Use the net to check out the place you want to go. A lot of State Directories offer listings of local accomadations. Its best to know want and where you want to go. Use Mapquest to find the local towns in your vacation area. Use DigitalCity or CitySearch to find out more about the town, restaurants and events in the vacation area.
Also there are lots of online Travel Directories for getting pricing and setting up your trip for hotels, B&Bs, car rentals, airlines and restaurants. You can plan your trip yourself and in most cases get a great price.
I was able to plan a trip to Montana without an agent. And got just what I wanted. And I stayed at multiple places traveling around the entire Glacier National Park. It was fun too. I recommend it to anyone.