'StayCation' - it's the new buzzword going around. It refers to the trend that instead of going on vacation, people are taking a 'StayCation' - they use their time off work to stay at home, cutting travel costs.

Well, that's ok, because we live in and around Prescott, Arizona! Where better to take a StayCation?

I mean, really, think of all the things around Prescott that you've never gotten around to doing. You know, those touristy things, like going to Sharlot Hall or the Smoki Museum, for example. Or checking out the hiking trails in the forest around our beautiful community? And when is the last time you went to the Courthouse Square and had a picnic?

You can even get more 'touristy' if you want - for example, how about getting a room at the historic Vendome Hotel for the evening? Or the beautiful Hassayampa Inn - besides booking a lovely room, you can purchase the $39 Dinner Show package which includes your meal and tickets to the Arizona Revue! It's a way to do something fun and yet save the hundreds of dollars you might spend if you drove out of state and... stayed in a hotel!

And, this year, instead of running away during the Fourth of July week to avoid the flux of visitors that come to town, how about staying and joining in the fun? Be honest, have you gone to the World's Oldest Rodeo in the last 5 years? And, what about the parade - go ahead, grab a lawn chair and get out early and meet some new people. You'll have fun, and you'll be glad you went. (Don't forget the sunscreen!)

Besides, our local businesses would love to have your patronage. They're being affected by the out-of-town folks who are taking 'StayCations' of their own, you know.

The point is, Prescott's a wonderful town, and there is so much to see and do here, that we could write a different article about this community every day for the next year and still not cover it all.

So, that's just about what we're going to do. We've set up a new Feature section called, 'StayCation Destinations' (it's under the Features tab in the top menu), and we're going to write stories that remind you of some maybe-forgotten things to do in Prescott. It won't be every day, but you'll see the stories frequently.

Sure, the economy's a little squeaky right now, but that just means we have an opportunity to pull together as a community and become, well... quite neighborly. We can kind of fall in love with Prescott and the surrounding communities all over again.

And that's a good thing!

What's Your Favorite StayCation Destination?

We'll even get you started on your personal StayCation! The first Citizen Reporter to send in a StayCation Destination story of their very own will receive a free pair of tickets to the Arizona Revue! 

In addition, we'd love to have some StayCation articles from kids, too. What are they doing this summer? Where do they go to play and enjoy recreation? You can read the StayCation article written by Larissa LaMaster (age 10) about her trip to the Smoki Museum as an example.

So, we will also give a free pair of Arizona Revue tickets to the next kid (aged 17 and under) that submits a StayCation article for our Kids section.

* Send stories to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it If at all possible, please include a photo that is at least 460 pixels wide by 350 pixels high. Have lots of photos? No problem, we'll create a photo gallery! Stories must be suitable for publishing in order to win the free tickets.