Toll dropped on B.C. road and more

A shortcut from Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., to the British Columbia interior has nearly been paid off, so the province has decided to quit charging tolls on the Coquihalla Highway.

The 120-mile Coquihalla (Highway 5) bypasses a scenic but longer and slower section of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Fraser River canyon (from Hope northward to Kamloops). One-way tolls were $5 for motorcycles and $10 for cars and pickups. The highway is a popular route for summer vacationers and skiers heading to B.C. resorts such as Sun Peaks and Silver Star.

Disneyland free on birthdays

One-day adult tickets for California's Disneyland and Florida's Disney World cost $69 and $75, respectively. But visitors will be able to enter free on one day next year: their birthdays. A government-issued ID (e.g., driver's license, passport) must be presented at the box office of a Disney park. Patrons under 18 who do not have a government-issued ID can bring either their original birth certificate or a notarized copy. For more information, see www.disneyparks.com.

Hard knocks for theme park

South Carolina's big new attraction, the 55-acre Hard Rock Park, opened in April but has already closed for the year after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The $400 million theme park, which boasted more than 40 rides (including roller coasters with such names as Led Zeppelin — The Ride) hopes to reopen in spring 2009 after "restructuring efforts," according to its Web site. Hard Rock officials said the volatility of financial markets and the credit crunch had made 2008 a bad year to open an amusement park, and that tourism in Myrtle Beach was down.

Big new resort for Mexico

Mexico will get a major beach resort on its Pacific Coast. The new resort, in Escuinapa, Sinaloa, will have seven miles of beach, a marina, golf courses, hotels and condominiums.

Mexico's economy relies heavily on tourism; resort developments such as Cancun were spearheaded by the government. The Mexican government will provide about $500 million to build the new Escuinapa resort, about a half-hour drive south of Mazatlan, with private investors expected to come up with nearly $7 billion.

President Felipe Calderón says the resort will attract 3 million tourists a year and generate $2.8 billion annually.

Rick Steves to talk on Iran

Rick Steves, the Edmonds-based travel guru and social activist, will present a slide-show lecture about his recent trip to Iran, and how travel can break down cultural barriers, on Oct. 14 at Seattle's Town Hall. In January, his PBS television special on Iran will be broadcast nationwide. Tickets to Steves' "Uncovering Iran" are available at www.BrownPaperTickets.com. (Rick Steves' weekly columns on European travel are posted at www.seattletimes.com/travel.)

— Seattle Times staff and news services