The Royal Treatment

This Month's Prize Tulum, Mexico The best response we receive between May 10, 2009, and June 25, 2009, wins a three-night trip for two people to the Blue Tulum Resort & Spa. The prize includes lodging, $500 for airfare, one massage per person, and a car rental. Estimated value is $4,000. Subject to availability, nontransferable, and nonnegotiable. Valid July 1, 2009, to Dec. 16, 2009. For more info: 866/336-2213, bluetulumresorts.com. How to enter: E-mail us at TrueStories@BudgetTravel.com or mail us at True Stories, Budget Travel, 530 Seventh Ave., 2nd Fl., New York, NY 10018. The full guidelines are available online at BudgetTravel.com/truestories. Trip Winner May's winner is Sandy Campbell of Deptford, N.J. Her prize is a five-night trip to Aruba, courtesy of the Aruba Tourism Authority and the Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort Aruba. I took my husband to see the spa on our cruise ship. The woman on duty there asked if I wanted a free wrap and massage. Since I was going to schedule one anyway, I said yes. She asked us to come back at 2 p.m. for a tour the spa was giving. We came back, and I followed her to a room for my treatment while my husband went on the tour. The woman put seaweed all over me and wrapped me in foil—and then she opened the doors for all to see! As I lay there, groups of eight to 10 people kept coming in to watch as she gave me scalp and foot massages and explained the cost of the treatments. I was mortified, and thank the Lord my husband didn't come in—he wouldn't have been able to contain himself. And the woman left the wrap on too long, so I had to see the ship's doctor for my burns. After all, Elvis is Le Roi On a trip to Paris, my daughter brought along an Elvis Presley figure. It belonged to a friend, who asked us to take photos of it with famous sights. We attracted a few stares at the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, holding tiny Elvis aloft to get the perspective right, but our best moment came at the Rodin Museum, at a replica of the famous sculpture The Thinker. While I fiddled with the camera, my daughter set the figurine down on the pedestal of the statue, which was apparently forbidden. A uniformed guard rushed over to see what crime we were committing, but when he saw the toy, he burst out laughing. "Ah, Elvees!" he exclaimed. "Ça va" ("That's OK"). Then he stood guard while we got our shot. Paula Markham, Blacksburg, Va. What's "rude" in Japanese? I called a Tokyo youth hostel to reserve a room. The woman who answered excitedly said, "Hi." That's a friendly way to answer the phone, I thought. "Hello, do you speak English?" I asked. "Hi," she said again. Surprised by the response, I asked again, "Do you speak English? I would like a room for tomorrow night." "Hi," she said. Becoming frustrated, I said, "Oh, never mind," and hung up. After reading a Japanese language guide, I realized that she was probably saying hai, the word for yes. She was telling me that she did speak English and did have a room. I arrived at the hostel nervous and without a reservation, but there was still a vacancy. Jill Farrell, Livermore, Calif. Is it sexist to say "nice legs"? My wife and I were touring Israel with an international women's group. On the bus we learned that we would visit a synagogue in Tiberias and that everyone would have to be dressed appropriately. Our guide looked at me and said, "No shorts, Roger!" Everyone heard, and one woman tossed me a colorful wrap. "I can't," I said. "Go ahead, try it on," she replied. As we were walking up to the synagogue, our guide said, "Roger, you need a hat." A woman from Atlanta offered me one—a little white number with a pink bow. Well, I had gone as far as the skirt, so why not? At least it fit me. But as I was approaching the entrance—women using one door and men another—I had a moment of hesitation about which door to go through! Roger Blakewell, Schofield, Wis. It's amazing what chefs can do with foams these days In 2006, my brother took our 92-year-old Sicilian-American father to Sicily. Dad has macular degeneration and extremely limited eyesight. They went into a restaurant to see if it looked like a good spot to have dinner, and my brother stopped to read a menu in a glass case on the wall. When Dad asked what he was doing, Phil answered that he was reading the menu to see if they should eat there. Then he looked over at Dad, who was leaning forward, also staring at something. Phil asked him what he was doing. He said he was reading the menu, too. "Dad," replied Phil, "that's the fire extinguisher." Rita Messina, Bothell, Wash. There are gods for that? My husband and I went to Phoenix in the summer. It was over 100 degrees, so we decided to buy some beer. At the store, we noticed that someone had left a half case of Corona on the median in the parking lot. We talked to the store manager, who told us to take the beer if we wanted it, so we did. On our evening walk, we realized that we had forgotten to get a lime for the beer. Just then, we noticed green fruit in and around the bushes we were passing—they were miniature lime trees teeming with ripe limes! We picked one up, took it back to our room, and enjoyed our beer with lime, feeling fully provided for by the beer gods. Lee Fenton, Shoreline, Wash. She really deserves a tip On our visit to Costa Rica's Proyecto Asis animal sanctuary, the owner asked my wife and me if we wanted a banana. The second I peeled one, a friendly kinkajou named Benjamin darted out of his cage and crawled all over me trying to get the fruit. I gave the banana to my wife, and Benjamin jumped over to her, apparently finding it comfortable when she leaned over so her back was a flat platform. The owner kept handing Benjamin fruit to eat on my wife. We didn't mind; we were just happy to meet such a cute creature. He left the peels on her back when he was done, but no tip. Mike Smith, Santa Fe, N.M. Very busy, it seems My husband and I were in a harbor in the Bahamas when we saw a small boat with several mattresses stacked in the back. Then we noticed the boat was named Gettin' Busy. We laughed so hard Kalik (the local beer) almost came out of our noses! Ashley Gobble, Oklahoma City, Okla. The new eco hairdryer Several years ago my sisters and I took a trip to France with our father, a Frenchman. He hadn't taught us to speak the language, so we relied on him to translate. One afternoon, he took a nap while my sisters and I got ready for the evening. My younger sister showered first, and as she dried her hair, the hairdryer blew out. My older sister called down to the front desk and tried to ask for a replacement. After 20 minutes, still no dryer. When my father woke up, my younger sister told him that our request for a hairdryer had been ignored, and she implied that the staff had refused our request because we were American. My father was very bothered by the matter and went to ask about it. A few minutes later he returned to our room with a hairdryer in hand and asked, "Which one of you geniuses ordered this?" My older sister said she had. He told her that instead of requesting a hairdryer (une sèche-cheveux), she had requested a hot goat (un chèvre chaud). Sandra Wolters, Atlanta, Ga. We can't believe it either My husband and I took a cruise to Cozumel, and on the last night, we put our luggage in the hall—everything but what we would need the next day. We awoke the following morning and began to dress. I had a three-piece outfit: pants, top, jacket. I pulled on my top; after looking for my pants, I realized that I didn't have them. What to do? The ship's gift shop was closed. I considered wrapping myself in a sheet, but how dumb would that be? Then it hit me. I held up my black jersey jacket and slowly put my legs in the sleeves. My husband gave me one of those "I can't believe it" looks, but it worked. After breakfast and socializing, we went to disembark. At that point, my jacket began to slip downward, but my husband found our luggage and got me my pants. A few minutes and a trip to the ladies' room later, I was dressed properly. Linda Sears, Winston-Salem, N.C. A brand-new BFF? While touring Cartagena last summer, we happened upon a local with an exotic pet: a sloth. Most of our family was repelled by the sight of this creature. The sloth had long, gangly limbs and big claws and moved with a creepy slowness. Before we could escape, the freaky creature reached for our animal-loving 8-year-old daughter, Julie. We were horrified when Julie welcomed it into her arms! The sloth was clearly well trained. It readily posed for a photo and then proceeded to hold her "ransom" so we would pay an exorbitant fee to its owner. After a bit of back-and-forth, we got it down to $5 and beat a hasty retreat. Catherine Bartz, Newport Beach, Calif. That is so not tempting We spent most of our time in China in a rural province, where we seemed to be the only Westerners. We ate the local fare, and it was delicious, but more often than not we didn't recognize most of what we were eating. After nearly two weeks of unusual and often unidentifiable food, we moved on to a larger city and checked in to a beautiful five-star Western-style hotel. Much to our surprise, the strangest food of our trip was listed in English on the hotel's enormous room-service menu: a dessert called Chocolate Puke. We passed, of course. Sarah Thornhill, Pawleys Island, S.C.

Europe's All-purpose Peninsula For beauty at a bargain, try Istria, a heart-shaped peninsula dangling into the Adriatic Sea that's part Slovenia and part Croatia, with a touch of Italy. But hurry: Come 2010, the area plans to switch to the euro. See the slide show Luxury for Less in Las Vegas Introducing The Budget Travel Challenge, a new feature in which we take on a near-impossible task. Our first mission: to see just how low the Strip's five-star hotels, luxury spas, and celebrity-chef restaurants will go. Summer Camp for All Ever wish you could spend a week with your kids and learn how to surf or speak a foreign language? You can, with a stay at any of these 20 specialty camps for families (which start at $880). See the slide show Cities on Sale Once-overpriced towns like New York City, Miami, and London are throwing open their doors. Michelin-starred restaurants are suddenly offering (gasp!) deep discounts. Beach cabanas are going for $35. And there are more hotels than we care to count vying for your presence. Here's your all-access pass. 2009 Travel Game Plan Five inventive ways to make the economy work for you, including taking cues from other travelers via new online offerings, renting at the last minute, visiting countries where the dollar is strong, paying on layaway, and bartering. Road Trip: Southern Oregon A journey through southern Oregon's crunchy towns—where everything is locally grown. See the slide show Real Deals Our revamped deal-finder—now bursting with packages exclusively for BT readers.

So sure, it's a bit redundant for us to devote a whole issue to deals. After all, we're Budget Travel; it's what we do all the time. Normally, we try not to beat you over the head with how affordable everything in our pages is. Because really, how much fun is there in that? But things have changed recently. Affordable experiences have gotten seriously fun, and we have new work to do—celebrating the riches, decoding the challenges, and delighting in new discoveries. Ridiculous deals are making destinations accessible in thrilling new ways. A five-star suite in Vegas for $90? We couldn't make that up. Inventive travelers are discovering creative solutions to navigate the new economy and are vacationing for free—or practically nothing. Who would have thought layaway and bartering would enter the hotel world? Again, impossible to lie about that one. Crazy ideas like these are fun to talk up at a party, but are we all actually out there traveling? Well, yes! My husband and I took our 3-month-old daughter, Mimi, to Miami for our first-ever family vacation. I found a cheap flight down on Delta from New York ($200 apiece) and took great pleasure in seeing Miami (one of our "Cities on Sale") in full swing. There were free-spending South Americans (bless them!); girlfriend getaways about to come undone; and families just like us, trying to find moments of calm in this crazy stressful storm. Did we find the best deals from start to finish? I wish I could say we had. Did we have an amazing time? No doubt. If I'd had access then to our best-ever Real Deals section (all 30 deals are exclusives for BT readers), perhaps we would have lived even larger. But I'm going to keep that section in my pocket for our next vacation. I don't know about you, but I could already use another one right about now.

Timing Sessions usually last five or six nights; some camps offer weekend activities. Others organize special family programs, often just for a weekend, throughout the year. Pricing Rates depend on the number and age of children. Where possible, the prices we list in this article are based on a family of four with two adults and two kids ages 7 and 13. Unless otherwise noted, each of the mentioned fees is for a weeklong stay and covers all meals, activities, and the least expensive non-tent-camping accommodations. Sleeping Cabins are almost always single-family. "Dorm" rooms indicate a shared bath. Not all camps provide linens and towels, so it's best to ask in advance. Trusting Camps that are accredited by the American Camp Association (acacamps.org) meet 31 mandatory health and safety standards and are usually handicap accessible. SCIENCE CAMPS CORTEZ, COLO. The Crow Canyon Archaeological Center On a 170-acre campus modeled after a Pueblo farmstead, campers start out in a lab, learning to identify pottery, stone, and animal-bone artifacts, and then put their know-how to use, excavating alongside Crow Canyon archaeologists in nearby Hovenweep National Monument. Possible find: a 13th-century mano or metate, used to grind corn. The program finale is a tour of Mesa Verde National Park. Lodging: Log cabins sleep six on four beds and one bunk; shared bathrooms. Food: Three buffet-style meals daily. Info: 800/422-8975; crowcanyon.org/archaeology; $4,900; June 28–July 4, Aug. 2–8; kids ages 10 and up. HOWLANDS LANDING, CALIF. Jean-Michel Cousteau Family Camp A Catalina Island cove is the setting for this immersion in marine biology. Oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau (son of Jacques) and his scientists at the Ocean Futures Society lead snorkel trips and talk about their expeditions. Campers go sailing along the coast; at night there's top-notch stargazing. Lodging: Cabins sleep up to 12 on bunks; shared bathrooms. Food: Three buffet-style meals daily. Info: 800/696-2267, catalinaislandcamps.com, $3,200, Aug. 19–23, ACA accredited, no minimum age. Photos 1 of 2 HUNTSVILLE, ALA. Space Camp At the 88-acre U.S. Space & Rocket Center, parents and kids train like astronauts from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., building and launching single-engine rockets, seeing what it's like to walk on the moon with gravity chairs used by Apollo astronauts, and simulating shuttle missions in an orbiter. Lodging: Dorms sleep five to seven on bunks; shared bathrooms. Food: Three cafeteria-style meals daily. Info: 800/637-7223, spacecamp.com, $1,248, three-day weekends May 22–Sept. 6, ACA accredited, kids ages 7–12. Photos 1 of 1 LANGUAGE CAMPS CANOE ISLAND, WASH. Canoe Island French Camp This 47-acre island in the San Juan archipelago provides a stunning backdrop for lessons in all things French. Mornings begin with language classes taught by fluent instructors. Then it's time for a Gallic activity—say, baking baguettes—with bilingual directions. Afternoons are spent doing tir à l'arc (archery) or sailing on Puget Sound. Lodging: Tepees on platforms with electricity sleep five on cots; shared bathrooms. Food: Three family-style meals in a dining hall dubbed Maxim's, where French is spoken. Lunch might be a croque monsieur; dinner, bistro classics like bouillabaisse (using local mussels and crabs partially harvested by families), beef bourguignonne, and crème brûlée. Info: 360/468-2329; canoeisland.org; $920; May 22–25, Aug. 29–Sept. 1, Sept. 4–7; ACA accredited; no minimum age. Photos 1 of 3 MOORHEAD, MINN. Concordia Language Villages Even though these language-immersion programs are in the North Woods of Minnesota, campers feel worlds away; Concordia's "villages" are modeled after different cultures' traditional architecture. The German settlement looks like a street in Germany, with a café serving linzer torte pastries. (Chinese and Arabic sessions, however, are in regular camp or lodge facilities.) Families are challenged to speak the language of their camp all day—labels everywhere supply vocabulary, and counselors, many of whom are native speakers, are ready to help. While parents are in conversation classes, kids learn songs, play games, and do crafts from countries that share that foreign tongue. Lodging: Cabins sleep 10 on bunks; private bath. Food: Three family-style meals daily of a country's cuisine, taken with instructors who encourage you to say, for example, "die Butter, bitte" (butter, please) when the Brot (bread) is served. Info: 800/222-4750, concordialanguagevillages.org, $2,360, 18 six-day sessions focusing on one of seven languages June 15–Sept. 5, ACA accredited, no minimum age. THEATER AND MUSIC CAMPS CAZADERO, CALIF. Cazadero Performing Arts Camp Amid 250-foot-tall redwoods in a forest in Sonoma County's Russian River Valley, Cazadero Performing Arts Camp—Caz, for short—has families dancing, playing music, and making art all day long. There's child care for kids 2 to 5 years old; everyone else signs up for classes led by regional artists. On the lineup: conga drums (taught by Grammy-nominated percussionists), concert sound production (learn the intricacies of microphones and mixers), and circus arts (master juggling and walking on stilts). Running through the grounds is a creek that campers use as a stage for large-scale environmental art projects, with Andy Goldsworthy as their inspiration. Lodging: Platform tents that sleep six or dorm rooms that sleep three, both with cots; shared bathrooms. Food: Three buffet-style meals daily. Info: 510/527-7500; cazadero.org; $2,720; Aug. 10–16, 17–23; no minimum age. HANCOCK, N.Y. French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts A skate park and a 10,000-square-foot fitness center are new additions to this lakeside western Catskills spread that also includes a circus pavilion, a field house, and five theaters. Each day is divided into six periods, and parents and kids can pick and choose from performing-arts workshops (learn ring and rope tricks from a magician, take a guitar lesson, fly on the high trapeze, ride a unicycle) as well as traditional camp activities (swimming, water-skiing, hitting the trails on a horse or mountain bike). In the evening, campers play Brain Wars, complete with lights and buzzers, or head over to a nearby movie theater or bowling alley. Lodging: For parents: cabins with electricity and full or queen beds; private bathrooms (rooms with double beds are also available). For children ages 6 and up: bunkhouses that sleep up to 16 with resident counselors; shared bathrooms. Food: Three cafeteria-style meals daily. Info: 800/634-1703, frenchwoods.com, $2,480, Aug. 30–Sept. 5, ACA accredited, kids ages 6 and up. Photos 1 of 2 IDYLLWILD, CALIF. Idyllwild Arts Family Camp On the 205-acre campus of a boarding school in southern California's San Jacinto Mountains, children take art classes and create a mini musical to perform at session's end. Teens and parents sign up for workshops—visiting artists recently taught hot clay, Navajo weaving, and Santa Clara pottery. Everyone is free to cut class and hang out at the outdoor pool when the lifeguard is on duty. Lodging: Dorms sleep four on bunks; private bathrooms—as well as daily maid service. Food: Three cafeteria-style meals daily. Info: 951/659-2171, idyllwildarts.org, $3,195, July 4–10, classes for kids ages 3 and up. SPORTS CAMPS ARAPAHOE, N.C. Camp Seafarer At this riverfront YMCA girls' camp, the focus is on seamanship; U.S. Coast Guard-certified instructors teach campers to water-ski, operate motorboats, and sail boats ranging from a Sunfish to a Flying Scot. Counselors lend families gear for fishing, steer them to a three-story tree house (open for overnights), and point out dolphins in the Neuse River. Evening programs include a parents-only sunset cruise with shrimp cocktail on a Corinthian yacht and child care on shore. Lodging: Families get half of a duplex cabin that sleeps up to 18 on each side; private bathrooms. Food: Three family-style meals daily. Info: 252/249-1212, seagull-seafarer.org, $2,385, Aug. 16–22, ACA accredited, no minimum age. Photos 1 of 2 COUPEVILLE, WASH. Cliff McCrath's Northwest Soccer Camp World Cup champion Michelle Akers, a former camper, sometimes makes cameo appearances at McCrath's, which is in a former army base on Whidbey Island, off the coast of Seattle. Kids are grouped by age, size, and skill level and then assigned to U.S. Soccer Federation-licensed college coaches across 18 soccer fields (4 large, 14 small) where they practice their shots and scissors moves. Parents get their own tutorials and scrimmages, but if their muscles are sore, they're free to grab a ferry to Port Townsend for the afternoon. Lodging: Families are separated: Kids are in dorms converted from barracks; parents are in private units—with shared baths, a common area, and a kitchenette—in the old jailhouse. Food: Three cafeteria-style meals daily. Info: 425/644-0470, nwsoccer.org, $1,630, Aug. 9–14, kids ages 7–18. Photos 1 of 1 DEERWOOD, MINN. Heartland Hockey Camp Set in the piney woods of Minnesota's lake country, this 80-acre spread run by former NHL left winger Steve Jensen and his wife, Sandra, finds families vacationing on ice—indoors, of course. Hockey players of all ages hit the rink together to learn odd-man rushes and watch themselves on a Jumbotron—and then join any non-skating family members down by the lake to swim, canoe, and cast for northern pike. Lodging: Dorm rooms—decked out with bunks, NHL team pennants, and autographs—sleep 2 to 10; shared baths. Eight 1- and 2-bedroom apartments with kitchenettes are ideal for families. Food: Three buffet-style meals daily and a concession stand at the rink. Info: 800/945-7465, heartlandhockey.com, from $3,550 (everyone skating), one- and two-week sessions June 14–Aug. 15, kids ages 3 and up. Photos 1 of 1 SAN DIEGO, CALIF. Paskowitz Surf Camp Families are divided into groups based on their skill level for twice-a-day lessons at Tourmaline Surfing Park, on the northern end of Pacific Beach. The school, started by "Doc" Paskowitz (subject of the 2007 documentary Surfwise), is now run by his children. Beginners are welcome, and boards are provided. A tent-and-tiki-hut compound inside a private campground on Mission Bay is where everyone chills after riding the waves. Lodging: Nylon or canvas tents that sleep two to six, with foam mats. Food: Three meals daily: a light breakfast before lessons, a deli-sandwich lunch, and a big dinner such as "beer-can" chicken. Info: 949/728-1000, paskowitz.com, $4,500, nine Sunday–Friday sessions June 14–Aug. 14, kids ages 6 and up. Photos 1 of 1 EQUESTRIAN AND RANCH CAMPS HYAMPOM, CALIF. Camp Trinity at the Bar 717 Ranch At this program within Shasta-Trinity National Forest, campers learn English, Western, and bareback riding using the ranch's 2 rings, 25 horses, and 30 miles of trails. When they're not in the saddle, kids can collect eggs, milk the cows, bake blackberry pies, or go swimming in the river. Parental perk: a trail ride ending with a picnic of cheese and local wine. Lodging: Three-sided cabins, with bathrooms and a shared bathhouse, sleep 7 to 15 on cots; hotel-style rooms with private baths sleep two to six. Food: Three family-style meals daily highlight the ranch's own beef, pork, and vegetables. Info: 530/628-5992, bar717.com, $2,895, Aug. 9–16, ACA accredited, no minimum age. Photos 1 of 1 ESTES PARK, COLO. Cheley Colorado Camps Backcountry trails, covered wagons, and nightly campfires draw families year after year to this 1,600-acre Western-style camp in the Rocky Mountains. Each evening, staff members describe the next day's offerings, which, in addition to horseback riding, might include moviemaking, trout fishing, or a choice of hikes. The camp also brings in instructors to guide technical climbs on-site—at the top, climbers can see Rocky Mountain National Park and the Continental Divide. Lodging: Covered wagons, sleeping four, are modeled on those that pioneers used to explore the West, each with inner-spring mattresses on wood frames; shared bathrooms. Food: Three family-style meals daily; trail riders carry lunch fixings such as sausage, cheese, and peanut butter to wrap in tortillas. Info: 800/226-7386, cheley.com, $2,500, Aug. 11–16, ACA accredited, kids ages 4 and up. FARM CAMPS WILLITS, CALIF. Emandal—A Farm on a River This Mendocino County farm has been welcoming overnight guests since the early 1900s—when the redwood barn, farmhouse, and cabins were built along the Eel River. Campers are free to pick raspberries, gather eggs, and milk cows—or not. Families can explore at their own pace, spending an afternoon hiking over wooded slopes, discovering swimming holes, or simply swinging in the hammocks under the fir, madrone, and oak trees. Lodging: Cabins sleep up to 10, with electricity, cold water, and ceiling fans; shared baths. Food: Three meals daily, including a Sunday dinner of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and just-churned ice cream. Info: 707/459-5439, emandal.com, $2,349, July 19–Aug. 22, no minimum age. Photos 1 of 2 PLYMOUTH, VT. Farm & Wilderness Family Camp At this Quaker-inspired camp, which borders Woodward Reservoir in the Green Mountains, days are spent rotating between three main locations: the lodge, for meals, silent meetings on the lawn, and time on the porch swing; the barn, to milk cows and feed chickens; and the organic garden, where everything from tomatoes to kale is harvested. There is also canoeing, woodworking, and rock climbing. Lodging: Three-sided lean-tos with bunks that sleep 8 to 12 (often two families to a cabin); shower houses and composting toilets. (Some four-sided cabins are also available.) Food: Three meals daily incorporating garden produce and home-baked breads. Info: 802/422-3761, farmandwilderness.org, $880–$1,260 depending on income, Aug. 23–29, ACA accredited, no minimum age. Photos 1 of 1 CAZADERO, CALIF. Plantation Farm Camp Everyone steps in to do twice-daily chores on the 500-acre Sonoma County farm: milking the cows, feeding the goats, picking peas in the garden. In between, families can make pickled green beans or cook blackberry jam on a pit fire. There's also time to ride horses bareback and canoe on the spring-fed lake. Lodging: Platform tents sleep two on foam mattresses; shared toilets and outdoor showers. Food: Three meals daily. Info: 707/847-3494; plantationcamp.com; $3,900; June 18–21, Aug. 16–23; ACA accredited; no minimum age. OUTDOOR CAMPS MAINE AND NEW HAMPSHIRE Appalachian Mountain Club Family Adventure Camps The AMC runs guided hiking and naturalist programs out of five lodges scattered through New Hampshire and Maine. Families build campfires, track moose, hike to waterfalls, and investigate the beds of streams and rivers. At certain locations, there is also fly-fishing, river rafting, or overnighting in huts along the Appalachian Trail. Lodging: In New Hampshire, private bunkrooms can sleep four to six; shared bathrooms. In Maine, private cabins can sleep up to nine; private or shared bathrooms. Food: Breakfast buffet, brown-bag lunch, and family-style dinner daily; the latter includes fresh-baked bread and homemade soup. One of the dessert highlights: birds' nests (fried Chinese noodles dipped in chocolate with M&M's clustered in the middle). Info: 603/466-2727, outdoors.org/adventure_camps, rates vary by camp location but start at $1,610 (get 7 percent off that with a $75 annual membership), 17 six-day sessions June 28–Aug. 21, kids ages 5 and up. Photos 1 of 2 FINLAND, MINN. Wolf Ridge Family Vacation Overlooking Lake Superior on the campus of Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center—with 18 miles of trails on 2,000 acres—the program teaches families about nature and the Ojibwa people who once populated these parts. During sessions led by naturalists, kids 3 to 6 might look for deer beds in the grass, and 7- to 14-year-olds might wade in streams in calf-high boots in search of water bugs, while their parents take a wildflower walk. Lodging: Dorms sleep up to eight on bunks; private bathrooms. Food: Three cafeteria-style meals daily. Info: 218/353-7414, wolf-ridge.org, $990, July 19–24, kids ages 4 and under are free. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYO. Yellowstone for Families at Mammoth Hot Springs This four-day program at the national park's 162-degree Mammoth Terraces hot springs turns family members into budding park naturalists—and kids get the National Park Service Junior Ranger patch to prove it. Under the guidance of instructors from the Yellowstone Association Institute, kids and adults can hike to a beaver pond, go on wildlife-spotting expeditions to less-trafficked areas of the park, and learn to tell whether animals are herbivores or carnivores from the shape of their tracks. Lodging: Rooms in the 1930s Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel sleep two to four, and duplex cabins with porches sleeping up to four are a short walk from the Mammoth Terraces hot springs (look for elk grazing on the lawn). Food: Full breakfast and a brown-bag lunch daily. Campers are on their own for dinner; they can eat bison burgers at the hotel or drive to nearby Gardiner, Mont., for pizza pies. Info: 866/439-7375, yellowstoneassociation.org/institute, $2,056, June 12–Aug. 21, kids 8–12. Photos 1 of 1