Rideshop : December 2008

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Best Vacation Spots for Skaters: Fairfax, Virginia

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Dec 31, 2008 by Eisla Sebastian

Virginia is a great destination for skateboarders. However, if you are looking for a vacation destination that is slightly less crowded than top Virginia destinations like Virginia Beach, then consider visiting Fairfax, Virginia. Here you will find a skate park, a skate shop and lots of great Virginia attractions.

Fairfax Skate Park - Skate Night
Fairfax is the home to Skate Night. This skate park is unique in that it is only open a couple of hours a week. It is open Sunday nights from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. This park has a variety of obstacles and features that you can skate on including a launch ramp, a manual box, handrails, a grind box and a quarter pipe.

Fairfax Skate Shop - Elite Skate Shop
If you are interested in doing a little shopping for skater gear, head to the Fair Oaks Mall. Here you will find Elite. This is a great skate shop where you will be able to find equipment, clothing and supplies for your skateboarding collection.

Fairfax Attractions - What Else You Can Do
The top attraction in Fairfax is the National Firearms Museum. It is located at 11250 Waples Mill Road. It hosts the largest firearms collection in the world. This is a great attraction to visit if you are interested in firearms, or if you are just interested in a great tourist stop. This stop has been approved for visitors of all ages, making it a great tourist attraction for families and singles alike.

For the rest of the attractions, you will need to take a short drive to Alexandria. Here you will find the Historical Haunts tour, located at 134 North Royal Street. You will also find the Sugar House Day Spa and Salon, which is located at 111 North Alfred Street. Finally you can take a river tour offered by the Potomac Riverboat Company, which can be found at 205 The Strand. All of these attractions are great and will not only keep you entertained but also give you a little more insight to the history and culture found in Virginia.

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Coolest Skate Park: Costa Mesa, Volcom Skate Park

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Dec 29, 2008 by Eisla Sebastian

Skate parks are found in a high concentration throughout the state of California. Some are huge and have all the bells and whistles while others are small and have only the bare basics. If you are in Costa Mesa and are looking for a basic skate park, go to Costa Mesa Skate Park, also called the Volcom Skate Park. This park can be found at 900 Arlington in Costa Mesa, California.

Volcom Skate Park - The Basics
The Volcom Skate Park is small and basic. However, it has a few elements for both vert skaters and street skaters. Some of the skating features offered by this park include two bowls: a little kidney bowl and a nice sized bowl. The street course features offered by the Volcom Skate Park include rails, stairs and straight-a-ways. This park is open between nine in the morning and nine at night.

Volcom Skate Park - Rules and Regulations
The City of Costa Mesa owns and manages the Volcom Skate Park. This means that they make the rules for the park. While not overly restrictive, there are a few basic rules that you will need to follow if you want to skateboard or inline skate here. The first rule is that you are responsible for your own safety. This means you need to remain in control of your board and wear the right protective gear, which is the next rule. You are required to wear a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads. If you are caught without these pieces of protective gear, you will be given a ticket.

You are not allowed to bring anything into the park to use as an obstacle, like ramps, trash cans or cones. You also are not allowed to eat or drink in the skating area. While in the park, you will also be held accountable for your own behavior. The park managers ask that you don't use profanity, tag or leave trash in the park. Finally, you can only skate in the designated area. This means no skating in the parking lot or on the sidewalks.

Dressing for Your Volcom Skate Park
If you want to have a great time while skating in Volcom Skate Park, you will want to dress for comfort. This means wearing clothing that will protect your arms and legs from road rash if you crash, and it also means wearing a hat or dew rag to protect your head from the sun. Finally, apply sunscreen and bring sunglasses to prevent getting toasted by the sun.

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Snowboarder of the Week: Antti Autti

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Dec 26, 2008 by Michael T.

Professional snowboarder Antti Autti is only 23, but it's been more than three years since his stunning gold medal victory in the super pipe at the 2005 Winter X Games. He skyrocketed to victory with back-to-back 1080s, which of course is a 360 multiplied by three. This is a trick that the other professional snowboarders, from Shaun White on down, were forced to learn in order to remain competitive.

One would think that to succeed at such a young age, Antti Autti is super-competitive. Indeed, he works hard and puts in his practice, but he looks for more than gold medals when he's on tour.

"It would be best if people who throw themselves into snowboarding understood what this sport is about," Autti says. "The competitions alone don't mean everything. There'll always be more of them. In my opinion, the fun going-ons and the smile on your face are a lot more important. Doing well's nice, no doubt about it, but it's important that you don't lose the pleasure of the riding itself in the competing."

Antti Autti was born in Rovamiemi, Finland, which is a city of 55,000 and sits on the Arctic Circle. Needless to say, Autti never was lacking for snow as a child.

Autti was taught first how to ski by his father, Yrjo Autti, a football (soccer) star on the Finnish National Team. He was 10 years old, on a family ski vacation, when he saw somebody snowboarding. He decided he wanted to try snowboarding, and his father and mother (Katariina) were open minded enough to allow him to break tradition. In contrast, his younger brother Tuomas is focused on freestyle skiing.

Antti Autti's first competitions were in 2001, after he turned 16. Despite his flashy 1080s, he is known for technical skills and a smooth style. He has excelled on the half pipe as well as the super pipe, and his favorite trick isn't the 1080, but a switch-backside 540.

Autti looks forward to the 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2006 at Turin, he placed fifth with a controversial, low score that caused booing from the Italian fans. His countryman and teammate who won the third-place bronze, Markku Koski, told reporters that it should have been Autti with the prestigious medal.

Autti also enjoys skateboarding, photography, music and Johnny Depp movies. But despite doing 1080s, he doesn't like airplanes. With his snowboard, says Antti Autti, he's in control.

Sources:
http://www.airbornmag.com/article_details.asp?ID=42
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antti_Autti
http://snowboardermag.com/features/fresh-and-tracked-with-antti-autti/

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Coolest Skate Parks: Rampriders, St. Louis

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Dec 22, 2008 by Eisla Sebastian

If you enjoy riding on ramps then Rampriders in St. Louis is a skate park you have to go to. Located at 2324 Salena, this skate park offers a great selection of ramps. This park is open seven days a week, has a short list of rules to follow and is generally a fun place to go to find weeknight or weekend entertainment for the whole family.

Rampriders - Rules
Rampriders is open to skateboarders, inline skaters and bikers. Most of the sessions are open to all of these athletes, however, there are special sessions scheduled on Sundays for mini-man bikes as well. In order to skate or bike at Rampriders, you will first need to complete and submit a liability waiver. If you are under 18, you will need your parent or guardian to fill out and sign this form for you.

Like other skate parks, Rampriders also requires that you wear a helmet at all times while using the park. If you don't have a helmet or if you forget to bring one, you can rent a helmet from the Pro Shop. Helmet rentals are $5 per session.

The final rule is that you have to be respectful while using the park's facilities. This means no fighting, no drinking, no eating, no stealing and no tagging. It also means that you have to do what the staff at Rampriders tells you to do. If you break the rules, you will be asked to leave.

Rampriders - Hours of Operation
Rampriders is open seven days a week. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the park is open from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. On Fridays, it is open from 5 p.m. until midnight, on Saturday the park is open from 11 a.m. until midnight, and on Sunday the park is open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. On Sunday the day is broken up into two sessions. The first session is scheduled from 10 a.m. until noon. This session is generally designated for young skaters between the ages of 8 and 10. The second session is from noon until 8 p.m. and it is open to all skaters and bikers.

If you are ready for a great time, step into your favorite pair of skating shoes and head for St. Louis!

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Surfer of the Week: Bobby Martinez

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Dec 19, 2008 by Michelle T

Pro surfer Bobby Martinez, 26, has sort of double life in Santa Barbara. He comes from a neighborhood that he describes as "100-percent Mexican," with many peers who don't see much of a future, much less a chance to take the time to see the nearby ocean. But Bobby Martinez has always seen the water, which is why he is one of the best pro surfers in the world.

"I think that where I come from definitely helps keep me humble," Martinez says.

Pro surfers, by and large, are good people with open minds. Still, there is not a whole lot of ethnicity in pro surfing. While Bobby Martinez was taking to the water on a boogie board, his Mexican-American peers were not doing the same. In that part of his life along Santa Barbara's Pacific Ocean shoreline, Martinez was a loner. He would hang out with his friends in his neighborhood. Then, when he went to the surf, he would encounter mostly white or Hawaiian kids.

Bobby Martinez is sometimes portrayed as a "gangsta" in the pro surfing world.

"Maybe it's because I'm Mexican, and I've got tattoos, and I listen to hip-hop," he says. "I don't know. I just trip out on it."

Born in 1982, Bobby Martinez was a hot pro surfing prospect at the turn of the millennium. Still, he did not truly emerge until the past three years.

Bobby Martinez says he started taking surfing seriously in 2003, when he was 21, but he still needed a couple years of hard practice before he emerged in the pro surfing tour.

Martinez got married a year ago to Cleo Neuman from the Australian Gold Coast. They have a new house in Santa Barbara that's one block from the beach.

"That's the best thing," Bobby Martinez told a reporter. "I have dreams in terms of surfing, but more than that, I've got dreams as a person. I've always wanted to own a home, and now I can do that because of surfing, and I realize that it's a gift."

Sources:
http://surfermag.com/magazine/archivedissues/almost-not-famous-july-2007/index4.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Martinez

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Best Snowboarding on the Planet: Ireland

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Dec 18, 2008 by Michael T.

In Ireland, there are plenty of people who are really into snowboarding, especially college students attending DCU (Dublin City University). After all, it's not like these Irish sports enthusiasts can exactly hang out at the beach during the summer. The summer's average daily high temperature is about 60 degrees.

With summers that are so chilly, you might think Ireland would get cold enough during winter that the surfaces for snowboarders would be piled high with fine powder. Well, not quite. The average daily winter temps in Ireland remain up there in the low 40s.

It's like having six months of early spring and six months of late fall. What's going on here? Dublin is just as far north as Moscow. But maybe you remember from school: The Gulf Stream. The North Atlantic Current.

Sometimes it snows in the mountains of Ireland up to 30 times per year. But the snow usually doesn't stay long, and there have been years where it doesn't snow at all. So what's a snowboarder to do?

Aidan Coughlan was determined to do something. He returned from his first snowboarding experience in Europe eight years ago, and he was enraptured. So Aidan created a web site, irishsnowboarder.com, which attracted nearly 900 members. He organized ways to get snow made as often as possible at a mountain in Kilternan, both for slopes and half pipes. He started an online equipment store. The DCU snowboarders joined in. Aidan Coughlin is now seeking help to maintain the web site.

Still, sometimes they have to use fake snow, and sometimes it sounds sad. One forum poster wrote of the fake snow: "Ouch. Just back from freestyle Sunday in Kilternan, and I'm proof that what you can do on snow just does not happen on the dendex (i.e. fake snow)... I just took spill after spill after spill. Believe me, if you are going up there after time on the snow give yourself at least 5-10 runs to readjust, ('cause) I didn't and I paid the price. Bad fall on my shoulder, hand, etc. Still though, I'll be back there next Sunday!"

So, Ireland doesn't have the greatest snowboarding on the planet - just some of the most loyal and dedicated snowboarders.

Sources:
www.irishsnowboarder.com
www.dcusnowboarding.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Ireland

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Coolest Skate Park: Veterans Skate Park

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Dec 15, 2008 by Eisla Sebastian

There are several skate parks in the state of Alabama, however, one of the coolest is the Veterans Skate Park found in Alabaster, Alabama. This skate park is well maintained and safe. The best part about it is that it is just for skateboarders, so you don't have to navigate your way through bikes, scooters and in-line skaters, who have different skating patterns and priorities than skateboarders do.

Veterans Skate Park - The Basics
Veterans Skate Park is found at 7305 Highway 119 in Alabaster, Alabama. In order to use this park, you will first need to complete and file a liability waiver with the park's department. If you are 19 years of age or older, you can sign the waiver yourself. If you are under 19, you will need a parent or guardian to sign it for you. Another requirement to skate at this park is the use of a helmet while skating. The helmet must fit your head properly, be worn at all times and also have a chinstrap.

Veterans Skate Park - Features
Veterans Skate Park has both bowl features and street course features. The bowls are set up without lead in and look a lot like swimming pool bowls. The street course features are grouped together and include a set of concrete stairs, rails and ramps.

Veterans Skate Park - Hours and Fees
The Veterans Skate Park is a city-run park that charges a minimal fee of $1 per day for weekdays and $2 per day for weekends. The park is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from four until eight in the evening, Saturday from noon until eight and Sunday from one until eight. The park is closed on Wednesdays and on city holidays.

Dressing for Skating at the Veterans Skate Park
To get the most from your experience at the Veterans Skate Park, there are steps that you can take. First you need to dress for skating in an outdoor, concrete skate park. This means wearing good skating shoes that have a grippy sole, elbow and knee pads and a shirt to protect your skin from the sun and from road rash if you fall. You can wear shorts or long pants, depending on the weather and your preferences. Finally, you are required to protect your head and its contents with a helmet that has a chin strap.

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Best Vacation Spots for Skaters: Wichita, Kansas

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Dec 10, 2008 by Eisla Sebastian

Whether you are interested in chasing tornadoes or skating in an outdoor skate park, Wichita, Kansas, has something to offer you on your next vacation. This city is home to many of the top tourist attractions in the state of Kansas. It also has a great culture, friendly people and a lot of great places to shop. Step outside the box the next time you are planning your vacation and consider visiting Wichita.

Wichita Skate Park
Obviously, since you are a skater, the first attraction you will want to learn about is the Wichita Skate Park. This park offers about 15,000 square feet of concrete skating terrain, which is made up primarily of bowls. However, there are also steps, platforms and a modest pyramid.

Exploration Place
After spending some time at the local skate park, pull on a fresh shirt and visit Exploration Place. Exploration Place is located at 300 N. McLean Blvd. It offers hands-on exhibits about flight, human life and health. Put aside some time to visit both the Cyber Dome Theater and the Simulation Center. This attraction is open Tuesday through Sunday from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon.

Sedgwick County Zoo
If you are interested in wildlife, make plans to visit the Sedgwick County Zoo, located at 5555 Zoo Blvd. This zoo is the top attraction in Kansas. It receives over half a million visitors each year. It is the home to 500 different animal species and 2,500 specimens. The zoo is open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. between March and October and between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. from November through February.

Old Cowtown Museum
For those of you interested in the Wild West, don't forget to stop by the Old Cowtown Museum, found at 1871 Sim Park Drive. This museum offers historical reenactments, covered wagon rides, games, live music and dancing. This is a unique experience that you need to have at least once in your life.

Museum of World Treasures
If treasures are your game, go to the Museum of World Treasures. This warehouse of treasure is found at the intersection of Mosley and First Street. It contains treasures and artifacts from Egypt, Rome, and Greece. It also contains fossils and one of the best collections of American President artifacts in the world.

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Best Surfing in the World: Samoa, April to October

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Dec 9, 2008 by Rica

Samoa is a beautiful, unspoiled island that offers the best surfing in the world. Located in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of the beautiful island of Fiji, Samoa is a tropical paradise and greatly immersed in the Polynesian culture and traditional Samoan life. Surfers to Samoa can expect warm waters, consistent and superior waves and multi-direction swell practically year round, although most of the surf spots in Samoa must be accessed by boat.

If planning to travel to Samoa, the best time of year to go is from April to October because of the incredible waves due to Antarctica influences. There are several great surf spots in Samoa that offer the best surfing in the world including: Fagaloa Bay, Falea' puna, Hollow Tree, A'ufaga Village, Salani, Coconuts, Laulii, Boulders and Tiavea. With Samoa being relatively unspoiled, visiting geared-up surfers can expect to dominate the awesome waves of the island. Salani is a great choice for surfers looking for powerful waves, which have been reported to range from 4 feet up to 8 feet.

The south shore of Samoa, such as Upolu Island, is one of the most popular surf spots with surf on the south, north and east along with world class reef breaks. Surfers planning to take on Upolu Island need to have surfing skills of at least intermediate to advanced level, because of the powerful breaks.

Surfers to Samoa can expect warm water year round with temperatures ranging from 80 to 87 degrees. A great rule of thumb to follow if planning to visit Samoa is to visit the south shore sometime from February to April or in October to take advantage of the glassy, clean conditions and the swells. Otherwise the north shore is the place to surf if traveling November to January thanks to north swells that travel from as far away as Alaska.

For surfers planning to surf the north shore, keep in mind that the breaks can be accessed by vehicles. Most resorts have hired professionals to ensure visiting surfers have safe access to the reefs.

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Pro Snowboarder of the Week: Gretchen Bleiler

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Dec 5, 2008 by Michael T.

Gretchen Bleiler, a pioneer in women's pro snowboarding, explains why she aims to combat global warning by building awareness.

"I mean, if we don't have snow in the next years, I'm going to be out of a job," says Bleiler, 27, born in Toledo and one of the first women to make her mark in pro snowboarding. She now lives in Aspen, where she was won three X-Games championships in the half-pipe. This makes Gretchen Bleiler well-known among the snowboarding set, but she gained larger fame with her silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

"The X Games are sort of becoming the modern day Olympics, because I think younger kids are growing up watching the X Games now, but the Olympics are the biggest event in all sports," Bleiler explains, before drawing a logical conclusion: "The X Games are the bigger competition for snowboarding, but the Olympics are the biggest competition for everybody worldwide."

Gretchen Bleiler started snowboarding at the age of 11. This was during the early 1990s, so she was aware of no female snowboarders as role models. Instead, she took inspiration from her three snowboarding brothers. But now that Gretchen is so well-established, today's girls have someone they can admire. Gretchen Bleiler fits the bill by visiting schools, and she even was interviewed by Scholastic Magazine. She's involved with the Women's Sports Foundation. To promote women in snowboarding, she has organized the season-closing Snow Angels Invitational at Aspen.

Ms. Bleiler also is a magnet for the media with her natural and sunny good looks, but sorry fellas, she's engaged to snowboarder Christopher Hotell.

Gretchen Bleiler has capitalized on her success to establishing a signature sports clothing line with Oakley, which includes everything from the snowboarding suits to the gloves. She does far more than simply endorse, initiating the design from start to finish.

Her increasing public profile also allows Gretchen Bleiler to push hard in the fight against global warming.

"I've been very athletic my entire life and have always enjoyed being outdoors, so the environment has always been very important to me," Gretchen Bleiler says. "After the Olympics, I realized I had a platform to talk about the causes I believed in, and the environment and climate change are definitely at the top of the list."

She urges her fans to visit the web site stopglobalwarming.org.

Sources:
http://www.shredbetties.com/riders/story/gretchen_bleiler/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretchen_Bleiler
http://gretchenbleiler.com/index.php/bio
http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/winterolympics/sports/index.asp?article-gbleiler

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Best Snowboarding on the Planet: Maine, USA

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Dec 4, 2008 by Michael T.

For snowboarders, the State of Maine isn't along any sort of main route. There sits Maine, way, way up in the obscure, right-hand corner of the map of the United States. But can't you tell, just by looking, that a state with Maine's location is just bound to have some great slopes, terrain parks and half pipes?

Maine also is a very family-friendly state, so your rates and fees will be affordable.

Readers of Snowboarder Magazine voted Shawnee Peak, in Bridgton, as one of North America's 10 favorite mountains for nighttime snowboarding. The half pipe is a full 400 feet and not

two terrain parks are constantly open. Shawnee Peak is known for its weekly competitions and prizes.

Sugarloaf in Maine's Carrabassett Valley offers that state's steepest vertical drop, 2,820 feet, with an impressive 131 trails. Sunday River, in Beth, has a drop of 2,340 feet and 128 trails. The drop at Saddleback, in Rangeley, also exceeds 2,000 feet.

Have you ever heard of the Ragged Mountains? Well, yes, the Ragged Mountains are in Maine along the mid-coast shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean. The Camden Snow Bowl is run by the town's Parks & Recreation Commission, which will bring you some of the neatest snowboarding value prices that you ever will encounter. This is "where the mountains meet the sea."

Try Big Rock in Mars Hill. No, being in Mars Hill doesn't put you into outer space. You can find virtually everything you want for a top-notch, Maine snowboarding experience.

Need some snowboarding or ski lessons? Lost Valley Ski Area near Perkins Ridge employs nearly 100 instructors, some who teach year-round.

You gotta love a place called Katahdin Moosehead on Big Squaw Mountain. It's in Greenville, but the view is mostly white during the winter. Same goes for Black Mountain in Rumford.

How about Quoggy Jo on Presque Isle. The drop is a meager 215 feet, but with a name like Quoggy Jo, it demands some respect!

Sources:
http://www.visit-maine.com/current_category.2325/companies_list.html
http://www.mainesnowboarding.com/
http://www.mainetodo.com/article523.html

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Best Vacation Spots For Skaters: Tupelo, Mississippi

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Dec 3, 2008 by Eisla Sebastian

One of the best vacation spots for skaters in the American South is Tupelo, Mississippi. This city not only has a quaint, functional, free skate park to play around in, but it also has an amazing history that stretches back thousands of years. This is also the birthplace of Elvis Presley, so if you are a fan of the King as well as a skater, this is a must visit destination.

Tupelo Skate Park
The Tupelo Skate Park can be found at 655 Rutherford Road in Tupelo, Mississippi. It is a free skate park that has an interesting collection of skating features. This park has several ramps of various lengths, rails, a fun box and a few other concrete features like ledges and benches. This is a skate-at-your-own-risk park, so bring your own helmet, padding and skateboarding shoes.

Tupelo Historical Attractions
Tupelo has a rich history that stretches back to Native American tribes like the Chickasaw. This was the tribe that Hernando DeSoto met up with in the area back in 1540. This fierce tribe pushed DeSoto's team all the way to the Mississippi River, which would become the "discovery" that would seal DeSoto's claim to fame.

Civil War battles were also fought in and around this city. Some of the battlefields that you can visit include the Tupelo National Battlefield and Brice's Crossroads National Battlefield Site.

For a modest Southern town, Tupelo has a great collection of attractions for you to tour. The top attractions include Elvis' birthplace, the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo, the Tupelo Veterans' Museum, the Tupelo Automobile Museum and the Malco Theater. Other great sites to visit include the Natchez Trace Parkway, which is a 444-mile trail that will take you from Natchez to Nashville, the Private John Allen National Fish Hatchery and the Oren Dunn City Museum.

Planning a Vacation to Tupelo, Mississippi
When you plan a vacation to Tupelo, you need to select activities based on what you are interested in, such as skating or the Civil War. You will also want to look for special events that are planned for the month that you will be visiting the city. For example, if you visit the city in June, you can attend the Elvis Presley Festival.

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Best Surfing in the World: New Zealand

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Dec 2, 2008 by Rica

Known for its beauty and isolated location, New Zealand is one of the top spots for surfers to visit to truly take advantage of some of the best surfing in the world. With many unspoiled surf spots offered between the North Island and the South Island, the beautiful island country of New Zealand located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean is the ideal place to plan a surf trip. The versatility of surfing this location makes New Zealand unique. Its diverse coastline and the low-pressure system that allows swells to pick up from any direction are one of a kind.

There are many different spots to surf in New Zealand to truly experience the best surfing in the world, depending upon preferences and skill levels. A few great choices for surfers of all levels include places such as Papatowi, Shipwrecks, the Spit, Seconds, Stent Road, Kaikoura, Piha, Northland, Punakaiki, Waikato and others. The South Island is relatively unspoiled with the Catlins on the southeast coast offering a number of great surf breaks. Surfers visiting the Catlins can expect constant swell running in this area. One of the main things surfers should be aware of when surfing this area is the weather pattern, which is constantly changing, so consider the skill level and the appropriate surf gear necessary. Additionally, Waikato is another popular location to consider for surfers of all levels to experience the best surfing in the world.

For experienced surfers brave enough to explore area that is, in general, not regularly surfed, keep in mind there are a lot of private properties for which permission must be asked from the landowner prior to attempting to access the surf location.

Beginning surfers visiting the North Island fare well at surf locations such as Long Bay, Milford Beach and Takapuna, whereas experts head toward Anawhata, Greenbay and Karekare. Options are endless, simply depending on the skill level of the surfer and which island the surfer chooses to explore. Overall, New Zealand offers a temperate climate, a number of uncrowded beaches and a plethora of surf spots.

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Coolest Skate Parks: The Bayou Wheels Skate Park

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Dec 1, 2008 by Eisla Sebastian

One of the best parts about living in the South is that you have relatively good skateboarding weather all year long. As a result, there are numerous skate parks that you can use in the South. A great family skate park found in Louisiana is the Bayou Wheels Skate Park. Here you will find a skating atmosphere that is kid-friendly and family friendly.

Bayou Wheels Skate Park - The Basics
The Bayou Wheels Skate Park can be found at 300 Parkview Drive in New Iberia, Louisiana. It is open during the summer months, seven days a week from noon until seven at night, as long as the weather permits. From mid-August to October 1, the park is only open on the weekends from noon until six at night. Then, from October 2 until April the park is only open on weekends from noon until five at night. However, during the school year, the park does open up for school holidays, so you will have other opportunities to use the park.

The admission fee to use the Bayou Wheels Skate Park is about $1. Skateboarders, in-line skaters and scooters are all allowed to use the park. While this park is fairly liberal when it comes to who can use the park, you will be required to wear a helmet and padding if you are fifteen years old or younger, and you will be required to wear at least a helmet if you are sixteen years old or older.

Bayou Wheels Skate Park - The Features
For a small skate park, the Bayou Wheels Skate Park has a great selection of features to work with. It has the basics like rails, a pyramid, pipes and flat ramps. However, they also have a great eight-foot half pipe and multiple quarter pipes to trick out on.

If you are looking for something fun to do in Louisiana with your kids or with your friends, pull on a rash guard, grab your board and head to the Bayou Wheels Skate Park. The park is set up for spectators also, so if you don't skate or if you need a break, you can watch others skate from picnic tables and bleachers set up in an observation area.

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