The gas crunch is having an effect for travelers (no surprises there). My local online newspaper had a story that attendance is up at local parks.

“As the national or the local economy slows, local parks see a boom,” he said. “We are seeing the effects of a struggling economy. We haven’t been this busy in 10 years.”

That's good, the people taking advantage of local attractions. I think we're going to see more of it. I run two travel blogs that are essentially about "backyard" tourism! However, the local municipalities have to remember that we are doing this to SAVE money. Some town governments are going on spending sprees, adding new things to parks that are not necessary. This will in turn raise taxes, and will hurt localities in the long run. It's time to settle down and conserve, not spend like a drunken NY legislator!