For a family vacation that stretches your dollars while stretching your fun, consider Hawaii's Big Island.

First stop: Volcanoes National Park, with 150 miles of hiking trails over and around active volcano craters (watch Kilauea empty lava into the sea...an amazing sight!).

Into golf or water sports? The Big Island is Hawaii's golf capital and the world's number one snorkeling and dive location, appealing to beginners and pros alike.

The Old West still lives at the famed Parker Ranch, where legendary Hawaiian cowboys (paniolos) will show you how to rope a calf and wrestle a steer, while the Dahana Ranch will take you on a real cattle drive.

Atop Mauna Kea mountain, above 40% of the Earth's atmosphere, you can peek through a powerful, 16-inch telescope at the world's best view of a night sky; and at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, watch close-up as giant manta rays glide by during feeding time, the mouths of these 3,000-pound giants opening as wide as three feet!