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GREENSBORO — Hey, kids — the working title for your what-I-did-on-my-summer-vacation essay could be "A Summer of Day Trips" or "Adventures Close to Home."


Are you being forced to make more day trips? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.


So, start thinking about it now. Your folks are — about the travel costs, not the essay.


With gas prices hovering at $4 a gallon, summer road-trip plans are changing and local tourist attractions are seeing ... well, more local people.


The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro just shattered its Memorial Day weekend attendance record, putting 32,732 visitors through its turnstiles. The old record of 24,506 was set in May 2006.


"If there's someone benefiting from higher gas prices, it's us," said Rod Hackney, the zoo's public relations manager. "What we're hearing from our visitors is that gasoline is definitely causing them to make shorter trips — day trips instead of driving to the coast or the mountains."


The zoo is not alone. Attendance at the Natural Science Center in Greensboro is up 40 percent this year, and the Greensboro Children's Museum saw an 18 percent increase on Memorial Day.


Officials from all three sites said they track visitors by ZIP codes, and the majority — 80 percent to 85 percent — came from close to home.


"We have had a huge bump in attendance," said Roxanna Burkhart, marketing curator at the Natural Science Center. "Our overall visitation is up to almost 300,000 over the past year. That's fantastic and record-breaking for us."


Higher gas prices have come on the heels of new exhibits — Animal Discovery zoo and OmniSphere theater — at the science center.


"I'm guessing it's a combination of things," Burkhart said. "With us opening the zoo last spring and then OmniSphere in March, we have more to offer. ... That has to translate to more local visitors looking for an affordable family outing."


Affordability has spurred a new program to draw visitors at the Greensboro Children's Museum, marketing director Steffany Reeve said.


"With as high as gas prices are, we know people are staying close to home and looking for bargains," Reeve said. "One of the things we are doing this year is offering a three-month summer membership."


Half the price of a full membership, it costs $45 for unlimited visits in June, July and August, Reeve said.


"We're anticipating people's budgets being tighter," she said. "We're trying to collaborate more with some of the downtown museums, to see if there are ways we can cross-promote for each other."


Even though local attractions are drawing more visitors, it's not doing much to help the local economy, said Tom Edmonds, a development officer with the state's tourism division.


"Local marketing is sometimes seen as recirculating local dollars within the local economy," Edmonds said. "What you really want is money that wouldn't be here otherwise, and that means bringing in people from outside the region."


Outside tourism money is worth more, Edmonds said, because it benefits more than just the tourist attraction.


"Those people stay in motels and eat in restaurants," Edmonds said. "They spend money, and you don't need the infrastructure for them. You get to keep their dollars, but you don't have to provide trash services or educate their children."


Edmonds said he expects the day-tripping trend to continue this summer, but he believes people won't give up road-trip vacations altogether.


"I think the $4-a-gallon thing is hitting people more in their daily commutes than it is in their trip planning," he said. "When it comes to vacations, people tend to spend their money more freely than they do at home. When's the last time you bought a T-shirt with the name of the city where you live printed on the front of it?"

Contact Jeff Mills at 373-7024 or jeff.mills@news-record.com