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Travel With Kids: Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse

February 7, 2012 By 10 Comments

Take a trip back to the 1880′s – a wild and dangerous time when covered wagons rolled past mountains and cowboys sang below starry skies.

Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse, located at 5700 West North Loop Road in Chandler Arizona, is open seasonally as a themed amusement park. The premises include a steakhouse, a confection’s shop, a photo emporium, and a number of attractions.

welcome to rawhide Travel With Kids: Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse rawhide steakhouse exterior Travel With Kids: Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse

Our 2-year-old was particularly keen on the train ride, while our 5-year-old appreciated the challenge of panning for gold. Other attractions include burro rides, a stagecoach ride, a rock climbing wall, a petting zoo, and two live shows. Tickets are $5/per attraction or $15 for an unlimited wristband.

dance floor rawhide steakhouse Travel With Kids: Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse shopping for a cowgirl hat Travel With Kids: Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse riding in a wagon rawhide Travel With Kids: Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse

If you’re celebrating something special, we recommend the Steakhouse. Decorated with red-and-white checkered tablecloths and lovely lanterns, the ranch house-style restaurant features steak, ribs, salads, and a children’s menu. Entrees ranges from $15-$28. Kid’s plates are $7 and include fries or fresh fruit, plus soda. Live music accompanies dinner and a dance floor is available for your line-dancing pleasure. “AriZona” was the band on the night we were there and they were outstanding.

rawhide steakhouse interior Travel With Kids: Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse family at rawhide steakhouse Travel With Kids: Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse

salad at rawhide steakhouse Travel With Kids: Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse steak rawhide Travel With Kids: Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse

If you visit in the winter, be sure to bring sweatshirts for after sundown since the town is mostly outdoors. Fortunately, you’ll be able to stop and warm yourself at a number of open fires on property. You can even buy a S’mores kit for $3 and roast marshmallows.

Also – don’t forget your camera as there are plenty of great photo opps!

roughriders show at rawhide Travel With Kids: Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse rawhide events Travel With Kids: Rawhide Western Town and Steakhouse

Rawhide is an especially excellent place to visit for east-coasters and/or people traveling from abroad, but everyone will appreciate experiencing the history of Arizona in living color.

P.S. Rawhide will be celebrating its’ 41st Birthday on February 25-26 2012 – and you’re invited! Free parking. Free admission. Free attractions. Plus, a free hat & bandana for the kids!

Have you ever been to Rawhide? What did you like/not like about it?

* Special thanks to Rawhide for providing town passes and dinner at the steakhouse.

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Travel With Kids: Wenatchee/Leavenworth

August 22, 2011 By 12 Comments

“I haven’t seen this much variety of fresh produce all in one spot for 18,000 miles,” Tim remarked as we nudged our way into the Wenatchee Valley. Produce stands and trees abounded – cherries, apples, apricots, spearmint, peppermint…not to mention farm eggs and local honey.

We stayed at the Wenatchee River County Park, a lovely campground with a sandy beach just a minute walk from our RV. The shade of trees and the summer breeze made it a pleasant place to spend time outdoors.

building sand castles wenatchee Travel With Kids: Wenatchee/Leavenworth sitting in chairs at the beach Travel With Kids: Wenatchee/Leavenworth

One morning, we went exploring at the Ohme Gardens – a pretty haven with waterfalls, emerald waters, stony pathways, and scenic overlooks.

ohme gardens fountain Travel With Kids: Wenatchee/Leavenworth trying on masks at the hat shop Travel With Kids: Wenatchee/Leavenworth

During our stay there, we also drove 20 minutes north to Leavenworth, a Bavarian-themed village nestled in the mountains. We stepped out of our car into a German town. All of the shops & restaurants were “in character” – even national chains like Subway, McDonald’s, and 76 Gas. The girls tried on hats at The Hat Shop and Tim enjoyed a porter and brat at Munchen Haus. [I had morning sickness so I think I'll refrain from talking about food for now]. ;)

bavarian village leavenworth washington Travel With Kids: Wenatchee/Leavenworth leavnworth washington Travel With Kids: Wenatchee/Leavenworth

Our family also had a private tour of The Nutcracker Museum, the world’s largest nutcracker collection. It housed collectibles from as early as the 16th century…all the way up to modern pieces (including Disney favorites – like Snow White and Peter Pan). I hope to take the girls to see The Nutcracker Ballet soon – perhaps this Christmas?

nutcracker musem leavenworth Travel With Kids: Wenatchee/Leavenworth

Have you ever been to Wenatchee and/or Leavenworth? What did you like/not like about it?

* Special thanks to the Wenatchee Valley Visitors Bureau and the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce for providing a campground spot and passes to area attractions.

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Travel With Kids: Spokane

August 20, 2011 By 10 Comments

When I think “Washington State,” I tend to think “rain.” Relentless rain. Grey skies. Days without the yellow glitter of the sunshine.

In reality, however, Washington is much brighter than novels often portray it. Especially eastern and central Washington. Take Spokane, for instance. The city (which is the 2nd largest in Washington) averages 260 days of sunshine per year. The terrain is actually quite dry – crackled yellows rather than heavy greens.

bridge at riverfront park Travel With Kids: Spokane riverfront park skyride Travel With Kids: Spokane tower at riverfront park Travel With Kids: Spokane

Our girls had a delightful time down at Riverfront Park – a large municipal area near downtown that features a kiddie train, a carousel, amusement rides, a fountain, and a giant Radio Flyer wagon that is a slide! Kayla’s favorite ride was the miniature dragon roller coaster and Liv loved the baby bumper boats.

bumper boats riverfront park Travel With Kids: Spokane carousel at riverfront park Travel With Kids: Spokane

Have you ever been to Spokane? What did you like/not like about it?

* Special thanks to the Spokane Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau for providing a campground spot and passes to Riverfront Park.

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Travel With Kids: West Yellowstone

August 12, 2011 By 14 Comments

“We could move HERE for a year,” Tim glanced over at me as we drove into the glory of the state of Montana. I knew he was completely serious. He would like the mountain life – a log home, a sparkling creek, a porch swing, snowy winters, little ones running in the wild flowers, long days of hard work followed by cozy nights under a quilt.

log yellowstone Travel With Kids: West Yellowstone springs yellowstone Travel With Kids: West Yellowstone

We were under the spell of Yellowstone for four nights. Tim’s cousin drove up from New Mexico with his wife and five kids. We all parked at the Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone, Montana (a cozy town with plentiful amenities, just seconds away from the west entrance of the national park).

all seven kids Travel With Kids: West Yellowstone friends at yellowstone Travel With Kids: West Yellowstone

Our entourage of four adults and seven kids drove through the rugged beauty of the park – stopping to admire the might of Old Faithful, the speed of a Grizzly Bear, the magnificence of waterfalls, and the extraordinary colors of nature. It all invokes a certain quiet reverence.

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One afternoon, we visited the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, an animal sanctuary located one block from the park entrance. Afterward, all seven little ones had a blast at the on-site playground.

grizzly and wolf discovery center Travel With Kids: West Yellowstone unreal yellowstone Travel With Kids: West Yellowstone

Then, we wandered around West Yellowstone’s downtown and ate at a pizza joint with sidewalk dining. Later that night, the adults “traded off” going to the Yellowstone IMAX show, a wonderful recap of the park’s history. Also, the theatre sells 50cent soft-serve cones!

Will we move to Montana? It’s possible (but then again, anything’s possible at this point). Will we come back to West Yellowstone? For sure.

Have you ever been to West Yellowstone, MT? What did you like/not like about it?

* Special thanks to the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce for our campground spot and passes to area attractions.

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Home Sweet RV

August 10, 2011 By 22 Comments

When we originally decided to travel the country for a year an RV, we had a choice to make:

choosing an rv Home Sweet RV

In the end, we decided on a 36foot 2001 Cameo by Carriage 5th wheel. It’s relatively spacious, has a pretty decent amount of counter space in the kitchen, PLUS it has a washer & dryer [cue the soundtrack for "Hallelujah"!]. While I wouldn’t exactly say it feels like “home,” it’s definitely doable for our family of four.

the rv life Home Sweet RV

We paid $13,750 for our 5th wheel – a steal (Note that this is our model - selling for over $18K).

We opted for a 5th wheel due to budget and safety considerations. Because we’re pulling our trailer with a truck, our girls spend travel days in their car seats as opposed to “floating around” the cabin in a motorhome.

Throughout August and September, I’ll be working with the American Chemistry Council to share some ways that plastics help make our trip possible.  For example, many of the products that keep us safe on the road are made of plastic components – bumpers, windshields, seat belts, air bags, even car seats! Plus, we use a variety of other durable, shatter-resistant and reusable plastic products everyday to make our trip more convenient, easy, and fun.

Would you ever consider traveling for a year via RV? Another idea is to rent an RV for a week or a month! We just met a family who does that every summer!

 I am participating in a compensated program by Plastics Make it Possible® in partnership with the American Chemistry Council and Ogilvy PR. 

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Travel With Kids: Rapid City

August 8, 2011 By 9 Comments

“We could easily stay here a whole week,” Tim said as we drove back after a full day of spectacular outdoor sightseeing. I nodded my head in weary, happy agreement.

Mount Rushmore was positively majestic. We walked along the President’s Trail, took photos, and awed at the handiwork of the artist.

family shot mount rushmore Travel With Kids: Rapid City relaxing at mount rushmore Travel With Kids: Rapid City

Afterward, we took a scenic, uphill route to Custer State Park. The road was a bit terrifying with one-lane tunnels (“sound horn as you enter”), but it was an adrenaline rush. Tim was like a kid in a candy shop. Apparently, we’ve been doing far too many tourist-y attractions and not enough outdoor adventures.

We winded around the Wildlife Loop in Custer Park, stopping to snap photos of bison (tons of them!) and wild donkeys. A donkey actually passed by my window and I touched it’s speckled gray mane.

beautiful prairie custer state park Travel With Kids: Rapid City wild gray donkey custer state park Travel With Kids: Rapid City

That night, we sang and swayed along to some fine country music at the Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper & Show. The fiddler was particularly outstanding. The food? Not so much. But the music made up for it, especially the rousing tribute to America’s armed forces. I belted out “Proud to Be an American” with glistening eyes. Such a great country we live in.

me and old car fort hays chuckwagon2 Travel With Kids: Rapid City kids in the car fort hays chuckwagon Travel With Kids: Rapid City

We also took the girls to Storybook Island, a free park in Rapid City. The entire property is themed with book characters – Snow White, Pinnochio, Jack & Jill, Santa Claus, Dr. Seuss, etc. There’s also an on-site Children’s Theater ($1/ticket), snack bars, and a miniature train. Great concept.

storybook island wizard of oz Travel With Kids: Rapid City pinnochio storybook island Travel With Kids: Rapid City

Next time we visit, we’re making a point to see Crazy Horse, Rushmore Cave, and the Soaring Eagle Zipline.

Have you ever been to Rapid City? What did you like/not like about it?

* Special thanks to the Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau for providing a campground spot and passes to area attractions.

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Travel With Kids: Rochester

August 1, 2011 By 18 Comments

mayo building Travel With Kids: RochesterRochester, Minnesota is a city that surprised me. I expected a tiny town with nothing to do…but found an active place with a peppy, modern downtown.

The heartbeat of this Minnesota city (which is just 1.5 hours south of Minneapolis) is the Mayo Clinic, a not-for-profit medical group and medical research group. Mayo Clinic Rochester employs approximately 30,000 people, roughly 30% of the population. Known for innovative care, cutting edge research, and putting patients first, Mayo Clinic maintains its high level of care by keeping doctors on salary. Interestingly, many of our U.S. presidents have either been patients at or trustees for Mayo.

We spent a fair share of time downtown, a lively place with restaurants, shops, hospitals, music, and festivals every Thursday in the summer. There is a two-story Barnes & Noble that is housed in a historic theater – a great nook for reading and wandering.

barnes and noble rochester MN Travel With Kids: Rochester downtown rochester minnesota Travel With Kids: Rochester

On Thursday evening, I met up with blogger Jenny Nash for a Girls Night Out at Jasper’s Alsatian Bistro, where we shared a pizza topped with caramelized onions & applewood bacon. We chatted the night away for 3 1/2 hours! Jenny is a gem – smart, fun, thoughtful, and gorgeous at 7 months pregnant.

jenny nash and stephanie sheaffer Travel With Kids: Rochester

On Friday, our family took a spin on Silver Lake in an electric paddleboat with our 4-year-old as the driver. Afterward, we oohed and awed at Jenpachi Japanese Steakhouse, where the chefs create mouthwatering dishes on a stainless steel flat stove in front of you. Our girls were frightened at first by the fire, but then enjoyed the show immensely. The fried rice was especially outstanding.

jenpachi japanese steakhouse Travel With Kids: Rochester fried rice at jenpachi japanese Travel With Kids: Rochester using chopsticks jenpachi japanese Travel With Kids: Rochester filet mignon jenpachi japanese Travel With Kids: Rochester

Have you ever been to Rochester, MN? What did you like/not like about it?

* Special thanks to the Rochester MN Convention & Visitors Bureau for providing a campground spot and  passes to area attractions.

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