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Travel tips and activities that my family has taken around the USA.
Winter Park is one of our favorite mountain getaways. Living in Denver makes it easy to escape to the mountains. Don’t get me wrong, I love a beach vacation, but sometimes the mountains are calling and we don’t need to get on a plane to have some good old fashion family fun.
We are a family of cross crounty skiers, it’s fun and it’s mostly flat. Maybe my kids will one day take a ski lift but for now, we like to cross country ski and to go tubing.
Moab is a great road trip from Denver, about 6-hour drive, we were transformed into another world. We had an amazing time on our family road trip to Moab.
My family drove round trip but me and my travel buddy stayed in Moab and got
to experience the Rocky Mountaineer train from Moab to Denver, more on that
later.
The weather was perfect, it was mid-September, lots of sunshine. The only
thing to remember is to make a park reservation with the National Parks system.
I waited too long to make one but it all worked out.
We got to visit Canyonlands National Park as well as Arches National Park
over the weekend, they are about 10-15 minutes from each other. I highly recommend
visiting both while you are in Moab.
Whiling visiting Yellowstone National Park last summer, we decided to go on an outdoor adventure. The girls were taking horseback riding lessons at the time and I knew this would be a great experience when I heard about The Diamond P Ranch. And the best part it was literally 3 minutes from our campground in Yellowstone.
The Diamond P Ranch is located 7 miles west of the west gate of Yellowstone National Park. They offer guided horseback riding through Gallentin National Park, perfect for all ages.
Because of COVID, I called ahead to make sure they were open and had reservations available during our stay. I booked our ride a few months before our trip and surprised the girls.
Diamond P Ranch is the only horseback riding in West Yellowstone that has access to Gallatin National Forest. We had spectacular views of Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and the Continental Divide.
There were about 15 people total when we arrived, they assigned us horses, and broke us into groups. Each group was given a guide as well. We were happy to have a private tour with our guide.
We rode for about three hours, taking in the pristine beauty and wildlife. Being my first time on a horse, I was a bit nervous but I calmed down once I met my horse, Buttercup, he was kind and gentle.
It cost $85 per person, which I thought was a great price for a three-hour ride. The weather was perfect and all our horses behaved well.
It was a beautiful, relaxing morning spent in nature and I’m so happy I decided to get outside my comfort zone and took that ride with my kids and sister-in-law.
If you are in the Yellowstone area, I highly recommend visiting the Diamond P Ranch.
Ride Choices
When we fly, we always try to fly Southwest Airlines for so many reasons, they are a major carrier in Denver which is primarily our departure city. We love Southwest for it’s low fares and low fees.
Traveling with three kiddos, let’s face it, you need a lot of stuff. Sunscreen, diapers, sippy cups, lots of change of clothes, lovies, etc. We love to fly Southwest Airlines as a family for many reasons.
Early boarding is the best! If you are traveling with children under six years old, you get to board after the A group, right before the B group. This is great to get everyone situated, wipe down your seats and, buckle the kiddos.
Let’s get back to all that stuff you need to bring with young kids. Most of the time, when I look for flights, it seems like a good deal with other airlines but I have to pay extra for luggage and that my friends adds up quickly.
With Southwest Airlines, you get two free bags per person and with a family of five, that is huge. And if checking bags is not your thing, remember if you are traveling with a small child, you can board early and have better odds of carrying on your bags.
Flying out of Denver, I can always find some sort of good flight options for the family. I try to book direct flights if possible. There are some places we’d like to travel where we have to change plans or it’s a drive to our destination but I always look to Southwest to books my flights.
We love the Rapids Reward Points system that Southwest Airlines offers their customers. It’s free to join their program, and points don’t expire. Being a large carrier in major cities, including Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Baltimore, it’s easy to earn your points.
As a full-service travel agent, I sell a lot of Southwest Vacation packages, where you can still earn points for your flights, simply supply me with your Rapids Rewards number at the time of booking and you’ll earn credit for your flights when you book your Southwest Vacation package with me.
Pro Tip-sign up your kids for The Rapid Rewards Program as well. Enter their Rapids Rewards number when booking their flights and you’ll earn credit for the flights, points won’t expire as long as there is activity on the account every 24 months.
A few summers ago, my family and I did a road trip to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore National Monument. It’s about a 6-hour drive from where we live. We spent about 4 nights visiting, with 2 days at Mt. Rushmore National Park.
There are lots to do at Mount Rushmore National Monument, including the Visitor Center, which had lots of activities for the kids to do as well as a little museum and movie about the history of the park. We had fun doing the kid’s activities, hiking up different paths to the memorial. You can see it from all different angles, up close, far away. Make sure to take your time through the Avenue of the Flags, it was fun to see how many flags you can recognize.
Some other activities we did while in South Dakota were:
And I have to mention our favorite place to eat was The Purple Pie Place, a hidden gem, just minutes from Mount Rushmore National Monument. It’s a small local place, that has a purple theme, which I adore, purple is my favorite color. They serve American comfort food and don’t forget to save room for thier pie, all flavors are delicious. Apple pie a la mode was my favorite.
We had such a good time in South Dakota, the kids learned some history, we checked an item off the bucket list and we had great pie, twice. I would definitely go back and explore some more in the near future. There is so much to do in The Black Hills, go exploring today!