With a flagging economy and $4-a-gallon gasoline, many folks are staying close to home this July Fourth weekend. And early attendance numbers at state parks, movie theaters and some amusement attractions indicate that more people this summer are opting for "staycations" in the region.

"If I go anywhere, I'm not driving," said Jialin Dou, 26, of Carnegie, who plans to hang out at home this holiday.

About 40.45 million people nationwide are traveling at least 50 miles from home this weekend, said Bevi Powell, spokeswoman for AAA's East Central region, which includes parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, West Virginia and Kentucky. That's down about 1.3 percent from last year, when 41 million people planned to travel at least 50 miles from home over the Independence Day weekend.

"People aren't going quite as far," Ms. Powell said. "In fact, 41.5 percent intend to travel 250 miles or less round trip."

About 39.5 percent will travel for entertainment or amusement -- the most popular reasons for a trip. About 25 percent are traveling to visit family.

Brian Lowe will be heading to Ohio to do just that and gas prices definitely are an issue.

"My trip isn't going to be cheap, between gas and tolls," said Mr. Lowe, 41, of Level Green. "It's 2 1/2 hours, probably a full tank of gas."

He also is going to slip some cash to his nephews -- who also will be driving a few hours to the family's Ohio gathering -- to help offset some of their gas expenses. "Family is important," he said.

The economy has people wary of traveling as much. Last month, in the Conference Board's monthly consumer confidence index survey of 5,000 U.S. households, 35.8 percent of respondents said they planned to take a vacation in the next six months, according to The New York Times. It was the lowest percentage since the Conference Board first asked the question in 1978.

Those who are enjoying stay-at-home vacations have not only been saving on gas, but helping boost attendance at local ventures and attractions.

Venture Outdoors, a nonprofit recreation company that offers hiking, biking, backpacking and kayaking programs, has seen its membership jump from 2,500 to 4,200.

Movie theater attendance is up, too, compared with last year at this time, said David Huffman, marketing director for Pittsburgh Cinemas, which operates the SouthSide Works Cinema.

Nationally, movie theater attendance for the two-month period ending June 29 is up 2.88 percent compared with the same time period last year, with more than 272 million people going to the movies, according to Media by Numbers, which tracks box office revenue and attendance for the movie industry.

Facilities at Pennsylvania state parks, which usually are at capacity during summer months and especially on weekends, are even busier.

"Anecdotally, it does seem that people are coming from closer locations," said Chris Novak, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Darlene Williams, who books hotel and raft rentals for the Yough Plaza Hotel and White Water Adventurers in Ohiopyle, said business has been brisk, as always.

"Some people, when they called [to make reservations], they said, 'Instead of going to the beach this year, we decided we're going to do whitewater rafting closer to home,' " she said.

Splash Lagoon, an indoor water park resort in Erie, has experienced increased reservations the past three months.

"People seem to be staying closer to home and a drive of 100 to 120 miles is tolerable versus going 500 to 600 miles," said Nicholas Scott Sr., president and chief executive officer of Scott Enterprises, which includes Splash Lagoon.

Weather doesn't affect attendance at the indoor water park, which draws visitors from Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo.

However, weather may have had an economic impact at some local attractions.

"We've had a lot of bad weather," said Mary Lou Rosemeyer, public relations director for Kennywood Entertainment, which includes Kennywood, Sandcastle and Idlewild Park and Soak Zone. "The high cost of gas may have increased attendance, but that gain was probably negated by bad weather."

The same has been true at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. The mere prediction of showers can keep people home, even if the rain never materializes, said Connie George, marketing director for the zoo and aquarium. The zoo expects to see an attendance increase in July as the weather improves.

For this holiday weekend, the most popular destinations for Pittsburghers are Gettysburg; Niagara Falls; Cedar Point and Soak City in Sandusky, Ohio; Ocean City, Md.; Virginia Beach, Va.; and the Outer Banks of North Carolina, according to AAA.

Niagara Falls is where Priscilla Wang is headed this holiday weekend with friends in her fuel-efficient Toyota Corolla. She says she can afford to splurge on gas.

"I hardly use my car," said Ms. Wang, 31, who takes the bus into Downtown for work from Oakland. "I cannot stay home. I've gotta get out for this long weekend."