With fuel costs inching to $4-a-gallon, long-distance spring break trips may be out of reach for many students and families. But spring break doesn't have to feel like an prison sentence of inactivity.

Enjoying spring break in your own backyard may be better than not doing anything.

According to AAA, the average national gas price is $3.79 a gallon about 25 cents more than last year. The New Mexico average is $3.65 about 18 cents more than last year.

Staycations can lift the doldrums when you can't spring for a spring break vacation. All you need are a few ideas, here are a few to get you started:

 

Movie marathon

Pick a movie theme and each member selects one movie based on that theme, such as foreign movies, horror, documentaries. Load up on concessions and find a comfortable spot.

 

Photo adventure

You don't have to ride out to scenic vistas to make great photos, sometimes, they're right in your backyard. All you have to do is take some time to look for them. Make a day of exploring the town and get creative with taking pictures.

 

Make a video

Movie making can be a fun and creative way to spend a day. You don't need expensive software to do it either. Most computers now come with basic movie-making software. There are plenty of do-it-yourself websites on the Internet with instructions to make videos with cell phone cameras. All you need is an idea for a video, be it a music video, a montage, or a short film and release your inner Spielberg.

 

Culinary adventure

Find a type of cuisine that you haven't tried and have a go at making it. Or pick a theme and each member can make a course.

 

Spring cleaning challenge

Take advantage of the extra week off to clear out that closet and pare down your wardrobe. Locally, Goodwill, Salvation Army and the Lighthouse Mission accepts donations of second-hand clothes and appliances.

 

Here are a few nearby places for great escapes:

Parks & Recreation

Oasis State Park near Portales.
How far: 19 miles from Clovis; 6.5 miles from Portales.
What to do: Fishing pond stocked with rainbow trout, hiking, camping, picnic areas.
Cost: Day use $5 a car. Overnight developed sites $10.
Information: 575-356-5331

Sumner Lake State Park in Fort Sumner.
How far: 76 miles from Clovis; 85 miles from Portales.
What to do: Fishing, hiking, camping, picnic areas and boating.
Cost: Day use $5 a car. Overnight primitive site s $8; developed sites $10.
Information: 575 355 2541

Ute Lake State Park
How far: 85 miles from Clovis; 104 miles from Portales.  
What to do: Fishing, hiking, camping, picnic areas and water recreation.
Cost: Day use $5 a car. Overnight primitive sites $8; developed sites $10.
Information: 575 487 2284

Santa Rosa Lake State Park in Santa Rosa.
How far: 115 miles from Clovis; 124 miles from Portales
What to do: Fishing, hiking, camping, picnic areas and boating.
Cost: Day use $5 a car. Overnight primitive sites $8; developed sites $10.
Information: 575 472 3110


Bottomless Lake State Park in Roswell.
How far: 125 miles from Clovis; 107 miles from Portales.
What to do: Fishing, hiking, camping, picnic areas and boating.
Cost: Day use $5 a car; Overnight developed sites $10.
Information: 575 624 6058

Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park in Carlsbad.
How far: 185 miles from Clovis; 167 miles from Portales.
What to do: Visitors learn about the plants and animals that inhabit the southwest.
Cost: $5 adults, $3 for 12- 7 and age 6 and under free.
Information: 575 887 5516

Lincoln National Forest in Almagordo.
How far: 230 miles from Clovis; 211 miles from Portales.
What to do: Hiking, caving, camping, picnicking, rock climbing, mountain biking.
Cost:  Free.
Note: Sitting Bull Falls and Last Chance Cannon remain closed.
Information: 575 885 4181

Day Travel
Roswell
111 miles from Clovis; 91 miles from Portales.
International UFO Museum and Research Center.
UFO Museum and Research Center was organized to inform the public about the 1947 Roswell Incident, when a purported flying disc crashed near Roswell. 114 N. Main Street.
575-625-9495

Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art
Located in Rosewell at 409 East College Blvd.
What to do: 17,000 square foot museum showcases over 300 works of art.
575-623-5600

Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge-
24,520 acres on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert. Visitors will enjoy wildlife observation, photography, self-guided auto tour, picnicking, hiking, hunting, biking and guided tours to observe endangered species. 575-622-6755

Carslbad
181  miles from Clovis; 162  miles from Portales.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
727 Carlsbad Cavern Highway, Carlsbad
The world that exists deep below the surface in Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a subterranean marvel. Created slowly over the millennia, its beautiful formations awe visitors year round.
505-785-2232

Guadalupe Mountains National Park-
Rising from the Chihuahuan Desert just 55 miles south of Carlsbad is  Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Overwhelming vegetation and countless species of wildlife thrive in the park. Open year round.
575-885-4181

Pecos River Recreation Area-
Water activities available in a desert community. More than 1,000 feet of waterfront at the Beach recreation area along the Pecos River. The River provides an abundance of opportunities for fun and relaxation.
575-887-6516

Alamagordo
111 miles from Clovis; 91 miles from Portales.
White Sands Monument
New Mexico's White Sands are Great Sahara-like dunes of gypsum sand cover for 300 square miles of the desert.  
575-479-6124

Alameda Zoo
The oldest zoo in the southwest with nearly 300 animals and 90 species.
575-439-4290

New Mexico Space Museum and IMAX theater
U.S. 2001, Alamogordo
Over 25 countries have contributed in furnishing content and informational exhibits for this space museum. A visit to the museum includes a very complete tour of the history of space exploration and rocket technology. Many exhibits are interactive and the appeal is broad to all ages.
575-437-2840

Amarillo
106 miles from Clovis; 124 miles from Portales.
Don Harrington Discovery Center
This center has exhibits including Amazing Bodies, which presents the broad spectrum of life sciences from many perspectives but will connect science to everyday life using kids, cows, and dogs as content touchstones. Space Gallery: Check-out View Space from NASA, investigate the radiation around us at the Cloud Chamber, or take a look at the latest astronomical happenings.
1200 Streit Drive, Amarillo
806-355-9547

Amarillo Zoo
The 15-acre site features over 60 species of animals. This zoo is located in Thompson Park, where visitors will discover shaded picnic areas, playgrounds, beautiful lakes, swimming, tennis and walking trails in this 330-acre regional park.
806-381-7911

Palo Duro Canyon State Park
107 miles from Clovis; 124 miles from Portales.
11450 Park Road 5, Canyon, Texas.
This park features hiking, camping and cabin rentals, it contains 29,182 acres of the scenic, northern most portion of the Palo Duro Canyon.
Park information: 806-488-2227  
Cabin rentals: 512-389-8900.

Tucumcari
83 miles from Clovis; 92 miles from Portales.
Mesalands Community College’s Dinosaur Museum
222 East Laughlin Avenue, Tucumcari.
The facility houses approximately 10,000 square feet of exhibit space, a spacious, well-equipped paleontology/geology laboratory. It is home to the world’s largest collection of bronze skeletons, fossils, and replicas of prehistoric creatures.
575-461-3466

Tucumcari Historical Museum
416 South Adams
Various historical collections located on three floors of the 1903 schoolhouse, containing a wide variety of artifacts and memorabilia from the surrounding area. There are five indoor and outdoor exhibits, located on our native landscaped grounds.
575-461-4201

If traveling out of town is still outside your budget, then perhaps you could try a new type of Spring Break recreation such as “Being the Tourist.” Try visiting some of your local attractions as a tourist would. Spend time at some of the areas most visited attractions.

Clovis
Clovis Depot Model Train Museum
The museum is located at 221 West First St. off of US 60/84. The old Clovis Santa Fe Passenger Depot has been restored to its 1950's appearance. The museum contains railroad memorabilia and historical displays of the development of the railroad in Australia, Great Britain, and the American Southwest. It, also, houses a gift shop full of model railroad hobby supplies, train-related gifts, books, and New Mexico souvenirs.
575 762 0066


Hillcrest Zoo and Park
Our 22.5 acre zoo is the second largest in New Mexico. The zoo is a great place for tourists or just a family outing. Hillcrest Park and Zoo is located at 10th and Sycamore St. The park and zoo with more than 140 acres of park land, has playground equipment, a basketball court, a sunken garden, and plenty of picnic areas.
575 769 7873

The Norman Petty Recording Studios
Recently dubbed as New Mexico's best kept secret, the Norman Petty studio located at 1313 W. 7th is responsible for the Clovis Sound made popular by such greats as Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, who recorded at the studio. The original equipment is still in the studio, and a visit will take you back to the grand days of Rock 'n' Roll.
575-763-3435


Portales
Blackwater Draw Museum
Early Paleo-Indian artifacts in North America
The Museum displays artifacts and exhibits associated with the Blackwater Draw site: A souvenir shop offers related books and gifts. Restrooms are available. Picnic and camping facilities
42987 Highway 70, Portales
575-562-2202

Blackwater Draw Site
Excavation of Paleo-Indian artifacts
Blackwater Draw contains evidence of a human occupation in association with Late Pleistocene fauna, including Columbian mammoth, camel, horse, bison, sabertooth cat and dire wolf.
Located on NM Highway 467

Eastern New Mexico University
1500 South Avenue K, Portales.
800-367-3668
The following museums are Located on the ENMU Campus
• Miles Mineral Museum - Showcasing Minerals from around the world. The museum is located in Roosevelt Hall, Room 103, adjacent to the Natural History Museum
Admission: Free
575 562 2651
 
Roosevelt County Historical Museum
• The displays include relics of the home including antique furniture and an Edison phonograph as well as the technology of the past as evidenced by a printing press and a medical instrument collection.
575-562-2592.

Natural History Museum
• Live reptiles, insects and caimen —The Natural History Museum is located in Roosevelt Hall on South Avenue K adjacent to the Portales National Bank branch office. The museum is located at the main entrance on the first floor.
575-562-2706