(MONEY Magazine) – Although the kids and caboodle are more likely to get packed into a minivan than a station wagon these days, the great American getaway looks increasingly like Beaver Cleaver on Tour. Now, close to 50% of all vacationers travel with children. According to Better Homes & Gardens' annual survey for the U.S. Travel Data Center, a nonprofit industry research group, 45 million adults will take kids along on vacation this year, up 17% since 1988. These families will head for the beach (60%), historic sites (51%), campgrounds (40%) and resorts (33%). With those preferences in mind, here are our recommendations for this season's value-packed getaways:

ROAMING THE RANGE -- WHITE-WATER RAFTING. Float down Idaho's Salmon River Gorge and Snake River from Whitebird 85 miles northwest to Lewiston on an 18-foot oar boat. Guides cook and pitch the tents. Four-day trips cost $725 per person, with kids under & 18 at half-price, on July 15 and 22 and Aug. 12 and 19. Idaho Afloat, 208-983-2414. -- AMID THE REDWOODS. The 2,000-acre Montecito-Sequoia High Sierra Family Vacation Camp (800-227-9900), between Los Angeles and San Francisco, is open year round and features summer programs for toddlers to teens in the Sequoia National Forest. There's horseback riding, sailing, tennis and hiking. Weekly rates for a family of four run $425 to $525 for each adult and $400 for each kid, including meals. -- BIKING. Combine easy pedaling with a taste of Europe on a weeklong barge- and-bike trip through Holland. Kids need to be old enough to keep up. Prices run $799 for each, with meals, excluding air fare. Brooks Country Cycling & Hiking, 212-874-5151. -- ON THE TRAIL. Ride horseback through Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies with nonprofit Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies (403-263-6963). These trips welcome all levels of riders, including kids seven or older. A six-day ride, limited to 30 people, costs about $575 for an adult and $304 for a child on the July 5 and Aug. 9 treks.

THE ALL-INCLUSIVE RESORT -- LUDLOW'S ISLAND LODGE (800-537-5308) offers 18 one- to five-bedroom cabins around Lake Vermilion Island in Cook, Minn., a four-hour drive from Minneapolis. The secluded lodge has sailing, fishing, water-skiing and tennis. Kids' activities include hiking and boat rides. Weekly rates: $845 to $1,310 for two people, with additional guests (of any age) $60 each. All of the cabins have full kitchens. -- FRANKLYN D. RESORT (800-654-1337), on the beach in Runaway Bay, Jamaica, has 67 suites that sleep as many as six. Each suite has a helper assigned to babysit, cook and clean. Day camp for ages two to 11 includes tennis and scuba lessons. Prices for a week: $1,350 to $1,550 per person, with children under 16 free, including meals. Until June 28, parents can fly for free on American or Air Jamaica when accompanied by kids. -- CALLAWAY GARDENS (800-282-8181), about a 75-minute drive southwest of Atlanta, covers 12,000 acres of woods and boasts a 2,500-acre horticultural theme park, with the U.S.' largest butterfly conservatory. Weekly rentals of two-bedroom cottages with kitchens go for $1,605 during the summer. -- THE SAGAMORE (800-358-3585), a 109-year-old family-friendly resort on Lake George in New York's Adirondack Mountains, features a summer day camp for children ages three to 12, as well as golf, tennis, a spa and more. Energetic hotel staff will entertain restless kids while you finish dining. A two-night stay, with meals, costs $572 to $992 for a family of four, from July 1 through Labor Day.

TOURING THE PAST -- KINGSMILL RESORT (800-832-5665), three miles from Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, has 352 rooms in its townhouse complex. Take day trips to the historic village and enjoy free use of the health club, golf course and racquetball court. The resort's Kamper program, for ages five to 12, costs $24 for a 6 1/2-hour day. Accommodations start at $128 a day for each adult. Kids under 16 are free when staying in the same room as their parents. Meals are extra.

SPUR-OF-THE-MOMENT WEEKEND GETAWAYS -- BOSTON. The 230-room Boston Harbor Hotel (800-752-7077) charges $245 a day from June 26 to July 8 and July 17 to Sept. 13. Kids are free when accompanied by two adults. Extras include full breakfasts, 10% discounts at Filene's Basement and more. -- TORONTO. Cheer the Blue Jays at the SkyDome or loop the loop at Canada's Wonderland, a 300-acre amusement park. Toronto's Park Plaza Hotel (800-268-4927) is promoting a $99 rate, with no charges for up to two kids. Children under four eat for free, too. -- DES MOINES. Iowa's ''Good Ol' Summertime'' hotel packages (800-451-2625) offer two-for-one prices for admissions and local attractions. The renowned 110-year-old Iowa State Fair runs from Aug. 20 to Aug. 30 (book rooms early for that event). -- CORONADO. A five-minute drive from downtown San Diego is the Hotel del Coronado (800-468-3533), a National Historic Landmark. With a $139-a-night room, you get breakfast, an hour of tennis and bicyling, and use of the spa. Other activities cost $5 to $20 an hour. -- NEW YORK. Embassy Suites (212-719-1600) features the Cool Cat Kids Club, which takes kids three to 13 seven days a week for $5 an hour or $20 a day with free snacks; lunch is billed to your room.