Thanks for the advice Zephyr!
I went to my LBS today(to get my road bike tuned) and I started looking at their MTBs. They mainly have Cannondale and Giant.
They had the Giant Revel 1 in both S and XS and for only $500. The both looked pretty good to me.
They also had the Cannondale Trail 5 and Trail 6 for a little bit more. I do prefer Cannondale since I already have one of their road bikes and I LOVE it!
Didn't get to try them out, it was almost closing time. I did ask the people about mountain biking in the area and most said that the prefer road in the summer months because the trails get too hot to ride. The guy I talked to advised me to collect money till the end of summer and then get a bike. I actually like that option more since I can use my birthday money to get a better bike.