Arkansas' "Diamond" in the Rough

Put off by the high cost of vacationing with your family? Us, too. So we had our travel experts give up all their secret bargain vacation spots.

Our picks, like the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas below, are not only easy on the wallet, they pass the FAMILYFUN test, too, by offering memorable settings, lots of activities and a welcoming spirit to parents and children. If nothing else, these picks will put to rest the idea that you have to spend a fortune on a family vacation--or that you can trust a travel writer with a secret.

CRATER OF DIAMONDS STATE PARK
ARKANSAS
At Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas (56 miles southwest of Hot Springs), families can camp out for $14.79 a night and search for twinkling treasures at the world's only finders-keepers diamond field.

More than 70,000 diamonds have been discovered here since a hog farmer plucked the first gem from the dirt in 1906 (last year, a visitor found a 7.28-carat diamond in the field). Admission to the search area is $6 for adults and $3 for children ages six to 12. To reserve a campsite at the park, call 870-285-3113 or visit their Web site.

For other bargain vacation spots, check out the following links:

UNDER $30 A NIGHT
• Explore Colorado's Sand Dunes
• Camp in Style the Ohio Way
• Strike Gold in California
• New York's Adirondack Adventure

UNDER $75 A NIGHT
• Sleep Over at Montana's Roosevelt Cabins
• Camping on the Carolina Cape
• A California Lighthouse Getaway

UNDER $100 A NIGHT
• All Rivers Lead to Nebraska
• A Bargain Visit to Williamsburg, Virginia
• Illinois' Log Cabin Lodge
• Camp Pueblo-Style in Texas

UNDER $125 A NIGHT
• A "Hot" Time in Montana
• Lake Powell Luxury in Arizona
• An Old-Fashioned Florida Family Vacation
• A Grand Inn at the Grand Coulee Dam

UNDER $170 A NIGHT
• Cozy Up in a Maine Inn
• Oregon's Mountain Retreat
• Dive for Pearls at this Tennessee Resort
• Wisconsin's Budget B & B



Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated August 2005.