, and therapeutic maintenance. Other activities include videos, indoor/outdoor games, and farm activities.

Registration is offered Saturdays and Sundays only, beginning on May 9, at the stables on the north side of Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek. Class size is limited and early registration is recommended. Fees must be paid and a release and waiver of liability signed at registration. The fee is $300 per session. Children must provide their own lunches and refreshments. Long pants and closed-toe shoes are required. Participants should also bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a towel.

?: Tradewinds Park Stables, 954-357-8720.

$: $300/four-day session.

R: Early registration encouraged; registration offered weekends only beginning May 9.

Family Fun
For a fun, inexpensive night out for the family, check out Family Fun Night at Castaway Island, from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, May 15 at T.Y. Park in Hollywood. For just $6.50 per person (ages 12 months and under free), you’ll get to play such games as water musical chairs, water balloon toss, pie-yourself-in-the-face, slime time, and potato sack race. Prizes will be awarded. Bathing suits are required. The Cantina Concession will also be open, with such refreshments as pizza, hot dogs, chips, cookies, candy, ice cream, soda, and bottled water available for purchase.

?: T.Y., 954-985-1980.

$: $6.50/person (ages 12 months and under free).

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BCT: Routes #3, #12, and #17.

The Archaeology of Fern Forest – For Those Who Dig It
Want to know more about the archaeology of Fern Forest Nature Center? Then check out the latest chapter of County Parks Uncovered, a free lecture series that continues this month at Secret Woods Nature Center in Dania Beach. The program takes place at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 3. The next (and final) lecture, on June 7, will be on the archaeology of Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center and how it relates to Pine Island Ridge. The series, co-sponsored by the Florida Public Archaeology Network at Florida Atlantic University, concludes with an Uncover Our Past archaeology day on June 14, also at Secret Woods.

?: Secret Woods, 954-791-1030, or visit www.flpublicarchaeology.org.

BCT: Route #6.

Think Greenery
If you’re looking for some plants to spruce up your home landscape, look no further than the Broward County Plant Affair. The popular annual event takes place the weekend of May 2 and 3 at Plantation Heritage Park, where you’ll find a plant show and sale with up to 30 vendors. Food and beverages will also be available for purchase. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

?: Plantation Heritage, 954-791-1025.

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BCT: Route #30.

The Plein Truth
In the middle of the 19th century an influential group of French painters abandoned their studios and headed outdoors for some en plein air, or “in the open air,” painting. Now you can brush up on the sorts of skills they developed when Secret Woods Nature Center presents Painting in the Park, from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday, May 3. You supply the paints, we provide the scenery for this free program.

?: Secret Woods: 954-791-1030.

BCT: Route #6.

Free Yoga for the Blind and Visual Impaired
Broward County Parks and Recreation Division’s Special Populations Section and the Lighthouse of Broward continue their Yoga Classes for Blind or Visually Impaired Adults series with a free session from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 16. Participants will work with volunteers to learn the art of “Faith Yoga” as taught by Cephus “Primo” Jones. Space is limited and preregistration is required for the program, which is held at Lighthouse of Broward, 650 N. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Future classes are scheduled for June 27, July 25, August 22, September 26, and October 24.

?: Lighthouse of Broward, 954-463-4217.

R: Preregistration required.

Village People
The Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park in Hollywood and Drumming With Ndakhte will present The Village Gathering, for all ages, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, May 3. Activities include an African dance show, a drum circle, exotic foods and beverages, audience participation during the Spoken Word, performances by special guests, and a nature walk. Drums will be provided, although participants are also invited to bring their own drums, shakers, and/or other percussion instruments. Future programs will be held on Sundays, July 5 and September 9.

?: Anne Kolb, 954-926-2480; Ndakhte Ndiaye, 954-771-3666.

$: $15/person ages 13 and up, $7.50/person ages 12 and under.

BCT: Route #12.

Advisory Board Notice
The public is invited to the next meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, which is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 6. The meeting will take place at T.Y. Park, 3300 N. Park Rd., Hollywood. For more information, visit www.broward.org/parks/abmeeting.htm.

HighlightsGoes Electronic
The monthly newsletter of the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division is now available only as an electronic publication. Pass this information on to friends and family so they can sign up and become part of the Division’s online community. You will receive the latest information about upcoming events and special programs, as well as park news, via our monthly e-newsletter. To sign up, send your name and e-mail address to ParksMarketing@broward.org.

Key to Symbols
?: Call the number indicated for further information about the event.

$: Participation fees.

R: Registration requirements.

+: Plus park gate entrance fee on weekends/holidays;

$1.50/person (children 5 and under free).

BCT: Park accessible from Broward County Transit bus route.