Gimme $1,000 and a family of 4 in need of vacation. Will it be Atlanta, northern California, Philadelphia, or the hills outside Austin, Texas?

Some creative colleagues and I recently challenged each other, 'What would you do with a $1,000?' With a teen about to enter college, my first temptation is to take the thousand dollars and bank it. Then I remember that's the point; we have a teen about to go to college and not many more opportunities to do something together as a family. So I turn my attention to some of 2009's thousand-dollar family vacations and begin imagining a summer getaway.

Atlanta 4-0-4

Atlanta, Georgia is one of those increasingly hip cities that don't spring to mind immediately for a family vacation. But give me a thousand bucks, and I might arrive in town, family in tow, with the Marriott's Two-Day Six Flags package (888/236-2427, code THM) already booked. I could do theme parks by day and, by night, hunt down the native rappers Ludacris, Outkast, Lil John and TI, or maybe catch Usher at a local club.

We'd spend $330 for four of us to enjoy two nights in a fine hotel room at the Courtyard Atlanta Six Flags, complimentary breakfast daily, and two-day passes to the Six Flags Over Georgia theme park or the Six Flags Whitewater waterpark. Families can catch the park's all-new Monsters Mansion, a country music revue, the thrilling Goliath and the famous wooden rollercoaster, the Great American Scream Machine, then head to the waterslides. I'd spring for another $125 to cover a third night's hotel stay, because the Atlanta Aquarium and the CNN Center tour are both must-sees.  That leaves us $545 for six meals, fuel, souvenirs and evening fun, and that's a big budget in Atlanta.

Hiking Around Fillmore North

Alternatively, I dream of taking the money and heading west to California, to the hippie enclaves 50 miles north of San Francisco surrounding Pt. Reyes National Seashore. From coastal Route 1, past Victorian homes lining the funky tie-dyed lanes of Bolinas, we will head north to the artisanal bakeries of Tomales. We will settle at Pt. Reyes Station, an efficient, quiet village filled with discreet B&Bs.

Hostelling International-Point Reyes (415/663-8811) rents 45 beds for $22 per night, so for under $100 we can crash after a long day of hiking or a long night of dining. In this region, sea breezes temper the Pacific sun, easy-going trails meander under whispering Aspen, and distant herds of trumpeting elk are frequently seen. We will follow the Arch Rock Trail to the rugged coastline and wonder how surfers could survive alongside whales in these waters. Outwardly, the hostel looks like one of those grandfathered ranches within the park, but it has a pretty rooftop deck where we can have fresh bearclaws from the Bovine Bakery for breakfast.

Dining competes with scenery as one of northern California's true pleasures, so we'll picnic by day and plan three rich evening meals. The casual Station House Cafe is a Pt. Reyes classic, with fresh and flavorful dishes made of locally grown ingredients.  The fettucine with mussels harvested in nearby Tomales Bay, and the turkey and blackbean chili are favorites. Your family dinner here might cost $150 for a three-course feast and a bottle of wine.

Manka's Lodge in Inverness is of another order; a serious gourmet experience that even kids will understand is an unusually fine meal. Whether it's game or locally grown vegetables, soups and imaginative salads, this is serious dining priced at $58 per person. The staff is very gracious about turning out meals for young kids, many of whom enjoy sitting around the fireplace. Allow $200 with wine and enough time to digest before your drive home.

Multi-Generational Hill Country

Then I come to my senses. With $1000 we can visit the Texas contingent of grandparents and treat all of us to a stay at the Horseshoe Bay Resort outside Austin, Texas. I love the Wild West feel of the Texas' scrub brush Hill Country, where tumbleweed and cowboy boots complement the gnarled mesquite trees. This contemporary golf resort and convention center is an architectural anomaly in the region, but that's what makes it special to the in-laws who live in a single story home and have to drive to a golf course. It's all here, on 7,000 manicured acres, and when they're not admiring the grandkids, they can play golf or smile at the antics of other kids on the many waterslides. Of course, it's pretty hot there in summer, but this place has its own man-made Lake LBJ. We can go boating, jet-skiing, fishing or swimming, or stick to the resort's many pools and palm-fringed waterpark-like playland.

For $373, I can buy a two-night midweek family package, that offers over $500 in built-in perks and savings. What? The resort's "Family Fun" escape includes a choice of accommodations, ranging from hotel rooms at a Marriott to one-, two-, and three-bedroom Paseo villas or lakefront condominiums, and rates include credits to be spent on resort facilities and amenities. If you book a larger unit, the resort credit increases, and can be applied towards the golf, spa, dining, watercraft rentals, retail outlets or the supervised Kids’ Club fees.

I figure my $1,000 could buy four nights packed with water fun, or maybe a day less if everyone wants to be pampered. (As part of the summer-long discount, families get 20% off the regular golf and spa fees and 50% off the kids club rates.)  With this offer, breakfast is free, and kids get complimentary soda wristbands so they aren't nagging for a drink all day. We may find that Mom will have to work on spending the rest of that credit on herself.

City of Familial Love

One of our favorite alternatives to Washington DC, which makes most "best for the budget" lists because most of its top attractions are free, is Philadelphia. For summer, families can celebrate the accomplishments of Galileo at the Franklin Institute, tour the constitution Center and Independence Hall, get their hands dirty at the newly expanded Please Touch Museum, or make a day trip to splash around Sesame Place.
 
To help families appreciate all that's on offer, there are 33 hotels participating in a "Philly Overnight Hotel" package booked through the Philadelphia Tourist Office website that combines a two-night family stay, with free parking, a gift teddy bear, and a Macy's Savings Pass. Rates vary by hotel, and can start as low as $189 for the two nights. Since we travel with a foodie teen, dining is important on at least a few outings, so we budget about $200 per day for four to wine and dine vacation style.

Good weather makes Philly's historic area even more fun to linger in, and the costumed reenactors and government monuments (no admission fees) are equally entertaining and educational. Low cost attracions include a stroll around Rittenouse Square, watching Penn's crew teams from the park along the Schulkyll River, touring the zoo and having a Philly Cheesesteak, or downing a fresh Amish pretzel in Reading Terminal Market. Down along the Delaware River, there are frequent concerts and outdoor performances, and spectacular festivities around Independence Day.

With a $1,000 in your pocket, your family can actually afford a third night in the city and still have money to sample some of our favorite restaurants, all designed by restauranteur extraordinaire, Stephen Starr.  Check out the colorful Continental for a great breakfast, and any of his fun, high-style, pan-ethnic eateries (Buddakan for Chinese, Alma de Cuba for Latino, Tangerine for Mid Eastern and many others). And save the change for your next outing.

And what how did my colleagues dream of spending their $1,000? To find out, read the April 2009 edition of our lifestyle e-blast, "The Art of Living."