NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - So you're snoring bored with the same old family vacation. Jumping in the car, heading to the usual old Alabama beach or Tahoe cabin.

How about a little adventure? Grab the kids, the bags, and go on a really entertaining family vacation. Here are today's five tips.

Headed to a National Park this summer? Book some alternative accommodations to make it a more memorable experience.

How about staying in a fire lookout? The National Forest Service allows families to rent lookouts for the night for as little as $35.

"Computers, helicopters, and other technologies have rendered dozens of National Forest Service fire lookouts useless," says Erik Torkells, editor at Budget Travel Magazine.

Your campout was never perched closer to the stars. Book your campsite in the sky on the National Forest Service's Web site at www.fs.fed.us/recreation.

Are you more a fish- than a fern-family? You can still take them closer to the sky and sea while you spend a week as lighthouse-keepers.

You and your family can be a "keeper for a week" -- complete with chores -- at a beautiful lighthouse on Rose Island, near Newport, Rhode Island for $1500 a week this summer. (www.roseislandlighthouse.org.)

There are other lighthouses to stay in all over New England, the Great Lakes, the West and the South. If the chores involved are too much, there are plenty of bed & breakfasts in lighthouses as well, without all the responsibilities. For a complete list click here.

If the petting zoo is a family favorite, why not lodge where the animals do: the farm? Plenty of working farms run bed & breakfast services where you can jump into the farming life, if you like. Torkells says farms in Vermont are really popular (www.vtfarms.org).

If you want exotic: why not hit the farm where some of the world's best beef is from? Head to an "estancias," or farm, in Argentina (www.hresa.com). Or try being part of an "agriturismo" in Italy (www.agriturismo.com), where the price starts as low as $15 a night.

The kids can pick apples from orchards, take horse cart rides, and watch how maple syrup is made, while parents check out the winery.

Forget Disney World, take the kids out of this galaxy. Head to Titusville, Florida, where you will be surrounded by 72 miles of gorgeous beaches, right next to the Kennedy Space Center.

There is plenty of fun and educational activities. Check out the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, where the little ones can check out manatees, alligators, and tortoises.

A new exhibit, Exploration in the New Millennium, lets the family explore Mars, up close and personal. With an all-access pass, ($37 for adults and $22 for kids) you can explore the Space Center's Astronaut Hall of Fame, check out the Space Shuttle Launch Pad, and fly to space in your own Interactive Space-Flight Simulator.

Okay, not really a yacht, but a boat that can house the whole fam-dambly. Boating will let you explore islands, inlets and exotic beaches all over the Caribbean.

"It sounds expensive, but chartering a sailboat in the Caribbean often costs the same as or less than a traditional big-ship cruise or beach-resort stay," says Budget Travel's Elisa Williams.

According to Williams, there is no certification required to rent a 50-foot yacht. If you don't have the sailing expertise, captains or skippers are available for hire for about $150 a day.

Sunsail and The Moorings both rent "yachts" in the Caribbean. Most rentals have a 5- to 7-day minimum, and prices start around $50 a day, without a guide.

Throw in the frills of an on-board chef and a skipper, and bring the extended family: it will cost around $200 a day per person.

You've probably said you've always wanted to do this, but it's time to play ball. Pack the kids up in an RV and roll your tailgate across the country. It makes a truly American Family Road Trip when you visit every ballpark or at least as many as you have time to see.

Head to Cincinnati, Ohio where the first all-professional team was formed in 1869. They were called the "Red Stockings." Then roll through Chicago and see where the White Sox and Cubbies play, of course.

Check out the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York: there's a rededication going on this summer, July 29-August 1. Don't forget to check out new parks in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and San Diego.

For a sample baseball tour route, check out www.baseballtour.com. To get information on renting your hotel-on-wheels, check out the RV rental industry's trade group Web site, www.goRVing.com.

Gerri Willis is a personal finance editor for CNN Business News and the host for Open House. E-mail comments to 5tips@cnn.com.