It's Moving Day!

Fun Family has moved and changed its name and you're in on the ground floor.  Please join me at tipsforfamilytrips.com for more of our family travel adventures. Please be patient with me as I move all of my content, find my way in a new program and figure out the look and feel of Tips for Family Trips. The site is open for comments now and I will be available by e-mail at allison@tipsforfamilytrips.com soon. I am convinced that travel and outings bring my family closer together and contribute to the education of my children. I have learned a few things along the way too. What I have learned about dinosaurs in the past five years might surprise you. I want Tips for Family Trips to become a forum for like-minded readers to exchange ideas on family travel, near and far and I hope to see you there soon.

Inspiration

As I was reading one of my favorite family travel blogs today, Mother of All Trips, I was pleased to see that it had been listed as one of Babble.com's Top 25 Travel Blogs for Families. Now, please don't abandon my fledgling family travel blog, but if you're looking for more great ideas and inspiration for travelling the world as a family, there are some excellent resources in this list. I was especially fascinated by the nomadic families who blog about how they travel the world full-time without being independently wealthy. That's not a lifestyle I would really want because I also love living near our extended family and serving in my church and community. However, it is fun to romanticize about that kind of life and read about those who live it. What about you?

Would you leave everything behind for a life on the road?

Black Hills Road Trip - Let's Go Spelunking!

Wind Cave

Spelunking is cave exploration. Sprawling underneath the Black Hills are Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park. Though within a few miles of each other, they are different experiences and  we were glad we decided to see both.

Jewel Cave

Cave Bacon

We entered Jewel Cave by an elevator that dropped us deep into the earth.  We exited onto a metal platform in a spacious cavern.  True to its name, the walls of Jewel Cave sparkle.  Jewel Cave also has a nice collection of one of my favorite features: Cave Bacon!  If you haven't seen it, cave bacon is a translucent ribbon of minerals growing from the walls of the cave.  The variation in color looks a lot like bacon fat.  Cave Popcorn follows the same logic and can also be found in Jewel Cave. If that makes you feel hungry, get a snack before the tour because there is no food or drink allowed in these delicate caves.  Just touching the walls can kill the minerals that make these caves beautiful and unique.

There are no bathrooms in the caves. We knew this and made sure the whole family answered the call of nature beforehand, but our four-year-old son still announced fifteen minutes into the eighty-minute tour that he had to go.  He was potty-trained well enough that he could hold it, so that's what he had to do.  A while later, the ranger guide approached us and whispered that she had noticed his potty dance and had a special bag for such emergencies. She handed it to my husband and said, "I carry it in. You carry it out." My boys hung back far enough to take care of the situation privately and my husband did carry the bag for the rest of the tour. He's a champ.

Jewel Cave

Outside of Jewel Cave there is a small visitor center where you can stand on the patio and appreciate the view of the forested hills.  There are some hiking trails that start from the visitor center as well.  There is no fee to enter the monument, but there is a per-person fee for the cave tour.  There are several different tours with different lengths and fees and at both caves, and we took the Scenic Tour.  Adults cost $8.00 and children aged 6-16 pay $4.00. Children under age 6 are free, but I would not take a child on the tour who could not walk it on his own. There are many stairs, but they mostly go down and there are frequent opportunities to stop and listen to the ranger. Our four-year-old was fine. National Parks passes are not accepted.  Seniors with Golden Age passes are discounted. There is a free Junior Ranger program for children. Pick up the information at the ranger desk before the tour to earn a badge at the end.



Wind Cave
We took the Natural Entrance Tour at Wind Cave, so instead of taking an elevator down we walked in at ground level and walked down stairs into the depths of the cave.  After walking mostly down for the duration of the tour, we exited the cave by elevator into the visitor center. We did not originally plan to see Wind Cave, because how many caves do you really need to see - and pay for - on a vacation? However, many of the attractions in the Black Hills are outdoors and it was pouring rain. We were not far from Wind Cave and figured that the weather is always the same underground. We enjoyed our tour of Wind Cave just as much as Jewel Cave and my husband and I agreed that we couldn't recommend one over the other.

Boxwork in Wind Cave

Wind Cave Visitor Center

Though we were much closer to the surface, Wind Cave felt smaller than Jewel Cave.  The caverns were not nearly as spacious.  The colors were different and so were the features.  Wind Cave has one of the best collections of boxwork formations - crisscross lines of minerals sticking out from the ceilings and walls - in the world. This tour was $9.00 for adults and $4.50 for children aged 6-16.  Children aged 5 and under are free, though again, I would not take a child who could not walk and navigate 300 stairs - mostly down - on her own. Again, national parks passes are not accepted and seniors are discounted.

Wind Cave is a national park instead of a national monument because it also protects an abundance of wildlife and beautiful scenery above ground. It borders Custer State Park. We saw a herd of bison on our drive to the visitor center.  There are also elk, prairie dogs and other wildlife. There are hiking trails and campgrounds. The visitor center is larger than at Jewel Cave and offers more exhibits. There is no fee to enter the park and visitor center unless you want to do a cave tour. Our children also participated in the free Wind Cave Junior Ranger program and happily added another gold badge to their collection at the end of the tour.


Before You Go
Reservations for all cave tours are recommended year-round.  We called less than an hour in advance for Jewel Cave and just dropped in at the visitor center at Wind Cave and were fortunate to get some of the last openings in the next tour. Summer is the busiest season, but tours are offered less frequently during off-season months. Both caves offer different tours, including ADA accessible, candlelight and adventurous tours. Both caves are about fifty degrees Fahrenheit year-round, so bring a jacket.  Large purses, food, baby backpacks, and strollers are not allowed in the caves. Unless you have serious claustrophobia issues, I think that at least one of these cave tours is essential to any trip to the Black Hills.

Outside Jewel Cave

Related Posts:

Mount Rushmore
Bear Country U.S.A.
Reptile Gardens

Howard Johnson Inn and Suites Hotel Review

Exciting Developments

I'm published! By someone other than myself! The Deseret News accepted one of my articles, which was based on my March 23, 2012 post on this site and it was published on deseretnews.com on April 4, 2012. It is titled 10 Screen-Free Ways to Entertain Kids in the Car. I have personally used all of these ideas. Read my Deseret News article here:  http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865553500/10-screen-free-ways-to-entertain-kids-in-the-car.html.

I am also planning some major changes to this blog. It will still be chock-full of family adventures, but I want to transplant it to a place on the web where it will have more room to grow. I am working to make that happen soon. When it does, I'll post more information here and I hope that you'll follow me. In the meantime, I plan to finish my series on our Black Hills road trip and write about our most recent road trip to Southern Utah and Las Vegas. What happened on our family vacation in Vegas will not stay in Vegas, so please stick around.

The Bellagio Fountains

Black Hills Road Trip - Howard Johnson Hotel Review

After looking at many (I mean MANY) hotels in Rapid City and the surrounding area, we chose the Howard Johnson Inn and Suites in Rapid City for our family vacation because it offers an indoor pool, complimentary breakfast, and an in-room fridge for a competitive price. At the time we booked, the hotel was offering an online deal for 20% savings and that made Howard Johnson the winner. We stayed for seven nights and would stay here again if we return to Rapid City. However, there are a lot of hotels in Rapid City that offer similar quality and amenities and I would still do a look-around online for the best deals.  At first we thought the location was odd because it doesn't seem to be near anything, such as restaurants and attractions, but we found that it was centrally located in Rapid City, which put us a short drive from everything. It is near the Civic Center and only about a mile from downtown.

I saw guests of all ages at the hotel, including many young children - two were ours - and a high school baseball team, and noise was never a problem. Our room was typical for hotels of this class, but it was comfortable and clean.  The staff was friendly and helpful.  Whenever I called or stopped by the front desk with a request, it was taken care of quickly.

The weather was chilly for much of our June vacation, so we were glad for the indoor pool because our kids wanted to be in it as often as possible. I thought that the pool was a little cold, but our kids didn't care. It was one of their favorite parts of the vacation.  We all enjoyed the two hot tubs. The pool and pool area are large and clean.


We have stayed at many hotels with complimentary breakfasts, and this one is better than most. Offerings include coffee, juice, hot and cold cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit (apples and oranges), toast, bagels, muffins, danishes, hard-boiled eggs, breakfast burritos, and two waffle irons. There was only one morning when everything was not well stocked and that was right after a tour bus group had eaten. The breakfast room is large and we never had a problem getting a seat.

Related Posts:

Mount Rushmore
Bear Country U.S.A.
Reptile Gardens

Black Hills Road Trip - Reptile Gardens

At the Alligator Show

Our next stop on our Black Hills vacation were the Reptile Gardens. Depending on who you are, this might sound like a dream come true or your worst nightmare. For our lizard-loving four-year-old, it was fantastic. Actually, the whole family thought it was pretty fun. The Reptile Gardens is basically a reptile zoo just outside of Rapid City. The Reptile Gardens' website boasts that it "features 225 species and subspecies of reptiles and includes more of these cold-blooded creatures than any other zoo in the world." There are also a number of exotic birds, a bald eagle, bugs and a small prairie dog town.

Komodo Dragon

Upon arrival, get the schedule of shows for the day. There is an alligator show, a snake show and a bird show.  We skipped the bird show but we saw the alligator show twice. We were there during peak season and while it pays to get to the show early for the best seats, there were still seats available when the show started. The shows are both fun and educational and the audience gets a chance to ask questions and pet a snake or baby alligator afterward.

After the Alligator Show

The center of the park is the SkyDome. While most of the attractions are outdoors, many of the park's most interesting exhibits are inside the SkyDome. When we visited, it was hot one day and chilly another, so it was nice to escape inside for a bit. Inside the sky dome, you will find Maniac - the gigantic saltwater crocodile - and the komodo dragon. Some of the world's most venomous snakes like the king cobra and black mamba are also housed in this building. In the middle of the dome is a garden where small lizards, macaws and other exotic birds move around freely. My son was especially excited to find the elusive basilisk lizard, which had been featured on Wild Kratts - his favorite show.

Inside the SkyDome Garden

Outside the SkyDome, our favorite part was the tortoise yard. There are currently two giant tortoises that roam the yard freely and don't mind being touched and hugged by gentle visitors.  When we were there, we were able to see Methuselah, who was about to celebrate his 120th birthday. I was sad to read during my research for this blog post that Methuselah passed away just a month after our visit. Also outside are the prairie dog town where visitors can go underneath and look through plexi-glass domes at the cute little critters. There is a small replica of a wild west town, which is good for some silly photo ops and a peaceful garden - Tortuga Falls - that didn't interest our children much, but perhaps that's part of its appeal for others.

Reptile Gardens is located six miles outside Rapid City on the way to Mount Rushmore. Admission is $12-16 per adult (depending on the season) and $8-11 for children ages 5-12. Children under age 5 are free.  IMPORTANT: Ask for a vacation pass when you purchase your admission. This will allow you to return at no charge any time during your vacation. They actually reminded us to do this when we entered, so they aren't stingy about it. We did visit the Reptile Gardens twice during our trip. Plan for up to half a day here.

With Methuselah in the Giant Tortoise Yard

Related Posts:
Mount Rushmore
Bear Country U.S.A.
Hotel Review: Howard Johnson Inn and Suites

Black Hills Road Trip - Bear Country U.S.A.

Bear Country U.S.A. is a tourist trap.  I doubt that's a surprise to anyone reading this. That said, I think that corny, kitschy or contrived attractions - this one falls into the contrived category - can add fun and color to a family vacation. The Black Hills is full of tourist traps and as we researched our vacation we chose this one because while we had plans to visit several scenic spots with good chances of seeing wildlife, we wanted a guaranteed slam dunk.  For that, Bear Country U.S.A. delivered.

We made sure to get out of the hotel early and drive to Bear Country U.S.A. as close to its opening time as we could. We were there during peak season and we wanted to enjoy driving the wildlife loop at our own pace, without being crowded and pushed along by other cars. It was a successful strategy and we didn't come close to any cars, in front or behind us, until we came to the bear area at the end.

Bear Country U.S.A. offers much more than bears.  It is "home to 20 species of North American mammals which live in large natural exhibits."  These animals include black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, bighorn sheep, reindeer, bison, mountain lions, and a number of smaller animals and we were able to see nearly all of them either from our car or in Babyland without much difficulty.  It took perhaps 20-30 minutes to drive slowly through the wildlife loop.  The last and longest part of it was the black bear area, and they were everywhere. They weren't doing much - though one bear couple was trying to teach our children about the birds and bees - but it was fun to watch the rest of them walking around so close to our van.  There are many signs warning you to keep your windows up and we happily complied.

Grizzlies in Babyland

After we completed the drive, we found ourselves in a parking lot. We parked and got out to walk through Babyland.  Babyland is where they keep the baby bear cubs. It's also where they keep the mature grizzly bears and all of the smaller animals, but the baby bears are by far the best thing about it.  The yard is full of scampering, rolling, wrestling, climbing and just adorable baby bear cubs.  I had never seen anything like it and this part was what made this attraction truly worthwhile to me.

Cubs in Babyland

In the Gift Shop, At Last!

Near Babyland, there is a snack bar, patio with tables and seating, and a large gift shop.  It was all attractive, updated, and clean.  Bear Country U.S.A is located about 10-15 minutes outside of Rapid City, on the road to Mount Rushmore. It is open every day from May to November. There is a per person admission fee of $10-16, depending on age, with a $60 maximum per car. Children aged 4 and under are free. For that price, you can drive through the wildlife loop one time and spend as much time as you would like in Babyland. It was a 2-3 hour visit for us, and I think you'd have a hard time spending more than half a day here.  It isn't a bargain, but we felt like we got exactly what we expected from Bear Country U.S.A and it was a fun start to our vacation.


Related Posts:
Mount Rushmore
Reptile Gardens
Hotel Review: Howard Johnson Inn and Suites