On our state-by-state adventure, we love visiting quaint national park sites that allow us to enjoy magnificent locations without the crowds. While the popular national parks around the country are certainly worth visiting, there are many national park sites that fly under the radar. And although we haven’t yet explored them all, we’ve been to more than 100 NPS sites, giving us some insight into the variety and scope of what’s out there. This list offers options that appeal to nature lovers and history buffs alike. So no matter your interests, we think these are some quaint national park sites not to miss when you’re out adventuring around the states.
National Parks
Can You Travel to Hawaii on a Budget?
Hawaii is an alluring destination that draws visitors from all over the world. But can you travel to Hawaii on a budget? Before going to Hawaii, we discussed several ideas for exploring the state as cheap as possible because we obviously weren’t driving our travel trailer there. Everything from backpacking the perimeter of O’ahu to work camping on the Big Island came up. In the end, we decided to get a small vacation rental to use as our base camp to explore the Big Island.
Juneau, Alaska: A Comprehensive Visitor’s Guide
After putting off our trip to Alaska for a couple of years because of the Canadian border closure and other nonsense going on in the world, we finally decided to forgo making the drive up the Alaska Highway and just fly to Juneau. Ironically, this was our 49th state capital to see and also the 49th state capital to join the lower 48. Because we’re not particularly fond of cold weather, our trip happened in August. This is one of the warmest months to visit the area. The weather was incredible for our trip, making the experience better than we could have imagined.
This Juneau, Alaska, visitor’s guide will help you plan your trip to this unique capital city, explaining how to get to Juneau, what to do while you’re there, and other details that can help you make the most of your state-by-state adventure.
Full-Time RV Life With Kids: Camp Hosting Pros and Cons
Have you ever considered becoming a camp host or doing some work camping? Are you concerned that having kids might make you a less desirable candidate? In this article I will discuss some of the camp hosting pros and cons and how having kids affects these opportunities.
Camp hosting and work camping are not the same thing exactly. Camp hosting means that you are responsible for duties within the campground exclusively, while work camping may involve other duties, such as maintenance of facilities or working in the office. As a camp host, you will most likely be responsible for cleaning campsites, enforcing campground rules, and other camp related duties.
A Short Trip to Tucson With Kids
Sometimes, a place you visit is exactly as you expect it will be, other times, it completely surprises you. On a short trip to Tucson, you will discover that it does a little of both. Hills of Saguaro cacti greet your eye from just about any way you arrive. They can stand up to 100-feet high and live for around 100 years, maybe more.
This is one of the largest cities in Arizona and has lots of fun, family-friendly things to do. Whether you’re looking for outdoor adventure or indoor entertainment, this is a great place to take the family. The following is a small list of fun things to do for a short trip to Tucson with kids.
10 Reasons to Love Minnesota
Traveling through America takes us to some pretty amazing places. Every state in this beautiful country has something unique to offer. From beaches to forests, skyscrapers to historic sites, the US has it all. We often get asked “where is your favorite place?” This question is rather impossible to answer because we love so many places that we have been. Here are our 10 reasons to love Minnesota (not necessarily in order).
10 Best National Parks to Hike With Kids
Basically any National Park you choose to hike with your kids will be amazing. You just really can’t go wrong where National Parks are concerned. This being said, there are some parks that are more suited to hiking with the kiddos than others. Perhaps you’re wondering what exactly makes a National Park great for hiking with kids. Well, please read on to find out the 10 best National Parks to hike with kids.
Arkansas: An Unexpected Adventure
Have you ever imagined yourself on vacation in Arkansas? I know I certainly never had. Then we traveled through the state in our RV, and I realized what a great place it is. Especially for families.
What to Expect in Arkansas
Picture yourself in Arkansas. Now what do you see? Hear? Smell? Anything? Anyone?
OK, so maybe some people have an idea of what Arkansas is like. For Example, the people from Arkansas or maybe even those from neighboring states. But let’s be honest, most people don’t really think much about Arkansas.
However, you should because it is such a beautiful place. I was amazed by the incredible landscape here. Every place on Earth has a beauty to it, in Arkansas it included things like:
- Trees
- Parks
- Rivers
- Hills
- Mountains
- Lakes
Even though I had no idea what to expect when we got to Arkansas, this was not it. You might be thinking, so what everywhere has trees, and you are right, but the scenery here is just magnificent. Follow our adventure to find out where we stayed, what we did, and where we ate in Arkansas.
Exploring Hot Springs Arkansas With Kids
As I am sure you know, Hot Springs Arkansas is home to Hot Springs National Park. What you might not know, is that it is also home to the Mid America Science Museum. Both of these destinations are incredibly fun to explore with kids.
Exploring Oklahoma’s National Parks with Kids
There are three National Park Service sites in the state of Oklahoma. Each one of Oklahoma’s National Parks provide a unique and interesting experience. They also provide a glimpse into the history of this unpredictable land.
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site
The visitors center in Washita is fairly new and is a great place to begin exploring the area. Watch the video shown here because it really explains it’s importance historically. Explore the museum, it is small, but does a great job showing what happened at the site.
Once you have finished drive down the road a short distance. There is a wonderful self guided walking tour of the battlefield. Make sure to grab the book available at the entrance to the trail. It will help you to understand the event that occurred at this site. Take turns reading it aloud as you walk the trail, there are numbers in the book that correlate with numbers along the trail.
Although what happened here was very tragic, it is an important part of American history. Children, as well as adults, can learn from our nations past mistakes. It is a beautiful landscape and once you see it you might understand why the Native American Tribes fought so hard to keep it natural. The trail is easy, our six year old had no problem walking the entire length.
