More Places to Hang Your Hat

Seven new facilities have been opened by American Youth Hostels recently. Note the addresses if you’re traveling in these areas; they’re so new that it’s unlikely that they’ll be listed in your guidebook.

The hostels provide dormitory-style accommodations for travelers of all ages, with separate quarters for males and females.

The new 70-bed youth hostel in Sacramento is in a Victorian mansion that has received awards for its restoration. You’ll find it at 900 H St.; telephone (916) 443-1691. Facilities include a kitchen that guests can use, laundry and bike storage. Rates are $13-$15, per bed, per night.

Key West, Fla., now has a 90-bed youth hostel only two blocks from the beach, at 718 South St.; tel. (305) 296-5719. It has a courtyard barbecue and offers free transportation from the Greyhound station. Snorkeling, scuba instruction and bicycle rentals are available. The rate is $13-$16 per bed, per night.

AYH’s first resort-style hostel officially opened in the Orlando area of Florida this winter. The 200-bed Kissimmee Resort hostel is at 4840 W. Irlo Bronson Highway; tel. (407) 396-8282--just five miles from Walt Disney World. You can visit the park by an inexpensive daily shuttle service. All the hostel bunk rooms have bathrooms and are limited to six beds. The rate is $13-$16 per bed, per night. The hostel is set on more than two acres of landscaped grounds beside Lake Cecille. Guests have free use of a swimming pool and paddle boats, and jet skis can be rented nearby.

The 44-bed Albert B. Lester Memorial Hostel is in a New England farmhouse at 36 Washington St., Conway, N.H.; tel. (603) 447-1001. This is a few steps from the White Mountains National Forest. Bikes and canoes can be rented nearby. The nightly rate of $16-$19 includes a continental breakfast.

The 70-bed Bank Street Hostel in Philadelphia is in a 19th century building at 32 S. Bank St. (tel. [215] 922-0222) in Philadelphia’s historic district, within walking distance of major attractions. Beds are $16-$19 per night.

A “summer only” hostel is opening this week in Charleston, S.C. The 18-bed facility is an antebellum home in the heart of the historic district on the College of Charleston campus. You can find it at 14 Greenway, tel. (803) 953-4903. It will be open from May 14 to Aug. 7. The rate is $18 per person, per night.

There is a 286-page handbook that covers the nearly 150 AYH hostels. It is given free to AYH members and hostel guests at any AYH hostel. It can also be ordered from the HI-AYH National Office for $1.50, at 733 15th St. NW, Suite 840, Washington DC 20005; tel. (202) 783-6161. If you are not a member of an affiliated hosteling association you may be charged a $3 guest fee per night.

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Chicago is making a special effort to welcome young travelers by publishing a new, free 20-page booklet called Chicago Welcomes Student Travelers.

The publication covers where to stay and what to see, including budget accommodations offered at nine youth hostels and university residence halls, visitor information centers, suggestions for things to see and do in the city, transportation and helpful phone numbers.

The free brochure is available at any of the Chicago Office of Tourism’s three visitor information centers: in the Historic Water Tower at Chicago and Michigan avenues; Illinois Market Place at Navy Pier; and in the Chicago Cultural Center at 77 E. Randolph St.

The information contained in this brochure is also available through the city’s Web site at https://www.ci.chi.il.us/Tourism on the Internet. A free visitor information package is available by calling (800) 226-6632.