I can remember reading the ‘Little House’ books by Laura Ingalls Wilder over and over again as a child growing up in southwest Iowa. I never tired of Laura’s stories of life on the western frontier. And though I knew Laura’s story was (mostly) true it never occurred to me that I could visit the places […]
Visiting Wall Drug : Prairie Kitsch of Presidential Proportions
Last Updated on August 7, 2019 The signs, at first many miles apart, begin to appear as you cross the border into South Dakota. As your journey continues toward the heart of the prairie, the signs become more frequent. Wall Drug signs As the buildup of signs continues you are drawn to exit I-90 at […]
Otherworldly: Badlands National Park in South Dakota
As I tried to imagine westward settlers viewing this area for the first time, all I could think was that to many it would seem that the flat, grassy prairie gave way to an otherworldly landscape of buttes and bluffs filled with animals they had never seen before.
Be a Part of Your Favorite Childhood Tales at Storybook Land
What is your favorite nursery rhyme or story from childhood? Maybe you dreamed of being a knight or princess in a magical castle. Or did you dream of having a farm like Old MacDonald? Maybe you just wanted to click a pair of shiny red shoes together and be transported like Dorothy? You can step […]
Awesome Animal Adventures for Families
Kids love animals. It’s just a fact. And while zoos are terrific, the opportunity to get ‘up close and personal’ with animals can’t be beat. So where do you go when the kids have outgrown petting zoos? One of these awesome animal adventures might be just the thing! Unique Animal Adventures Kids will Love published […]
Finding Laura Ingalls Wilder in DeSmet, South Dakota – #igtravelthursday
Five of the eight books Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote for the Little House series were written about her life in and around DeSmet, South Dakota. Since reading the books together – and my eldest daughter re-reading them on her own – my girls have wanted to see where Laura lived. So, we began our homeschool […]
Family Travel with Vivienne McNeny on The Sociable Homeschooler – #IGTravelThursday
As some may know, but many don’t, my family homeschools. Our travels have quite a lot to do with that. We were, once, traditional public-school-going folks. But the state we live in has a limit to the number of unexcused absences (anything that isn’t excused by a doctor) and we exceeded those each year. Before […]
You’ll Dig The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota
The Black Hills of South Dakota draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, yet only a small percentage of those visitors even know of the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs – the world’s largest mammoth research facility. But this isn’t just a museum showing you what has been found. The dig continues. And it’s […]
Exploring Aberdeen, South Dakota – #IGTravelThursday
After our fun learning about Laura Ingalls Wilder in DeSmet, the girls and I headed north- to Aberdeen, South Dakota. We couldn’t have asked for a better place to camp than Wylie Park Campground. Play structures dot the park. This one was just outside our camper – which meant I could watch the girls as […]
Exploring Caves at Wind Cave National Park
The Black Hills in South Dakota are famous for their rocks. But some of the most fascinating stones are found nearly 20 stories below ground at Wind Cave National Park near Hot Springs. One of the longest caves in the world, Wind Cave is a terrific family travel destination. While the miles of prairie land […]
