EDITOR’S NOTES

I was looking through some back editions of the paper this week and stumbled across a fun little feature.

The series of articles featured local folks holding up an edition of the paper at exotic locations all around the world.

It was fun to see the community paper in places like Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Africa; or spread out across the Great Wall of China. One picture showed a woman holding up local news in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Another reader carried her edition to the wilds of Asheville, North Carolina.

I got a kick out of that.

Here at the Robesonian we’re all about local people and local news, so if you’re planning on taking a trip anywhere in the next little while, throw your Robesonian in your bag and snap a picture while you’re fuming over your canceled flight or taking out a loan for your next gas fillup. You can send me your picture at [email protected]. You can also go to https://www.robesonian.com/community-photo-gallery#/. I’ll find a place for you in the next edition of our Community Photos feature.

Speaking of vacations, it’s about time to get out of town before things start to cool down. I’ve been lucky enough to explore some fun places around our great country so here is my short list of recommended stops that you can drive to this spring or summer if you have a day or a week.

Professor Hacker’s Lost Treasure Golf. Drive time: 1.5 hours. 843-272-5467. We loved this place. After gorging yourself on any of the 100 or so seafood buffets in Myrtle Beach, head on over to Professor Hackers for a fun train ride to the top of a small mountain — you can see the beach from there. Work your way down the path of miniature golf holes that take you over streams, around waterfalls and through scary mining caverns.

Jungle Jim’s – River Safari Water Park. Drive time: 7.5 hours. 302-227-8444. Go for the golf, stay for the water park. This is a great destination for anyone afraid of swimming in the Atlantic Ocean at nearby Rehoboth Beach. Your journey will take you through the congested metropolis of Washington, D.C. Be alert for gangs of protest marchers and discarded political placards.

Boondocks Grill, Draft House and Miniature Golf. Drivetime: 15.5 hours. 305-872-4094. This is one I’ve not actually been to, however I have visited other Boondocks locations, so I can’t imagine it’s much different — I mean other than you are in Key West, Florida. And since you are in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by convertible sports cars and marinas, you might as well play a round or two on the really miniature, miniature golf course. (It’s a small course.)

Dinosaur Adventure Golf. Drive time: 12, 15 minutes hours. 1-905-358-3676. Bring your passport if you want to get home. This excellent course is located on the banks of the Niagara River in Canada. A nearby waterfall is a serious distraction and you may need a rain poncho if the wind is blowing the mist your direction.

Cody City Park Miniature Golf Course. Drive time: 32 hours. 307-587-3685. This is actually a pretty crappy little golf course, so you’re better off skipping this tourist attraction and taking a short drive into Yellowstone National Park. You are guaranteed to see some Rocky Mountain bison — the kids and I did when we were there — and perhaps a moose if you are quiet. Old Faithful, which isn’t all that faithful anymore erupts about every hour or so depending on how big the last eruption was.

Zion Ponderosa Mini Golf Course. Drive time: 33 hours.800-293-5444. This course is built on the slope of a Ponderosa Pine populated hillside in southern Utah. If you plan to stay the night, book ahead to bed down in one of the many log cabins, which range in size from covered wagon to multi-room western ranch house. We stayed in one of the Cowboy cabins and loved it. It was just a short drive to nearby Zion National Park, one of the most popular parks in the country – again, call ahead, rock slides have been known to close highways in and out of Zion NP. You are guaranteed to see herds of deer, bighorn sheep and flocks of smelly hippies hitchhiking across the West — go ahead, pick them up, they don’t bite and imagine the great photo memories.

If you’re not a miniature golf fan, there are other fun things to do in or around most of these great destinations.

And remember, if you make it to these or other fun places, bring along your Robesonian.

David Kennard is the executive editor of The Robesonian. Contact him at [email protected].