South Dakota Family Vacation

South Dakota Family Vacation!

My family took a vacation to South Dakota when I was a kid and I've always had great memories of that trip.  I have been wanting to take my kids since they were little, but summers always seem to get away from us and we never made time for it.  I've been having some mini freak outs over the fact that counting this last summer, we only had three more summers until my son graduates from high school.  I decided I was going to make this trip happen.  I poured over our busy calendar and managed to squeeze in a four night trip the last weekend before school started.  In this blog, I'm including where we stayed and what places we visited.  We all wished that we'd had at least a couple more days to explore, but we had a really great trip!

Lodging

We only live about 5 hours away, so we pulled our camper and stayed at the Mount Rushmore KOA at Palmer Gulch.  They have options from tent camping sites, to cabins of all sizes, and even a Grand Executive Lodge.  We reserved a pull through RV site with 30 amp Electric and Water hookups.  They do have full hookups and higher amp sites available as well. The KOA staff was well organized, everyone was very friendly, and they had someone who escorted us right to our camp site after we checked in.

I would definitely recommend staying at this KOA.  They had "All You Can Eat" pancake breakfasts for $3.50, taco nights, activities throughout the day, restaurants, ice cream shops, wine tasting, a bar, horseback riding, laundry facilities, pools and hot tubs, mini golf, bike rentals, a playground, a fun zone, and a ton of other stuff.  We honestly could have spent a couple of days just hanging out and doing stuff around the campground. 

Mount Rushmore

I feel like if you are going to visit South Dakota, this is an obvious must.  Our campground was only 10 minutes away which made it really convenient. While planning our trip, I was surprised to find out that there is no entry fee to the park.  You just buy $10 parking pass (for a standard vehicle) and your pass is good for ONE YEAR!  One thing I have to recommend is taking the Presidential Trail.  This wasn't well marked and we couldn't find it when we were inside the memorial.  We ended up having to go back out through the Avenue of Flags and then it was down past the bus parking. This is typically a half mile loop trail, but when we were there the second half of the loop was closed for construction.  If you can handle 250ish stairs on the first half (all paved walking surfaces), then you should definitely do it.  You get to walk almost right up to the base of the mountain and it is incredible to see everything up close.  Also, we were there during Sturgis, so the Avenue of Flags and main viewing area were really busy.  There were only a handful of people on the trail part though, which made for some great photo opportunities.  

We also spent 15 minutes in the Sculptor's Studio (on the Presidential Trail path) listening to a park ranger talk about how the monument was made.  It was really interesting and I learned a lot of new things about the people involved and the process of creating the monument.

One thing I really wanted to do was go back to the monument at night and see it illuminated.  They do an lighting ceremony from late May through September 30th, but it is lit up each night.  We didn't go to the ceremony, but did go around 10:00 one night to check things out.  There were maybe five other people there, which was incredible after seeing it so busy earlier in the trip.  It was so quiet at night and was an absolutely gorgeous site to see.  Also, on the way to Mount Rushmore, there is a place to pull off the highway about 1/4 of a mile from the entrance where you can see Washington's profile.

Big Thunder Gold Mine in Keystone, SD

The kids wanted to do a little gold panning, and we found Big Thunder Gold Mine after a little internet search.  We went on the mine tour and then panned for gold afterwards.  You have to don a hard hat for the tour and you get to go quite a ways back into the mine.  We had a really nice tour guide and he picked our daughter to be his helper during the tour.  This was a nice way to spend a couple of hours and we all had fun there.

Needles Highway

We spent one afternoon driving on the Needles Highway.  If you enjoy scenic views, you'll find no shortage of them there.  So many breathtaking lookouts throughout our drive.  We stopped at the Needles Eye before driving through the tunnel and got out to look around.  We took pictures and my husband and daughter climbed on the rocks (giving me a panic attack when I saw how high up they were...story of my life with those two).  I'd read a lot about this area and thought it would be neat to see.  There are several spots you can pull over and get out to explore a bit or take a hike from one of the trail heads. The Cathedral Spires were gorgeous and if we had a little more time, we would have taken that trail and gone for a hike.

Bear Country USA

We had several people tell us that this was a high point of their South Dakota vacation, so we decided to check it out.  You pay based on how many people are in your vehicle (it was $67 for the four of us) and then follow a path throughout the park.  There are elk, bighorn sheep, reindeer, mountain goats, wolves, mountain lions, and bears just roaming around in the different sections of the park.  You have to keep your windows up at all times because the animals are just roaming around.  We had bears that wandered up within a foot of our truck! You just sit there and wait for them to move continue along the driving path.  At the end of the drive, make sure to stop and go through the walking area of the park too.  It is easy to miss because, but worth the stop. There is a baby bear area and lots of other animals to see up close.  This was a great experience and we would all recommend it!

The Cosmos

This is the one thing I could have done without, but the rest of my family liked it.  It is one of those places where balls seem to roll up hill, you can't stand up straight, and gravity seems to be wonky.  For me, the tour seemed rushed and we didn't really have a lot of time to do the things our guide pointed out.  I am also not one to get car sick or anything like that, but being in the "Mystery House" made me feel like I was going to throw up.  It took me quite awhile after the tour to feel normal again.  My husband and kids were totally fine with it had a great time poking fun at me for not handling the experience well. :)

Evans Plunge

This stop was about 45 minutes out of our way on the way home, but it is a place that I have vivid memories of going to as a kid.  It was literally everything I remembered!  I think the only thing that had changed in the 30 years since I was there, was that they added an outdoor pool and slide.  Everything on the inside seemed exactly the same.  We stayed for a few hours, rode the slides, swung on the rings (except my angry daughter because she didn't meet the 5' height requirement), and just hung out in the water.  I had to beg my 15 year old son, who hates pools, to get out so that we could go home.  He loved trying to make it across the rings and shot baskets on the hoop that was in the water for so long.  One of the things I wondered about before we went, was if the bottom of the pool would still be loose river rock.  It was!  The place is not a big fancy water park, but I know that it will be something my kids always have memories of, just like I do from my childhood trip.

Our trip was quick, but we had a fantastic time. We all agreed that we'd love to go again and do some of the things we didn't have time for.

Disney Cruise - Without the Kids!

Disney Cruise - Without the Kids!

We are seasoned Disney Cruisers, but last fall we cruised a little differently.  We went without our kids!  I got a ton of questions from people before, and after our cruise, on why we'd choose a Disney Cruise if we weren't taking our kids with us.  The answer is simply that no one does it like Disney.  On our very first cruise, we chatted with a couple in their 70's as we waited to get off the ship on our final day.  They had sailed without any kids or grand kids and the woman said to me, "We've sailed every cruise line, and Disney is by far our favorite."  As if loving everything about our week on the Disney Magic wasn't enough, this woman's statement definitely sealed the deal for us.  We knew that we wanted nothing but Disney Cruise Line from here on out.

My husband and I were looking to take a little trip with just the two of us, and having fallen in love with cruises, decided to look at itineraries to see if anything caught our eye.  The service on Disney Cruise Line is absolutely top notch, so it is really hard to pass that up as an option just because we weren't traveling with our kids. It just so happened, that Disney had a brand new itinerary going from New York City (which had been on my travel bucket list for a long time) to Bermuda (which we'd never been to).  It was really appealing because the ship docked in Bermuda for two days, so we'd get some extra time to explore the island.  I immediately emailed my travel agent (find info on that here in Step #5) and booked our trip.

So, what is there for adults to do on a Disney ship?  So much!! We knew about some of these things when we went on prior cruises, but didn't get around to them.  We had so much fun checking out new things on the ship. 

1. Quiet Cove Pool

We've always loved hanging out on the pool decks on the ship, but hadn't ever ventured into the 18+ pool area.  We spent all our time there on our trip and it was amazing.  Pool, hot tubs, bar, Cove Cafe, comfortable chairs overlooking the water, and no children running around or splashing you.  An absolutely great way to soak up some sun and relax.  Take advantage of the Drink of the Day, which is a tropical themed drink, and is lower in price than others. Also, if you are a beer drinker, consider doing the mug program.  You pay around $20 for a 20oz glass mug (they'll give you a plastic mug while at the pool) and then each time you get it refilled, you only pay for a 16oz.  You don't have to carry it around with you everywhere, you turn it in with your poolside waiter or bartender and they'll exchange it for a chip that you'll just keep with you until you want another. At the end of the trip you can take the mug home. We have a nice collection of mugs at our house now. 

2. Nightclubs/Lounges

Each of the Disney ships is themed a little differently, but they all have a nightclub and lounges on board.  On each ship, you may register for wine/beer/liquor tastings, or take a Mixology class and learn how to make a variety of drinks.  They have cooking classes you can attend as well.

We went to several Trivia events in the lounges and had a lot of fun with that.  They give away little prizes and it is an entertaining way to spend some time during the day.  You can check your Navigator each day for a list of available events.

Later at night, you can find Variety Shows, Comedians, Piano Tunes, or DJ's in the nightclubs or lounges.  We enjoyed comedians, costume contests, and variety shows while we were onboard.

We enjoyed just hanging out in the lounges.  Most of the time we'd just grab a drink and sit and visit with each other.  We were able to catch a Denver Broncos game on the ship one day too!

We also love to catch some Bingo while onboard.  This is an additional cost, but it is fun to play!  My husband's name got selected on our trip and he had to go up on stage to help out for a bit.  He got some fun prizes for being a good sport!

 3. Adult Dining Options

On the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic, you can book a reservation at Palo (find more info in #9 of my post here), and on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, you can book reservations at Palo and Remy.  We have always enjoyed getting dressed up and going to Palo. These restaurants are for adults only, require a reservation, are an additional cost, and have a dress code.  

4. Art of the Theme Tour

This was actually one of our favorite parts of the trip.  I'd never noticed it on previous cruises, but will definitely do the tour on each ship we go on in the future.  It is only for 18+ adults and it was such a cool experience.  We started the tour in Palo, which is one of the Adult Dining Restaurants on the ships. Our tour guide took us all over the ship while explaining the thought and planning behind all of the decorations, themes, and all of the little details on the ships.  Disney goes all out when it comes to planning and it was pretty incredible to have the ship details pointed out to us and have them explain the design process.  We've been on three of the ships, and never knew about this until our second trip on the Disney Magic.  The tour lasted about an hour and I'd highly recommend it.

5. Animation Classes

These aren't adults only classes, but we had never done them before.  We went to a couple of the animation classes onboard and had the best time.  We learned how to draw Pluto, Stitch, Jack Skellington, and Sally.  It was fun to have a little friendly competition between the two of us and see who could draw each character the best.  Next time we sail, I'll definitely have the kids join us for one of these classes!

6. Relax and Enjoy!

It definitely was a different experience with just the two of us than it is when we've taken the kids.  Both are amazing, but there is a lot to be said for being able to enjoy a vacation "kid free".  We didn't really have a plan going in to each day, we could just wing it.  We lounged around by the pool, grabbed a snack or a drink when we needed to, went to whatever activity we wanted to do that day, and just had an incredible vacation.