Tight finances don't mean you have to stay home this summer.

Here are ideas for five vacations a family of four could take for about $500. Included are approximate gasoline costs, lodging and activities.

Birds of Prey at Callaway Gardens (ENLARGE)

A barn owl is part of the Birds of Prey show at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain.

Huntsville/Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau (ENLARGE)

In Huntsville, make like an astronaut in an Apollo capsule replica.

Lisa Lowe Stauffer (ENLARGE)

The beach and water offer endless hours of fun in Florida. Other options include renting a kayak or sailboat, snorkeling, fishing and looking for wildlife.

RELATED LINKS: • Photos: See more photos of these vacations ideas • Atlanta a star attraction in family reunion season • Britons go rugged across the U.S. mate • Southeastern festivals April-June • A guide to Southeastern theme, water parks • Get Southeast travel ideas • Get Adventure Travel & Sports ideas • NEW! More Family Vacation ideas

Gas prices assume that a vehicle gets 20 mpg, with gas costing a generous allowance of $4 a gallon. Activity prices are based on two adults and two children, ages 7 and 12. Lodging options (such as camping) would alter the price of the vacation. Food costs are not included — after all, you have to eat no matter where you are.

Huntsville, Ala.

Day 1: Stop first at the Huntsville Visitors Center for free Passport coupons, which save 20 percent on attractions. Spend the afternoon visiting the historic Harrison Brothers Hardware (open in the same spot since 1897) and Sci-Quest, a hands-on science museum. If the kids still have energy to spare, take them to KidSpace, a huge playground designed to accommodate children of all abilities.

Day 2: Visit the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. The Stars Combo admission includes the museum and one Imax movie. While Mom and Dad marvel at how cramped the astronauts' quarters are, kids will enjoy the G-Force accelerator, the Apollo Cockpit Trainer simulator and the Mars Climbing Wall. Be sure to wear tennis shoes.

Day 3: Drive out to Burritt on the Mountain, a living museum. The Burritt mansion, 19th-century farm buildings, barnyard animals, plays, concerts and exhibits offer something of interest for everyone. Afterward, tour the North Alabama Railroad Museum with its more than 30 pieces of "rolling stock." Staff and tours are available on Wednesdays and Saturdays only, but the grounds are open daily. Train rides cost extra (see Web site for dates).

Day 4: Before you head home, relax with a stroll through the Huntsville Botanical Garden. Through mid-July, life-size dinosaurs have been "planted" in the garden, and the nation's largest seasonal butterfly house is open all summer.

Add it up

$470.80 for a three-night, four-day Huntsville vacation ($435.64 with Passport):

$88 (approximate gasoline for 440 miles round trip)

$207 (three nights' lodging at Microtel)

$89.80 (Stars Combo admission for four to U.S. Space and Rocket Center; $71.84 with Passport)

$34 (admission for four to Sci-Quest, the North Alabama Science Center; $27.20 with Passport)

$22 (admission for four to Burritt on the Mountain, a living museum; $17.60 with Passport)

$30 (admission for four to Huntsville Botanical Garden, $24 with Passport)

Free (donations accepted), Alabama Railroad Museum

Free, historic Harrison Brothers Hardware

Where to stay

• Microtel, 1820 Chase Creek Row, Huntsville. 256-859-6655, www.microtelinn.com. Outdoor pool, two queen beds, $69 per night.

• Candlewood Suites, 201 Exchange Place, Huntsville. 256-830-8222, www.candlewoodsuites.com. Full kitchen, one king bed, one queen sofa sleeper, $109.99 per night

• Camping: Monte Sano State Park, 1505 Nolan Ave., Huntsville. 256- 534-6589. Site with water and electricity, $16.80 per night.

Information

Huntsville Visitors Center, 500 Church St. 256-551-2230, www.huntsville.org.

Callaway Gardens

If you've ever wanted to learn to water ski or wakeboard, here's your chance. Through the summer, Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain is offering a Water Ski-Wakeboard package. It includes one hour of instruction behind a Correct Craft Nautique boat — the same boat used in the Masters Water Ski and Wakeboard Tournament.

Day 1: Leave home early and bring the bikes so you can bicycle the 10-mile paved Discovery Trail before you check into the inn. Later, stroll the paths, see the Birds of Prey Show and the butterfly house, then browse through Mr. Cason's vegetable garden.

Day 2: In the morning, enjoy the breakfast that's included with the package, then take your water ski or wakeboarding lesson. Spend the rest of the day at Robin Lake Beach, lazing on its white sands or swimming in its cool waters. The Florida State University Flying High Circus performers have been in residence every summer since 1960, and perform daily (except Wednesdays) under the big top near the beach. Admission to the show is included in the garden admission.

Add it up

$391 for one night, two days at Callaway Gardens:

$42 (approximate gasoline for 210 miles round trip)

$294 (Water Ski-Wakeboard package, including one night's lodging at Mountain Creek Inn, breakfast for four, garden admission on day of arrival and departure, and one-hour water ski or wakeboard instruction)

$55 (extra half-hour of water ski-wakeboard instruction)

Where to stay

Callaway Gardens, 17800 U.S. 27, Pine Mountain, has accommodations ranging from guest rooms at Mountain Creek Inn to luxurious villas.

Information

1-800-225-5292, www.callawaygardens.com.

Western North Carolina

For outdoor play in the mountains, you'll be based in Franklin or Bryson City.

Day 1: Spend some time panning for gems at one of Franklin's mines. Sapphires, rubies, garnets and other stones are native to the area. Browse Franklin's rock and jewelry stores, craft outlets and the boutiques along Main Street.

Day 2: Spend a couple of hours exploring history at the Cherokee Museum, then hop over to Bryson City to rent inner tubes. You can float down Deep Creek's 1-mile route again and again and again.

Day 3: Head for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hiking trails abound, including an easy trail along the Oconoluftee River, beginning at the Oconoluftee Visitors Center. Also at the visitors center is the Mountain Farm Museum, with late-19th-century buildings relocated from elsewhere in the park. Drive a half-mile north into the park to find Mingus Mill, still water-powered, grinding corn into meal. Stay late in Cherokee to see "Unto These Hills" in its outdoor amphitheater. Entering its 59th season, the show brings the story of the Trail of Tears in North Carolina to life.

Day 4: Return to Cherokee and explore the Oconoluftee Indian Village. Compare the farming life of the Cherokees with the farming life of the Appalachian settlers portrayed at the Mountain Farm Museum. Picnic in Great Smoky Mountains National Park before heading back to Atlanta.

Add it up

$498.70 for three nights, four days in the mountains:

$90 (approximate gasoline cost, including side trips)

$269.70 lodging three nights at Comfort Inn, Franklin

$30 (gem mining: $21 admission, plus extra buckets of dirt)

$30 (admission for four to Cherokee Museum)

$1 (self-guided tour of Mountain Farm Museum

$36 (admission for four, family package to "Unto These Hills")

$42 (admission for four to Oconoluftee Indian Village)

Where to stay

• Comfort Inn, 313 Cunningham Road, Franklin. 828-369-9200, www.comfortinnfranklin.com. $89.90 per night, standard rate, double room

• Old Mill Campground, 7164 Georgia Road, Franklin. 828-369-3484, www.oldmillcampgroundnc.com/cabin.html. Cabin rental, $80-$95 per night, sleeps two-six; 37-foot RV rental, $60 per night, two bedrooms, sleeps six (rates include two adults and all children under 12, $2 per day per extra person. Tent camping rate, $15 per night.

• Sleep Inn, 500 Veterans Blvd., Bryson City. 828-488-0326, www.sleepinnbrysoncitync.com. Rates $79.99 per night for standard double room.

• Deep Creek Tube Center and Campground, 1090 W. Deep Creek Road, Bryson City. 828-488-6055, www.deepcreekcamping.com. Cabin rentals start at $58 per night.

Information

Franklin Chamber of Commerce: 1-866-372-5546, www.franklin-chamber.com. Swain County Chamber of Commerce's Visitors Guide to Bryson City, Swain County and the Great Smoky Mountains: www.greatsmokies.com.

Chattanooga

Family attractions abound here. The downtown hotels can be pricey, but by staying eight miles out, near Hamilton Place Mall, inexpensive lodging can set up a family for a budget trip. Pack the bicycles, too, for riding along the river.

Day 1: Spend a full day at the Tennessee Aquarium and its surrounding plaza. Bring towels and dry clothing for the kids because the plaza features a fountain, a "creek" and cascading watery steps at the Passage. The Passage is an outdoor art space commemorating the story of the Cherokees. When the kids are dry, walk across Walnut Street Bridge and browse the shops at Coolidge Park.

Day 2: Explore the Creative Discovery Museum. Its hands-on activities encompass art, music and science and just plain fun. Take in an Imax movie, too. Then stroll down Broad Street to peek in the Tivoli Theater, a restored 1921 beaux arts theater.

Day 3: Park at Coolidge Park and bike across Walnut Street Bridge. Continue north along the Riverwalk to Chickamauga Dam (10 miles) — or as far as you want to ride. Back in Coolidge Park, rest your feet while the kids ride a beautifully restored 100-year-old carousel. In the evening, take the kids out to a ballgame featuring the Chattanooga Lookouts.

Day 4: This is history day. Drive up Lookout Mountain to explore Point Park, where a Civil War battle raged on the mountainside. Hike down to Craven's House, the site of the heaviest fighting. Then spend the afternoon on the Southern Belle Riverboat's sightseeing cruise.

Day 5: Begin downtown and stroll the Riverwalk at a leisurely pace. Stop and read the informational markers. Enjoy the Bluff View Arts District's sculpture garden. Visit Hunter Museum of American Art. From a perch on an 80-foot river bluff, treat yourself to long views of the Tennessee River and the mountains before you return home.

Add it up

$486.30 for four nights, five days in Chattanooga:

$60 (approximate gasoline for 270 miles round trip, plus side trips)

$204 (four nights' lodging at Microtel)

$24 (approximate parking costs)

$111.80 (Wendy's Triple Value Package, which includes admission for four to the Tennessee Aquarium, one Imax movie, Children's Creative Discovery Museum)

$4 (Coolidge Park Carousel)

$12 (general admission tickets, Chattanooga Lookouts)

$12 (Point Park admission)

$34.50 (Southern Belle sightseeing cruise)

$24 (Hunter Museum of American Art)

Where to stay

• Microtel, 7014 McCutcheon Road, Chattanooga. 423-510-0761, www.microtelinn.com. $51 per night, double room.

• La Quinta Inn, 7015 Shallowford Road, Chattanooga. 423-855-0011, www.lq.com. $42 per night, double room.

• Camping: Harrison Bay State Park, 8411 Harrison Bay Road, Harrison. 423-344-7966, tennessee.gov/environment/parks/HarrisonBay. $18.50 per night.

Information

Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau: 1-800-322-3344, www.chattanoogafun.net.

St. Andrews State Park, Panama City, Fla.

The Gulf Coast is not usually a budget destination, but if you camp, a family can spend a whole week at the beach for under $500.

Day 1: Get an early start out of Atlanta and you can be swimming at St. Andrews Park by lunchtime. Buy fishing licenses, pitch the tent and break out the marshmallows.

Day 2: Fish in the ocean or the bay. Stroll 1 1/2 miles of white beach sand. Body surf the gentle gulf waves. Wander the nature trails. Look for alligators in Button Bush Marsh. Walk the rock jetties to look for dolphins. Snorkel along the jetties in the shallow lagoon. Beachcomb along the bay.

Days 3-7: Repeat Day 2. Maybe rent a kayak or take the shuttle boat to Shell Island.

Day 8: Despite great longing to stay by the gulf, pack up and drive back to Atlanta.

Add it up

$404 for a week at the beach:

$120 (approximate gasoline for 600 miles round trip)

$168 (campsite for seven nights)

$33 (seven-day nonresident saltwater fishing licenses for two adults)

$45 (tandem kayak rental, full day)

$38 (shuttle boat to Shell Island)

Where to stay

• Camping: St. Andrews State Park, 4607 State Park Lane, Panama City. 850-233-5140, www.floridastateparks.org/standrews. Campsites, $24 per night; day-use fee, $5 per vehicle (included in camping fee); kayak and canoe rentals, $20-$45 (2007 prices); shuttle to Shell Island, adults, $12.50, children 12 and under, $6.50 (2007 prices).

Don't have camping equipment? Rent it from an REI store, www.rei.com for one near you. Approximate cost for seven days' rental: tent, $125; camp stove, $54; sleeping pads, $33 per person.

Information

Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1-800-722-3224, www.thebeachloversbeach.com.