Restart your engines: enjoy a variety of summer attractions close to home.

• Author: Vaughan, Amy
• Position: VIEWPOINT

WITH GAS PRICES ON THE rise, we know that visitors are looking for getaways close to home this summer. Our research indicates that people still want to travel but they are planning to take fewer trips and drive less.

Now is a great time to start planning an Indiana summer getaway. The Indiana Office of Tourism Development's Web site, Visitlndiana.com, is a great resource for trip ideas, maps, and discounts.

Our office has launched a special promotion, Live Indiana, this summer for Indiana residents. The promotion highlights Indiana's outdoor recreation, motorcycle rides and college towns. Visit Livelndiana.net to take quizzes, blog and win prizes.

Summer is Indiana's busiest travel season. With everything from world-class museums to covered bridges, from beautiful state parks to destination restaurants, our state has many options for visitors.

Indiana Beach and Holiday World and Splashin' Safari are great choices for families with children. Both parks offer water parks as well as rides. For value seekers, Holiday World and Splashin' Safari also offer free parking, free sunscreen and free soft drinks to its visitors.

Indianapolis has a lot to offer families looking for getaway weekends. From Memorial Day until Labor Day, the Indianapolis Zoo has koala bears on loan from the San Diego Zoo. And The Children's Museum of Indianapolis has a new exhibit, Comic Book Heroes. Nearby, Conner Prairie offers its long time summer tradition of Symphony on the Prairie.

New this summer, is an Amish Quilt Gardens display in Elkhart. Twelve gigantic quilt gardens and eleven murals have been created across the county to showcase the area's agricultural heritage. Steeped in culture, and with nearby attractions Amish Acres and Das Essenhaus restaurant, it is one of Indiana's most unusual destinations.

For visitors interested in historic preservation, a trip to French Lick Springs and Resort and the nearby...