The first month of a new year of travel is like a blank slate. Do you want to just wander in 2023 or do you have a specific list? Perhaps you want to check out major league baseball parks, or national parks, or visit the amusement parks around our country. Maybe your traveling group hasn’t made up their minds yet, leaving January wide open for jumping into another year of adventure. We took a look at commemorative dates in January and came up with a few ideas to get your year started and to help you plan ahead for future January dates!
National Penguin Day: Thursday, January 20, is National Penguin Day and several places around the country have great penguin exhibits to visit. Book a stay at Pigeon Forge Landing in Sevierville, Tennessee, and head to Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies to check out their Penguin Playhouse. Here you can come face-to-beak with penguins in the Aquarium’s state-of-the-art indoor/outdoor penguin habitat. Visit ripleyaquariums.com/gatlinburg for details. Make a camping reservation at Chehalis and take a leisurely drive to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium at Rocky Shores in nearby Tacoma. Currently, 15 Magellanic penguins make their home here. If California camping is on your January agenda, make your way to the Marina Dunes campground and plan to spend some time with the penguins at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. A whole cast of penguin personalities await you from Geyser, who likes to push his way to the front of the feeding line to Pringle, the largest penguin in the colony here.
If the smell of fresh brewed coffee gets you going, celebrate Gourmet Coffee Day (January 18) by visiting some of the cities that are best known for coffee fanatics. For example, Portland offers unique walking tours that visits some of the best in Stumptown. Visit thirdwavecoffetours.com for a schedule of the tours offered. Portland Fairview RV Park is the best spot to camp when heading into Portland. San Francisco is another option and fittingly enough is the birthplace of two famous coffee brands – Folgers and Hills Brothers. Nowadays there are plenty more choices for coffee as San Francisco boasts 300 coffee shops per every 100,000 residents. A Coffee Tour of San Francisco (viator.com) is an option while visiting the city and camping at San Francisco RV Resort.
January 22 marks the Chinese Lunar New Year. Check out some of America’s most famous Chinatowns to ring in the Year of the Rabbit, which include Los Angeles (book a stay at Soledad Canyon RV Resort) or San Francisco (San Francisco RV Resort). For more Chinese culture, check out the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum (camp with us at Pio Pico RV Resort & Campground).
Other January celebrations can include National Bagel Day (January 15) – enjoy some of the best bagel shops in the country (according to Food & Wine magazine) while camping with us including Yeastie Boys Bagel in LA (Soledad Canyon); Rubenstein Bagels in Seattle (Tall Chief); or Proper Bagel in Nashville (Natchez Trace), or visit some of the most famous stairs/steps in the U.S. to celebrate National Take the Stairs Day – options could include the tabletop stairs at the Fort Worth Water Garden (camp at Bay Landing); the 102 stone steps at Mt. Bonnell in Austin (book a stay at Medina Lake); or the stairs at San Francisco’s Lombard Street, often called the crookedest street in the world (near Pio Pico).
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