If you’ve been thinking about paying the state of Oregon a visit (and you should be if you’ve never been) then here are some cool resources to help you explore all the Oregon has to offer.

Here’s some of the stuff you can get from TravelOregon.com:

• Oregon Bounty Guide - Where to Stay, Go, Taste and Eat (I like this one - I like to eat and I’m a huge fan of checking out the local favorites.)
• Travel Oregon Trip Planner - This one can serve as your comprehensive guide to organizing a trip to The Beaver State. It includes things like detailed itineraries for each of the seven regions of Oregon. It’s pretty sweet.
• Scenic Byways Guide
• Ski Oregon Magazine
• Oregon State Highway Map
• The Official Kid’s Guide to Oregon

Again, just head on over to TravelOregon.com and you’ll be set. And if you prefer the “green” option, you can download most of these guides.

The Maryland Office of Tourism offers vacationers a free travel kit to help make a visit to Maryland as much fun as possible.

The basic travel kit includes a travel guide, a map of Maryland, and a calendar of events. The travel guide has sections on paddle sports, fishing and boating, hiking and biking, trails, bird watching and nature observation, camping, and an at a glance chart of the amenities available at the Maryland Parks and Forests.

In addition to receiving the basic travel kit, up to nine other brochures, booklets, or maps can be ordered for free.

A few of the choices include:

- an “African American Heritage Guide” that has a listing of points of interest by region in the state and includes biographical information on some of Maryland’s notable African Americans including Beatrice Gaddy who was known as the Mother Teresa of Baltimore and Josiah Henson whose autobiography was used by Harriet Beecher Stowe as the basis for the character of Uncle Tom in the classic Book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

- a “Golf Guide” with information on Maryland’s 200+ golf courses

- an informative “Underground Railroad” brochure that includes a map of 30 underground railroad sites, some of which are open to the public

- a guide to the Chesapeake Bay Area (don’t forget to have some crab cakes!) that includes a map of the Bay’s lighthouses along with which ones are accessible to the public,

To order your free travel kit and brochures, go to the visitmaryland website. Most of the materials are also available for viewing online if you prefer to be “green” and save the paper.

The free Texas State Park Guide has maps, photos, and information on over 100 Texas State Parks and Historic sites. The 112 page guide is available for free at any Texas State Park, Law enforcement offices, Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, TxDOT Travel Information Centers, Texas Convention and Visitors Bureaus, Texas Chambers of Commerce, and Sea Center Texas.

The guide has information on parks and historic sites of interest in the Panhandle Plains Region, Hill Country Region, Big Bend Region, Prairies and Lakes Region, Gulf Coast Region, South Texas Plains Region, and the Pineywoods Region.

It includes a facilities and activities index so you can see at a glance the amenities and activities available at each park, including which ones having campgrounds. Plus the index states what type of campsites are available whether it’s primitive/backpacking sites, walk-in tent sites, tent sites, sites with water and electric, and sites that have water, electric, and sewer.

It can also be downloaded by clicking this link.

Or, if you prefer a printed copy, fill out the request form by clicking here and a free copy will arrive in your mailbox in about 2 weeks.

The Texas State Park system has been in operation for more than 80 years and now has more than 600,000 acres of land to manage.

Balmorhea State Park in West Texas is a big draw for scuba divers and swimmers because of the clarity and depth of the spring waters.

Or, to visit the largest state park in the United States that is within city limits (within the city limits of El Paso), visit Franklin Mountains State Park.

If you are enthralled by the Old West, visit Big Bend Ranch State Park where there is a working ranch and where visitors can participate in horseback trail rides and cattle drives.

Whether you prefer primitive camping, camping with hookups, being near water, or in the woods, where there is hiking, biking, historic sites, or just relaxing and enjoying the view, there is a Texas State Park that is just right.

Get your free copy of the guide today and start choosing your Texas camping destination.