National Park Service says that all 397 national parks will offer free admission from Saturday, Jan. 14- Monday, Jan. 16 to mark Martin Luther King Day. In New England there are more than two dozen parks, with the bulk of them being in Massachusetts (15). On its website, the NPS maps out locations by state.

For those interested in King himself, BudgetTravel offers these suggestions:

Those wishing to learn more about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., can pay a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, Georgia, where both the home he was born in and his tomb with the Eternal Flame are on display. Follow in his footsteps along the National Historic Trail from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, now a designated historic byway. If you happen to be on the east coast, visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and sit on the steps from which Dr. King delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech, or visit the newly opened Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in the National Mall. Events commemorating Dr. King's life will also take place at Fort Donelson National Battlefield in Tennessee, while the MLK Film Festival will be held at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington D.C. from January 14-16.

By Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

Shh-h-h-h-h! Don't tell the kids, but after the guests repair to their rooms following Thanksgiving dinner at the Mountain View Grand in Whitefield, N.H., all the resort's elves get to work. They transform the immense hilltop inn from an autumn getaway into a Christmas season destination by decking the halls and hanging wreaths everywhere.

There's a big Christmas tree in the main lobby and some years Santa's helpers manage to erect a smaller one near the fireplace in the cozy Dodge Lounge. Wooden “soldiers” like figures from The Nutcracker stand sentinel at the ends of the corridors. In fact, the 6-foot-tall soldiers are all over the hotel at the holidays, rather like the army of Christmas. Mind you, the effect of all the decorations is like a Victorian Christmas--gleeful without being gaudy. Most guests know in advance about the overnight transformation, but it still comes as a treat to the kids. So mum's the word. Instead of standing in a mall parking lot, Black Friday at the Mountain View Grand is like a preview of Christmas morning. Mountain View Grand, Mountain View Rd., Whitefield, N.H.; (866) 484-3843; www.mountainviewgrand.com.

Even before the Ben Stiller fantasy comedies about after-hours life in museums, a number of institutions hosted nights for children to tuck in next to a T-rex. And the programs, which run from just after the museum closes until just before it opens the next day, tend to be remarkably similar. Typically, children must be accompanied with an adult. Many programs only allow groups to sign up for overnights, but some just schedule dates and invite individual child-parent pairs to roll out a bag. There is a fee for the night, which covers specially-planned activities and at least one meal -- usually a continental breakfast but some places also serve dinner. Here is a list of some places locally and around the nation that offer sleepover programs:

NEW ENGLAND

Museum of Science in Boston.

The Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester

The Children's Museum in West Hartford, Conn.

The Children's Museum of New Hampshire in Dover

Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor

Battleship Cove in Fall River

New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, Conn.

AROUND THE US

American Museum of Natural History in New York City

Field Museum in Chicago

Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago

Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington

The Spy Museum in Washington

National Aquarium in Baltimore

Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh

Natural History Museum in Los Angeles

San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park

SeaWorld in San Diego

Seaworld in Orlando, Fla.

Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, Fla,

By Hilary Nangle, Globe Correspondent

More than 30 Italian museums, including the Capitoline and Vatican Museums, as well as private collections, loaned artifacts and masterpieces to "ROME. From the Origins to Italy's Capital," organized by and on view at the Museum of Civilization, in Quebec City, through Jan. 29, 2012. The exhibition traces Roman civilization from 850 B.C. through the mid-19th century. On view are nearly 300 priceless treasures, including statures, mosaics, frescoes, paintings, busts, sarcophagus, and tapestries.

Never before has any museum attempted to cover the Rome's rich history in a single exhibition. "ROME" takes visitors through 2,600 years spanning five periods of Roman history: Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern. A number of the works on view haven't been previously displayed publicly anywhere in the world. These include a mid-second century statue of Venus; a circa 1198-1216 mosaic of Pope Innocent III; "Hope" one of three theological virtues from the predella of the Baglioni altarpiece, created in 1507 by Raphael; the Tapestry of the Nativity and central dossal of the baldachin, crafted in the Barberini workshops between 1635-37; and a circular tabletop with the head of Medusa, signed and dated by Francesco Sibilio, in 1825. The exhibition also includes a multimedia installation, "Fontina di Roma," a fountain of film clips in water.

Guided tours, lasting about 45 minutes, provide an excellent introduction to the exhibition and are available in English.

By Megan Lisagor, Globe Correspondent

I’ve largely considered Naples a necessary evil, a stop along the way to more desirable destinations. The city felt especially grimy on my most recent visit; the scene outside the central train station resembled a doomsday movie set, with people weaving shopping carts among stalled traffic and mountains of trash. I kept expecting Tom Cruise to zip by our taxi on a motorcycle.

Stuck overnight because of flight scheduling, we dutifully headed to the Archaeological Museum whose treasures of antiquity sadly get overshadowed by their derelict surroundings. From there, we wandered Old Town’s narrow streets past stalls selling religious tchotchkes and crumbling buildings so beautiful their neglect seems criminal.

Admittedly, Naples has a certain energy, a kind of living decay that both puts me on high alert and gives me a traveler’s high. The countless churches certainly leave a lasting impression, as do those famous Neopolitan pies. But it wasn’t prayer or pizza that saved the day. It was La Stanza del Gusto (Via Constantinopoli 100; 081401578), a cheese bar and restaurant not listed in our guidebook. Looking to change our son’s diaper, we stumbled upon this gem and had the meal of the trip.

Seated at a communal table in the colorful, ground-floor space, we devoured small plates of fried artichokes and homemade pasta — it was the kind of culinary epiphany tourists in Italy expect but don't always find. We didn’t make it upstairs but plan to return for the tasting menu next time. The Campanian cuisine is reason enough to book that cheaper ticket with a layover.

By Necee Regis, Globe Correspondent

Love shellfish? From Sept, 15-18, 2011, in a giant white tent on the Historic Charlottetown Waterfront, thousands of foodies from across the continent will congregate for the 16th annual Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival, a four-day extravaganza packed with culinary demos, celebrity chefs, chowder championships, and oyster shucking competitions.

Tens of thousands of people from around the region and the world are drawn to this vibrant celebration of PEI shellfish.

Sample all the PEI shellfish you can eat at the PEI International Shellfish Festival's biggest ever food pavilion, including local mussels, oysters, lobster, clams, quahogs, and even chowder while enjoying live musical entertainment.

Looking for a place to stay? The Great George Hotel, dating back to the 1800's, is a boutique hotel blocks from the wharf and the historic center of town. The hotel offers the intimacy of a B & B, with fresh cookies served every afternoon, and a deluxe continental breakfast served every morning in the elegant parlor/lobby. http://www.thegreatgeorge.com/

The PEI Shellfish Festival is a joint effort of the PEI Aquaculture Alliance & the PEI Shellfish Association. For more information: 1-866-955-2003

Photos of festival by Necee Regis for The Boston Globe

This Friday wraps up this summer's Free Fun Fridays, sponsored by the nonprofit Highland Street Foundation. This Friday the foundation will treat visitors to free admission to Old Sturbridge Village, Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Ecotarium in Worcester, and the New Repratory Theatre's 6 pm performance of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' at the Charles Mosesian Theater in the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown. Highland Street began Free Fun Fridays a couple of years ago to celebrate the foundation’s 20th anniversary. The organization has donated more than $125 million to nonprofits to support projects benefiting children and families, primarily in Massachusetts and California, in education, housing, health care, environment, and the arts.

By Kari Bodnarchuk, Globe Correspondent

New York-based Cactus Language Training offers cultural immersion trips to 60 countries that help travelers learn more than 30 languages. This year’s new programs include learning Spanish and Latin dance at a school on the banks of the Amazon River in Colombia, studying German in a Bavarian town overlooking the Swiss Alps, and mastering Russian in culturally diverse Kiev. Cactus incorporates cultural experiences, like wine tasting, cooking, dancing, diving, surfing, and photography, into each program. Prices start at $123 per week for instruction; various types of accommodations are available. Summer specials include free private lessons in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, when you book a two-week group course. 888-577-8451, www.cactuslanguagetraining.com/us

By Kari Bodnarchuk, Globe Correspondent

The Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel offers a special Tour de Boston package through Aug. 31 for guests who would like to explore the city on a bike. The package includes a ‘‘biker-to-go pack’’ with a bottle of water and a homemade granola bar, a map of local bike routes, accommodations, and access to the hotel’s health club and lap pool. After a day of biking guests can retreat to the hotel’s Capiz Lounge. Rates start at $199 per night, based on double occupancy, not including tax, parking, or gratuity; some blackout dates apply. Ask for the Tour de Boston package if reserving by phone, or enter promotional code ARN if booking online. 617-338-4111, www.renaissanceboston.com
KARI BODNARCHUK

By Jan Shepherd Globe Correspondent

As part of a public rededication of its Civil War monuments, the town of Brookfield, Mass., hosts "Honor & Remembrance" with the Mass 15th Volunteers Re-enactors on July 29 and 30. Outfitted with Civil Era uniforms and equipment, the soldiers set up their encampment on the Common Friday afternoon followed by a 6 p.m. concert with the Heritage String Band performing period ballads and patriotic songs. As a finale, area fiddlers and other musicians can join an open jam. The next morning it's rise and shine with 6 a.m. Reveille and preparations for the 10 a.m. "Solemn Procession of Honor & Remembrance" to the Grand Army of the Republic Soldier's Monument in the Brookfield Cemetery on Route 9. After the rededication with elements of the 1890 ceremony, the procession returns to the Common for a salute at the monument honoring 260 Brookfield residents who fought in the war. The encampment open house continues with period games, musket firing, and stories for kids. The town library features an exhibit of war artifacts, among them a book of 83 soldiers' first-hand accounts of their war experiences. The weekend is sponsored by the Brookfield Historical Commission -- email historicbrkfld@aol.com)

Photo of members of the Mass 15th Volunteers Re-enactors

It's no surprise to any kid from Massachusetts that Fenway Park and the Freedom Trail are must-sees. It just took Budget Travel a bit longer to figure it out.

Budget Travel has made up a list of the 15 Places Kids Should See by the Age of 15, and the home of the Sox and Freedom Trail figure prominently. To wit, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, along with representatives from the Sox organization and the Freedom Trail Foundation, will mark the occasion with a pregame ceremony this evening about 6:45 at Fenway.

Just to give you some idea of the competition, the other attractions on Budget Travel's list include: the Grand Canyon, Redwood National Park, Monticello, Niagara Falls, The National Mall in DC, Colonial Williamsburg, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Independence Hall in Philly, Alcatraz Island, Ellis Island, Yellowstone National Park, Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve, and the San Diego Zoo.

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

 

If you’re in the area of northeast Pennsylvania this summer, you may want to check out the Kutztown Folk Festival July 2-10, now in its 62^nd year. The celebration, one of the  nation's oldest folk life festivals, draws about 150,000 visitors annually. It features folk art and crafts by 200 craftsman (including Eastern Pennsylvania’s finest traditional hex-sign painters, said to be among the last in the nation), the largest sale of authentic Pennsylvania Dutch quilts in the country (nearly 2,000 of them, hand-made Pennsylvania German motif, all made in the United States), folklore and folk life programs (stomp along with the popular Pennsylvania Dutch hoedown), five stages of continuous entertainment, kids’ activities and, organizers said, the best Pennsylvania Dutch food found anywhere, which includes all-you-can-eat dinners.

 Tickets are $14 for adults, kids 12 and under free.

By Patricia Harris, Globe Correspondent

As you've no doubt heard, the National Center for Education Statistics has concluded that students score lower on proficiency tests in U.S. history than any other subject. That's all the more reason to take them on trips where they might get excited about what happened long ago. Meanwhile, if you'd like to sneak a little history into your kids' summer vacation, the new book Boston and the State of Massachusetts: Cool Stuff Every Kid Should Know by Kate Boehm Jerome (Arcadia Publishing, $9.99) might be a good place to start. The slim volume is geared toward ages 7 to 11 and mixes an upbeat style and colorful illustrations with lots of fun facts. Most adults probably don't know how many chests of tea the patriots dumped into Boston Harbor in 1773 (342). But most of us might recall the height of Fenway Park's Green Monster, right? (It's 37 feet). The fun series also covers a number of other cities, including Austin, San Antonio, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

I’ve always considered myself a pretty well-mannered guy at dinner. I don’t put my elbows on the table or eat with my mouth open. OK, that’s about it but hey, I’m a guy. Beyond that, I’m perplexed. I mean really, what are all those utensils for?

 Suzanne Willis knows. She is public relations director at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Fla., whom I met last year at the Ritz at dinner with others and wondered aloud about the utensil issue. The Ritz being the Ritz meant more utensils than I knew what to do with.

 “Easy rule,” she said. “Start from the outside and work your way in.”

 Willis, it turns out, is also creator of “Mimi’s Manners,” taught at the Ritz and other places, etiquette classes for kids to instill in them basic manners in a fine-dining setting. It’s named in honor of Willis’s grandmother, the late Florence Sayers Larimer Black, affectionately known as Mimi to her grandchildren.  She was a stickler for good manners and taught her grandchildren well.

 

“She’d say ‘E’s off’,” Willis recalled. “It meant ‘elbows off the table, please’.”

 Black was on the board of directors for the Thomas Alva Edison Foundation for more than 30 years, and once met the Thomas and Mina Edison when she was young, Willis said. She served on many other charitable boards as well and in her spare time, would entertain friends at afternoon tea, a place where good manners are a must.

 Willis's classes for kids 6 to 12 are typically two hours long and include not only proper use of all that stuff on the table, but introductions, handshakes and proper dinner conversation, taught during a three-course meal. Kids also learn about respect, consideration, and how to write (or draw) a thank-you note, which is somewhat of a dying tradition in the email-and-text era. The students get a workbook and certificate of completion. Courses run $45 per child.

 Looking at all those dishes and glasses also made me wonder: Which bread dish and glass are mine?

 “That’s easy, too,” Willis smiled, telling me to make a circle with thumb and forefinger of each hand, the left resembling a ‘b’ and the right a ‘d’.  “The b is for ‘bread dish’, the d for ‘drink’.”

 As part of her course, Willis gives kids a manners reminder card. I think I need one.

(Photo of Suzanne Willis from "Mimi's Manners" website)

By Patricia Harris, Globe Correspondent

I've always thought of knitting as a genteel activity, but organizers of the Northeast Kingdom Farm to Yarn Tour advise participants to ''wear boots (preferably plastic ones that can be washed) and clothes that can get dirty.'' The tour, which takes place next weekend, May 21-22, is a chance to meet and greet the creatures who make your knitting, weaving, and felting possible. The dozen participating farms raise raise sheep, cashmere goats, alpacas, and angora rabbits. Activities vary from farm to farm, but they almost always include a tour of the animal facilities and may include craft demonstrations. (One farm even has a llama obstacle course.) Of course, yarn will be for sale.

Eight farms will be open on Saturday, and four on Sunday. In addition, the Mountain Fiber Folk Coop in Montgomery will be open both days and will be giving spinning demonstrations. On Sunday, the coop will also demonstrate natural dyeing with indigo.

Details are buried on the Northeast Kingdom's website, but you can find the list of participating farms with dates, hours, a downloadable map, and directions on the Farm to Yarn page. Click here.

Photo by Patricia Harris for the Boston Globe

By Kari Bodnarchuk, Globe Correspondent

Children ages 10 to 14 will learn about ranch life from professional wranglers at Junior Wrangler Day Camp at Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, Colo. Programs include riding lessons, horse care, cowboy games, cattle work, and adventure trail riding in the mornings and mountain biking, hiking, swimming, orienteering, a ropes course, and a laser biathlon in the afternoons. Outdoor recreation for parents and special lodging packages are available. Camps run June 20-22, July 11-13, and Aug. 8-10. Morning session $405 per child, full day $630.

800-933-4339, www.devilsthumbranch.com

By Kari Bodnarchuk, Globe Correspondent

The Appalachian Mountain Club’s new Kid Spoken Here program offers children’s meals, family adventures, and rates of up to 25 percent off at its huts and lodges. Highland Lodge in the White Mountains, for instance, has daily activities and a new outdoor playscape where young explorers can climb a trail or crawl through a rock cave. The lodge also offers Family Adventure Weekends throughout July with guided hikes to waterfalls and some smaller peaks, and five-night Family Adventure Camps in August, with moose tours, canoe and kayak outings, and trips to a lake and a wildlife refuge. A new selection of free toddler and child-sized loaner gear will be available in the lodge’s L.L. Bean gear room.

603-466-2727, www.outdoors.org

By Kari Bodnarchuk, Globe Correspondent

TripAdvisor recently named Williamsburg, Va., the number one US family-friendly vacation spot in its 2011 Traveler’s Choice Family Awards. Colonial Williamsburg offers interactive programs with hands-on activities such as weaving and cabinet-making; a street theater program about the Revolutionary War; and storytelling, ghost tours, and visits to area museums. Its Spring Bounce Package through June 16 starts at $305 per night for a family of four, including unlimited general admission to Colonial Williamsburg’s art museums and historic area, Busch Gardens, and Water Country USA. Some restrictions apply.

800-447-8679, www.colonialwilliamsburg.com

By Paul S. Makishima, Globe Staff

For all you New England cruise fans, the season kicks off today with a Boston port of call visit by the ocean liner Princess Danae, and will switch into full gear in late May when Hub-based ships will begin shoving off from the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal to Bermuda and destinations around the region and Canada. This is a big year for the Boston terminal as it marks its 25th anniversary as a port for cruises. In 1986, it saw just 13 ship visits; this year will see 106. Cast off.

Photo of Princess Danae from Classic International Cruises website

By Paul S. Makishima, Globe Staff

Dublin-based discount carrier Ryanair said that it would begin offering "child-free'' flights in October after a survey of European travelers showed that half would be happy to pay more to avoid being bothered by children.

The announcements was made in a press release dated April 1, and it wasn't immediately clear whether the plans were serious or a prank by the carrier, which has a history of pulling publicity stunts and floating provocative ideas -- remember, the plan for pay toilets aboard flights?

“When it comes to children we all love our own but would clearly prefer to avoid other people’s little monsters when travelling,'' said Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara. "While half our passengers would like us to divide our cabins up into ‘adult’ and ‘family’ areas it is not operationally possible due to our free seating policy, with optional priority boarding.'' Thus the new child-free modest proposal.

According to the release, 36 percent of the 1,000 passengers surveyed say they have had flights ruined by noisy kids, and 18 percent expressed a desire to have the carrier limit the number of children on flights. Furthermore, respondents placed the blame for poorly-behaved children squarely on the shoulders of parents, with 25 percent saying that parents let their kids bother passengers in the seats behind and 10 percent complaining that mom and dad allow youngsters to run in the aisles and kick seats.

Whether this is a prank or not, it's clear from responses we've had on our blog as well as others to items involving children on flights that many, many travelers do view it as a problem. What do you think?

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent

It seems a pricey way to keep an eye on the kids, but SecuraTrac is offering a GPS tracking device called SecurePAL for parents worrying about theirs going missing on spring break, particularly in more dangerous spring-break spots. For $157.78, with monthly service plans starting at $18.88 a month (or rented for 10 bucks a day), parents get a small automated locator their kids can wear or carry should they go missing. When the SOS button is pushed, parents get a text or email alerting them to the device's exact location and gives directions on how to get there, presumably to give that information to local authorities. They can also set up SecuraFences, or virtual boundaries, that alerts them when the device enters or leaves a designated area.

 

And if you trust your kids, or don't have them, the device is also touted to be good for tracking elderly parents who may wander, or even pets. For more information, visit www.securatrac.com.

By Christopher Klein, Globe Correspondent

“George Washington slept here.” It’s a pretty common refrain around New England, and there are several residences open to the public where Washington caught forty winks. The grandest of these is the Cambridge manse that is better known to the public as the residence of another colossus, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

At the height of the poet's fame, strangers knocking on his door were much less interested in meeting the wordsmith than in getting a tour of the house that served as General Washington’s hallowed headquarters during the 1775-1776 siege of Boston. "The house was the first major headquarters of the American Revolution and Washington's second-longest held headquarters," says Site Manager Jim Shea. "During this critical first year of the American Revolution the house became a center for diplomacy and strategy."

As the decades have gone by, however, Washington’s residency in the house has faded from the public consciousness. Now, the National Park Service is attempting to alter that by changing the Brattle Street mansion’s designation from the “Longfellow National Historic Site” to “Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site.”

"The site's connection to George Washington had become obscured over time," says Superintendent Myra Harrison. "This redesignation will help restore our links with this important part of our past."

The redesignation was signed into law by President Obama on Dec. 22, and to celebrate, the public is invited to an open house on Washington’s birthday, Feb. 22. National Park Service staff will lead free guided tours every half hour between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. (There will also be free tours focusing on Washington’s time in the home on March 17, Evacuation Day, every hour between 1 and 4 p.m.)

The Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site is at 105 Brattle Street in Cambridge. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/long.

Photo of Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site by Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe

By Christopher Klein, Globe Correspondent

Since Philip Johnson’s Glass House first opened to the public in 2007, the demand to step inside one of the landmarks of modern architecture has been overwhelming. Tickets for the 2011 tour season, which runs from May through November, go on sale at 9 a.m. on Feb. 15, and if the past is any indication, they will sell out quickly. The good news for those who want to visit Johnson’s New Canaan, Conn., property — which includes fourteen architectural structures and a world-class art collection — is that the Glass House is introducing three new two-hour tour options for 2011.

The Architecture tour will offer guests the opportunity to learn how the Glass House campus serves as a fifty-year diary of architectural history by exploring the architects, theories and history; buildings, materials and technologies; and preservation challenges of modern architecture.

The Art tour will illuminate how Johnson and his partner, David Whitney, played significant roles in cultivating and commissioning the work of world-renowned creative talent that defined an era. Visitors will examine works featured in the Glass House collection including those by Frank Stella and Andy Warhol.

The Landscape tour will feature a walk through the grounds and a discussion centered on the history, design, flora and fauna of Johnson’s forty-seven-acre landscape.

In addition to the newly added tours, which cost $45 per person, visitors may also choose from the following options: 90-minute guided Site tour ($30 per person); Two-hour guided Extended tour ($45 per person); Glass House Modern Friends Tour ($100 per person); Twilight Tour ($150 per person, October only); Private Tour ($250 per person); Glass House Private Tour + Four Seasons Dinner Package ($450 per person); and Group Tours (beginning at $30 per person).

Tickets may be purchased online at www.philipjohnsonglasshouse.org or by phone at 866-811-4111.

Photo of Glass House by Eirik Johnson

By Patricia Harris and David Lyon, Globe Correspondents

On Sunday we gave an overview of books published about New England last year that make good reads before you set out to explore (''In Praise of the Page''). But the regional publishers did not overlook children. ''Champ and Me by the Maple Tree: A Vermont Tale? (Commonwealth Editions, $14.95) by Ed Shankman and illustrated by Dave O'Neill sets out to make Vermont a little bigger than life, thanks to the narrator's unexpected friendship with Champ, the mythic sea monster from Lake Champlain. It is a cheerful and lighthearted romp across the state, complete with scenic drawings. As the narrator says, ''Now riding a monster / Is hardly worth doing / Unless you take note of / The view that you're viewing.'' We'll take her word for it, but it's a bright little book to stir the imaginations of the preschool set.

Photo courtesy of Commonwealth Editions

By Paul S. Makishima, Globe Staff

Aiming to reduce airport traffic during one of its busiest period of the year, Massport is offering a special February vacation week parking rate of $22 for its Logan Express bus service from Braintree, Framingham, Peabody, and Woburn. The discount, which amounts to a 66 percent savings over the standard fare, will be available between 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 17 through 11:59 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28. Cars that remain longer will be assessed the standard fare for any additional days.

Using Logan Express can yield significant cost savings. For instance, a family of four, with two children under 12, or a pair of adults would pay $66 for a week's worth of parking and transportation to and from the airport. The cheapest parking option at the airport runs $108 a week.

If you haven't used Logan Express, this is the way it works. Drive to the nearest of the four centers. You will have to pay for parking, along with a bus ticket. The bus service will cost $12 one way or $22 round-trip for passengers 12 and over. Children under 12 with an adult ride for free. The buses run pretty often and will drop you right at your terminal. Estimated travel time is 30-45 minutes.