Category: Featured Destination

Fun Adventures in San Antonio with Kids

Post author By Jess
Post date May 11, 2016
4 Comments on Fun Adventures in San Antonio with Kids

We had never been to San Antonio before this spring, but had heard it was a favorite city of many of our friends. Expecting to act like a tourist, I contacted the San Antonio Visitor’s Bureau and they graciously provided us with Passports which included free admission to many of the top attractions in the city. Although there are FAR too many activities to do in just one week, @livinginthemomentum and we did a pretty good job trying!

When We Visited: March 21 – 28, 2016

Ages of Kids: 10, 8, 5

Where We stayed: We stayed at the San Antonio KOA so we could be 15 minutes from downtown. We chose one of the non-paved driveway spots (because we are cheapskates) and were lucky enough to also be joined by @joehendricks and his family for a few days in addition to Momentum who was parked on the other side of the campground.

Photo Credit: @joehendricks

The Alamo, Tower of the Americas, Hemisfair Park

The day after we arrived, we journeyed downtown in the afternoon to explore. Our first stop was none other than the famous Alamo. There’s an introduction video which was pretty good at explaining the events surrounding the attack on the Alamo (spoiler alert! The Mexican army wins!), and then we were able to see the inside and walk around the grounds. While the inside was beautiful, my kids were quickly bored with reading the displays and begged to go outside.

We did find a gentleman in the amphitheater who told us about the many guns and weapons the soldiers fighting at the Alamo had used. He was awesome and kept the kids entertained for 15-20 minutes.

After the Alamo, we walked over to the Tower of the Americas. There’s a 4D movie at the ground level, and then you can ride the elevator up to the top for sweeping views of the city. I know it was spring, but I’m still shocked at how GREEN everything was. Super beautiful from up in the tower! The kids did okay in the movie – 4D is not generally their favorite but they gave it a go. At one point a rattlesnake strikes out at you, and I felt the seats jerked around unnecessarily for effect but overall it was fun.

Once done with that, we went to the Hemisfair Park where we had been tipped off about a really great playground. It was no joke! The kids could have spent all day here. Ping pong tables, life-sized chess boards, an awesome climbing play structure, and the weather was warm enough the splash pad was turned on! We hadn’t expected this and didn’t have our suits, but the kids stripped down as best they could and ran around getting soaked anyway!

Sea World San Antonio

A few years ago, the kids, grandma, and I took a spontaneous spring break trip to San Diego, CA to visit Sea World there. Since it had been a few years (and they kids really loved it) I was excited to check out Sea World San Antonio. Learning from our mistake earlier in the week of not packing swimsuits, we made sure to grab ours this time as I knew there was a splash park. We also packed lunch & snacks in a small cooler and just planned on buying dinner or late afternoon snacks depending on how long we ended up staying.

Parking is $20, but no hassle to get in, and then we were able to pick up our complimentary tickets from one of the kiosks. Love it when parks have these as it sure beats waiting in line!

Since it was just the kids and I, and we are past needing a stroller I also splurged at spent $15 on a locker for all day. One we could get in and out of as needed and located centrally in the park. We stashed our lunch cooler and swimsuits to come back and get later.

Our first stop was the Beluga Whale show. The trainers did a great job of explaining and showing us various characteristics of these incredible animals. This show was definitely designed to be informative rather than pure entertaining which I actually liked a lot.

After the show we ate our lunch quick and the kids changed into their swimsuits for the splash park! Honestly, I think they could have just stayed in the Sesame Street Bay of Play all day. There are definitely cheaper ways to visit a splash pad and playground, so after an hour or so I dragged them away to another show.

Sea World does a great job of spacing their shows out so that its easy enough to hit most of them. The kids loved Sea Lion High – a comedy where the sea lions are trying to finish up their high school subjects so they can graduate on time. Lots of fun and laughter!

Azul is a beautiful show involving acrobatics, humor, high divers, and the beautiful dolphins and beluga whales. The kids were on the edges of their seats almost the entire time!

Very last we watched Shamu and the other Killer Whales. I know there is a lot of controversy surrounding these animals and I’m not getting into that, but Cara LOVED seeing these beautiful mammals. However, the kids were fairly bored with the show itself. There was a lot of swimming around and splashing the audience, and I think I would have preferred a large aquarium where we could just sit and watch them rather than a performance.

In addition to the shows, we also rode some of the rides! The Eel of Steel has me firmly convinced I’m too old to ride roller coasters. It has a 150 foot drop that nearly killed me. Okay, not really and my older two kids loved it, but I’m good to never ride it again! We also rode The Great White – which is a suspension roller coaster, and Atlantis which is a log flume type ride with a giant drop and lots of splashing. I’m grateful that my two older kids are able to ride by themselves so we can switch off hanging out with Cara! I posted on IG that riding the Shamu the Whale roller coaster in the Bay of Play with Cara was definitely more my speed.

We had a great day, but overall I was actually slightly disappointed. I felt the Sea World in California does a better job of including other types of sea animals (starfish petting pond, Manta Ray tanks, etc.). They could do such a better job of education and discovery of sea life with some good aquarium-like exhibits! We LOVE visiting aquariums and for an establishment that is “sea world” and sounds all inclusive, the animals included are only a tiny slice of what actually lives in the oceans.

Grateful for our time and the kids and I had a blast, but I’m not sure we’ll go again anytime soon.

San Antonio Mission Trail

San Antonio has a Hike & Bike trail that stretches from downtown to Mission Espada. We didn’t have time to ride the entire thing, so we started at Mission Concepion and biked to Mission San Jose and back. It was a good 8 miles round trip, and the kids did great! I’m pretty sure this was our favorite thing we did in San Antonio, and best of all its FREE!

Riding along the San Antonio River was beautiful! We had some cloud cover in the morning which helped keep the temperatures cooler, and although it was a Saturday we didn’t feel overcrowded. The key was getting out early!

This park is right at the turn off for Mission San Jose. It was a perfect break for the kids, and the adults even got in on the fun.

Mission San Jose – sometimes playing in dirt is more interesting than old buildings! We passed off our Jr. Ranger books here after exploring, and also had a quick lunch on the picnic tables outside before riding home.

If you don’t have a bike, no problem! There were bike rental stations like this all along the Mission Trail, so there’s no excuse to get out there an enjoy it!

Hanging with Friends

We knew there were quite a few other full time families in the area (besides the 3 of us that were already at the KOA) so we put together a pot-luck dinner Saturday night before we left. We swam in the pool, colored Easter Eggs, ate great food, had an Easter Egg hunt, and generally enjoyed being together. San Antonio is a great place to meet up with friends as there is so much to do in the are. Definitely something for everyone!

Photo Credit: @joehendricks

The Riverwalk & Riverboat Cruise

We hadn’t had time to see the famous riverwalk, so we extended at the KOA for one more day so we could go down there Monday evening for Family Night. Our eventual goal was to take the Riverboat Cruise, but we decided to walk downtown instead of trying to park there. We parked up by the locks at Brooklyn Avenue, and were able to find a spot on the street. From there it was a pleasant, one mile walk to downtown, the riverboat cruise, shops, and restaurants.

The Riverboat Cruise was informative and gave us a great overview of the area. San Antonio has done a great job of developing the downtown area with a variety of restaurants, malls, and other shops. Since we weren’t planning on eating dinner, and shopping is a pain with small children, we grabbed some ice cream after the cruise and then walked back to our truck. We had a very pleasant evening and highly recommend staying down there until dark!

San Antonio Zoo

Momentum stayed a few extra days in San Antonio while we ran up to Austin to catch a few other traveling friends before they left town. While we were gone they were able to visit the San Antonio Zoo, and loved it! Lots of animals, outdoor play and even a train to ride. Although they only had a few hours, Margaret Leigh said it was a fabulous zoo!

The DoSeum – San Antonio’s Museum for Kids

I’m kicking myself for NOT visiting the DoSeum. We had plans to visit the Thinkery in Austin the following week, so this got cut from the schedule, but from Momentum’s report the children’s museum in San Antonio is better! Combination science center and play it looked absolutely fabulous. Her kids were disappointed they only had an hour to play and could have stayed much, much longer!

That’s our wrap up for San Antonio! We had a great week, and although it was exhausting I feel like we did a variety of activities and were able to see a lot of what the city has to offer.
Have you ever been to San Antonio? What did we miss?

For more fun things to do in San Antonio, check out these other blog posts by traveling friends of ours:

11 Kid Friendly Things to do in San Antonio by Take That Exit

Family Fun in San Antonio by Bareneckers

Backpacking Featured Destination Georgia National Parks

Backpacking on Cumberland Island National Seashore

Post author By Sam
Post date April 28, 2016

Backpacking on Cumberland Island National Seashore

After spending months wandering around Florida, we were starting to miss our summer backpacking adventures. After some research on The Outbound, Jess found Cumberland Island, located in Georgia, just North of the Florida border. Although we could do just a day trip, we kind of have a thing for camping on islands (see here and here) and it sounded like fun!

When we visited: March 3-5, 2016

Ages of kids: 10, 8, and 5

We actually had planned starting this trip a day earlier, but we ran into truck trouble. Our starter died, making it impossible to leave Savannah, Georgia the night before. We got on the road with a fixed truck the next day, but our two-day reservations had only one day remaining. We drove down to the little town of St. Marys, Georgia and set about finding a legal place to spend the night.

We decided to call the local police non-emergency number, and ask if there was any place where we could park. The dispatcher had an officer of some sort call us, and we explained our plans for backpacking and a need to park the Airstream. The officer was very helpful, and directed us to the long parking places along the waterfront, usually used to park boat trailers. She also assured us that there would be no trouble spending the night there.

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In the morning, we set about finishing our packing, and trying to work out the details of our stay. Only one night of our original 1 day reservation remained, and we knew that most of the campgrounds were fully booked. I went to check in to the ferry, and asked about the possibility of finding a spot in a backcountry campsite for a second night. The cashiers for the ferry and the park are right next to each other, since you cannot camp on the park without having both a campsite AND a ferry ride. Both cashiers were very helpful, and within a few minutes I secured a site and changed our return ferry ride.

Note: The ferry people are INCREDIBLY difficult to get on the phone. While you need to make camping reservations over the phone first with the NPS (camping information available here), you can reserve the ferry online on their website here.

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We had made an additional day of meals the night before, hoping for the second night. We threw in the additional food, and made the short hike down the sidewalk to the ferry. We pre-loaded our camping gear on the ferry, followed by a brief orientation by the park service before boarding. The main point of the orientation was to make it clear that you had to get yourself back to the ferry on time to get a trip back home.

The ferry ride was about 45 minutes, which was just long enough to be interesting but not too long to become boring.

Upon unloading our gear and stashing it by the ranger station, we headed off on a short day hike, and immediately came face to face with one of the island’s wild residents.

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Cumberland Island is home to a few hundred feral horses, descendants of the horses kept by one of the various estates on the island.

About a mile walk from the ranger station are the Dungeness Ruins, a mansion abandoned and later destroyed in a fire. Since the ruins were the opposite direction from our campsite, we decided to walk down here first before heading north. Walking through the gates an imagining what this house must have looked like was a neat experience.

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The size of this estate was incredible, and gave us an interesting introduction to the mixed history of this island. We explored a bit, and began working on the Junior Ranger pamphlets we had picked up right after we got off the ferry.

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After we hiked back to the ranger station, we occupied the now-empty rocking chairs on the porch as we had a little lunch. We also topped off our water, as the campsites we were staying at did not have clean water sources. Cara was rocking some ridiculously cute braids, courtesy of Jess.

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With shouldered packs, we set off to find our first campsite at Stafford Beach. Our 4 mile segment was beautiful, winding through spanish moss draped trees and dense palmettos. This terrain was certainly different than our previous hikes in Tennessee and on the shores of Lake Superior.

We were delighted to discover a great campsite at Stafford Beach that had trees for hanging the hammock. We don’t always hike the hammock in with us, but I was quite grateful that we did this time.

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After a good rest and dinner, we headed out to the beach for some exploration. Of all the beachcombing we have done, this was our very first beach visit with horseshoe crab shells. Sea-foam, shells, and a beautiful sunset made it a very pleasant evening.

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We slept well, but received a decent amount of rain overnight. We all sleep in a single tent that does not function very well in heavy rain, and nearly everything was a little bit wet the next morning. We set everything out to dry, but most of our stuff was packed still damp to the next camp, where we would set everything out yard sale style to dry in the gentle breeze.

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Our next campsite was at Hickory Hill, almost 3 miles further North. That distance was covered pretty quickly, and we immediately unpacked our wet gear and spread it out to dry. Our destination for the day was further along, but we would return for the night and only carry day-packs the rest of the way.

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We set out for Plumb Orchard, a ‘cottage’ on the island that was still standing. The Park Service offers tours of the building, provided you can get yourself there. We day hiked an additional 3 miles there before enjoying lunch in the shade of the ancient trees on the grounds of this mansion. It was considered a cottage only because of the size and magnificence of the Dungeness Mansion that we had visited the day prior. Really, this house was something spectacular.

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The majestic exterior was matched by equally beautiful interior rooms. In spite of the previous tour being packed, our tour time was attended by just our family, and we were treated to a wonderful personal tour of the house. Jess even had a hand playing the grand piano in one of the rooms decorated with one of a kind lamps and mounted game.

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We spent an hour touring the house, marveling at the indoor plumbing, the inside swimming pool, and the sheer number of rooms available for guests to come and stay. After our tour, we filled up our water bottles from the potable water available at the house, and set off to hike the 3 miles back to our campsite at Hickory Hill. Along the way, we spotted a few more horses roaming their island home.

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Our evening was peaceful and fairly quiet, the kids being tired enough to rest and read after our many logged miles. No rain fell on us that night, and we slept soundly.

Our next morning, we had our longest hike yet. We hiked nearly 7 miles from Hickory Hill to Sea Camp and the ranger station. I should mention that Hickory ‘Hill’ was indeed slightly higher than sea level, but a only a few feet. The entire hike was essentially flat, which our tired feet appreciated.

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We relaxed on the beach at Sea Camp for a few hours after arrival while waited for the ferry, and spent some time finishing up our Junior Ranger Books. We really enjoy earning Junior Ranger badges, and Jess and I learn plenty as well. Having activities for the kids can help distract them from their tired muscles, and usually improve attitudes.

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Remember how we had prepared an extra day of meals in case we could extend another night? We threw those meals in before we left, but we had completely forgotten to add extra snacks for that second day. We normally bring along small snacks that we eat while hiking and in between meals. With no snacks included for that second day, we cut it pretty close, food-wise. We rationed our snacks pretty well across both days, and we fared well enough. By the time we were ready to board the ferry, we had eaten every scrap of food we had. Nobody was in serious want for food, but we were all just a little hungry.

Our hiking milage added up to 13 miles of hiking with packs, and an additional 8 miles of day hikes for a total of 21 miles over three days. I couldn’t have been more proud of my kids for their great hiking and (mostly) good attitudes.

I pulled out my wallet and bought 5 refrigerated Snickers Bars from the guy on the ferry. They didn’t last long.

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While we absolutely LOVED our time on the island, if we were to do it all over again we might camp at Sea Camp the entire time and bring our bikes to explore the island. Cumberland island is so flat that often I was wondering why we were hiking when bikes would be so much faster? There is a concessionaire on the island to rent adult bikes, but the information that we received was that the ferry is now letting people bring their own bikes (something we didn’t think they allowed). For sure call to double-check everything with the rangers before you make your plans!

Up Next: It Rains in Florida and Dashes All Hopes of Boogie Boarding One Last Time

Featured Destination Florida National Parks On the Water

Canoeing Nine Mile Pond in Everglades National Park

Post author By Sam
Post date March 7, 2016
3 Comments on Canoeing Nine Mile Pond in Everglades National Park

Visiting the Everglades has been a travel goal for some time. Despite setting a goal to make it there, we had somehow managed to not spend much time researching our options.

We planned to spend a few days there in our usual slow travel style. Our early research indicated that we should get good verizon service at the Flamingo campground, and that would provide the needed opportunity to work.

Upon arrival I set about trying to configure my assortment of antennas and booster technology to secure the expected signal. Try as I might, I could not manage any usable signal. A few tests from the truck (also outfitted with a booster) in sections of the Flamingo area also failed to find a usable signal.

Without good signal, our visit was going to be much shorter. Our real goal of the visit was to get out and experience the everglades from a boat. There were boat tours available, but what really interested us was a canoe rental. Rentals were available right there in the marina, but also at a lake back up the road called Nine Mile Pond. This pond contained a canoe trail marked by poles along the way, and promised paddling through mangrove forests as well as the open glade.

We picked this option, and set about making it happen. We ended up renting two canoes from the concessionaire near the Flamingo Visitor Center. Unfortunately, a large group beat us to the rentals already located at the pond, so we paid an extra $45 to have two canoes transported up there. Frustrating, but worth it.

We arrived at the pond with life jackets and paddles, and retrieved the canoes from the concessionaire. In just a minute we were in the water, paddling across a small lake to the start of the trail.

As we followed the trail out of the lake, we immediately plunged into the mangroves. We became immediately grateful for two things. First, the trail markers. All long the canoe trail were poles stuck in the ground. Each marker bore a number which could help us choose the right direction as we paddled. Without those markers, it would have been impossible to find our way through (or out!) of those mangrove forests.

Padding through mangroves is beautiful, but the paddling trail was often narrow and often turned quite sharply. Thus, the second thing we became grateful for: mangrove roots. The roots of the mangrove trees grow out from the trunk of the tree above the waterline, and grow outward before plunging down into the water. The result of this root growth pattern is a natural ‘bumper’ of sorts that made paddling a little easier. When we missed a turn or edged too close to the trees, the natural edge created by the roots prevented us from paddling too far under the trees.

The mangrove forest eventually broke apart, and we found ourselves in more open sections of the glade. Glades are sunny, open areas in a forest. The Everglades are named for this, with plenty of open glade areas that stretch far into the distance. At the midpoint of our paddle, we came into a large glade that was a wonderful cross between a meadow and a lake. The area was covered with water shallow enough to allow grasses to grow. From near the waterline, it looked as though the meadow was grassy and solid enough to walk across it. Instead, we got to paddle through it.

The meadow contained a shortcut that allowed us to cut our paddle in half. We took the shortcut and had a snack, and then headed continued along the trail back to the truck.

It is hard to describe just how beautiful and unique this adventure was. At times like this, I’m really grateful that Jess captures so many wonderful scenes during our adventures. As you consider my description and compare it with her pictures, I’m sure you’ll agree.

I’m reasonably good paddling a canoe, but Jess struggles when conditions are difficult. On the second half of our paddle, She really hit her stride, and was navigating through the mangroves like a pro. I even had the chance to teach a few new paddling strokes to Rachel, who was in the front of my boat. Cara sat in the middle between Rachel and I, and took turns paddling in the more open spots.

The shortcut made our paddle the perfect length at just under two hours. With that adventure completed, we headed back to pick up the Airstream and head back into the land of signal. I look forward to a time where better timing (and/or better signal) allow us to visit the Everglades longer. Despite our short visit, I cherish the adventure we had.

Tags Canoeing Everglades, Everglades National Park, Find Your Park

Backpacking Featured Destination Florida National Parks

Family Camping in Dry Tortugas National Park

Post author By Jess
Post date January 18, 2016
17 Comments on Family Camping in Dry Tortugas National Park

Want to visit a remote, beautiful island on your next family vacation? Check out Dry Tortugas National Park! You can camp, explore, snorkel, and even earn a Jr. Ranger badge!

Dinner seemed to be running late, but since no one was paying any attention to the time, I’m not sure that it mattered. The kids and I were gathered around the picnic table reminiscing about our incredible day as Sam loosely monitored our sizzles sausages on the BBQ.

“Mom! Do you remember that really cool parrot fish I saw?” Andrew asks.
“Or what about purple coral?” Rachel chimes in.

We had spent all day snorkeling and playing in the water in Dry Tortugas National Park – which is small group of islands located 70 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida. It is arguably the hardest National Park to visit as its only accessible by private boat, public ferry, or sea plane. The logistical difficulty only enhances its magical appeal. Crystal clear waters, coral beds, nesting birds, and a Civil War era Fort lead to plenty of exploration and excitement while visiting.

After dinner we set off to explore Fort Jefferson until the sun went down before laying on our sleeping pads listening to our audio book as we fell asleep exhausted from a day full of playing hard.

When We Visited: Dec. 30, 2015 – Jan. 1, 2016

Ages of Kids: 5, 8, 10

Where We Parked the Airstream: There’s really no good option. All places to stay in the Key’s are expensive so we made a reservation at Boyd’s RV Park for Dec 29 – Jan 2. Since we had to get up so early for the ferry it was great to be close by, and we didn’t get back on the 1st until the afternoon and having a place to unpack and get settled back in the Airstream before driving the following day was also nice. I just wish it hadn’t cost us $100/night.

Choosing to camp in the Dry Tortugas may seem like a daunting proposition, but with a little preparation it can be one of the best experiences you’ll ever have as a family.

Camping Logistics

Book Early

The Yankee Freedom III is the only authorized ferry concessionaire and takes out a limited number of campers per day (when we went it was 10). If you have a large group (or family) booking early ensures you can all go out at the same time. You can stay up to 3 nights which is well worth it!

Taking the Ferry

We had to have our gear at the dock ready to load by 6:30 a.m. Definitely early for everyone involved! They had carts available to haul our gear from the street to the ferry loading spot. Once we had our gear tagged and had a brief orientation by the captain we parked our truck in the nearby long-term parking and checked in at the office.

We only had to wait about 30 minutes in the lobby before they began boarding. An all-you-can-eat breakfast is included and available as you get on the boat, and it was delicious! Bagels, fruit, hard boiled eggs, cereal, toast, and yogurt. We definitely ate our fill!

Because breakfast was so large we wished we had gotten our free lunch on another day. Two large meals in one day was a lot.

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Primitive Camping

You have to take everything with you, including any water you may need for your stay. There are bathrooms aboard the Yankee Freedom when it is docked, and there are composting toilets for after it leaves/before it arrives.

There are carts to haul your gear from the ferry over to the campground, but its not a far distance if you just end up lugging everything over.

The National Park service has hard sided coolers you can use while on the island. During certain times of the year they occasionally have rat problems, so keeping things boxed up is a good idea. We keep a Costco soft cooler in the trailer, so we used that and transferred everything to a hard sided cooler when we got there to help drain off excess water and keep our food colder.

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For water we took our two Rhino water jug containers, three of our Platypus water bags, plus a dozen or so plastic water bottles. We had plenty of water and dumped out almost a full Rhino jug before heading back on the ferry.

Our campsite was fortunately protected from the sun…..and unfortunately protected from the wind. It was pretty hot and muggy at night and any kind of a breeze would have helped that! The sites on the other side of the trees closer to the ferry would have been perfect!

Watch the Weather

During our visit, the weather was quite warm, even during the night. Careful watching of the weather told us that it would be quite warm, with perhaps only a sprinkle or two. We didn’t pack any very warm clothes as a result of the conditions we expected. Neither Sam or I even pulled out our sleeping bags. We just slept on top of our sleeping pads.

The weather can be cooler, and you will want to be prepared. Plan ahead by seasonal forecast, and make any last minute gear adjustments as necessary within the last few days before your trip.

Gear

We have a hard sided Rubbermaid 35 gallon ActionPacker tub we keep in the truck with all of our backpacking gear. We emptied it out and filled the tub with food, charcoal, a 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot for making sandcastles, and anything else we didn’t want to risk getting wet on the ferry ride over.

We put everything else into black garbage bags inside our backpacking bags so if they got splashed we wouldn’t end up with wet sleeping gear. For a full list of our backpacking gear see our list here.

We also brought our compact camping chairs, swimming suits, and 2 swim towels to share.

Food

We went all out on this one. Since camping usually consists of hauling our gear on our backs and eating freeze dried food, having carts was a bit of a luxury. We brought supplies for tin foil dinners, BBQ’d sausages, ate deli pasta salad from Publix, made fry bread scones for breakfast on New Year’s Day, and munched on crackers, meat, and cheese for lunch. We even snuck in some Birthday Cake Oreos for Sam to celebrate his birthday on the 30th!

We definitely did not go hungry and probably brought way too much food.

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Using the self-light charcoal was not a big deal, and we even managed to boil water for oatmeal one morning using our wood-fed backpacking stove. We just shoved charcoal in there instead of sticks and it worked like a charm. We ended up buying ice from the ferry every day, and in the hard-sided coolers we had no problems keeping everything cold.

The ferry provides you one lunch on any day you are there. In hindsight we should have saved it for our last day, but we still survived. Lunch is available from 11am-1pm everyday and if you’d rather eat their food its all you can eat sandwiches, chips, cookies, and soda for $7/person.

Activities on the Island

Snorkeling

The ferry (and the seaplane) provided snorkeling gear for us to use for the duration of our stay. They also have flotation vests and pool noodles if your kids (or you!) need help staying afloat. We picked up the gear at the dock, and then we just kept it by our campsite. The kids started out pretty hesitant (especially Cara), but by the end they were all snorkeling like champs. We had trouble getting them OUT of the water.

Snorkeling turned out to be a fantastic family adventure!

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The best snorkeling we found was either by the old pilings (south beach) or if you follow the line of the moat wall straight out towards the buoy’s there are some amazing coral beds. Its not very deep, and we were able to find spots for the kids to rest where they (or at least we) could touch the sand with our flippers.

Cara wore her arm floaties so she swam circles around us most of the time. The best snorkeling was before the ferry arrived in the morning and scared all the fish away, so it definitely pays to get up early at least one morning!

Take Pictures

The island is so small that you can experience both a sunrise and a sunset over the water. The Fort itself is quite picture-worthy from nearly any angle, and presents amazing opportunities both within the fort and from atop the fort walls. Bring a waterproof camera if you can, and document the amazing fish and coral you see while snorkeling!

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Explore the Fort

The Rangers on the island have an incredible amount of historic knowledge about Fort Jefferson. We learned why it was built, who lived there, how the soldiers collected water, and even about the Cuban refugees that continue to show up on a semi-regular basis. At one point the fort was even used as a prison, housing Dr. Mudd who was imprisoned for setting the leg of John Wilkes Booth after the Lincoln assassination. The Park Ranger hosted two tours everyday and from what I gathered one was a moat tour looking at wildlife, and the other was about the fort.

Fort Jefferson is beautiful and definitely worth exploring on your own as well as on a tour!

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Earn a Jr. Ranger Badge

We are advocates of the Jr. Ranger Program, but did you know that even as a adults you can earn one? Since the Dry Tortugas are a pretty remote spot, I think having a badge deserves some bragging rights. Its super short, easy, and well worth the effort.

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See the Stars & Explore in the Dark

The night sky out at the Tortugas is incredible. One night the Ranger Mike brought out his telescope and we got a look at some of the stars up close. He’s not an astronomer by any means, but we enjoyed hanging out with him and the other campers inside the fort after dark.

The next night, Sam and I snuck away after the kids were in bed and set up the camera for some long exposure photography. There are also bioluminsecent algae that live in the moat and surrounding water. If you walk the moat (carefully) while its dark you can see them flashing. Its incredible.

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Our friends from the Bareneckers took the opportunity for a quick dip in the water during their stay and actually swam among the flashing lights. We weren’t quite that brave!

Camping on the Tortugas for New Year’s Eve created opportunity for some fun light painting with glow sticks. Ashley Longnecker provided the glow sticks, and I provided the camera. Kids and adults alike had fun and it was a fun substitute for fireworks! Happy New Year!

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Get Up With the Sun

Playing hard all day and getting to bed early has its perks. Both mornings we were up before the sun and wandered out of the tent to find the sunrise. The first morning we were at the beach with the kids in their pajamas looking at washed up jellyfish. The second morning we hiked the stairs to the top of the fort to watch the sun come up. Both were magical!

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Watch Out for the Hermit Crabs & Carlos the Crocodile

These guys are everywhere. Completely harmless (unless you try and pick them up and then you probably deserved to get pinched) they are fun to watch as they wander all over the island. Keep an eye out, and try and avoid stepping on them. I love how they come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. There are also a few other types of crabs on the island and we had fun watching them scuttle around. Thankfully our kids were not skittish and took it all in stride.

There’s a crocodile that lives in the moat surrounding the Fort. His name is Carlos and he’s pretty shy when it comes to people. After the ferry left we were wandering the moat wall and happened upon him lazily swimming. There is a pretty big gap in the wall where he could get out, but it sounds like he likes his living quarters!

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Our visit to the Dry Tortugas was amazing and memorable. While you can visit the Dry Tortugas on a day visit, we highly recommend saying a few nights. The additional cost is minimal and the experience is magical. Our visit happened to span the change of year. Sitting with our family on the moat wall, we watched an amazing sunset over the water as we discussed what an amazing year we’ve had. This experience was definitely one of our favorites!

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Tags camping, DryTortugas, FamilyCamping, FindYourPark, National Park, NPS

Backpacking Featured Destination Minnesota State Parks

The Camping Spot We Almost Didn’t Find – George H. Crosby Manitou State Park, Minnesota

Post author By Jess
Post date October 13, 2015
10 Comments on The Camping Spot We Almost Didn’t Find – George H. Crosby Manitou State Park, Minnesota

Backpacking George H Crosby Manitou State Park with Kids

I’m pretty sure we are the only people that leave our Airstream travel trailer in one state park to back country camp in a completely different one. I suppose that doubles up on fees for the night, but if you think about the fact that when a “normal’ person goes camping they are also paying a mortgage (or rent) on a house, our situation sounds a bit more reasonable. Right? Right.

When I spent a few hours planning our trip up Minnesota’s North Shore, I knew we wanted to do some more serious hiking. Inland from the lake are some pretty serious hills (not quite sure this Utah girl can use the term “mountains” out here) with great views and at least some elevation. I picked out a couple of possibilities, but mostly we just left this option open as we weren’t sure when or where we’d have the opportunity.

After leaving Gooseberry Falls State Park, we headed north to Tettegouche, the next park on our list. True to form, the first thing we did was take a trip to the visitor center to check out our options. I talked to the ranger and when I mentioned we were thinking of a serious hike or possibly backpacking in the area, he highly recommended George H. Crosby Manitou State Park. There is no front-country campground, so the park is quiet, peaceful, and relatively unknown.

Just the way we like it.

When We Visited: September 8, 2015

Ages of Kids: 9, 8, 5

Total Mileage: 3.2 miles in, 3.5 miles out, 1 night.

Packing for this one was quick. Sam worked and the kids did school in the morning, and then around 1pm we started pulling out all the gear. Rachel and I threw together some quick Freezer Bag meals, and by 3pm we were headed out. It was only a 30 minute drive to the trail head and we were all feeling pretty good getting started along the trail.

Backpacking trip #2!
Backpacking George H Crosby Manitou State Park with Kids

Within the first 1/2 mile or so we found one of the markers for Minnesota’s Wildflower geocaching program. So, we took a short detour to find it.

Backpacking George H Crosby Manitou State Park with Kids

This hike was a little longer than our first on the Apostle Islands, and there was definitely more elevation involved. We started around 3:30pm and hiked in about 2.3 miles. We started passing campsites and were counting up to #6 when suddenly, at the top of a small hill we were there! Or so we thought. The campsite marker was along the trail, and we could see where previous campers had a fire ring and stacked logs around it to sit on. Upon further inspection of the area, there wasn’t really a flat spot sans roots for the tent, and no where was the pit toilet or bear pole that had been promised in the site description.

Backpacking George H Crosby Manitou State Park with Kids

I seriously almost cried. There had been some frustration all around getting going on this trip and to have a completely non-epic site was not helping. We collectively took a deep breath, dropped our packs, and set out to explore a bit more and see what we could find. Sam continued on the trail to possibly see if sites 7 or 8 were available, and the kids and I climbed the hill to the “overlook” to see if there was anything up there.

We found a large, flat rock with the remains of more than one campfire (and one amazing view!) and then just back into the trees a bit we found it! An official, metal fire ring. We kept exploring and found a flat spot for the tent, and even the toilet! Hooray! We wouldn’t be sleeping on roots or digging holes.

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We never found the bear pole, but we easily found a decent tree to bear bag our food. The kids thought it was fun and we figured it was a good teaching moment anyway. Not every site we camp at will have a bear box.

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Our evening was pretty chill. After setting up the tent, we brought our food down to the “dining room” and the kids played cards while Sam and I cooked up some dinner. We tried two new meals on this trip and both were great! We had mashed potato, stuffing, chicken with cranberries (tasted like Thanksgiving dinner!), and then for breakfast we did chocolate banana oatmeal.

Backpacking George H Crosby Manitou State Park with Kids

The weather was a bit chilly in the morning, but dressing in layers makes the temperature manageable. From the dining room we could see Lake Superior off in the distance which reminded us we were still along the “coast”.
Backpacking George H Crosby Manitou State Park with Kids

After breakfast and packing up, we opted to hike the “long” way out and add in the loop around Bensen Lake. It was flat with boardwalk the entire way around the lake and a super fun way to end the hike! We stopped at the picnic area and ate lunch before hiking the short distance out to the car and back to the Airstream at Tettegouche State Park.

Backpacking George H Crosby Manitou State Park with Kids

This park is definitely doable with young kids! We checked out some of the sites around Bensen Lake (Sites 20, 21, & 22) and they were beautiful and not that far from the parking lot. As parents, you could even take a couple of trips lugging gear if you didn’t have packs.

Highlighted in green below is the route we took. We started on Middle Trail, turned off onto West Manitou River Trail, and camped one night at site #6. On the way out we followed Misquah to Yellow Birch, cut through next to campsite 20, around the lake, and then back to the parking lot.

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While a bit logistically strange, we really enjoyed the peace and solitude at this park! The kids now had another solid over nighter under their belts, while Sam and I were gaining confidence spontaneously camping in the back country with kids. Definitely a win-win situation!