No Cars Required Destinations

By Author: Steve Robinson
Total Articles: 468
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While people often decide to travel because of the availability of cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, and cheap vacation packages, sometimes they feel an overpowering desire to “go green” while on vacation. Some are drawn to destinations where bikes are the predominant way to travel or places that ban cars altogether.

The following are places recommended by Smarter Travel where greener ways of life prevail:

• Minneapolis is a great American city to get around without a car. Minneapolis has been ranked one of the most bikeable cities in the country. The city has 127 miles of bikeways and offers an extensive bike share program.

• Chautauqua New York is where visitors are encouraged to walk. Visitors and residents are not usually allowed to park of the Chautauqua Institution grounds. Vehicles must be left at entrance lots with visitors either walking or biking to view the Institution’s impressive landscaped grounds.

• Mackinac Island is unspoiled by cars which have been banned since 1898. Travel on the island is limited to feet , bikes, and horse drawn carriages. Mackinac’s ...
... perimeter is about eight miles in total. Visitors enjoy better views of the island’s Victorian gingerbread houses and attractive tree lined streets by the slower means of transport.

• Santa Barbara California has a tourism board which has created a promotional campaign encouraging walking and biking in the area. Special local deals are offered to those who do not drive, including Amtrak discounts, lower hotel rates, and special inexpensive packages. The Santa Barbara Car Free website offers downloads of walking tour maps and advice on how to travel from and to the local airport via public transportation.

• Aspen Colorado is a city where residents and vacationers can stay without ever using a car. Free local bus and shuttle service is available. The city offers an extensive network of bike trails. Many of the trails in town are flat and easy to travel on. Most city hotels offer free transfers to and from the airport.
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