Kingsley Plantation at Timucuan Ecological & Historical Preserve {with kids}

It's time for another one of our National Park adventures. We've been trying to hit some of the parks close to our home so our latest adventure took us to Kingsley Plantation. The plantation is part of the larger Timucuan Ecological & Historical Preserve.

 

Destination: Kingsley Plantation

Date of Visit: May 2017

Kids: Cole (age 10) & Kiley (age 7)

Length of Stay: 1 Half Day

I've been wanting to take the kids up to Kingsley Plantation for a while so one weekend when we had nice weather we decided to take a drive up to the north side of Jacksonville for a visit.

We began our visit with a stop by the visitor center. It was small, but had some hands-on activities for the kids and a little gift shop. While we were there we picked up Junior Ranger Booklets for the kids and checked out an Adventure Backpack.

If you visit Kingsley Plantation, I highly recommend you ask to borrow the Adventure Backpack. It came filled with all sorts of fun items that the kids used on our visit including a compass, binoculars, small net and magnifying glass. 

Once we had dug through the backpack it was time to start exploring the grounds of the plantation which include the slave quarters, barn, waterfront, plantation house, kitchen house, and interpretive garden. 

One thing the kids really enjoyed was walking around the property and seeing the slave quarters. It was interesting to see how they lived on the property, but away from the main house. The plantation house is closed during the week for structural work. Weekend tours are available but you must call ahead for a reservation.

We did some more walking around. The plantation is 99% outdoors so I recommend you visit when it's cool outside. As you can see, my daughter loved using the binoculars from our Adventure Backpack.

We were surprised by how many animals we saw while wandering around the grounds of Kingsley Plantation. The kids loved the peacocks and used the little net that came in our backpack to catch crabs down by the river.

Our final stop was back at the visitor center where the kids received their Junior Ranger badges.

Highlights: The Adventure Backpack that we checked out from the visitor center really made our visit so much fun. Kingsley Plantation is a smaller so it's great for a short half day visit. 

What We Would Change: I highly recommend visiting Kingsley Plantation in the fall or winter when the weather is cool. We went in May and it was hot. The majority of your visit will be outside so good weather will make or break your trip.

Fort Caroline National Memorial at Timucuan Ecological & Historical Preserve {with kids}

It's time for another one of our National Park adventures. As I mentioned last week, we've been trying to hit some of the parks close to our home. Over spring break, the kids and I visited Fort Caroline National Memorial. Fort Caroline is part of the larger Timucuan Ecological & Historical Preserve.

Destination: Fort Caroline National Memorial

Date of Visit: March 2017

Kids: Cole (age 10) & Kiley (age 7)

Length of Stay: 1 Half Day

Since last week was spring break and the weather has been cool in Jacksonville, the kids and I decided to head over to the fort one afternoon.

Entry to Fort Caroline is completely free for everyone. We started off by grabbing some Junior Ranger books and exploring the visitor center. They offer an under 8 and an 8+ booklet. Even though Kiley is only 7, she's a great reader so we asked the ranger to just give her the 8+ one. One of the things I love about the National Parks is that they are great about making accommodations when needed. Having them both work on the same book makes it much easier for me to help if needed.

After we finished up at the visitor center we headed down the sandy trail to Fort Caroline. The trail is short and easy to walk. It would be easy even for little kids to run along. On your way to the fort you pass a dock that's a nice walk out over the river.

Fort Caroline is much smaller than Castillo de San Marcos that we visited a few weeks ago but it's wide open spaces are great for kids to run around.

There's lots of great signage inside the fort. Some of the answers to their Junior Ranger books were found here.

We spent a lot of time just running around the fort. The kids loved looking at the cannons and peeking over the fence at the river. Even though it was spring break, it wasn't very crowded.

Our last stop was back at the visitor center where the kids picked up their 12th Junior Ranger pin.

Highlights: Fort Caroline is great because it's small and easily manageable with kids. We used to live near here and I would take both kids when they were little by myself for a visit and to wander around. They also have plenty of picnic tables and lots of benches around the park. It's a great park to pack a lunch and picnic outside. 

What We Would Change: Honestly, I wouldn't change anything. It was a great day and a great visit.

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument {with kids}

It's been a while since I posted one of our National Park adventures. We traveled out west a few years back and visited 9, but recently we've been trying to hit the parks closer to home. A few weeks ago we headed down to St. Augustine to visit Castillo de San Marcos. After living in Jacksonville for 15 years I figured it was time to visit this local landmark.

Destination: Castillo de San Marcos

Date of Visit: March 2017

Kids: Cole (age 10) & Kiley (age 7)

Length of Stay: 1 Half Day

We headed down to Castillo de San Marcos early one weekend to explore the fort. I have lived in Jacksonville for the last 15 years and I've never been there. We arrived around 10am and all the parking spaces right by the monument were taken. If we had been just a few minutes earlier I think we could have snagged one, but oh well. My husband dropped us and circled back to the large parking garage that sits just a few blocks away.

Entrance will cost you $10 per adult, children under 15 are free. Since Cole is in 4th grade this year, he has an Every Kid in a Park pass and we were able to get in for free. That's right, all 4th graders in the US can get a park pass for their family for FREE.

Once inside, our first stop was to pick up some Junior Ranger books. The kids hadn't earned any Junior Ranger pins since our trip out west, so they were anxious to add to their collection. Castillo de San Marcos offers a Junior Ranger program, and also Master Junior Ranger patch. My little overachievers wanted to complete both. 

One of the highlights of our visit was the live historical demonstration of the cannon. A few times a day there is a reenactment of a cannon loading and firing. The kids loved this part. The cannon blast is loud, but the ranger will warn you when to cover your ears.

After the reenactment we spent some more time exploring the fort. There really was a lot to see and learn about. 

Before heading out the kids turned in their books and were sworn in as official Junior Rangers. One of the things I love at Castillo de San Marcos is that there is a large grassy area where you can eat lunch or you're close enough to downtown St. Augustine that you can simply walk around and find a good restaurant. 

Highlights: The cannon reenactment and firing were by far the highlight of the day. Make sure to ask a ranger when the next one will be as soon as you arrive.

What We Would Change: I wish would have planned to spend just a little more time at the fort. We should have packed a lunch and eaten quickly so we could have explored a little more. I would say it's easy to spend a full 1/2 day there if your kids are interested in seeing all the exhibits.

Saguaro National Park {with kids}

Another Tuesday, and that means it's time for my Traveling Tuesday post. I'm starting off with documenting some of the amazing places we visited last summer during our vacation out west. In July of 2015 we set out on a grand vacation through the southwest. We traveled for 21 days and over 6,000 miles, visiting 5 states and 9 National Parks. We explored new places and met up with old friends. Overall, it was an incredible journey and everyone learned so much. You can view all posts about our wild west adventure here. 

Destination: Saguaro National Park

Date of Visit: July 2015

Kids: Cole (age 8) & Kiley (age 5)

Length of Stay: 1 Day

While in Tucson, we headed into Saguaro to hike among the gigantic cactus. The kids loved this park, and especially loved the Junior Ranger pack the let us borrow. At Saguaro they earned Junior Ranger badges and then, as a family, we earned "not so junior ranger" badges. Saguaro was my son's most anticipated park to visit. He has an obsession with cacti so this was right up his alley. Saguaro National Park is divided into two different districts, the East and the West. We only visited the east region of the park while we were there because of time constraints. 

He loved hiking the trails and identifying all the different cacti. Saguaro was by far the hottest park we visited. Make sure you go early and take LOTS of water. There is very little shade.

My kids loved the Junior Ranger Explore Packs that Saguaro provides to families visiting the park. It made it easy to complete their Junior Ranger books for another pin. Be sure to ask for one at the visitor center.

The kids earned their 9th Junior Ranger Badge on this visit.

Something unique to Saguaro was their Not So Junior Ranger Program. This is separate from the Junior Ranger Badge, and it's designed for older kids, or adults, or for the entire family to complete. Of course we participated, because after watching the kids earn badges all over the southwest, I wanted one of my own.

Highlights: The kids loved the Junior Ranger Pack that we checked out at the visitor center. Also, the Not So Junior Ranger Program was a hit with the entire family. Saguaro had a surprising amount of wildlife you could see if you went to visit early and beat the heat.

What We Would Change: I wish we would have had time to visit both regions of the park. Maybe next time.

Recommended Reading: I highly recommend the Foder's guide to National Parks of the West, we used it when planning our trip and it was a great resource. I liked that there were plenty of suggestions to exploring the parks with kids. 

Montezuma Castle National Park {with kids}

Happy Traveling Tuesday! I've been documenting some of the amazing places we visited last summer during our vacation out west. In July of 2015 we set out on a grand vacation through the southwest. We traveled for 21 days and over 6,000 miles, visiting 5 states and 9 National Parks. We explored new places and met up with old friends. Overall, it was an incredible journey and everyone learned so much. You can view all posts about our wild west adventure here.

Destination: Montezuma Castle National Park

Date of Visit: July 2015

Kids: Cole (age 8) & Kiley (age 5)

Length of Visit: 1/2 Day

We checked out of our hotel at the Grand Canyon early because we knew it was going to be a long day of travel on the way to Tucson. My friend, who is a park ranger, suggested that we plan to stop at Montezuma Castle National Park so the kids could stretch their legs (and earn another Junior Ranger badge). It was the perfect place for us to get out and walk around. There's short, paved trail that was the perfect length for us to walk. The kids completed the easy Junior Ranger book and we were on our way.

This is a small park, but it was still a fun visit. I would have liked to plan ahead next time and pack a lunch so we could picnic while we were there. They had a nice visitor center with a few hands-on activities that the kids loved.

Highlights: The kids both said they loved the visitor center at this park and they also loved that the short trail was paved.

What We Would Change: If we went again I would take a lunch and plan to picnic at the park. It had lots of shade and it was very well maintained. It makes a good 1/2 day trip if you're in the area.

Recommended Reading: I highly recommend the Foder's guide to National Parks of the West, we used it when planning our trip and it was a great resource. I liked that there were plenty of suggestions to exploring the parks with kids.

Grand Canyon National Park {with kids} Part 2

It's time for another Traveling Tuesday post. I'm starting off with documenting some of the amazing places we visited last summer during our vacation out west. In July of 2015 we set out on a grand vacation through the southwest. We traveled for 21 days and over 6,000 miles, visiting 5 states and 9 National Parks. We explored new places and met up with old friends. Overall, it was an incredible journey and everyone learned so much. You can view all posts about our wild west adventure here. I divided my information about Grand Canyon into two separate posts, you can read part 1 here.

Destination: Grand Canyon National Park

Date of Visit: July 2015

Kids: Cole (age 8) & Kiley (age 5)

Length of Stay: 3 Days

As I mentioned in my first post about Grand Canyon, we entered the park on the East side of the South Rim and started by exploring the Desert View Watchtower. Our second day in the park, we started off by exploring Grand Canyon National Park. The kids were up early and it was amazing because it felt like we had the entire canyon to ourselves. We decided to hike a little into the canyon and while we were down there the kids completed some items from their Junior Ranger books. The rest of the day was spent visiting the main visitor center, and the Geology Museum. We finished with dinner at El Tovar in their spectacular dining room.

The early bird gets the best view.

Bright Angel Trail will lead you all the way to the bottom of the canyon. We didn't go very far, but we did venture down a little for a great view.

Getting sworn in as Junior Rangers at the Grand Canyon.

The kids agreed that Grand Canyon had the best gift shops of all the parks we visited. They had been waiting to spend some souvenir money and were excited to find some good treasures. Cole picked a deck of Night Sky Constellation Cards and Kiley picked a "Ranger Andy" doll. It's a park ranger doll that just happens to look like my good friend, who is a park ranger.

Highlights: Staying at El Tovar was by far one of the highlights of our visit to Grand Canyon. We loved getting up early and having the canyon all to ourselves. Rooms at hotels and lodges inside the canyon fill up fast so be sure to make your reservations early.

What We Would Change: As I mentioned in my Part 1 review, Grand Canyon was our least favorite park on our trip out west. It was the most crowded and had the largest number of tourists and trash on the ground. I'm glad we went and saw it but I really don't feel the need to ever go back. 

Recommended Reading: I highly recommend the Foder's guide to National Parks of the West, we used it when planning our trip and it was a great resource. I liked that there were plenty of suggestions to exploring the parks with kids.

Grand Canyon National Park {with kids} Part 1

It's Tuesday, and that means it's time for my Traveling Tuesday post. I'm starting off with documenting some of the amazing places we visited last summer during our vacation out west. In July of 2015 we set out on a grand vacation through the southwest. We traveled for 21 days and over 6,000 miles, visiting 5 states and 9 National Parks. We explored new places and met up with old friends. Overall, it was an incredible journey and everyone learned so much. You can view all posts about our wild west adventure here. I'm dividing my information about the Grand Canyon into 2 seperate posts so that I can include a little extra information. You can read my second post about Grand Canyon here.

Destination: Grand Canyon National Park

Date of Visit: July 2015

Kids: Cole (age 8) & Kiley (age 5)

Length of Stay: 3 Days

For the next leg on our trip, we left Mesa Verde and headed towards Grand Canyon. Cole had requested a stop at Four Corners and since it was on our route I was happy to make that happen for him. The kids had a great time playing in all 4 states and it was a nice way to break up what was our longest drive so far this trip. 

I want to take a second to talk about the Four Corners area since many people will come across it driving to or from the Grand Canyon. The only reason we decided to stop here was because my kids had read about it in a guide book and really wanted to visit. Four Corners monument resides within the Navajo Nation, it is $5 per person to enter (under 6 are free) and they only take cash. There are no gas stations, grocery stores or other amenities within 30 miles of the landmark. The bathrooms were pit toilets (although it did look like they were adding some additional ones). I'm glad we stopped because it was important to the kids, but there really isn't much to see or do there other than the actual cement landmark. It's not some place I'd go out of my way to visit, and we probably won't make it a point to go back next time we're out west.

We entered Grand Canyon from the east and our first stop was at the Desert View Watchtower. The view was spectacular (of course) and the kids loved climbing all the way to the top of the tower. After looking around we checked in to our hotel. We decided to stay inside the park at the historic El Tovar lodge. We loved it there and we literally stepped out our door and were right at the rim of the canyon.

Staying at El Tovar was a splurge for us, but we were impressed by how big the rooms were even though the hotel is very old. Getting to see the stars over the canyon as we walked back from dinner and being the first ones out in the morning was worth it. The kids loved the games they had at the hotel for guests to play. Jr. RangerLand was our favorite but we also enjoyed National Park Monopoly.

Highlights: The Desert View Watchtower was really fun to climb and both kids enjoyed it. This area of Grand Canyon was less crowded than what we would later encounter along the South Rim so I'm glad this was our first experience in the park. There is also a small grocery store near the Watchtower so it was nice to stop and stock up on some snacks. We loved staying at El Tovar. Worth every penny, if you ask me.

What We Would Change: Ok, I might get hate mail for saying this, but Grand Canyon was our least favorite park on our trip out west. It was the most crowded and had the largest number of tourists and trash on the ground. I'm glad we went and saw it but I really don't feel the need to ever go back.

Recommended Reading: I highly recommend the Foder's guide to National Parks of the West, we used it when planning our trip and it was a great resource. I liked that there were plenty of suggestions to exploring the parks with kids. I also recommend the two games we played at the hotel, Jr. RangerLand and National Parks Monopoly.