Panning for gold at Big Thunder Gold Mine in Keystone, SD in the Black Hills

The best family adventures in the Black Hills South Dakota

July 14, 2018November 2, 2018 Matt

Bound for South Dakota with my 3 boys and mom, we opted to drive on this family vacation as we were camping ⛺️ and the drive from Wisconsin to the Black Hills, SD is only 12 hours (with the exception of our numerous stops for bathrooms, gasoline, coffee, sightseeing and food!) Our vehicle was a 4X4 SUV (seats 7) loaded with our possessions including a waterproof fabric car top carrier and a small trailor with more of our vacation gear (bedding, camping stove, food, chairs, etc.)

This post contains affiliate links which I use to keep the office lights on (and coffee.) Read the Disclosure, Terms and Privacy fineprint here, learn about the giveaway rules and note, no product samples were provided for this review and the opinions expressed here are original, unique and my ideas solely.

The first day of our family travel adventure we drove out of Wisconsin through southern Minnesota to Sioux City, SD where we enjoyed accommodations at the Dakota Lodge hotel. We capped the night on the water slide and swimming at our hotel and then I put the boys down to sleep and walked to the Crooked Pint Ale House which had 18 local craft brews on tap. The Dakota Lodge of Sioux City, South Dakota, was excellent and the Crooked Pint has a full menu of not-so pub grub, healthy food too.

On our second day of our family vacation, we were greeted by a huge statue “DIGNITY of Earth and Sky” at a rest stop in Chamberlain, SD off I-90 westbound.

The Badlands National Monument in South Dakota

Lady Dignity of Earth and Sky in Chamberlain, South Dakota

Travel as a family with Lonely Planet Kids

July 7, 2018November 2, 2018 Matt

We’re headed to South Dakota this week for our big family vacation where we’ll camp at Custer State Park for two weeks! I’m so happy to have some fun activities and books for the kids to enjoy while we road trip leaving from Wisconsin on a two day family travel adventure.

I’ve partnered up with Lonely Planet and my boys and my Mom and I will be using the Lonely Planet Kids books. There’s something special about driving for many hours while having fun books with activities to connect with each other as a family while having fun! Oh how I do love to drive!

I’ve included some introduction photos and a vid’ with my youngest son including some of the Lonely Planet Kids books which we’ll enjoy on the road as we head to and from South Dakota this month.

Check out the kids foldout maps, sticker books and other fun books by Lonely Planet Kids at https://www.lonelyplanet.com/kids/books/

Look for our Lonely Planet Books giveaway next month when we return!

Watch us ride the longest zipline-Ski Apache Windrider in NM

August 5, 2017September 8, 2017 Matt

Keller and I had a chance to ride the longest zipline in the lower 48 USA States, called Windrider at Ski Apache in Alto, NM, near Ruidoso.

This is a sponsored post however all opinions are my own.

This adventure experience was wrapped up during our family vacation from Wisconsin to New Mexico and we’re happy to let you know that the Ski Apache zipline tour near is extremely fun and well worth your family time.

Best 3 pics from Days 1-3 Roadtrip to NM

ImageJuly 27, 2017September 8, 2017 Matt

The day before we left on our family roadtrip from Wisconsin to New Mexico, we were blessed with a double rainbow over our house. We left on our family vacation with my 3 boys and adorable wife from Mineral Point, Wisconsin and drove into Kansas City, MO where we crashed hard! The next day we […]

Breezy Point Resort and the Breezy Belle in Minnesota

September 23, 2016September 29, 2016 Matt3 Comments

Last week, we hit the pavement for a fun, adventure-filled family vacation at Breezy Point Resort near Brainerd, MN. We left the pets with family and traveled from our home near Madison, WI to Breezy Point Resort, which we found to be relaxing, enjoyable and, an all inclusive family destination (which we chose for its proximity to Wisconsin.)

We kicked off our Minnesota road trip by stopping by the childhood home of Laura Ingles WIlder, ya' know, from Little House On The Prairie. The obligatory fam' pic in Peppin, WI — We kicked off our Minnesota road trip by stopping by the childhood home of Laura Ingles WIlder, ya’ know, from Little House On The Prairie. The obligatory fam’ pic in Peppin, WI

The Breezy Point Resort is a 4 season resort located just outside Brainerd, MN in central Minnesota. There’s many services which are included with the timeshare we booked via RCI at Breezy Point Resort which included use of the shuttle, multiple indoor swimming pools (with hot tubs, kiddie pools, etc), numerous restaurants on site (or favorite was the Dockside Lounge which overlooks the beautiful lake) and our boating tour on the Breezy Belle!

Please note, our family went on a free tour of Pelican Lake aboard the Breezy Belle with yummy pizza from the Dockside Lounge thanks to Breezy Point Resort in exchange for this review.

Thanks to Breezy Point Resort for providing accommodations for our tour of Pelican Lake aboard the Breezy Belle in exchange for this review (and the Dockside pizza!) we loved our stay, big time!

The arcade at Breezy Point Resort was a hit!

In addition to the Breezy Belle, Coffee House and arcades, other highlights at Breezy Point Resort include multiple swimming beaches; boat rentals at the Breezy Point Resort Marina (non-motorized aka kayaks, canoes, paddle boats, paddle boards,etc and motor boats, including party barges); and the Spa.

Road Trip – movies for kids

March 30, 2016December 26, 2016 Matt

This weekend, we’re taking a short haul south to visit Grandma. I love the idea of preparing some screen time for the kids to enjoy on the road which, it’s a blessing to have quiet time too. There will be no Netflix in our car so the best option for the kids is DVD’s from the local library – I’ll be stocking up on kid friendly movie titles which will be appropriate for all three of my boys 4, 7 and 12 years old. Here’s what I’ll be looking for this evening at our local library to bring with us as we travel for a fun weekend at Gramas’.