Amber Whitaker of Statesville doesn't believe that a trip to the beach is in her family's future this year.
That's why she and her family spent the Fourth of July at Bolton Park instead.
"I doubt we will (go to the beach)," Whitaker said yesterday, standing by Bolton's pool "It's too expensive, and so many people are losing their jobs. It's hard to plan to go all the way to the beach when you don't know if you've got a job or not."
The Whitakers discovered Bolton Park and its large pool during trips to visit relatives.
Bolton Park cost $8 for her, her husband, Travis, and their children, Malachi, 6, and Isabelle, 2, compared with the $18 that the family would have paid at a pool and waterpark in Statesville -- or the amount of money they would have spent if they had gone to the beach, she said.
Tom Crosby, a spokesman for AAA Carolinas, said yesterday that people are staying closer to home to keep costs down. AAA officials projected 3 percent fewer motorists on the state's roads this July 4th weekend
"So they may not make that 50-mile or 100-mile or 200-mile trip," he said.
Picnic-shelter reservations for the July 4 weekend were up 58 percent at city parks.
Tim Grant, the director of the Winston-Salem Recreation and Parks Department, said that more people are using shelters this year, especially for the holidays, because of the economy.
"They don't have the financial resources to go to any of the beaches -- Wrightsville or Myrtle Beach or Virginia Beach -- and they are choosing to be a little more conservative and save money and take advantage of the facilities that are local," he said.
Families and various other groups made 30 shelter reservations for the Independence Day weekend, compared with 19 in 2008.
For the year overall, 940 picnic shelters have been rented, compared to 480 during the same time period last year -- a 96 percent increase.
Grant said that this year he has talked to various people who are using park services for the first time.
All picnic shelters at Forsyth County parks were reserved for this holiday, county recreation officials said.
In years past, Maggie Boyce of Kernersville tried to get out of town for the July 4th holiday.
But she spent yesterday at Kernersville Lake Park with her children, Kaitlyn, 9, and Thomas, 6, her boyfriend Kenneth "Bubba" Smith, and other family and friends celebrating her son's recent birthday.
Boyce said that in these tough economic times, she is more worried about making ends meet.
"If I spend $100 or $200 on something, I want to do it the smart way," she said.
■ Fran Daniel can be reached at 727-7366 or at fdaniel@wsjournal.com.
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