our travel experts give up all their secret bargain vacation spots.
Our picks, like the Roosevelt Lodge Cabins 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.
ROOSEVELT LODGE CABINS
MONTANATeddy Roosevelt loved Yellowstone National Park, and you can get a feel for why by staying at Roosevelt Lodge Cabins. For around $50 a night, a family of four with two kids under 12 can rent a 1920s "Rough Rider" cabin tucked in among rolling forests and meadows 18 miles east of Mammoth Hot Springs--one of Roosevelt's favorite spots. You'll truly be roughing it though--there's electricity, but no toilet or running water.
As part of the adventure, families can ride horses or hop on a stagecoach, fish for trout in North America's largest Alpine lake and enjoy a chuck wagon cookout complete with cowboy hosts and storytelling. Fees for individual activities vary. Call 307-344-7311 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
• 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
• 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. Originally published in September 1999. Updated May, 2003.
