Vermont May Eliminate Entry Fees at State Parks

Vermont. New Hampshire. So close and yet so very far.... 

Last year, NH wanted to make senior citizens pay $20 for a season's pass to our state parks. 

This year Vermont is having an entirely different conversation:

Free state parks? Some Vermont House lawmakers think it's a good idea.

A proposal in the House calls for dropping the day use entry fee for everyone. Visitors over 14 years old currently pay a $3 entry fee or $80 for a season pass

Next weekend it's Vermont Days when residents can visit state parks, historical sites, and the Vermont History Museum absolutely free of charge. And everyone (resident or not) can fish on the 14th without a license. 

Meanwhile in NH - we've got some liquor stores on the highway! Just don't use the bathrooms.

Welcome, Bienvenue, Wilkommen!

I went to visit my father's grave yesterday in Massachusetts. On the way, I stopped (as a middle aged female coffee drinker is wont to do) at the I-95 rest area in Hampton.

The parking lot was packed. Tourists returning from a holiday weekend in NH were taking the opportunity to stock up with cheap booze on the way home.

Tourism is NH's second largest industry. The top half of the state relies heavily on tourist dollars. Our idea of catering to tourists seems to consist of providing alcohol factory outlet shopping along the highway. 

Let's hope the tourists don't remember us for the bathroom at this rest stop. A narrow, unventilated space, painted dreadful colors, and reeking of the farts of the last 10,000 years. 

Thanks for visiting NH! Ya'll come back now, y'hear?? 

http://susanthebruce.blogspot.com/2012/04/live-free-and-porta-potty.html