Tulsa - If you are staying in town this holiday weekend, you aren't alone.

There is a sharp decline in the number of people taking to the road for the 4th -- the deepest decline in driving since automobiles were invented. Since 2007, there has been a four-percent drop. That's the same as taking eight to ten million drivers off the road.

If people aren't driving for vacations, local attractions are making money. You don't have to spend a lot of money. At the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks, you can touch live sting rays. It's like being on vacation.

This morning, families were lined up minutes before the aquarium opened its doors. Many of them decided to save money and have a "staycation" -- sightseeing, locally.

"Yeah, just downgrade and set some cash back and not get over our means as far as that we find quite a bit of fun here," says Jake Klinger.

Jake brought along his friends and his son, Alex.

"It's kind of like going to Sea World," Alex says. "Like seeing all the fish here, lobsters. It's just great."

It's also great for the aquarium. Usually, they see about 400-thousand visitors a year. But, in the past 12 months, they've seen a 10-percent spike in attendance -- 40-thousand more than the year before.

"We're seeing sometimes 10, 20, 30-thousand people per month," says Executive Director Teri Bowers. "And, that's wonderful because this is a non-profit and we rely on the gate admissions to keep the animals healthy and safe and on exhibit."

Bowers says they are on a voyage, adding new exhibits like a soon-to-be-completed feed and touch tank.

"There will be horseshoe crabs, shrimp, lobsters and other invertebrates."

Staffers are working and preparing for when the economy improves and tourists have more options.

"And, then we'll feel the pressure to keep renewing so there are new reasons to keep coming back, no matter what the economy is doing," Bowers says.

For now, the aquarium is cashing in, and even tracking visitors to see how far they travel. They want you to save your gas money, come and feed the turtles, once a week show up and feed the sharks and discover something you've never seen before.

If you like stingrays and sharks, get this -- they also have two full-sized alligators and two huge sea turtles. They're so massive, they're just waiting for the right exhibit.

The price of gas is one reason people are staying home. But, it's not as bad as last year. Today, gas is around $2.39 a gallon. Last year, it was $3.84.

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