Family Vacations:
Southwest & Heartland Family Travel Ideas

• Phoenix: Pointe South Mountain Resort with Oasis Waterpark: This resort, fifteen minutes from the Phoenix airport, has made itself a magnet for families by building The Oasis, its own private 6-acre waterpark. Great golf and hiking, too.

• more Arizona Resorts - for families

CO:

• Colorado guest ranches - family farms, guest ranches, and dude ranches make a great family vacation: parents get to kick back someplace scenic, while kids enjoy horseback riding and other fun activities. You can find dude ranches in many places, but Colorado has its own unique mountain wilderness.

OH:

• Ohio: Heartland Country Resort
  Luxury bed and breakfast with horseback riding in rolling hills, fields, and woodlands, an hour from Columbus, Ohio. Area attractions include Amish country, Mohican State Park, golf courses and ski resorts. This "upscale dude ranch" was named "2003 Best Children Friendly Inn."

NM:

• New Mexico: Taos - Two hours drive north of Santa Fe, Taos has a unique mix of anglo-hispanic-and native cultures. Everyone should visit the unique Taos pueblo, one of the oldest in North America, and visitors are welcome at the Taos Pow-Wow in July. Meanwhile, outdoor fun includes white-water rafting, tubing, and--for a splurge--hot-air ballooning in a river gorge. You can also hike, horse-back ride, soak in hot springs, or go on a llama adventure. Relax in beautifully decorated casitas afterwards.

TX:

• Texas: Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and Lodge: Feel "on safari" on a 9.5-mile self-guided drive, as more than 1000 animals (except the rhinos and carnivores) roam free across 1500 acres of wooded hillsides and grassy savannas: ostriches, zebras, wildebeests, giraffes... Stop and see the wildlife at any time; you can even feed some animals. Guided tours with a naturalist are available too.

• TX: Barton Creek Resort
  4000 acres, AAA 4-Diamond... the numbers looks good, and this resort has kids' club, Junior and Teen nights, Family Movie nights and other family activities.

WI:

• Wisconsin Dells: Great Wolf Lodge, with waterparks
  Great Wolf Lodge is only one of the surprising number of resorts in Wisconsin Dells that have waterparks, indoor and out. The indoor parks make this town a magnet for families in wintertime.

• Kalahari Resort Waterpark
  Another popular choice in Wisconsin Dells, with "America's largest indoor waterpark"-- 125,000 sq. ft. that includes a 570-ft. uphill slide.

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• Yellowstone National Park Family Adventure tour: This all-inclusive holiday has it all: wildlife, "geothermal features" (geysers, terraces, hot springs, etc.), historic hotels, rafting, horse-riding... and completely hassle-free for everyone, even Mom.

• Yellowstone National Park: Yellowstone is so much more than the Old Faithful geyser: burbling hot pools, the ethereally beautiful Mammoth Terraces, the stunning Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone... Learn about wildlife through Park Ranger programs (some especially for kids); stay in wonderful historic hotels such as the Old Faithful Inn.