Grand Canyon Travel Tips for Families

Grand Canyon Travel Tips for Families. How long to go, what to do, where to stay, what to pack, and what to know.

The Grand Canyon is a majestic and magnificent location. We had looked at pictures and watched documentaries before we left, but it still shocked each of us to see the magnitude of the Grand Canyon in person. There were audible gasps as we saw it for the first time. It is absolutely a destination worth putting on your list of places to visit. A perk of traveling is getting to know yourself and your family better. Something we learned about Brayden on this trip is how much he loves landscapes. Of all of our family vacations so far, the Grand Canyon was his favorite trip. It also happened to be one of the least expensive! Living in the West, we have easy access to a lot of National Parks and Grand Canyon is definitely a favorite.

The Grand Canyon is very easy to navigate and get your footing under you, but there are also a lot of things that are good to know before you go. In accordance with my methods for planing a family vacation, I had done my due diligence in researching the Grand Canyon and read all I could find on tips for traveling there. Even so, there were things we were surprised by when we got there. My husband and I had both been there as children, but you can only remember so much. Here are some key points to know when planning a vacation in the Grand Canyon.

How Long Should You Plan to Spend in the Grand Canyon

Two to three days is the perfect length to spend in the South Rim and see it all. If you are taking a road trip and driving by the Grand Canyon and wonder if you could drop in, you could definitely spend just one day there and enjoy it. In many respects, it is all very similar looking. They even have a little sheet you can get at the entrance gates with information on what to focus on if you have a few hours, a half day, or a full day. If you want to go to every designated point and take your time walking the Rim Trail, you will want 2-3 days there. We spent three full day in the park and felt like it was the perfect length of time to see it all, do lots of walking, and take our time with both the walking and taking in the views.

North Rim and South Rim

The Grand Canyon runs east to west, so the viewing areas of the park are on the south side of that or the north side of that. The South Rim is open year round. The North Rim is a much higher elevation and therefore closes down during winter months. The North Rim is only open May through October. The North Rim is where I went as a child. I have vague memories of it. It is more forest-like while the South Rim is more desert-like.

The South Rim is far more visited than the North Rim. They are both worth visiting as you get different perspectives since you are at such different elevations. While you can easily see the other side while in the park, it takes about four hours to drive to the other side just because you have to drive all the way around it. So you may want to choose one site and stick with it. If not, I think you could comfortably do two days in the South Rim and one day in the North Rim. You would just be a bit more rushed in each location. We went in April, so the North Rim was not open.

What Time of Year Should You Visit the Grand Canyon

Your timing of your trip will obviously be impacted by days off of school and when you can get work off. We went in early April and it was perfect. The weather was, for the most part, comfortably warm (the mornings could be chilly). The days were warm and sunny but not so hot that we were uncomfortable as we walked around.

I intentionally planned the trip so it was not summer for two reasons. One is the heat. I wanted to avoid going when it was very hot. Another was crowds. National Parks get much busier during summer months, so it is much nicer to go in an off season. We went over our Spring Break. If school wasn't a factor, I would probably go in May once the North Rim was open or in September or October before it closed.

The Grand Canyon is in Arizona, so you might think it is warm and super hot basically year round, but the Grand Canyon is about 7,000 feet elevation, which means it is much cooler. Now, it is much warmer than 7,000 feet is in Northern Utah where I live, but also much cooler than Phoenix. They do have four seasons. Going in the winter wouldn't be pleasant and warm.

I did not realize how high the Gran Canyon was in elevation. After our first day, we all had some sun on our faces and I realized then we must be pretty high elevation. Because it was so warm, I figured we were around 5,000ish feet. But at 7,000 feet, you are very close to the sun and will need sunscreen no matter the time of year.

I would recommend going in April-May or September-October if possible, If not, as early in June as possible just to beat the heat and the huge crowds.

Grand Canyon South Rim Loops

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon has different loops the shuttle buses drive. You can see the pocket map here. Note that it isn't to scale. If you get on a shuttle bus for the blue route (or Village Route), it will only stop at blue route stops. There are some connecting stops, but very few.

Since we were there three days, I broke things up into three sections. The first section was Hermits Rest, or the Red, Route. This one is the longest route and was also our very favorite. We walked over half of it. It is about 8 miles total. We were very tired after it was all done! But it was so neat to walk the trails. If you are in a hurry, you will want to shuttle for the most part, but I would highly recommend walking at least a small section. The shuttle bus stops at each point, so you can even just walk one mile, then hop on the next shuttle.

On the Red Route, we saw the grandest views and the most wildlife. This is a good one to plan on walking because you can't drive March-November. Only shuttles can get up there. If you have several days to spend in the canyon, or at least two, then I would plan on this route being one full day. Take your time and walk, then hop on the shuttle when you need a break. Our favorite stops on this path were Hopi and Mohave. If you look at the map, you will see that these two points both stick out into the canyon. We soon realized we liked the points that went out into the canyon rather than the ones in the concave ones. The concave is where we started, and it was impressive, but when we got out the ones that stuck out, they were hands down the most impressive.

Most of the Red Route is paved, but parts are gravel and parts are just natural. We walked all of the paved and part of the gravel, but the gravel starts to get more natural and more scary with little ones for the mama heart. We had also walked many miles by that point and went to the shuttle.

Our second breakdown was between the Bright Angel Trailhead and Yavapai Point. This is not a shuttle trail. We started this at Yavapai Point and Geology Museum, then walked to Bright Angel. This is another very impressive stretch of views. It is more commercialized. This path has the hotels and lodges on it, so you will see a lot more people on this trail than others. It also in general has more built-in safety features along the rim of the Grand Canyon than the Red Trail had. This was only about three miles. It includes the Trail of Time, which is Geology exhibits that show the different types of stone found in the Grand Canyon.

I would highly recommend you start at Yavapai Point and Geology Museum your first day. There is a lot of information and great views. It is a great place to get some knowledge about the place before you step out into it. The walk between Yavapai and Bright Angel is easy and quite safe. It is fascinating to see the layers of stone found in the canyon. A bonus is the museum is out of the weather. That morning for us, it was biting cold with the wind, and by the time we were out of the museum, it was much nicer. If you are going on weekdays and weekend, I would choose this walk for one of the weekdays. Since it is busier, it will be less crowded Monday through Friday.

Once we got to Bright Angel, we ate lunch and then hiked down the trail a bit. They have different points to get to on that trail so you can gauge how far you want to take it. It is a great way to get a better feel for the size of the Grand Canyon, and you can basically choose your own adventure. You can also ride mules down the trail. Kaitlyn so wished we could do that. It would have been so neat! But we have a 5 year old who I wasn't sticking on a mule for a long ride down the canyon.

That same day, the next thing we did was drive to the East side of the park to visit the points that shuttles don't visit. We added this to our second day, but it could also easily be added to the Orange Trail day. It was nice to spend some time driving after our walking, especially day two. This is a great thing to do in the afternoon, also, when the weather is hotter. Then you spend time in your vehicle with air conditioning. We drove all the way out to the Tusayan Museum and Ruin. They had some Native American Artifacts and ruins of a Kiva. That was neat to see. Then we drove on to the Desert View Watch Tower and hit each point on our way back. This is a method we do in Yellowstone; things are so busy in Yellowstone that you strategically want to be turning right as much as possible. Left-hand turns can take you forever. We would have been fine turning left at the time of year we went, but it is just our National Park strategy.

Our third day, we went to the Yavapai Point again and walked from the museum east along the Kaibab/Rim, or Orange, Route. This trail takes you through Mather Point, which is a very beautiful spot. It also takes you through more forest-like conditions so you can't see the canyon as much. There is also some parts of burnt-down forest from a controlled fire gone wrong. This path was overall the least impressive of the paths we took, but we really enjoy hiking in general as a family, so walking through the trees was novel and felt a bit like home. I could recommend this path for day one since it is the least impressive, and you want to save the best for last, but it could also be frustrating on day one because you would just want to see the canyon and you would be unable to.

We were done with that trial by lunch that day. After we ate, we headed back to the campsite and played games and relaxed. We debated driving to a town in Arizona, but cell coverage was so spotty I wasn't sure where it would be best to go. Our kids love to camp, so we decided hanging out at the campsite would be fun and they loved it!

So we enjoyed that third day and having it end relaxing. It was nice to help us not be so exhausted when we got home. But you could definitely squeeze what we did into two days if needed. What we did was a nice comfortable pace, so you would be exhausted by the end of the day. As it was, we were all in bed and asleep by 8-9 PM each night.

Safety in the Grand Canyon

One of the most shocking things for us when we visited the Grand Canyon was the lack of safety rails and signs warning you to be careful. We don't think there needs to be any of that; it is pretty obvious that you should be careful. But in Yellowstone, there are signs and warnings everywhere. You are only allowed on the marked paths and things are pretty strict and tight. The Grand Canyon is very loose and self-governing.

There are times in the Grand Canyon you are walking along and there are just inches between you and a sheer drop-off. There are times there are fences, but most of the time there are not. If you stay on the trails, it is safe. With little children, it can be stressful because kids can easily get distracted by a literal squirrel and mis-step. They say only 8-10 people die there each year, but I don't want my people to be one of that group!

If you go with children, I recommend being sure your child listens to you well. This is a place where you want first time obedience and following instructions to be a real thing. I would do "Ask and Tell" before you go and each morning. Set rules and enforce them. We had rules about staying on the paths, not running along the paths (there are times there is a turn at the bottom of a hill, and if you don't make the turn, you go right off the edge), and holding a parents hand when going off the path. We let Brayden (12) and Kaitlyn (10) walk about without holding hands, but required McKenna (just turned 9) and Brinley (5) to hold our hands if we left the paths. They also needed permission to leave the path.

A big concern for many people going to the Grand Canyon is a fear of heights. Brinley has a real phobia, and she did great. She had moments of fear, but for the most part she was okay. The canyon is so incredibly deep that you brain can't even comprehend it enough to be scared or nervous.

Shuttle Buses in the Grand Canyon

When we first talked about visiting the Grand Canyon, we toyed with the idea of renting a motorhome. Then we decided that would be annoying and cumbersome to drive it around the canyon. It turns out, there is a great free shuttle system in Grand Canyon National Park. You can take shuttles from your camp ground or you can go to designated parking lots and park there and shuttle from there.

There are some points you can't get to without your own transportation. The shuttle can also take a long time and can be quite full of people. I hate to say it, but most of the shuttle bus drivers were just down right rude. We had a couple of nice ones over the course of three days, but most were impatient and unkind. I get that it must be frustrating to deal with people who don't know the processes and rules of riding the shuttle buses in Grand Canyon day in and day out, but you also can't expect people to just know. We had one driver who would tell those in line to approach the front of the bus, then as soon as people stepped toward the bus, she would yell at us everyone to step back until she said to go forward...so...we didn't love riding the shuttle most of the time.

With that said, I do love that they have the shuttle system. It keeps things much less congested on the roads. Anyone who has been to Yellowstone lately knows what a nightmare parking and traffic can be in a National Park with no shuttle system. So It is great they have shuttles available.

Camping Tips and Information for Camping in the Grand Canyon

You can camp in the Grand Canyon, stay in hotels, or stay in towns outside of the park. We decided to camp, so I will discuss that aspect.

We stayed at Mather Campground. It was a really nice campground! It is the nicest campground we have been in in any of the national parks. There were trees and the campsites were not so on top of each other like other campgrounds we have been in.

Something to know is that you need to book far in advance. You book on this site. For peak seasons, they recommend booking 6 months in advance. They don't have any "walk-ins." We booked 4 months ahead and went in April, which is busier than winter, but not as busy as summer. Here are some key things to know:

• Bring your own firewood. You aren't allowed to gather wood in the national parks (at least the ones I have been in). You can buy firewood there, but it is super, super expensive. 
• They have showers. Showers cost $2 for 8 minutes.
• There are flushing toilets and running water. Yay! 
• There is potable water. You can fill up your water at designated pumps in the campground. These are popular spots for the wildlife to gather, especially at dawn and dusk.
• There is shade in the non hook-up campground, but not RV campground. Nate thought it was important for people to know that the RV campground has full hook-ups, but it basically looks like a parking lot and doesn't have the trees and privacy the non-hook-up area.
• There was a fire pit and a picnic table at each site.
• Dumpsters marked "recycling can have garbage in them. We learned this on the last day as we pulled out. Ha! 

Drinking Water in the Grand Canyon

As I said above, there are drinking water spigots in the campgrounds. They also have many water refill stations in the park along the rim trail. You will need to have water bottles. The water is not often enough that you could make it between stops without drinking your own water.

Services in the Grand Canyon

Here are some things to know about the Grand Canyon.

• There is no gas station in the park. There is one way on the east side near the entrance. There is a town just south of the park, Tusayan, that has gas stations. Prices are very high. If you are driving to the park, I recommend topping off your tank in a town far enough away that prices aren't so high. 
• There is a store and market. If you forget things, you can get them at the market. The prices are extremely high, but you the items are there. 
• There was very limited cell phone service for me. I think this was true for most people because I rarely saw people on their phones, which is rare these days. I actually love this about camping. I love going places where I have no service so I have to disconnect. It is something to be aware of, though, because I planned on being able to look things up on my phone. Make sure you have the info you will need printed or written down in hard copy or saved as screen shots into your images on your phone.
• There are Restaurants. I didn't realize this about the Grand Canyon until were there. They have restaurants you can eat at in the actual park. 

Sunrise and Sunset in the Grand Canyon

The sunrise and sunset can be quite spectacular in the Grand Canyon. There are several great spots--there probably aren't bad spots--but there are some really good ones for sun watching.

Mather Point is great for the sunrise. You don't need to take the shuttle to get there. Just park at the visitors center (Lot 1 is the closest to Mather Point) and walk there.

Stops on the Red Route are great for the sunset. Hopi Point or Mohave Point are both good ones.

A note I would give about the sunrise. The sky can really light up with colors. The colors come long before sunrise happens. So don't aim to be there just before the sun rises. Aim for 20-30 minutes before the sun will rise so you can enjoy the colors. It is early, especially in the summer because Arizona doesn't practice Daylight Savings. So you are running on Pacific time in the Mountain Time Zone.

Also, I would go to the sunrise your first morning and plan on maybe needing to go every morning. We were up then the first morning, but we had planned to go the next day. We could see the spectacular colors in the sky, though not over the canyon. The second day, we were up and present...and the sun produced no color that day. It was cloudy and we didn't even see the sun come up. Fail. So we went back the next day and saw a beautiful sunrise. So if I had it to do again, I would aim for going the first morning just in case we had to go every day to really see the beautiful sunrise. You can see in the pics above the day that had no color versus the day with color.

Things to Pack for the Grand Canyon

There are a few things you want to be sure to pack:

• Sunscreen
• Binoculars
• Snacks (snacks keep kids happy while walking long distances. So can gum!)
• Water bottles
• Backpack to keep things in, including your snacks, water, and jackets. 
• Food--pack a lunch and take it with you on your walks and hikes. They have picnic tables every so often, and if there isn't one available, you can always find a nice little spot to sit and eat. 
• Rain gear. Rain can come up unexpectedly. Have umbrellas and/or rain jackets in case you get caught in a storm.

Related Travel Posts on this Blog:

• Tips for Camping with Children
• General Travel Tips
• How To Travel Without "Un-doing" Babywise
• How to Plan the Perfect Family Vacation
• All Traveling Posts

How To Plan the Perfect Family Vacation

Inside: How to plan the perfect family vacation. Pick the perfect destination, plan everything effectively, and have a fun time making memories. 

I love a family vacation. Traveling has always been one of my favorite things to do. While a lot of people get bored in a car for long hours, I get a thrill seeing the different landscapes as you drive mile after mile. I always said when I was younger that I would love to live in a different area of the world for 4-12 months at a time to get a feel for what it is like there. That sounded fun before I had kids; now I of course prefer stability and sending my kids to school, so we travel. We didn't always travel long distances. When my family as a whole was a younger family, we traveled close to home and for shorter spurts--more "long-weekends" than full vacations. I don't regret that; it was the best for our family of nappers and littles at the time and we still had a lot of fun.

Now that my family as a whole is in the middle stage of raising kids life, we are in full-on travel mode. We have a list of destinations we want to hit before Brayden, our oldest, graduates high school (only five years folks!). We are taking full advantage and getting our travel on. 

Prepping for a trip is not easy, and let's be real, for most families, the bulk of the burden lands on mom. Mom plans the trip, mom preps the pets and house to be left, mom packs her stuff, mom packs her own stuff, and mom answers dad's 65 questions while he packs his own stuff. Not to discount the stress or efforts dads put in to a trip, but in most cases, mom puts the most effort into prepping for a trip. 

All of this added burden (for fun, but a burden all the same) to everyday life can lead you to feeling stressed and extra grumpy. My husband and I both really strive to stay as patient as possible as we prep for a trip. We don't want vacations to be dreaded because it means mom and dad go into major grump mode. 

One of the best ways to stay calm and collected is to have a plan for how to prep and plan for the trip. Here is my method for planning the perfect family vacation. 

Decide on a Travel Location and Dates

The first thing you need to do when planning a family vacation is to decide where to go and when to go. I really like having a master list of places we would like to go. We always decide at the end of one trip what our next one will be. Consider things like how far away it is, how expensive-ish it would be and how that would fit in with your budget, and how your kids would handle it at their ages. Not all places are great for kids at all ages. For example, on our someday list is Washington D.C. This is a very far away destination for us, so it is a once in a lifetime type of trip. We plan to wait until Brayden is a senior before we go there. There is a lot of walking involved and we want our kids old enough to be able to physically handle that. We also want them as old as possible to hopefully appreciate what is there. 

Once you know your location, get some date options. Look up online great times to travel to the location. What is a less busy time of year? Those will be less expensive and less crowded. Look at the weather at the different times of year you are considering. Be sure to consider school dates and work needs when considering your travel dates. 

We plan to go to Florida next year. We wanted to go over spring break, but once I started researching, I soon realized Florida has spring break the same time we did...it was literally twice as expensive to book lodging as other times of year we could go. So we are looking at other date options. 

Plan and Book the Details

How will you get there? Drive? Fly? Where will you stay? Rent a home? Hotel? All-inclusive? Where will you go? 

Figure out how far in advance you need to book things. You can shop around and find better deals the earlier you start booking. If you are going to a show or game of some sort, you can get better seats if you buy tickets earlier. Google best times to fly. Search for things in an "incognito" window so the Internet doesn't remember you are looking. Flight prices in particular will jump if you forget this step. 

Plan the Food

We love to stay somewhere with at least a little mini fridge so we can pack lunches when possible. We don't like eating out for every single meal, plus it saves money to pack food. We typically try to eat out no more than once each day, and try to do less if possible. 

Decide where you will be eating meals, and then plan what they will be and where you will eat them. 

Also, in planning your food, don't forget to have some snacks planned. Kids are much more pleasant if they aren't hungry, and often when traveling, you are moving around more and kids can get quite hungry. 

If we are not flying, I like to make food ahead of time to take with us. I will boil some eggs to have as snacks. I will bake some banana bread. It is a great way to use up food that would otherwise go bad and have some yummy snacks for your trip. 

Make a Budget and Save

Taking a vacation with the money pre-saved makes the trip a thousand times more enjoyable. I love buying things ahead of time as I can to spread out the expenses. I always estimate how much the entire trip will cost and figure out how to save for the trip so that while we are on the trip, it is all paid for and the money is there to cover what isn't already paid for so we can just enjoy the trip without worrying about going into debt. 

Make a Packing List

Make a packing list for each person so you can check things off as you pack. I try to pack light, but I also want everything we need. I always pack 1-2 extra pairs of underwear and socks per person just in case something happens. I even make a packing list for my husband so he can just consult it instead of asking me what he needs to pack and if there is anything else he needs. Be sure you think through your activities and that you have what you need to do them. I mentally walk through each day so I don't forget anything. Check the weather of where you are going and have plans for inclement weather happening. What will you need if it rains or snows? Do you have what you need for the sun? What is the climate like? Is it more humid? Are there lots of bugs (and bug spray needed)?

Schedule Hair/Nails/Doctor Appointments

If you like to have a fresh hair-cut or you want your nails done, make sure you make the appointments with enough time. If you need to see a doctor for any reason (certain vaccinations, clearance, medications, etc.) be sure to schedule with enough notice. 

Prepare the Home

There are a variety of things you need to prep at home before you go. I always like to put a hold on my mail. You can go here to set up your own mail hold. If you have pets, find someone to take care of them while you are gone. We always get a neighbor. You might need to board your pet at the vet or a boarding place. If you have plants or a garden going, you will want to make sure you have someone lined up to water those things if needed. 

Arrange with Work, School, Family, and Extra Curriculars

Let your work colleagues know when you will be gone. Arrange for your responsibilities to be covered while you are gone. If your child is in daycare, let them know. If your child will miss school, talk to the teacher ahead of time. They will often gather up work your child will miss so he/she can do it ahead of time. If your child is in dance, music lessons, or a sport, be sure to let those in charge know your child will be missing. 

It is also smart to tell neighbors you trust that you will be leaving and your dates. It can help them keep an eye on your house and know if they see things going on that something isn't right. It is also smart to let your family or close friends know when you are going, how long you will be there, and how you will be traveling. That way if something happens, someone knows you aren't where you should be. 

Charge and Prep Electronics

In the last couple of days before you leave, make sure your electronics are ready to go. If you plan to take a Kindle, make sure the movies and books you want on the device are loaded. Make sure your devices are charged fully. 

Prepare Your Vehicle

If you will be driving at all for your vacation, clean your vehicle out. Check the fluids and the tire pressure. Get the oil changed if it is due. Fill up with gas. Be prepared and ready to go.

Home Prep Right Before You Leave on Vacation

Just before you leave, there are some things you will ideally do. One is clean up a bit. I love coming home to a clean house and it is so nice to not have a mess on top of the mess you bring home. You will have unpacking and laundry to take care of. 

If you have the time, clean your refrigerator out in the few days before you leave. You can get food out that is bad or about to go bad. It is also wise to empty all garbages just before you leave so you don't have anything in the house rotting and/or stinking up the place. 

Check the windows and doors and make sure all are locked. Do a walk through and make sure the lights are all off and the electronics are unplugged. Turn down or up the thermostat (depending on the time of year). Before you leave, give your pets and/or plants one last check/feeding/watering.

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Travel Tips for New York City with Children

Travel Tips for New York City with Children

The most surprising discovery for me in New York City was how kind the people were. We had heard tales and read stories about how downright rude New Yorkers were, so we went fully braced to meet the rudest people you could ever imagine.

While I saw my fair share of impatience among the drivers of the city (come on, if you are twenty cars back, you won't move forward the instant a light turns green. No need to lay on the horn), the people at most indifferent, and frequently kind. 

We never got weird looks for having kids, much less four of them. I can't say this for every place we have visited. We never got lectured or even passive-aggressively berated for stopping on a sidewalk or in the middle of a busy subway station (though we had fully discussed with our children our sidewalk rules: two by two and never stop). We did get a lot of compliments on our children, though.

We rode the subway all over for a week, and there are only two times we got onto a crowded subway and didn't have people give up seats for our family. Both of those times, it would have been literally impossible to do so (the train was so crowded we couldn't have gotten to a seat--there was no musical chairs possible). 

We had kind people visit with us on buses and subways to offer us advice and their "must-sees" and eateries around the city. We had people approach us as we exited a subway station and ask us if they could help direct us on which way to go (most exit to different corners of the block).

New York was a great place to go with children.

There were people everywhere. Everything is fast. The people move fast, the vehicles move fast. When we laded at JFK and waited outside the airport for our Uber to come, I clucked my tongue at how quickly the shuttle drivers were flying by. Humans adapt quickly, though. When we got home, I rolled my eyes at how slowly the shuttle drivers were driving here at the airport. Ha! We also felt strangely alone as we landed in the middle of the night and the parking lot was empty. It was so odd to not be completely surrounded by people. 

There is a lot of walking required around NYC, and strollers are usually just inconvenient. So I highly recommend waiting until you can go stroller-free to get the most enjoyment out of your trip. 

We packed a lot in our eight days in New York City. Here is our itinerary along with any comments or tips I have on certain places. 

1-Go to a MusicalA must-do in New York City is a musical. We saw Wicked on the first day we were in the city. Everyone in the family loved it. McKenna asked if we could go to a musical every day (I wish! $$$)

2-Visit Times Square
Times Square can be a fast visit with children. When we got there, Brayden asked, "Why is this place famous???" We found ourselves in Times Square almost every day, so you probably don't need to play a special visit there. Be aware it is always very crowded, especially on weekends. If you have kids who wander or you can't be sure can stick with the family, you might want to skip this one or stay on the outskirts.

3-Go to Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum
This was one of Brayden and Nate's very favorite things we did the whole time.

4-Go on a Boat Tour
One of my favorite things we did was a Circle Line Boat Tour. With our ticket, we got free tickets to Intrepid, so if you decide to go on a boat tour, check out their upgrades. We did the tour that circles the entire island of Manhattan. We did this on our second day, and it was a great way to start off the visit. It helped us have some bearing as we traveled the rest of the city. We were also able to be introduced to some potential places worth visiting that we hadn't heard of before.

5-Walk the High Line
The High Line is very close to Circle Line Boat Tour. Now...this was cool considering where it was. It was a neat thing in the middle of the city. However, I live in a place with much more impressive walking paths, so this is a nice thing to do with kids, but didn't live up to the hype for us.

6-Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
This was a walk we loved. We loved it so much that we did it a second time. We went from Manhattan to Brooklyn one day and from Brooklyn to Manhattan another day. I like the Brooklyn to Manhattan best. On the bridge, they had fruit vendors and also artists selling drawings and photographs. We bought all of these things.

 

7-Visit Brooklyn and Eat at Juniors
Each burough of New York is different from the next. There is a park at the end of the Brooklyn Bridge. We had also been told about the restaurant Juniors by a Brooklyn native the day before. Amazing! Best cheesecake ever. We went back a second day so we could enjoy it again. There is one of these on Times Square, so you don't have to go to Brooklyn for it.

8-Take in a Game
There are a lot of sports teams in New York City. We went to a Yankees game while we were there.

9-Visit St. Patrick's Cathedral
The cathedral was a neat place to visit.

10-Play at Central Park
We played at Central Park two different days. We toured as much of it as possible. We would spend an hour at one playground, then walk to the next one, and so forth. We would stop at attractions along the way. Even with our two days, there was so much we didn't see. The kids loved being in Central Park. It was a relief from the noises and smells of the city. Plus they had fun playing an  being kids.

We made a list of all of the things we wanted to see and the playgrounds we wanted to try out. Then we looked them up on Google Maps and planned out our visit. There was a lot of walking, but Google Maps was super helpful in navigating Central Park efficiently. Here is the list of things we saw:

• Robert Bendeim Playground
• Ancient Playground (this was the favorite of the kids overall and it is right next to the Met)
• Belvedere Castle
• Turtle Pond
• Great Lawn
• East 72 Street Playground
• Bethesda Fountain (this is a MUST. It is beautiful and there is so much going on here).
• Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater
• The Ramble (a little forest-trail in Central Park)
• Diana Ross Playground
• Billy Johnson Playground
• Hans Christen Anderson Statue
• Conservatory Water
• Alice and Wonderland Statue
• Heckscher Playground
• Gapstow Bridge
• Adventure Playground (this was the favorite of the older kids. Brinley didn't particularly love it)

11-Go to Coney Island
We ended up with an extra day to fill, and decided to go check out Coney Island. We ate Nathan's hot dogs and let the kids play on the sand for a bit. Coney Island is in Brooklyn. It was about an hour subway ride for us from Manhattan, but a lot of it is above ground through Brookly, so you get to see a lot of that borough.

12-Ride the Staten Island Ferry
I didn't think we needed to do this since we had ridden a boat tour and would be riding a ferry to get to Liberty Island. With our extra time, we decided to ride the ferry. It was so great! I enjoyed it a whole lot. It was a different experience than the other boat/ferry rides we had.

13-Visit the 9/11 Memorial
A visit to the 9/11 Memorial is a must. We chose to not do the museum since we had little kids. They wouldn't have appreciated it and I wasn't sure by this point in our trip they would still have self control to be quiet like they needed to.

14-Visit the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Battery Park
You must visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island! Make sure you get tickets months in advance. There are height requirements for the crown, and you can only get 4 per family, but the pedestal is worth it. Right now, only the pedastal and crown tickets will get you into the museum at the Statue of Liberty. The crown tickets sell out months in advance, so don't delay. Pedestal you can get closer to your visit. If you purchase online beforehand, you get to skip a lot of long lines at security. So worth it! These things need to be all in one day with nothing else planned for the day. Get your tickets for as early as you can so you have plenty of time to enjoy each island and also enjoy the World War II Memorials at Battery Park.

15-Visit One World Observatory
We had a hard time choosing which building to go to the top of in New York City. Your three options are The Empire State Building, The Rockefeller Center, and One World Observatory. Everything you read says to avoid the Empire State Building, but this building is so iconic it couldn't just be crossed off our list without consideration. In the end, we went with One World Conservatory. It is hard to pass up the current tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. We visited the other two buildings, but didn't go to the top. One World was a great visit. We did it on our last day, and we were really happy we did. It was a fun way to look at all of the places we had been on our trip. When you get in the elevator to go up, pay attention! The ride up is impressive in and of itself.

16-Sight Seeing
There are so many things you can just see in New York City. You probably won't have time to fully visit and go inside every place you would like to in New York. We went by and saw several locations. We went by Lincoln Square, Radio City Music Hall, the Rock, the Empire State Building, the LDS Temple, and Chinatown, to name a few.

A Note on Transportation

New York City is not the place to rent a car. Plan on either doing taxis, ubers (or something similar), or the bus/subway system. Oh, and of course walking a lot.

We primarily did the subway and bus system with a healthy amount of walking (literally, it was healthy). Again, Google Maps comes through big time on helping you with the public transportation. They have a variety of options for how to pay to ride. We went with the seven day unlimited pass. So we were able to ride any bus and any subway for one flat rate. We were always comfortable riding on these. Our children quickly got the hang of entering and exiting as well as standing while riding if needed. 

We did have some rules that I think helped it be smooth for us. One is that I entered every subway first, followed by the kids, and lastly, Nate entered. That way, if not everyone made it on, we wouldn't have kids left alone. We never had issue, though. We also had a plan that if we did get separated, the people on the subway would simply exit at the next stop and wait for the people left behind to come along. Then we would all get back on a train together. Again, we never had an issue. We could have if we had tried really hard to fit into overcrowded cars. If it was super crowded, however, we just waited for the next one. This only happened a couple of times all week long. We also had the rule that there was no staring at people around them. 

If you fly in, I highly recommend the Uber for getting to and from the airport. We took an Uber from the airport into the city, but decided to take the subway back to the airport since we were so familiar with it by then. Ummm...bad decision and one we wouldn't replicate if given the option. We had to make station transfer, and there were no escalators nor elevators at either station, so we had a lot of baggage carrying to do. Some stations are brutally hot, and both of these were. So we were literally dripping in sweat. Then the line to get to JFK was super crowded. It was also running slow that day. So we waited for 20 minutes for the first train to come, but it was too crowded. Then another 15 for the next, and we were able to get on, but it was standing room only. Super full. Everyone was going to the airport. The ride was over an hour long. So we stood for an hour. With all of our luggage...it was an experience, but just get an Uber. To do the subway, you have to take the air train at the end, which isn't free even with the public transportation pass. So just go with the Uber. 

This was such a fun trip! It was so different from our normal lives that it was culturally rich, beyond just the richness of the locations we went to. There are people everywhere. If you have introverts in your family, help them be mentally prepared for this. There were moments--always during rush hour, that Brayden was completely overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. There was a lot of noise and a lot of smells--not always good. Despite that, even the introverts had a good time. By the end, ?Brinley declared she didn't want to go home, she wanted to live there. I hope you have a great time!

Traveling to Chicago Tips

We recently took a trip to Chicago as a family. The number one question I got when I told people we were going to Chicago was, "Why?!?" Chicago is not your typical family destination vacation spot. Why did we go? We have some very good friends who live near Chicago who invited us, so we went.

I was very pleasantly surprised at how family friendly Chicago was. Honestly, when we were in California last year, I fielded many dirty looks over having children. People often commented on how many children we have. Now, as a Utah resident, you can imagine that four children is just not a high number of kids. No one thinks twice about four here. 

I fully expected to get the same reaction, if not stronger, in Chicago. After all, in California we were hanging around a bunch of parks aimed at children and families--they are used to seeing children around, right? 

Despite the fact that my children and the children of my friend were often the only children we would see in the city that day (school is in session after all), we did not get one single weird look or comment for having kids. My friend explained to me that Chicago is the Midwest and that that large families are not uncommon and are valued. 

In short, we loved our time in Chicago and I would highly recommend it to any family! Chicago has a rich history and a unique culture. October was a lovely time to go. The weather was nice--it wasn't too hot and it wasn't too cold. The crowds were very small. Here is what we did:

Willis Tower

This was my favorite thing we did. We did this on the first day and I think it was the perfect way to start our visit. We walked through the city to get to the tower (since parking is the kind of situation where once you have a spot, you don't give it up). In the tower, we had amazing views. We were able to orient ourselves and see the city as a whole. http://theskydeck.com/

Millennium Park

After the tower, we walked to Millennium Park. This has got to be one of the smartest things Chicago ever did. Honestly, the biggest shock to me being in the city was the lack of sunlight. It was a beautfiul, bright sunny fall day and the sun did not reach the ground. That would really get to me, so this park would be a must-visit daily for me if I lived in Chicago. This park is full of art and sunshine! You also have a great view of the city, which made it another great day one activity.  http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/millennium_park.html

Maggie Daley Park

After Millennium Park, we wanted to visit the Lake Front Trail. We headed across the bridge toward Lake Michigan. As we crossed it, we saw something amazing ahead of us. It was of great interest to our children. As we approached it, we were shocked to see it was free. It is just a park. But not just a park. It is the most amazing park I have ever seen. If you go to Chicago with children, you must come to this park. Our children loved every minute. http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/maggie-daley-park/

Lakefront Trail
As I did research for this trip, I thought it was so nice that Chicago has all of these nice outside spaces. Like I said, being there, I realized how essential it would be to have these for citizens. It really is nice and smart of them to have space for people to access sunshine and open space.

The Lakefront Trail is 18 miles of paved path that can be used to run, walk, bike, rollerblade...and we saw it all happening each day. There are amazing views of Lake Michigan and the city from the trail. By the way, if you have not yet seen a great lake, it is definitely a destination by itself. Lake Michigan is so wide that it really looks like you are looking at the ocean. We have a lot of lakes in Utah, all of which you can see the other side (helped by the mountains here). We have also been to the ocean. Our children were very impressed by how wide Lake Michigan is.

There is a lot that is accessible from the trail. parks, the zoo, Soldier field, several museums (Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Planetarium, the aquarium...), and Navy Pier are all just a few examples.

If you have any boat lovers, you can see a lot in the harbor. There are a lot of yachts and other boats.   http://www.choosechicago.com/articles/view/THE-LAKEFRONT-TRAIL/454/

Alder Planetarium
The next day, we started at Alder Planetarium. We parked at Soldier Field and walked over. Now, honestly, the planetarium is something I would skip. It was okay. We have a much smaller planetarium in Utah that I think is quite good and I expected this one to be exponentially better. It was not even comparable. It was okay, and we had one price for several of the museums so it was essentially free, but if you are paying, I wouldn't do it.

If you do decide to do it, you would be wise to call ahead and find out if there are any field trips happening that day and the times. There were a few field trips the day we were there and the children on these field trips were running around seriously out of control. I am sure that impacted my impression of the place. http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/

I will say, my favorite part of the planetarium was the incredible view of the city from the planetarium. It was definitely worth the view. We had packed a lunch and we sat on the grass outside and ate with that amazing view before us.

Architecture Boat Tour
We had heard of doing a boat tour in the city. We had heard only good things, but the price was a little steep for all six of us to go. I can be very frugal and it just seemed like a lot of money to spend for just over an hour. However, it also seemed like one of those must-dos in the city. An added bonus is that Brayden right now wants to be an architect when he grows up, so it would be something really interesting to him. So we did it.

We loved it! It was definitely worth the money. It was a great way to view the city and to learn a whole lot about the history of the city.

We went with Shoreline Sightseeing and departed from Navy Pier. It was a great tour. A bonus was that we were at Navy Pier and could look around there. If you book with Shoreline, be sure you do it online because you will get $5 off per ticket. Make sure you enter the code they tell you to at checkout to get the discount.

Now, little word of advice. We did the boat tour and the planetarium on the same day. We walked along the Lakefront Trail to get there. It didn't look too long.

Wrong! It was pretty long. It took us about 2 hours to walk there with kids. We didn't rush and we stopped for breaks, but the kids were tired by the end. Afterward, the dads ran back to Solider Field to get our vehicles while we stayed at Navy Pier, and it took them about 45 minutes. It was a great walk, just don't leave yourself with too little time if you do something like that.

Museum of Science and Industry
Hands down, this is the best museum I have ever been to. It was very hands on, very kid friendly, very educational, and very fun. We spent the whole day there Friday and didn't see it all. It was Brayden's favorite thing we did on this trip, but it was also frustrating for him because he couldn't do everything. You could easily spend two days here and not get bored.

The U-505 Submarine is a must see in this museum. This is the only German sub in the United States and includes a national memorial to sailors who gave their lives in WWI and WWII.

Our favorite room and where we spent the most time was in the Science Storms room. Be sure you visit that one.

They also have a Mirror Maze that is absolutely fascinating. You need tickets for this, which are free, but they like to control the flow through the maze so there aren't too many people. Go to this first thing and get your tickets for later in the day.

If you only go to one museum in Chicago, go to this one. Also, parking is right under the building, so that is a huge perk.

The Art Institute of Chicago
Saturday morning, Kaitlyn and I went with my friend Kelli and her baby to the Art Institute while the men took the rest of the kids to the Field Museum. They dropped us off and we then walked to the Field after we were done (a short 1.5 mile walk).

I am not a huge art lover. I don't dislike art, I just know I can't appreciate it for what it is. Kaitlyn, however, is an artist and I knew this was a must-see for her.

She loved it. Children under 14 are free, which is fantastic. We went through pretty quickly--even though she loves art, she is 8 and can't appreciate it fully yet. She isn't to the point of standing and staring at one painting for an hour. And despite my lack of understanding, I enjoyed the museum and the paintings and sculptures on display. I loved the collection of Monet paintings. http://www.artic.edu/

They also have a children's area in the museum, which you can enter without paying to go to the museum, where children can do art. Kaitlyn loved doing art in the museum.

The Field Museum of Natural History
We joined the men after a few hours. By then, many of the children were done at the museum and could have happily left, but Kaitlyn was just getting there so we continued on. They have a nice dinosaur collection. I personally really liked the history of the Americas section--that is something I have not seen as a whole before in a museum. My favorite part of this was the Native peoples of North America.

The children were all also fascinated with the gem room. In that room, I pointed out each person's birth stone and that definitely made them more interested in the room in general.

Membership Tip
A great money saving tip for you is to get a family membership to the American Museum of Science and Energy. A family membership is only $40 and it can be used to attend the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Alder Planetarium. $40 gets your entire family into all three of those museums. Fabulous right?!? So if you go, look into this pass. You just order online and then they mail you the pass. Do it a few weeks before you need it--it does take time.

This also works at many museums around the nation. The rule is you can't live within 90 miles of the museum. There are several here in Utah it can be used at, so you can look at their list and see if it will work for at other places, also.

Food
I think any place you go, you will look up information and they will include a list of "must-eats" in that city. I always try these suggestions, but I am rarely as impressed as the author was with the location.

Let me tell you, Chicago is a place for food lovers. Even if you just appreciate food that tastes good but aren't a foodie, you will love the food here. I am really a picky eat out person. I like fresh ingredients and I like food that was 100% prepared on sight. The food in Chicago was good. While I had that "I am full from eating out every day for a week" feeling by the end of the week,  I did not have that "I am sick of eating out. I just want real food" feeling by the end of the week.

Now, in most instances, you can pack a lunch and eat it somewhere during your activities. We did this most days.

At dinner time, it is time for some good food. And here is the thing--traffic is so bad leaving the city at night that it makes sense to eat in the city and then leave in lighter traffic when you are done.

Giordano's
Day one, we ate dinner at Giordano's. This is a pizza place. Amazing. They have deep dish pizza and also thin crust (which is what the kids ate). I am not a huge pizza fan, but I find myself craving more Giordano's.

Portillo's 
Portillo's is a great place to go for a Chicago dog. They also have a very varied menu, so people who aren't into the Chicago dog can get something else. Everything we ordered was delicious, and our friends said they haven't ever had anything they don't like there. They are also famous for chocolate cake, which I did not eat sadly.

Garrett Popcorn
Chicago is also famous for its popcorn. Walking down the street past a popcorn shop is a fantastic experience for the olfactories. We went to Garrett popcorn. Now, I have to say, it was good, but it was not amazing like I expected it to be based on the raving. It kind of reminded me of the popcorn you get in those Christmas tins...I know! Boo and hiss me if you like. That is just my little opinion and the place rates extremely well, so I would say you should try it for yourself. It was good and it made for a good snack. It was inexpensive to get a couple of smalls for the whole family and that was more than enough for us. 

Corner Bakery Cafe
This is a restaurant you can find around the US. This was a good little soup and sandwich shop. It wasn't special to Chicago, but it was good and we ate there :). This isn't a must-visit, but it was a delicious lunch so if you are in need of a place to eat, you won't be sad you went here.   http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com/

Culver's
Again, this isn't specific just to Chicago area. We got shakes here one night. It was a great shake place! The food looked good, but we didn't eat there so I can't say. http://www.culvers.com/

J. Alexander's
This is a place we went for a girl's night. I would not take children here. It was good! I got a turkey burger and I am pretty picky about my turkey burgers. Again, not Chicago specific. http://jalexandersholdings.com/ I wouldn't say this is a must-visit in Chicago.

Things to Be Aware of

Traffic! 
Chicago is the third most populated city in the US, and the traffic reflects that. Traffic is bad all day every day. It is much worse at typical rush hour times. The worst is a Friday night leaving the city. The best is the weekend (and this is all assuming there aren't games going on).

Drivers!
The drivers in Chicago really are crazy. There was not one day I didn't witness several near-accidents. People are aggressive and they don't typically look well. A different friend I have who lives in the area said she has only been in a few accidents in her life. That shocks me because I have been in zero, so "only a few" sounds like a lot. She said it is good for the area. So be on your best defensive driving.

Lane Lines!
In the actual city, lane lines apparently mean nothing. It is every man for himself, so if you want to move about the city, you have got to pick up on that and drive like a native.

Parking!
Everywhere you go, you will pay to park. Parking will be $20-40 a day. Be sure as you are planning your activities that you keep things close to each other so you can just stay in your parking spot all day long.

Walking!
There is a lot of walking going on, so be sure to have a stroller if you have a little one who can't do all of that walking. We didn't the first day and it was very exhausting for Nate, who carried Brinley around a lot. 

Take Note
About 45-60 minutes north of Chicago downtown, there is a Six Flags. We did not go there, but I think it would be a fun day trip if your family likes amusement parks. We just did Southern California last year and we have season passes to Lagoon, our local amusement park, so we felt like we would rather spend our time on more Chicago-specific activities, but that is a fun idea for you.