The 286 million people expected to visit the National Park Service's 385 sites this summer will wait in the usual lines, but most will not face post-Sept. 11 security delays.

There are, however, four sites where you can expect "airport-like security," says David Barna, chief of public affairs for the National Park Service.

At the Washington Monument, the Liberty Bell Pavilion in Philadelphia, the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (which includes the Gateway Arch) in St. Louis, X-ray machines and other security devices are in use, and bags and backpacks are physically searched. Tourists are permitted to carry only small items. Exceptions, such as strollers, will also be searched.

The four monuments with heightened security are "icon sites," places that "in a lot of ways represent the history of democracy in this country," Barna says.

At Battery Park in lower Manhattan and in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, where visitors embark by boat for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, screening facilities have "more than tripled" to accommodate crowds, says Brian Feeney, a National Park Service spokesman. The Statue of Liberty itself has been closed since Sept. 11.

For more information about National Park Service sites: www.nps.gov.

-- Stephanie Shapiro

HOSTELS: GOOD DEALS FOR SUMER TRAVELERS

Hostels will open for the summer in vacation spots such as Nantucket, Mass.; Savannah, Ga.; and Virginia Beach, Va.

The accommodations, affiliated with Hostelling International-American Youth Hostels, provide inexpensive, quality accommodations ranging from $10 to $30 per person, per night. Many of the lodgings also offer discounts and services to visitors, including reduced rates for city tours, local amusement parks and restaurants.

Hostelling International is a network of more than 4,500 hostels in 70 countries. Those 18 years old and younger can become members for free. Adults pay a $25 annual membership, which allows them to take advantage of the organization's bargain rates.

Other sites with seasonal hostels include: Ninilchik, Sitka, Tok and Ketchikan, Alaska; Antonito and Grand Lake, Colo.; East-ham, Boston and Truro, Mass.; East Glacier Park, Mont.; Blaine and Nordland, Wash.; and Milwaukee.

For more information about Hostelling International, including a directory of U.S. hostels, contact the organization at 202-783-6161; www.hiayh.org / hostels.

Lego park open for fun in Germany

Brick by brick, the Lego company is building an international chain of theme parks. The latest addition is in Germany: Legoland Deutschland is near the town of Gunzburg in Bavaria. Like the Danish firm's three other parks, this one is built primarily of Lego bricks -- 50 million of them in Bavaria. The other Legolands are in Billund, Denmark; Windsor, England; and Carlsbad, Calif., near San Diego.

The German park features rides and attractions found at other parks, including the new Lego Racers 4-D movie, which also opened recently at Legoland's U.S. park. The three- dimensional movie includes tire smoke and a snowstorm that falls in the theater. For park information, see www.lego.com or call 877-534-6526.

'Legendary Drives' includes one nearby

Bridgestone / Firestone highlights the country's great highways and byways with "America's Legendary Drives," a collection of 100 noteworthy stretches of roadway. The trips -- at least one per state -- are outlined at www.firestone.com.

Each listing includes mileage and restaurant recommendations. The Maryland entry is a 68-mile drive from Chesapeake City along the upper Eastern Shore to the Bay Bridge, with stops along the way at Chestertown, Rock Hall Museum and Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge.

-- From wire reports