During our trip to South Dakota we stayed in the Black Hills area. We camped at a Boy Scout Camp called Medicine Mountain. Luckily it was not far from the beautiful Custer State Park! I love this park and was so glad to get take my kids there. Now the hard job of figuring out which of my many pictures to show you!
Reptile Gardens. Man I remember that place. I went when I was a kid so probably late 80’s and again in the 90’s. I know I totally just aged myself. But I remember it was a fun time. I remember riding on a giant tortoise, the pretty flowers, the reptiles. So when we found out we were going to South Dakota I just knew I had to take my kids.
Oh and how it did not disappoint. I loved seeing all the different flowers and birds in the botanical garden area.
My daughter loved seeing all the tropical birds and the beautiful flowers! I loved the vibrant colors of them. There was just one thing though- this guy:
Wow! What a crazy July! My son’s birthday, baseball tournaments, and our annual family adventure. This year it took us up to mountains. Ok to me they are mountains compared to the mass flatness of corn that we have hear. But either way you look at it- South Dakota is a beautiful state to visit. This year we visited the southwest corner of their state. And God, could I go back there in a heart beat!
Our first stop we made was more like a drive through. The Badlands. A place were you can see the perfect formations caused by weathering and erosion. God’s beautiful handi work all around. But sorry- man was it hot! Ok enough of that.
This weekend as a weekend of family fun. We went back in time. And honestly that has more meaning to the Popo and I then the title holds!
We took our kids to a place I hold fond memories of. For those just joining in I do civil war reenacting. The event that started it all, was here at Stuhr Museum. But that isn’t all:
This is area of the museum I met my husband for the first time! We were at a reenactment here and one of my friends rode up to my friend and I with my husband. So Stuhr holds a special place in my heart- it is where I have met many good friends, and The Popo. But I love not only for that but for the History!
This summer we decided to do a little bit of a staycation. You know- I have lived in the state of Nebraska all my life, but in a city of Omaha. It wasn’t until we moved out west that I realized there is so much more to do and see in Nebraska then just what is in our cities. So this summer I wanted to show you some of that and we spent a few days in North Platte.
Now you may have noticed me posting about different attractions but I wanted to let you know how I found those attractions and talk about a few other things we found to do as well. When I was trying to find something for our family this summer I came across the Visit North Platte Website. There I was able to find things to do, both free and otherwise, places to stay, and restaurants that were there. It was a big help when planning our little weekend getaway.
The Platte River. Full of sand and during the spring Sandhill Cranes flock for the biggest migration that is known for world wide. But there is a bunch of other things you can do. Like swimming, maybe having a picnic on one of the many sandbars. Or Tanking!
If you haven’t heard of tanking you are not alone. I have never heard of tanking until I moved out from the city. So when I was looking up things to do on our trip to North Platte, I knew tanking was something we needed to look into.
Dusty Trails was the place I found that could help us do just that. When looking at their site I found they can do horse trail rides, tanking, canoes, tubing, kayaking, and they say a zipline is coming soon. So if you are looking for adventures it sounds like contacting them is the way to go! Since we own horses and can ride anytime we opted for the tanking this time around.
While traveling we love trying to through some sort of History in for our kids. For those who are just recently following. Our family does Civil War reenacting and the hubby used to do WWII reenacting. We haven’t had a chance to get out much though with his new job. So when we travel- we try visiting historical places.
While on our trip to North Platte we stopped at the Buffalo Bill State Rec Area. There you can not only camp, or hook up your RV and take a stroll along the Platte River. But you can tour one of the stopping places of Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show. Here he owned 4000 acres and called this home of his Scouts Rest Ranch. The park and house site sits on 25 acres of the original 4000 acre plot.
Ok you train enthusiasts. Here is something fun for you. Gold Spike Tower, home near Bailey Yard the largest rail yard in the nation. Where they service over 300 engines a day, and over 10,000 cars (about 150+ trains) come through a DAY. On our adventures in North Platte we started one morning with touring this beautiful and fun place! Now where to start with the pictures. I only have 59 of them from here! That is how beautiful the views were. But here are some of my favorites:
Ok so maybe we didn’t sleep in. The kids wish we could have let them sleep longer but the Popo wanted to go to Dunkin Donuts since we do not have one near us.
While on our trip we had the pleasure of staying at a Super 8 in North Platte. This hotel was easy to access from the interstate was close to all the attractions so it was a good spot to stay! Check in was quick and easy and the people there were friendly. The lobby was nice and clean and very welcoming as well. Once we checked in we went straight to the rodeo before going to our room. It was shortly after 10 by the time we finally saw our room. It was a non smoking with two beds- however they were just full size so mental note for myself- make sure to get a room with queen size! The popo and I had an interesting time sharing a full size bed when we are used to a king size.
It is officially summer time! I love that my job allows me to be off during the summer with the kids! It makes doing fun things easier to do. This summer we have a few things planned.
Instead of traveling any place to far we will be doing more of a Staycation this year. We will be going to a nearby city that I honestly can say I have never been to in all my years living in this state! I can not wait to go! We will be seeing a rodeo, touring a couple of places. It is just a little 2 day getaway this year but it will still be fun!
We also have some camps planned for the kids. One will be to a church camp, and then the other is just your VBS that you see around towns/cities. Then my son has cub scout camp. Lots of camps! We are also hoping to do some camping of our own at a reenactment (hopefully).