our travel experts give up all their secret bargain vacation spots.
Our picks, like the Chico Hot Springs Resort in Montana 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.
CHICO HOT SPRINGS RESORT
MONTANAFor many families, a trip to Montana's Yellowstone National Park isn't complete without a stop at Chico Hot Springs Resort, a 146-acre family resort 30 miles north of the park in Montana's Absaroka Beartooth Mountains.
For $85 nightly, a family of four can rent a log cabin (other options include on-site motel rooms for $99 and lodge rooms from $64 to $89). The destination's big draw is the outdoor pool of 98-degree water drawn from a thermal spring. On a chilly summer night, families love taking a dip under the stars. You can also hike, bike, go horseback riding, raft, snooze or play cards on the roomy porch, take a hayride or savor a chuck wagon cookout (fees for individual activities vary). Call 800-468-9232 or visit their Web site for more details.
For other bargain vacation spots, check out the following links:
UNDER $30 A NIGHT
• Arkansas' "Diamond" in the Rough• Explore Colorado's Sand Dunes
• 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
• Camp in Style the Ohio Way
• 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
• 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.
