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Midwest Travel Mama

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📍City Museum, St. Louis, Missouri This is trul 📍City Museum, St. Louis, Missouri This is truly a one of a kind place! Do not visit St. Louis and miss this gem! An old warehouse turned 4 story jungle gym, this is a must see Midwest spot. Know before you go: ✨ Ticket prices are variable depending on what you want to do, but start at $20/person. Under 3 is free. ✨ Wear tennis shoes and comfy clothing (and maybe knee pads 😆) ✨ This is not a place where parents get to “sittervise” young kids. If you don’t want to lose your kid, be prepared to climb up ladders, through tunnels, and go down slides that are way too small for adult bodies 🤣 ✨ No outside food or drinks allowed (other than water bottles), but there are places to buy food/snacks. ✨ There is an insanely cool outside playground available to visit for an extra cost. We opted out because it was 🥵 the day we visited. ✨ There is a toddler friendly area for ages 6 and under. However, there was nothing that I didn’t feel ok with my 3 year old doing with us. Have you been here before?
Unpopular opinion: this National Park is absolutel Unpopular opinion: this National Park is absolutely worth visiting. Lots of people hate on the fact that you can see industrial plants in the distance, but IMO that’s one of the things that makes this park so beautiful. A piece of nature; peaceful, natural and preserved, right in the middle of our chaotic world. 📍 Indiana Dunes National Park Things to know: 🌊 The beach pictured in this clip is Lake View beach 💲 You do have to pay an entrance fee to visit this National Park ($25 per carload) or use your National Park pass 🥾 There are lots of hiking trails and places to explore around this National Park. One of the most popular is the Dune Succession Trail, a 1.0 mile boardwalk loop. 👙 There are so many incredible beaches in this National park to visit, so check out a few! We made a quick stop at Kemil beach and it was great too! 🥾 This beach has a short, semi-steep walkway to beach access 🚽 There are CLEAN restrooms near the parking lot, with drinking fountains and water refill stations 🚗 Good sized parking lot right by the beach access 🧺 Multiple picnic tables here makes it the perfect spot for lunch Give me your opinion- is this National Park worth a visit? Or are you skipping this one?
Bucket list places in Kansas to take your kids bef Bucket list places in Kansas to take your kids before they grow up 📌 Save this post for your next Kansas roadtrip! Here are some of the most amazing places in Kansas that you will definitely want to explore with your kiddos. 🏰 Castle Rock. Climb and explore this natural playground that used to be the ocean floor. You might even get lucky and find a fossil. 🚂 Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, Abilene. Take a ride on this vintage steam locomotive. Perfect for those train obsessed. 🦬 Maxwell Wildlife Refuge. Take a tram ride out through the prairie to see the giant herd of bison and elk. Pro tip: come in the spring to see the babies. 🏛️ Capitol Building. This impressive and historic piece of architecture is a must see for all Kansan’s and visitors. Pro tip: take a free guided tour up into the dome. 🔥 Keeper of the Plains. This iconic statue is located in downtown Wichita along the Arkansas river. The flames are lit nightly. Pro tip: rent a kayak or paddle boat to see the lighting at the best view. 🎠 Riverside Park & Ralph Mitchell zoo, Independence. This park is home to a huge playground, free zoo, 5 cent carousel rides and 50 cent train rides. 🦬 Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Strong City. Explore the nature center, tour the historic 1800’s house, and hike the trail to see the herd of bison. 🛶 Wilson Lake. Hike the Rocktown trail, or paddle out of the unique rock formations. Definitely one of the most beautiful lakes in Kansas. 🪨 Rock City. Climb, run and explore on these prehistoric boulders leftover from Kansas’ days as an ocean. 🐖 Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, Overland Park. Peek into pioneer life at this vintage farmstead. Go cane pole fishing, bottle feed the goats, or take a hay rack ride. 🦙 Manna Meadows Alpaca Farm, Bonner Springs. Pet, feed and take an alpaca for a walk at this unique farm. 🦜 Tanganyika Wildlife Park, Wichita. This is a unique, one of a kind, immersive zoo where you can get up close and personal with the animals. 🚗 Cars on the Route, Galena. Visit the tow truck that inspirired the character Mater from Disney’s Cars.
📍Quartz Mountain State Park Lone Wolf, Oklahom 📍Quartz Mountain State Park Lone Wolf, Oklahoma Located at the edge of the Wichita Mountains, this outdoor oasis is a must visit this summer for families! Things to know: ⛺️ Multiple campgrounds available for both tent and RV camping, as well as a lodge with a restaurant 🧗‍♀️ Rock climbing available 🥏 Disc golf course 🥾 Multiple hiking trails (we did Baldy Point and New Horizon) 🛶 Bring your swim suit and boat to spend some time on the lake! Have you been here?
You have to take this Southwest road trip once in You have to take this Southwest road trip once in your lifetime to see some of the best sights in New Mexico. We did this trip last spring break and I am still dreaming about those slot canyons and sledding down the hills at White Sands National Park 😍 Here’s where you are going to stop: ✨ Stop 1: Santa Fe ✨ Stop 2: Bandelier National Monument ✨ Stop 3: Jimenez Mountains ✨ Stop 4: Albuquerque ✨ Stop 5: San Lorenzo Canyon ✨ Stop 6: Las Cruces Slot Canyon ✨ Stop 7: White Sands National Park ✨ Stop 8: Carlsbad Cavern National Park Bonus stop: Guadalupe Mountains National Park (30 minutes outside of Carlsbad) Head to the link in my bio for our full itinerary! Have you explored New Mexico?
Places to take your kids this summer: Part 1 📍 Places to take your kids this summer: Part 1 📍 Johnson’s Shut-In’s State Park located near Middle Brook, Missouri One of the coolest, most beautiful and unique spots in the Midwest, this Missouri state park deserves a spot on your summer bucket list! Know before you go: 🪨 It is completely FREE to visit! 🪨 It is a popular spot and does get busy midday 🪨 There is a trading post with sunscreen, floaties, ice cream, ect. 🪨 There are bathrooms and changing rooms next to the trading post at the beginning of the trail 🪨 Definitely wear water shoes that have a good grip- I would highly discourage flip flops! The rocks are super slippery. 🪨 There are tons of spots to splash, swim and play. You can enjoy the upper river before the shut-ins, which is crystal clear, or play in the shut-in’s themselves, or there is a pool of deeper water at the bottom of the shut-ins. 🪨 Watch for the flag when entering the park. It will tell you the safety level of the river, and if it is closed due to high waters. 🪨 There is a shut-in’s trail that takes you around the river (2.4 miles), but you can access the shut-in’s from early in the trail without taking the whole thing. It’s around a ¼-mile walk to the first set of stairs. 🪨 There are 3 sets of stairs along the boardwalk on the trail that take you to different spots on the river. These clips are all taken after going down the 2nd set of stairs, which takes you right to the shut-in’s. PLEASE NOTE: This is not a spot where you can kick back and relax while your kids play. There is moving water and slippery rocks, so come prepared to be next to your kids the whole time for their safety. I highly recommend life jackets for all kids. Do you want to visit this summer?
Visiting Smoky Mountain National Park this summer? Visiting Smoky Mountain National Park this summer? Here’s the perfect 2 day itinerary for your family to see the best of the area! Here’s what you don’t want to miss: ✨Look Rock Viewing Platform ✨ Hike to Spruce Flat Falls ✨ Drive Cades Cove ✨ Visit Sugarland Visitor and earn Junior Ranger badges ✨ Hike to Cataract Falls ✨ Visit the Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee Visitor’s Center ✨ Elk viewing ✨ Mingo Falls ✨ Hike Alum Cave Bluff trail Comment SMOKIES and I will send you our full Great Smoky Mountain National Park itinerary!
Have you heard of this 50 cent train ride?? 📍 Have you heard of this 50 cent train ride?? 📍 Riverside Park in Independence, Kansas If you are looking for a great spot to explore this summer, check out this Kansas park! Only 2 hours from Wichita, this is one of our favorite day trips. 🚂 The 50¢ train ride ⛳️ $2 mini golf 🎠 5¢ carousel rides 🏰 Run, climb and explore in fantasy land 🐒 The FREE Ralph Mitchell zoo 🛝 Multiple playgrounds and picnic areas 🚂 Antique locomotive that you can climb in and explore 💦 Cool off in the splash pad Plan to spend the whole day here- this park has so much to see and do! And don’t miss the Elk River Trail only 15 minutes away! Doing both makes a perfect day trip! How many times would your kids ride the train?
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