Mount Rushmore (and Beautiful South Dakota) with Kids

Turns out Rapid City, South Dakota is full of things to do! It has been on our "in striking distance" list since moving to Colorado. Honestly, I had pretty low expectations. I thought I would be underwhelmed by a few faces carved into rocks. I wasn't really sure what else to expect, but I wanted to mark it off my National Park list.

One late summer morning we packed up the car with our two-year old and 3 month old and we were on our way. 

Turns out our kids to pretty well in the car. I did have a few fun road trip toys planned for the two year old. A laminated map is always a hit. I also bought some train magnets (we are very much into trains right now!) and I had a magnetic cookie sheet. He loves this toy and it only makes an appearance on road trips. Our library also has playaways, which are portable pre-loaded videos that I saved for those melt down moments. I also checked out two books and CD's from the library. These new toys, in addition to the box of books I typically keep in the car, made the drive fun and easy.

Welcome to Nebraska!  

On the Oregon Trail 

We broke the drive there up into two segments so the kids would have some out of the car time. We stopped for the day in Scottsbluff, New Mexico  We stopped by the Scotts Bluff visitors center, the children prevented us from watching the 12 min video but we did make it in time to drive up to the top. Much to our two year old's delight there are three tunnels on the drive to the top. (No new traffic up the road after 5:30pm.) There is a short hike at the top with amazing views. We also did a little walk by the visitors center that goes past some reproduction wagons and to wagon ruts... we never conclusively found the wagon ruts. We could see Chimney Rock from Scottsbluff but decided not to venture out of our way to get a closer look.


The next morning we completed the drive to Rapid City and checked into the Hotel Alex Johnson downtown. The Alex Johnson has lots of old charm and the only downside is parking is two blocks down the street in the public garage. They have a loading zone in front of the hotel for drop off and pick up.

We grabbed lunch just across the street from the hotel at the Fire House Brewing, Co. The location is great and the restaurant is very cool, full of lots of old firefighting stuff. Service wasn't great and the food was just OK. The beer was good though. I would recommend grabbing a beer here, but skip it for meals.

Our first stop was Storybook Island. This place is crazy. Hundreds of playthings themed after everything you could imagine.  There are slides, swings, diggers and tons of plastic figures. We could have played here all day, but it started to rain. 

Playing in the Orange House. 

Another Storybook Friend 

Once we put everyone in the car the kiddos fell asleep so we decided to drive across town to Mount Rushmore. On your drive from Rapid City you pass a ton of places that look kitschy but interesting - we did not have time to check these out but you certainly could.

Car Squeeze. 

Since the kids weren't awake we took the long way through Needles Highway. This is a beautiful drive, although winding. Our favorite part was passing through several rock tunnels that were nearly as wide as our car. This road does take you into the sate park, where you have to pay a separate entrance fee. Following the highway all the way through the park will return you to the road leading to Mount Rushmore. (You also get a cool view of Mount Rushmore through one of the rock tunnels.)

I had low expectations for Mount Rushmore itself, but I wanted to check it off my National Park list. I was pleasantly surprised. The facility they have built is beautiful and affords great views of the monument. The loop walkway is a bit steep, but not at all unmanageable even with the kiddos. The walk provides spectacular views of the mountain and culminates in a visit to the Artists Shed, where much of the planning for the monument was done. Not to be missed is the museum located at the top of the amphitheater which features incredible stories and pictures of the monument being carved.

We grabbed some ice cream at the restaurant and enjoyed the view from the outdoor tables. The entire family split a small ice cream by asking for an extra bowl! We were trying to kill time to make it to the lighting of the monument, but with two little kids we knew when to throw in the towel and back to the car we went.

As a note, although the monument is free the parking will run you something like $12 - but your pass is good for the full calendar year.

Also within driving distance is the Badlands National Park. This place is full of amazing rock formations.We stopped and took a quick hike out into the badlands, it gives you a whole different perspective.

Badlands 

The kids did not so much think the rocks were cool but they loved the animals... which were not hard to find.

Prairie dogs can be found all over the park. 

Bison roaming the roads. 

Make sure you pack a lunch because there are NO OPTIONS inside the park. I would recommend grabbing something before you leave rapid city. There are tons of picnic benches on which to enjoy your lunch.

On our way out of the park we stopped for a quick gander at the Worlds Largest Prairie Dog. The kids were asleep so I hopped out to get a quick photo!

Equally as weird was the stop at the tourist trap Wall Drug. You should stop there because it is just that weird... and crowded. We sat on the back of the Jackalope and got a free Veteran's doughnut and got back in the car.

Back in Rapid City don't miss Dinosaur Park, where you can climb on the back of six huge dinosaurs. Our little guy just loved hanging out by their feet. Not quite as cool as Storybook Island, but still worth the visit. There are a few smaller dinos at the store next to the parking area, so don't miss those. 

As a special treat for our train loving toddler, we booked a trip on the 1880 train out of Keystone. We were extremely lucky to get a diesel locomotive on the way up and a steam locomotive on the way back down. Parking in Keystone is a mess. We were on the earliest train so there was plenty of parking but when our train got back, everything was a mess. We packed lots of snacks for the kids and made sure to sit inside since it is an hour up and an hour back. We also rode up on the front of the train and changed seats to the back for the return.

Once back in Keystone there are a variety of options for both food and entertainment. My husband LOVES alpine slides and my two year old was overjoyed to try it with him. They rode the ski lift up and I literally heard them laughing the whole way down. It may be my favorite memory from the trip. 

YMCA of the Rockies

The YMCA of the Rockies has two properties, one in Winter Park and one in Estes Park. They offer a military weekend deal that includes your room and meals while you are there. It is an amazing deal.
The YMCA camps have so much to offer. Our kids are not really the right age to take full advantage of it, but we still have a good time.

The Estes Park location looks like Kellerman's from Dirty Dancing. The military deal puts you in one of the hotel rooms, which are great. They are clean and roomy. There are also cabins scattered around the property and the whole place is easily walkable. You can go online to look at the list of activities being offered, but they range from guided hikes and scavenger hunts to parachute time and kickball. There is an arts and crafts center where you can paint pottery, do a mosaic, tyedye a shirt or make jewelry for the cost of the materials. There is a library where you can check out books and games for the duration of the stay. There is a little museum that shows the history of the property and the cabins. There is also a put put course and indoor pool. There are hiking trails on property and some that head into Rocky Mountain National Park. Elk and Deer wonder from the park right onto the property making an after dinner walk a must.

For an extra fee there is a ropes course and horseback riding available. These looked really fun, but really out of our age range. The hiking center has kidcarrier, hiking shoes and sticks you can borrow as well. We were signed up for an evening ride and S'Mores but we were the only ones signed up, so the trip was canceled.

The Winter Park location is a little less scenic, not walk-able but full of winter activities. The highlight here is the Nordic Center. It features an outdoor ice skating rink, snowshoe and cross-country ski rental and courses and a tubing hill. I was pregnant during our visit and even then I couldn't resist just one ride down the side of this hill. Winter Park has a smaller arts and craft area, but offers many of the same activities. The winter park gym is larger though and has roller skating, a climbing wall, indoor archery, fuseball and all the "gym" equipment you could ask for. The indoor pool had a climbing wall and a slide.

We had my mom with us on the trip to Winter Park so we went on an evening sled ride with S'Mores, sans kids. That was so fun! For an additional cost there is horseback riding here as well.

If you do the military deal I will say the food is average. Its exactly what you would expect for serving that many people. They always have a salad bar, at both locations, so that is always an option if you aren't feeling the meal choice.

The volunteers and staff at both locations went out of their way for us. We signed up for several activities that didn't have enough people and they went out of their way to find people so my kids could play with the parachute or complete the scavenger hunt.

If you are military there is no excuse, go sign up right now. It will be a family fun weekend you won't soon forget.

update: We were selected as a "military family" to stay in a cabin at the Estes Park location for a few days from a generous donor (and owner of one of the cabins.) We decided to head up over New Year's and celebrate amid the winter wonderland that is Rocky Mountain National Park.

Covered Skating Rink 

No surprise, we had a wonderful time! The little guy still loves the library. In winter the
y show a Disney money at 2pm on Saturday's. If your the first to arrive you get to pick the movie. We also participated in several activities in the gym. The kids love running around in the big open space and participating in group activities. H is finally old enough to "play" some board games so we checked a few out from Sweet Memorial to take to the room. The books, board games and deer wondering by our cabin were more then enough to keep us occupied between events!

If you want outdoor winter recreation there is plenty to be found. We went sledding on property behind the cabin with a few other families. You can rent snow shoes from the Sweet Memorial building, although when we were there we were advised just to get the chains for our shoes and were glad that is all we had. (Other families were carrying their snow shoes since there wasn't quite enough snow.) There is an ice skating rink set up in a covered area. Sweet Memorial has ice skates to borrow, including double blade ones for the kids, starting at size 8. They also open up a skating pond, although it was opening the Monday after we left.

We also attended one of the winter ranger programs at the Rocky Mountain National Park visitors center on winter animals. Although the talk is geared at older children our kids, even the 8 month old, enjoyed touching all the pelts.

So another successful trip! We plan to go back in the spring with some friends for one last visit before we say goodbye to Colorado.

Rocky Mountain National Park

We cannot get enough of Rocky Mountain National Park! In September/October we visited the park three times each staying someplace differently.

Most recently, the first weekend in October, we stayed in a friends family cabin on the entrance road into the park. We went with two other families that have similar aged kiddos. Lets be clear, it was crazy. Three two years old's and three infants in any once place is always nuts, but boy did we have fun! 

Petting Zoo at Elk Fest 

A few highlights from this family friendly trip included Elk Fest 2014, a little festival in downtown Estes Park. (Side-note, Estes gets crowded.) The festival was super cute but worthy of "Elk Fest '14" jokes all weekend. The state had a huge display of pelts for the kids to touch and lots of scat to look at. A small petting zoo was the highlight for our little guy. He got to hold a chick and thought that was pretty awesome. 

We hit pretty much every visitors center in the park. The kids loved running around and almost all of them had stuff for the kids to touch. (If your looking for the NPS passport stamps, each visitors center and the Discovery Center have a unique stamp.) 

Adams Fall 

We drove up and over the continental divide on Trail Ridge Road, which opened briefly on Sunday, after being completely snow covered earlier in the week. The boys played in the snow at the top of the road. There is a small shop up here too, so a few of us stocked up on coffee.  It was a beautiful drive and we even got to see a moose! We stopped at Beaver Lake for a picnic lunch. It has a great little area for the kids to explore when they were done with the picnic. 

We drove into the town Grand Lake for a brief hike to Adams Fall. Its a well established trail and if
you continue up the hill from the falls there is a inlet of the river where the kids enjoyed throwing rocks and climbing on some downed trees. After the hike, we found an open ice cream shop (there are plenty in town but most are closed for the season) and took our ice cream to the park to run out the sugar before the two hour drive home. 

The four of us slept in this little tent. 

The weekend prior we had Day Out with Thomas in Golden, Co and decided to head up to Rocky Mountain National Park to try camping with the kids. We met some other friends who have an almost one year old. There is safety in numbers right? I won't bore you with the details of camping with a two year old or an infant, but we survived. What camping gave us that we didn't have before was the ability to be in the park at dusk and dawn for the bugling elk. 

One word. Incredible! We were able to hear the elk beguiling all night and into the morning. We could hear the antlers hit each other as the males fought for the females. Our two year old had lots of questions and by the end of the weekend could frequently be heard saying "What they doing? Oh. Those boys say 'come here ladies.' Then ladies say 'no thank you.'" We may have had him repeat that for everyone who would listen because it was so funny.

Elk Bugling in Rocky Mountain National Park  

After a beautiful morning of elk watching and breakfast pancakes the kids completely melted down. Like completely. We decided to drive home via the Peak to Peak highway and got a chance to see the leaves changing. H was awake most of the trip, until we stopped for lunch... of course. 

Two weekends before the camping trip we took advantage of the YMCA Estes Park military weekend deal and headed up there for a long weekend. The YMCA abuts the park. It has a full schedule of fun activities including guided hikes into the national park. We hiked into the park with Susan who pointed out everything from bear scat and claw marks in the trees, to elk carcass. 

We did give Susan quite a scare when our truck loving two year old yelled out "bobcat." Susan jumped and turned to find a yellow construction bobcat positioned to move flooding dirt from the road. Yep. That's our kid. 

Even with so many trips to the area we are already planning our next one. 

Denver with Toddlers

Although we live just an hour away from Denver we decided to get a hotel and really enjoy the city. We knew we would have a lot of fun, but we didn't know we would find a bunch of lovely, eclectic neighborhoods.

Remember we have a 13 month old, so these activities were geared at enjoying the city with our little one. Don't worry though we found plenty of family friendly breweries. 

We armed ourselves with both a stroller and an Ergo Carrier and a bag with sunscreen, hard and plenty of snacks. 

The great part about traveling in Denver is that attractions are grouped together making transitioning between activities easy. 

The Denver Children's Museum is one of our favorite places. Our little guy loves it there and they have great activities for little ones. We can usually expect to spend two hours here (we have a membership so we don't try to do everything every time). Even if your not a member the fees are reasonable, they offer a military discount and they offer free evening admission monthly. 

The museum opens at 9am most days (later on weekends) and arriving as it opens will give you an hour of the museum to yourself. If you have a really little one, like us, head upstairs first to enjoy the older kid exhibits before they get crowded and then seek refuge in the toddler area as older kids arrive. The playground here is also wonderful - so if the weather is nice plan to play outside too. No need to bring your stroller into the museum, there is not much room for them so leave it in your car.

They are in the midst of a huge renovation so check online to see what is open and what is currently being reconstructed. I can't wait to see this place after the expansion! 

Once your done at the museum,grab the stroller or carrier and walk (or drive) toward the aquarium down Water Street. (We have yet to check out the Aquarium so we don't have any recommendations.) 

As you pass under the bridge and come around the corner you will find the REI Denver Flagship Store. It is built into the old powerhouse and is beautiful! (They have a parking lot for customers.) Head inside and enjoy all the outdoor supplies. On the third floor the children's section has a small play area your kids will love. 

Once your done at REI (or in our case, the store closes), continue down water street down the side of the REI. (You will need to move your car to street parking.) The street turns into a cute little area of town with places to eat and drink. 

Walk a few blocks and on the left there is a pedestrian bridge over I-25. If you walk straight up the street you will find a park on your right and Little Man Ice Cream on your left (in the building shaped like a milk can). Delicious. Grab some ice cream and head to the park.

If your looking to grab a sandwich, the Sangra La is right around the corner. This hole in the wall has a few seats inside and a nice patio with a few tables. There sandwiches are made on fresh baguette and are to die for . Seriously, a diamond in the rough.

On the other side of town, you will find the Denver Zoo, Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the botanical gardens. All of these are wonderful toddler options. 

The Denver Museum of Science just opened a kids "discovery zone" that our little one likes. Honestly though, he just loves exploring all the animal dioramas They are pretty incredible and for our animal loving toddler they hit all the highlights. 

If you head to the Denver Botanical Gardens, don't forget a swimsuit for the little ones. The children's garden has a stream designed for children to play in - and boy do the kiddos love it. Even before he could walk our little one loved sitting in that cold water and then running through the sand. 

If your looking for somewhere to eat in the area there are a ton if good options. Voodoo Doughnuts opened their first store outside of Oregon not to far away. There is no place to eat in the store but grab a few and find a place in the park to enjoy them. Another favorite is this cool building that is home to both a pizza place and the Denver Biscut Company. We have ordered from both menu's and have not been disappointed. 

Another option is just a little farther out of town and is the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. The key here is to stop into the visitors center and check out the "kids backpack" with activities for the little ones to do on hikes. You can drive around and see the wild bison herd or take one of the many level hikes. 

We are always still expiring the area and love to hear more Denver attractions we should try! 

Cheyanne Mountain Zoo

I cannot say enough good things about our little hometown zoo. We have a membership and take every guest that comes into town there, because it is just that good!

My in-laws have all enjoyed feeding the giraffes with little H. I never get sick of watching people with these amazing animals.

When my mom was here, they had a turtle walking around with a keeper and H was fascinated. The chimps had a baby just before my brother and sister in law and their son L came to visit and we were able to see him with his mom sitting right up against the window.

The weather always seems to be prefect for the animals - we have seen the lynx starring right at us and the wolves feeding from the front of the enclosure.

If you are in Colorado Springs, this is a must. They have a wonderful military discount and off season rates. These cool fall days are really the best time to visit - guests are mostly locals with small children and all the animals are out enjoying the weather. Some of the "attractions" like the ski lift and the carousel are closed and you won't find many vendors, but you can bring your lunch and enjoy the animals.

A small warning that the zoo is uphill, so you get a good calf workout pushing the stroller, but it is so worth it. H is always full of smiles and giggles for all the animals (and other children.) There are great programs for the pre-school age and we bow frequent the "FAWN" morning program, or as H calls it "zoo class." We are continually amazed by the changing programs and demonstrations and this is our go to activity when we are feeling stir crazy.

The cafe at the zoo is great. If you poke your head in before it opens you will see everyone preparing all the food for scratch! Also the drink cups are a deal - bring them back any time for free refills. My only complaint is that they serve Pepsi, not Coke.

If zoo food isn't your thing - head over to Ivywild, an old school that is now home to a varity of little places including a restaurant, bakery, brewery and bar. 

Royal Gorge Bridge and Canyon City, CO Attractions

Oma and Opa were here for the perfect Colorado fall weekend! We spent Saturday snuggled indoors, cheering the Irish to another victory with a small party at the house. The rain cleared on Sunday, and we celebrated by busting out the fall clothing and heading south. 

 Our first stop was Happy Apple Farm for hayrides, apple picking (which is actually done by late September but the store has some you can "pick" out of baskets) and a pumpkin patch. Unfortunately, they were out of cider when we got there, so we just grabbed some apples and were on our way.

After another half hour on the road, we reached the Royal Gorge Railway Station. There are plenty of picnic spots behind the station, so we grabbed one and enjoyed our packed lunch before boarding the train. It must have been the thing to do, because we ran into some friends and their MENSA group preparing to board the Railway.

The train ride is two hours roundtrip and passes under the Royal Gorge Bridge. There are a variety of seating classes. Our MENSA friends headed into the bar car, while we headed to the more child friendly coach class. Regardless of the type of ticket, the place to be on this fall day was on the open air car. On the ride into the Gorge, you are treated to music and a recording of interesting sights. The real treat, though, is the guide that stands out on the car on the way back. We found him to be much more interesting then the recording. On the way back down, you will stop under the bridge for a bit.

The track runs right along the river, providing a view up out of the gorge. If you have the option, you will want to be seated on the river side of the train - although out on the open car the views are unobstructed. There are abandoned houses, mills, bridges and an old water pipeline running along the river side as well. Wildlife is abundant. We were up close and personnel with some mule deer and a big horn sheep. 

There are plenty of other activities involving the gorge. If you head up to Canyon City, you can cross the bridge, ride a car across the gorge, take a giant swing off the edge or even ride a zip line. There is also an inclined railroad that takes you down from the top to the railroad level. With little H, we were happier with the train ride. Also, there is plenty of food and beverages to be purchased on board if you don't want to pack your lunch. Do make your reservations in advance, because they sell out.

After the train returned to the station, we headed to Skyline Road where a series of dinosaur footprints were discovered. They are sticking out of the rocks (unlike others we have seen where they are impressions) and are easy to see. You cannot park directly across from them so you will have to walk 100 yards or so to see them up close. The drive is a bit harrowing and certainly earns its name.

There is a cute little brew pub in town if beer is your thing, but if you like to taste wine, visit the Abbey Winery on your way out of town. They purchase their grapes from California, but make some great wines in Colorado. The setting is perfect and the wines are excellent. The tasting is free - except for the reserve wines which will run you $1/pour.

If you have more time, and no sleeping baby, there are some more dinosaur finds in the area including the area where the Smithsonian dinosaurs were found.

It was a great outing for a fall day and we were back in The Springs by dinner time!

Update: Summer 2013 a huge fire pushed through the gourge and damaged many of the attractions. As I write this the bridge is still standing but almost everything else has burned. I expect they will rebuild, but you should check online before making any plans.