Georgia and Tennessee park managers expecting “staycationers” to head in droves for campsites close to home are finding those rumors to be as make believe as ghost stories told around a campfire.

The latest data from Tennessee and Georgia shows fewer people visited state parks and historic sites in 2008 than the previous year.

Statistics from Georgia show visitorship at state parks and historic sites dropped from 12.4 million in 2003 to 11 million in 2006 to 10.4 million for fiscal year 2008.

Tennessee campsite rentals fell from around 261,000 in 2006-2007 to 258,000 this year, according to state data. The overall number of visitors to the park decreased.

“Weather impacts things, the economy impacts things,” said Kim Hatcher, a spokeswoman for Georgia State Parks, before rattling off a few specific events that affected attendance at Georgia parks.

One reason for the drop-off has to do with data collection, Ms. Hatcher said. The fiscal year runs from July to June, meaning that July, August and September of 2007, which were plagued by drought and abnormally high temperatures, are in the 2008 data.

“It was just too hot to camp,” said Murray Crow, regional park manager for middle West Tennessee.

“You could sit inside with your air conditioner, but as soon as you go out side it’s 100 degrees,” he said. “What’s fun about that?”

Some areas are doing well, such as the Cherokee National Forest in East Tennessee.

Andy Gaston, natural resources manager for the forest’s Ocoee Ranger District, said collections of fees for camping, day use and boat launching are up significantly at some recreation areas.

Compared to the average revenue from 2004 to 2007, 2008 figures are up 21 percent at the Chilhowee Recreation Area, 14 percent at the Parksville Campground and 11 percent and 9 percent, respectively, at Mac Point Recreation Area and Thunder Rock Campground, according to statistics provided by Mr. Gaston.

He said the increases are probably due to visits from Chattanooga and Cleveland residents who may have decided to camp close to home rather than travel farther and take more expensive vacations.

Meanwhile, “staycationers” who have camped or rented cabins at state facilities in Georgia in July, August and September will not be counted until 2009 numbers are tallied.

“When you have to spend $120 in gas and $100 on a hotel room and expensive food, you can get close to $500 pretty quick,” Mr. Gaston said. “Or you can pay $20 for a site with a full electric hookup, bring in your own food and take advantage of all the activities to do. It’s a much cheaper weekend.”

The number of campsites rented at the four Tennessee parks closest to Chattanooga increased slightly from 68,244 to 68,500 from 2007 to 2008. Mr. Crow said that may support the theory that urban residents are taking shorter trips if more rural parks show declining totals.

“Common sense would tell you that people are probably sticking close to home,” Mr. Gaston said.

That may be why fewer visitors are coming to the nation’s most popular national park, said Bob Miller, spokesman for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

“I guess I would have expected myself that it would be up this year,” he said, but statistics show visitation is down 3.4 percent this year.

Mr. Miller theorized that some of the park’s long-distance visitors might be staying at state parks close to home, though he said it’s difficult to know for sure.

“It’s really hard to judge why people don’t come,” he said.

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