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Don't shop on Black Friday: State parks offering free admission

Trevor Hughes
USA TODAY
As in many other states, admission to Colorado's 42 state parks will be free on Black Friday as part of a national effort to get more people outside, instead of going shopping.

DENVER — State parks in many parts of the country are offering free or reduced admission Friday as a counterpart to the frenzy of shopping-focused Black Friday sales.

Banding under the #FreshAirFriday banner, parks in Colorado, Arizona, Oregon, California, Delaware, Kansas, Massachusetts and Minnesota are offering free or reduced entry of some kind. In Colorado, for instance, residents can go to all 42 of the state's parks.

“On the day after Thanksgiving, we now have the choice of running around indoors or enjoying our spectacular Colorado outdoors for free,” Luis Benitez, the director of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, said in a statement. “We are thrilled that (Great Outdoors Colorado) is partnering with the state to ensure that every Coloradan who wants to enjoy our state parks and burn off those calories from our turkey dinners can.”

The decision to offer the deals aligns with outdoor retailer REI’s decision to close all 143 of its stores on Friday, including one of its massive flagships in outdoors-loving Denver, so employees can get outside.

“It’s really, really exciting to see,” said Ben Steele, REI’s chief creative officer. "In many ways, it’s a way to extend all of the goodness of Thursday into Friday.”

Steele, who plans to go hiking with his wife and daughter in the North Cascades, said REI wanted to give its 12,000 employees an extra paid day off so they can spent more time with their families and friends instead of trying to sell things to the co-op’s members and customers. He said he's not surprised so many other Americans are joining in.

The Meetup service is also highlighting REI’s #OptOutside, helping organize day hikes, snowshoe trips and a variety of other “Burn The Bird” adventures on Friday.

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