When Kate McKinney of Overland Park, Kan., told her four young children about the family's upcoming vacation trip to Omaha, they'd never heard of the place.
“Is that in the United States?'' one asked.
“Do they speak English there?'' asked another.
They found the city wasn't quite that exotic, but they still had a lot of fun.
The kids spent seven hours tromping through Omaha's zoo.
They had a blast camping out in their hotel room.
They had such a good time in the children's museum they had to be dragged out of the place.
And in the end, their mom got just what she was looking for, too: a memorable family getaway that was relatively cheap and close to home.
As the 2009 summer vacation season winds down, it appears that it will indeed go down as the year of the “staycation.''
With a deep recession slashing incomes for many and stirring economic uncertainty for almost everyone else, families dialed back on vacations, looking for less expensive diversions.
Passing on air travel, many looked for destinations within a day's drive away. And some never even left town, choosing to use vacation time to check out the sights and attractions right in their own backyard.
The trend can be seen in the attendance figures racked up this summer by area attractions. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo is on its way to a record year, with attendance up 17 percent over last year. The Lauritzen Gardens botanical center's attendance is up more than 16 percent this year.
Nebraska's state parks also are having a big year. Sales of annual park permits have been up nearly 10 percent this spring and summer, and sales of daily permits are up 14 percent.
“I think a lot of families did staycations — and I think they had a lot of fun,'' said Christina Kahler of the Omaha Children's Museum, which saw increased numbers of out-of-state visitors.
Many regional attractions also thrived in these more thrifty times.
Visits are up 16 percent at Lake McConaughy, 8 percent at Scotts Bluff National Monument, 16 percent at Herbert Hoover's birthplace in West Branch, Iowa, 34 percent at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and 13 percent in South Dakota's Badlands National Park. South Dakota's Black Hills are having a phenomenal year, with visits at Mount Rushmore up 26 percent.
Given the economy, Mark Schmidt of Omaha said, this seemed like the perfect year to drive to the Black Hills.
Schmidt, his wife and three kids found a relatively inexpensive cabin near Custer State Park that looked out onto a field of bison. They also saved money by eating out only once a day, and gas was pretty cheap, too.
In the end, Schmidt estimates that they spent about a quarter of what they did on their previous family vacation, when they flew to Phoenix and then drove to the Grand Canyon. They also found that they didn't need to board a plane or stay in four-star hotels to have a great time.
“My kids got to experience some unique things,'' Schmidt said. “It was really relaxing to get away and get the focus back on your family.''
Most families in the Midlands recognize the value and importance of such things, said Audrey Hulsey, manager of the Pegasus Travel/American Express office in Omaha. Even in a tough economy, they will make vacations a priority.
But in such times, consumers also are far less likely to fly off to a major tourist destination or take off on a cruise — the bread and butter of the commercial travel industry.
“We're glad this summer is over, almost,'' Hulsey said. “We don't need this one again.''
Air travel is down over 9 percent from last year nationally and about 4 percent at Omaha's Eppley Airfield. Because of lower attendance, major theme parks like Disney World in Orlando have been laying off workers and reducing park hours.
Hulsey said she had one couple who took the opposite approach to the downturn. After watching the value of their savings plummet in the stock market, they decided it was time to start spending their money before they lost it. They took off on a fabulous trip to Europe and Asia.
But Hulsey said even cheap airfares and other discounts weren't enough to keep many vacationers from taking to the roads instead this summer, most often for destinations close by.
Earlier this year, even highway travel was down. But with gas prices falling more than $1 a gallon below last year's levels, miles driven in the United States took a positive turn in April, their first uptick in a year and a half.
Nebraska showed the same trend, with miles driven on Interstate 80 turning positive compared with last year in May. By July, the number of miles driven was up 3.4 percent compared with the same month last year.
Lodging tax revenue in Nebraska also turned positive this summer, up 3.5 percent in June over last year, after running 7 percent down for the first five months of the year.
Tom Doering of the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism took both trends as signs that Nebraskans and residents of neighboring states were choosing this year to spend their vacation dollars close to home.
The Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau sought to take advantage of the local travel trend. It spent about $400,000 advertising Omaha getaways in the Kansas City and Des Moines markets. And it spent an additional $50,000 locally encouraging Omahans to “do an Omaha overnight'' — stay in a hotel and take in city attractions.
Iowa also pushed tourism close to home, with the state's lieutenant governor spending the summer traveling the state to highlight local attractions.
As summer now winds down, officials at many attractions are excited by the results.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo through August had drawn nearly 1.3 million visitors, almost 200,000 more than at the same time last year. March, May and July all were record-breaking months.
“It's a great trend that's happening in zoos across the country,'' said Dennis Pate, the zoo's new director. “Zoos are a pretty good value for a family. You can spend the whole day for not a lot of money.''
Pate said it didn't hurt that the weather was “almost idyllic,'' with lots of sunshine and temperatures well below normal.
The good weather, lower gas prices and cost-conscious consumers all appear to have contributed to the big year at the state parks, said Roger Kuhn, assistant director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. “People are finding there are some neat things to see and do that don't cost much money.''
Not all area attractions saw better numbers this summer. Whispering Pines Bed and Breakfast near Nebraska City was down eight-tenths of 1 percent from last year.
Owner Jeanna Stavas said her business, which draws many couples celebrating anniversaries and other special occasions, might not benefit from the local vacation trend as much as one catering to families.
Still, she was pleased. “People still need a getaway,'' she said.
The Okoboji region in northwest Iowa has largely held its own, with family vacation business up, but conventions and corporate outings were down, said Tom Kuhlman of the Iowa Great Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We've seen more day-trippers this year,'' he said. “Given all the doom and gloom, to be about even with last year is doing pretty good.''
The nice weather may have kept the Omaha Children's Museum from benefiting more from the local vacation trend. The place that has long served as an indoor haven on blistering days will finish the summer with attendance about even with last year. “It means people were taking advantage of the lovely weather,'' said Kahler, the museum's marketing director.
But helping offset the weather's impact was an increased number of museum visitors from out-of-state: 4 percent more from Iowa, 6 percent more from South Dakota and 15 percent more from Kansas.
People like the McKinneys. In past years, they've taken trips to Florida and Phoenix. But this summer seemed like a good time to stay closer to home.
“We were able to hop in a car, get a change of scenery and do some fun things,'' Kate McKinney said. “We had a great time. I've already been told we ‘have' to go back next summer.''
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