Many Families Opt For ‘Staycation’ This Spring Break
by ABC-7 Reporter Rachel Abell
EL PASO, Texas — Plenty of Borderland students are off this St. Patrick’s Day thanks to spring break.
And with our struggling economy, more and more families are looking to find cost effective ways to enjoy the break without having to pay for plane tickets.
It’s called a “staycation.”
“It’s a nice day outside and you can’t sit in your house,” said El Paso resident Kellie Walsh.
But Kellie said her family couldn’t go on a spring break vacation, either.
“Families are getting bigger and people don’t have as much money as they used to,” she said.
So Kellie got creative.
She looked up ways to entertain her family for less and that’s how her gang ended up at the El Paso Zoo.
And they certainly weren’t alone.
Hundreds of people lined up outside waiting to get their tickets.
“A staycation is the ticket for a vacation,” said Liz Kern, the spokeswoman for the zoo.
She said everyone is trying to save money these days and that’s why zoo officials were surprised to see such an increase in their business.
It’s the same story over at Adventure Zone.
Owners there say stay-at-home spring breakers have helped keep the go-carts running and the arcade full.
They’ve also been knocking down the pins full-time over at Fiesta Lanes.
So we decided to look into just how much a family of four would have to spend for an afternoon of spring break fun at each of these places.
For a couple of games, shoe rentals and lunch, bowling at Fiesta Lanes will set you back around $45.
For a couple of hours at Adventure Zone and a large pizza, you’re going to spend around $60.
The whole day at the zoo will only cost you $16 if you pack a lunch, but that number climbs to about $46 if you buy food there.
To keep this in perspective, tickets just to get you in the door at Disneyland?
$260!
“The zoo is a lot cheaper and you can look as long as you want,” said Kellie.
And until the economy gets better, Kellie said that’s just what her family is going to do.
