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PEAKS & VALLEYS
"One of the amazing things in this country is the variety of natural environments," says New York Times writer Matt Gross. "To experience America, you need to get out of the big cities and into the wilderness. It's really the can't-miss thing to do."
Madison, Georgia, and Lava Hot Springs, Idaho: "Dude ranches aren't all in the West. The Southern Cross Guest Ranch is in Madison, Georgia, among all those antebellum plantations. It's an all-inclusive package—two horseback rides a day, meals, hayrides, and mountain biking. Summer rates start at $850 a week for adults, $350 to $700 for kids. If you want to play city slickers and round up cattle, brand calves, and mend fences, Andrus Ranch in Idaho is a working cattle ranch. Kids bottle-feed the animals, collect eggs, and learn how to rope. It's also all-inclusive: $950 for adults, $750 for kids 4 to 14."
--Pauline Frommer
Massachusetts and Vermont: "Ecotourism doesn't have to mean roughing it in a jungle. You can do something in an afternoon, like a white-water adventure on the Deerfield River in Massachusetts. Put in at Florida and you end up farther south in Charlemont. Choose a group raft and a professional guide, or bring your own tubes and kayaks and do a self-guided trip. Kingdom Trails, voted best trail network for mountain biking in North America by readers of Bike Magazine, is in East Burke, Vermont."
--Max Hartshorne, editor, gonomad.com
Sedona and Tucson, Arizona: "See the stars. Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson and Evening Sky Tours out of Sedona bring the night sky close. Go during the week, when the observatories are less crowded."
--Brice Gosnell, publisher, Lonely Planet Americas
Vail, Colorado: "It's known for its skiing, but it's also a great summer destination: gondola rides, trails, white-water rafting, and horseback riding. Buy the new Epic Summer Pass, a four- or seven-day family package. One price gets you lodging, meals, all activities, and experienced guides. The four-day package is $695 for adults, $545 for kids 12 and under."
--Peter Greenberg
Wyoming: "There is no better kids' vacation than Yellowstone National Park, and it's very inexpensive. Just $25 per car, per week, gets you in. Up to six people can camp out for $18.50 a night. It's been called the Serengeti of America because it has the highest density of wildlife of any of the national parks in the lower 48. You'll see wolves and herds of bison crossing the road. And in other areas of the park, the kids will love the geysers and bubbling mud pots."
--Pauline Frommer
Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness: "You forget we live in a modern country when you venture into this area on the Wyoming-Montana border. One night, a pack of white, hairy mountain goats came up to our fire to sniff around and butt heads. They were so close, we could hear them munching grass."
--Matt Gross, "the Frugal Traveler," New York Times
SUN & SAND
To some, summer will always mean sand. "There are lots of small lakes and smaller, less famous beaches all over the country that are great fun and especially relaxing for a family vacation," says AP's Travel Editor Beth Harpaz.
Amagansett, New York: "This is my absolute favorite spot in the Northeast. It combines a bit of the glitz of East Hampton and the fishing-village character of Montauk. It's also near East End wineries, the American Hotel in Sag Harbor, which I love, as well as a slew of great restaurants, lobster shacks, bookstores, and the Sag Harbor Cinema, an art movie house."
--Leigh Flayton, executive editor, Arrive
Cruises: "Cruise lines are taking a bath because ships have to sail and cabins have to be filled. I've never seen such low prices as what you can find now for ships sailing from Miami, New Orleans, San Diego, and Seattle. Look for deals in the range of $50 per person, per night, including room, full board, and visits to multiple ports."
--Daniel Levine
Oahu, Hawaii: "Lanikai Beach is one of those beaches you think exist only on postcards: white sand, palm trees, and—somehow—no crowds. The water is a million shades of turquoise and almost always calm. My favorite thing to do here is rent a kayak in Kailua and paddle out to the twin islands Mokulua and Mokumanu, or the Mokes, as the locals call them, and hike around before heading back. You're almost guaranteed to pass a few sea turtles. Afterward, I always go to Island Snow for shave ice. Get it with a snow cap, which is sweetened condensed milk drizzled over the top."
--Beth Collins, associate editor, Budget Travel
San Francisco, California: "I love the Beach Chalet, a brewery-restaurant on the five-mile Ocean Beach. Arrive just before sunset and watch the orange ball slip below the Pacific Ocean. They make local beers with names like Riptide Red. Order a sampler of six ales for $8 and, with the fried calamari, have a sinfully wonderful happy hour. The view is priceless. Walk the beach, look for sand dollars, and slip your toes into the foaming waves."
--Marybeth Bond, author, National Geographic's 50 Best Girlfriend Getaways in North America
HOBBIES & HELPING
"Travel is no longer just about vacation," says Keith Bellows, editor of National Geographic Traveler. "It's about self-discovery, opening yourself to the world. That's why learning vacations are becoming so popular."
Cooperstown, New York, and St. Louis, Missouri: "If baseball is your passion, plan a trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, or make your way to St. Louis during the all-star break for the Major League Baseball All Star Fan Fest (July 10 to 14). This five-day family event gives you a chance to live out your baseball fantasy by pitching against life-size video images of your favorite sluggers or recording your own play-by-play."
--Lauren Goldenberg, co-owner, Family Traveler
Maine and North Carolina: "A lot of folks are following their hobbies on vacation and going places where they can improve their knitting, learn to quilt, make pottery, or do metalwork or woodworking. Consider the John C. Campbell Folk School (folkschool.org) and the Penland School of Crafts (penland.org), both in North Carolina, or the Hay Stack Mountain Craft School (haystack-mtn.org), situated on the Atlantic Ocean in Deer Isle, Maine. Prices start at $400; room and board are extra."
--Pauline Frommer
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: "It's called Golftown U.S.A. because it's probably the No. 1 golf destination in the States, with over 100 public courses. Grande Dunes has the best course in the region. Two older clubs—the Dunes and Tidewater—predate the golf explosion and are the area classics. They're also the only two courses on the ocean."
--Larry Olmsted, coauthor, Golf Travel by Design
The South: "Take the Southern barbecue tour if you're a foodie. You can get fantastic food in small, affordable, out-of-the-way places. There's the Blue Mist Barbecue in Asheboro, North Carolina, and the Dreamland Drive-Inn Bar-B-Que in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Dreamland has two locations, but make sure you go to the one at 5535 15th Avenue E: It's a real shack, and the ribs are zesty and juicy. Mop up the sauce with sliced white bread."
--Matt Gross
Wassaw Island, Georgia: "At the Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge, part of Georgia's barrier islands, you can help tag loggerhead sea turtles when they crawl out of the sea to lay their eggs. Cost is $750 a week, including transportation to and from the island, a bunk in a rustic cabin, and all meals. Plus, you can sleep late: Beach patrols take place at night. Don't forget to write off your experience as a charitable contribution."
--Pam Grout, author, The 100 Best Volunteer Vacations to Enrich Your Life
The world: "Volunteer opportunities exist worldwide. Tutor kids in Ghana or paint a classroom in Peru through Global Volunteers (globalvolunteers.org). Build playgrounds on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana with Visions (visionsserviceadventures.com). Or help out on an organic tea farm in Japan through Service Civil International (sci-ivs.org)."
--Max Hartshorne
Old Orchard Beach, Maine: "There's an old-fashioned boardwalk and amusement park that's a fraction of the cost of one of the brand-name theme parks. We spent the morning playing in the waves and lying on the beach and the afternoon at Palace Playland."
--Beth Harpaz, travel editor, Associated Press
Panama: "Stay in an over-water bungalow on Isla Colon, one of the islands in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, and get the feeling of Fiji for one quarter the price. Plus, the American dollar is widely accepted."
--Stacy Rapacon, travel reporter, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
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