The Teton’s String Lake is shallow, so although it is still very cold, it’s not quite as freezing as some of the other lakes found in Grand Teton National Park. Its sandy bottom is easy on the feet making it a very kid-friendly lake to swim and float. My girls brought their snorkel masks and had a blast.
Read moreHighlights And Tips For Visiting Glacier National Park
Mountain goats on the Hidden Lake Trail
Montana’s Glacier National Park is definitely a bucket-list worthy destination for any family. You will love the alpine lakes surrounded by stunning mountain peaks, the availability of hiking trails that are fairly easy for the kids yet incredibly scenic, and the high probability of actually seeing wildlife every day of your visit.
Read moreGrand Teton National Park With Kids-What To See and Do
Favorite family-friendly hikes, awe-inspiring views, swimming holes, float trips, horseback riding, wildlife viewing tips, rainy day activities, and more “can’t miss” jewels of Grand Teton National Park are described in detail in this 5 day itinerary for Grand Teton National Park.
Read moreCapitol Reef National Park- It’s So Worth It!
Capitol Reef is a great national park in Utah for a family who doesn’t want the logistics of coordinating the park shuttles of Zion, waiting in the entrance lines of Arches, or negotiating the crowded parking areas at popular trailheads.
For us, Capitol Reef provided scenic beauty, plenty of easy hikes, and while we were there, minimal people. We came away refreshed, not frazzled, and certainly awe inspired!
Read moreCool Off In The Clear Water of Lake Jocassee in South Carolina
The beautiful, clear water of Lake Jocassee
Devil’s Fork State Park offers excellent camping sites next to the clear, cold water of Lake Jocassee which is located about one hour from Greenville, SC. The buzzword descriptions like “Lake Tahoe of the East” or “South Carolina’s Little Switzerland” are spot on for this wonderful spot in South Carolina.
Read moreHow To Get Cheap Tickets For Broadway Shows- What You Need To Do Pre-Trip And Why Visiting Box Offices Is Worth It
Times Square in NYC on a cloudy March day. This is basically your starting place for Broadway shows as almost all of the theaters are a short walk from here. We took the subway here each morning as we headed out on our hunt for cheap tickets for one of the many, many musicals to choose from on Broadway. A little work and some luck led us to some great seats and some great shows.
Find out how we scored cheap tickets for 5 Broadway musicals in 5 days. (And also how I am an obsessive researcher and planner.) With a combination of a lot of pre-trip internet surfing, some walking around, and a little luck, we saw 5 fantastic shows on Broadway for less than $300 per person. I will give you all the details of how we did it- from how the ticket lotteries work, to what rush tickets are, and why walking around to box offices can really pay off.
Read moreBadlands National Park And The Black Hills With Kids- An Awesome 6 Day South Dakota Itinerary
Waving at my brother from the top of Saddle Pass trail in Badlands National Park. He climbed up to this overlook but I was pretty content with the view where we were, which was fantastic. Of course, the views were pretty fantastic everywhere in Badlands.
This 6 day itinerary includes a complete itinerary for 6 days in South Dakota visiting Wind Cave National Park, hiking Black Elk Peak in Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, biking the Mickelson Trail, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, and of course Badlands National Park.
Read moreEasy Hikes at Grayson Highlands State Park
Grayson Highlands State Park is famous for its wild ponies and access to a beautiful section of the Appalachian Trail, but you’ll also find plenty of amazingly beautiful trails for those seeking shorter hikes.
Children especially enjoy the trails at Grayson Highlands, because some of the best trails are not only super short but all of them provide something fun along the trail like fun rock scrambling and typically lead to an incredible high elevation view or water feature.
Read moreThe Bubblebum: The Best Portable Car Booster Seat For Travel
I love the Bubblebum inflatable car seat. Easily packable when it is deflated (it fits in a backpack or even a large purse) but comfortable and safe when inflated, which takes about 10 seconds. Image courtesy of Bubblebum- https://www.bubblebum.co/us/
The super portable Bubblebum inflatable car booster seat is one of our favorite travel hacks. It is easily packable when deflated, easy to inflate and secure in the car, and it is safe. We even use our Bubblebum booster seat at home too. An all around great piece of travel gear for your next family trip.
Read moreThe Best Educational And Fun Apps And Games for Toddlers And Elementary Kids 2023
My nephew not paying attention to the beautiful French countryside. Hopefully he is doing an educational app but he is probably playing Minecraft or watching a movie.
Our favorite (and well tested) apps and games for kids that we use on flights, road trips, trains, and all other kinds of travel as well as at home. Educational and fun, toddler and elementary school aged-kids, we have all our recommendations for the best apps and games for your kids including geography, math, reading, and cool logic games. Some are pretty well known and some are unusual finds that our kids have loved.
Read moreYou Go Sister! My Family's Favorite Historic Site Hike in the Smokies
The Walker Sister Cabin is my family's favorite historic site in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It makes for a perfect afternoon outing for the family, and the kids (and you) will love walking through the cabin and imagining the lives lived here by the Walker sisters during the early 1900's.
Read moreWhich Campground To Choose In Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Should you choose Elkmont Campground or Cades Cove Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Having camped at both as children and as adults, we give you the breakdown of the pros and cons of each.
Read moreAmsterdam Is A Top Destination For Families
What To Do In Amsterdam With Kids? You’ll find plenty to do in Amsterdam between strolling alongside the canals, stopping at sidewalk cafes, eating Dutch delicacies at the street markets, and exploring museums. It’s a terrific family destination with something for everyone. Family-friendly options include treasure hunts at the museums, an amazing science museum, sampling food at the markets, or riding on a canal boat which offers a distinctly unique perspective of the city.
Read moreFamily Travel: Practical Tips And Hacks 2023
Whether heading to the beach or internationally, these are our best travel tips, hacks, and gear recommendations.
These are our favorite tips and travel hacks to make your next family vacation go a little faster and hopefully a little smoother. From best ways to get through a long plane flight with toddlers to tips also learned on road trips with teens, these are things we do with our own family that we have learned over the years.
Read more3 Short Hikes In Badlands National Park Great For Kids
You can arrive at this otherworldly landscape just 15 minutes after you left the car in Badlands National Park. This is Door Trail, one of 3 trails sharing the same parking area near the Northeast Entrance to the park.
Looking for something short and sweet to do in Badlands National Park? These 3 hikes- Door, Window, and Notch Trails- share one parking lot just 10 minutes from Interstate 90. All 3 trails are scenic and fairly easy trails that give a great taste of what makes the Badlands so special. Our kids really liked exploring them, especially climbing the fun ladder on Notch Trail.
Read moreSaddle Pass - Medicine Root - Castle Trail Loop Hike in Badlands National Park
View down from a rock outcropping overlooking Saddle Pass Trail. One member of our group ran up but the rest of us elected to stay on the trail and wave up at him. You can see the trail ascending up the rock formations on the right of the picture.
Saddle Pass to Medicine Root Trail to Castle Trail is a nice day hike of about 4.8 miles that combines rock scrambling, strolling through the prairie, plus fantastic views out over the classic rock formations of the Badlands all in this one hike. Our family really enjoyed this hike - interesting and varied enough for the kids (but not too long) while the adults got to take lots of pretty photosand feel like they stretched their legs.
Read moreOur Review Of Cedar Pass Lodge And Campground In Badlands National Park
Not too hard to get a pretty picture of Cedar Pass Lodge with this backdrop. You can see the small group of rental cabins in the foreground and the main building in the distance on the left of this picture. The campground is about a 1/4 mile away to the left. This picture is taken just after the sunset so the rocks are reflecting the beautiful reds and pinks and all you had to do to see it was just walk outside your door.
I loved Badlands National Park and part of the reason why I liked it so much is because we stayed one night at Cedar Pass Lodge. Being able to enjoy the breathtaking sunset and sunrise, not to mention the awesome starry nights, made this trip special in a way I don’t think visiting the park just for the day would have. If you can swing it, definitely try to make an overnight in the cozy cabins at Cedar Pass a priority. You won’t regret it.
Read moreA Frozen Wonderland in the Smokies
The Middle Prong Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of our favorite hikes in the winter. If you’re lucky, you may even witness a frozen wonderland of icicles and cascades frozen in their tracks along the tributaries of the Little River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. No matter the season, the Middle Prong Trail is an easy and pleasant hike in the Smokies.
Read moreVisiting The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site In South Dakota With Kids
Looking into the missile silo at Delta-09 at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Park. This is one of 2 places in America where you can look into a ICBM missile silo—this one is holding an unarmed Minuteman Missile capable of flying 15,000 mph. You can see the Badlands rising up in the background, making a pretty amazing backdrop to this bit of history.
On your way to Badlands National Park and looking for something nearby to do besides visiting Wall Drug? Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is a great stop on I90, whether you only have 30 minutes to just see the missile silo or you have a couple of hours to see everything plus take a ranger guided tour of the underground Launch Control Center. The kids were pretty fascinated to see a nuclear missile up close and we all learned a lot about this part of Cold War history.
Read moreA Simply Awesome Day Biking The Mickelson Trail in The Black Hills Of South Dakota With Kids
I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend the day looking at scenery like this?
Whether you cycle the entire 109 miles or just rent a bike for an afternoon, the Mickelson Trail is an awesome adventure for the whole family. It is an absolutely gorgeous ride through some of the most beautiful parts of the Black Hills. With 4 train tunnels and over a hundred bridges, not to mention rolling hills, open pastures, and old gold mines dotting the trail, there is plenty to look at and enjoy on the Mickelson Trail!
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