Author Archives: kidsviewtravel

Geyser Gazers, Yellowstone National Park ,WY

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Hadley- 13

The one official, guided tour we took at Yellowstone National Park was Geyser Gazers. First you get on this cool, old fashioned bus.  It only holds about 15-17  people.  (I would recommend booking your tour early because we only had 2 tickets for it. Fortunately, this family of 4 didn’t show up, so we paid the money, and our whole family could go on the tour.) The cost of the tour is adult – $26, children – $13, ages 3-11 under 3 are free. When we first started the tour we got out onto the road and there was a road jam.  We think that it was due to the wildlife (bison).  So we turned around and headed to Biscuit Basin.  This really stunk, not only because we had already been there, but we really then didn’t learn anything new that the brochure didn’t tell you.  Then, we ended up getting to go back to where we were originally planned to go to.  When we got there, we got to see some things we wouldn’t have gotten to see, but again we didn’t really learn anything.  We just got to see new things.   So, if I were you, I would save my $26 and take your own self-guided tour. Read the brochure, and you will end up learning more or the same amount.  We don’t normally not recommend things, but in this case, it was not worth the money.

Barnett-10

In Yellowstone National Park, we took a tour called Geyser Gazers. When you start the tour you get in this cool, old fashioned bus that is in pretty good shape.  It held 15 people and it was $26 for an adult, then children 3-11 are $13, also under 3 years old is free.  When we started the tour, we got stuck in a traffic jam and had to turn back around, because there probably was an animal on the road like a bison or a bear maybe. We headed to Biscuit Basin, which was a total bummer, because our family had already been there that day so that was a let down. Plus, we didn’t learn anything that wasn’t on the brochure. There were only two places we got out of the bus.  This was disappointing, because that meant we could have driven around in our minivan and seen the same things.  Then, finally we went back to the place we were supposed to go to in the first place.  Since we had to make the first detour, we only drove through that area, and we didn’t get to get out of the bus.  We also didn’t get a chance to really slow down and look at anything.   That was the end of the tour which was a total bummer, because we didn’t learn anything new.  So if I were you, I would save my money and tour the park while reading a brochure, because that’s just as good.

Keys Cable Park – Marathon, Florida

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John- 15
Keys Cable Park is a place where you can learn how to wakeboard or learn more about wake boarding.  Keys Cable Park is located on the Northern part of Marathon Key.  The cable park is in a small mangrove area and is closed out from the ocean.  The park has two towing cables:  one for advanced and one for beginners.  The cables run diagonally across the lake area.  The cable park has a couple of options to choose from for wake boarding. One of the options is learning how to use and ride a wakeboard.  The rates for this is 39 dollars for a half hour, 49 dollars for one hour, and 69 dollars for two hours.  The best choice would be for a half hour.  In a half hour, I learned how to get up on the wakeboard, how to change directions on a wakeboard, and the basics of how to wakeboard.  The coaching staff was excellent in showing what to do and the best way to do it.  Another thing that is optional would be for the more advanced group of wake boarders.  The option is rental time for the obstacle course area.  With this choice, you ride the obstacle course and are not being coached in anything.
The Keys Cable Park is a great place to stop as you are heading down past Marathon Key or if you are staying on Marathon Key. It is a great place for most ages that want to learn or know how to wake board.  Both my dad and my little sister had a great time and learned a lot.  It is a great place to stop if heading down to Key West to stretch your legs and get out of the car for a while.  If you are just there to watch your kids, there is a small beach-like area where you can lay in the sun and rest while your kids are learning how to ride on a wakeboard.

Hadley- 12
Keys Cable Park is a lake/inlet where you can learn how to wakeboard.  If you have already wakeboarded before, then you can try tricks or can just have a good time practicing.  Keys Cable Park is located in the northern part of Marathon, Florida.  Here you do not get pulled by a boat like you might think – you get pulled by a cable.  The cable is operated by one of the employees.  If you go there to learn, they told us that it is much easier than by a boat. This is because the cable pulls not only forward but also upward. This keeps you from falling down into the water, like you might with a boat towing you. We had never been wakeboarding before, but now that we received a wakeboard for Christmas, we wanted to learn.  We didn’t want to wait for the summer to try it out.  Their instructions were not the best, but doing it on a cable was a lot easier than doing it on a boat.
First when you get there, you get fitted for a helmet and your wakeboard. Then, you will wait for your lesson to start.  You will get on the side of the edge of the dock, and they will pull you up.  There are two different spots that you can be towed from – you can have a lesson or just a ride.  One has a lot of obstacles and the other doesn’t.  Just be aware that the water is salt water.  While you watch your kids you can sit on a little beach, or if your kids are taking a break then they can get in the water.  Don’t worry about changing either; there is a changing room that you can use when you get there.  There is also a bathroom, so you can go the bathroom when you get there.  If you are ever in Marathon, Florida, then Keys Cable Park is definitely worth a stop.

Cafe du Monde – New Orleans, Louisiana

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John-13
Cafe du Monde is the best place to eat beignets.  Cafe du Monde is in New Orleans, Louisiana.  It is near Jackson Square – a park area near the French Quarter.  It is a fun friendly place to eat.  The place is open 24/7.  There is a bigger outdoor area and an indoor area.  The outdoor seating area is covered.  The place is a quick serving place, so if you are in a hurry and need something to eat, you can stop in and get your stuff really quickly and get out.  It also means that you order your own food and serve yourself.  I thought that although the beignet smelled good, I could only eat one.  The beignets were large, and all I needed to fill me up was one or two.  So if you are in the area and need something to eat, then you should go there and eat some beignets.

Hadley-11
Cafe du Monde is the best place in the USA to get beignets.  Their beignets are really good and covered in powdered sugar. You can eat outside or inside.  The coffee they serve is really strong, and I did not like it.  The place will get crowded at like 8:30 in the morning. Beignets are the only thing they serve, and they come with three in an order.  I can eat almost a full order they are soooooooo good.  After dinner you can go there and get them for a dessert, they are open 24 hours a day.  They are definitely worth the wait, so if you are near there try it out.  You will be happy!

Barnett-8

I love Cafe du Monde.  Its beignets are so good. The beignets are covered in powdered sugar and have lots of hollow pockets on the inside.  A beignet is like a funnel cake in the shape of a square donut.  The only thing on their menu are beignets, coffee, and soft drinks.  Cafe du Monde has the best beignets in the world.  You can eat inside and outside.  I like outside the best, because there is a nice breeze.  You can also watch all of the people.  We saw lots of people walking by and many people had their pets with them.  Inside you can see them make the beignets.  They had to move really fast because they only serve beignets, and they make a bunch of them.  I don’t really like the coffee, but some people do like it.  I would like to go back to Cafe du Monde in New Orleans to get more beignets.

Hot Pot and Dumplings, Provo, Utah

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Hadley- 13

Hot Pot in Provo, Utah, is a great place to eat if you’re into Chinese food.  When you first get there, they will seat you at a table and ask what kinds of soup you want to cook your food in.  We chose the miso soup and a medium spicy soup.  Once they got our soup, they brought out peanut sauce and chili sauce.  Then we were allowed to got to the buffet and get whatever meat and vegetables we wanted.  Since we were first timers, the waiter helped us in using the hot pot.  He showed us how to mix the chili and the peanut sauce to make this amazing dip.  My favorite thing was the beef.  It was thinly cut and took just seconds to cook.  We also added squash, bean sprouts, mushrooms, pork, chicken, and more.  At the buffet you can get rice, and I recommend putting whatever meats and vegetables in your rice, add a little peanut sauce and a little chili, because it can get spicy. Once you have added all that stuff to your bowl, it is amazing.  I would also recommend miso to the people who don’t like spicy food.  For desert you can get a Popsicle or ice cream.  If you are ever in Provo, Utah, and want to eat at a Chinese restaurant, Hot Pot is definitely the place to go.

Barnett-10

The Hot Pot in Provo, Utah, is a great place to eat Chinese food.  First of all, when you go there, they will seat you at a table with a little  stove/griddle.  Then they will ask you what all of your favorite meats are.  They then take you over to a meat and vegetable bar.  You pick out your favorites and you go back to your table.  We picked the miso soup and a medium spicy soup; that’s also when they got us a peanut and chili sauce.  We put our meat in the soup and as it cooked, the meats soaked up the spices.  Another thing you need to know is that if you waste food, you have to pay extra.  Plus you can get more than one plate at the meat buffet.  They also had squash, mushrooms, and bean sprouts, too. Then, after you are done they have a mini freezer and inside they have Popsicles, ice cream, or ice cream sandwiches.  If you ever are in Provo, Utah, I recommend going to the Hot Pot.  It is a great place for Chinese food.

Crazy Horse Memorial, SD

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John- 15

A short way from Mount Rushmore sits a monument that not that many people know about.  The Crazy Horse Memorial is a memorial for Native Americans.  The monument isn’t what you are really going to see, since the monument isn’t anywhere close to being completed.  The main place to go there is the visitors’ center. At the visitors’ center there is a lot of information on Native Americans and how they lived their lives.  Inside the visitors’ center there is a movie theater or projector room that gives a small clip on the Crazy Horse Memorial.  There is also a food area, a gift store, and a jewelry area.  The price for one car is going to be around 28 dollars or by person it will cost 11 dollars.  I would recommend going through and looking at the different artifacts.  But, although they say the main thing there is the Crazy Horse Monument the real big thing to me was actually the different artifacts.  The whole monument was started shortly after Mount Rushmore and is still not complete.  They are needing to raise around 4o million dollars to finish the whole project and it is going to take a long time to complete.  I would recommend going if you are near the area, but don’t be disappointed if you do go and realize that it is not finished.

Hadley- 13

Just down the road from Mount Rushmore is the Crazy Horse Memorial.  This is very different from Mount Rushmore though because it isn’t complete.  To go there, you really aren’t looking at the big statue.  You can go in the visitor center and watch a movie.  We didn’t watch the movie, but we did walk through the huge visitor center.  They have a huge collection of Native American memorabilia.  This memorabilia is definitely worth seeing. The cost to get in, in my opinion is kind of outrageous though.  For a full car it was $28 and by per person it was $11.  This does though include the movie, so you don’t have to worry about paying for the movie.  You can also pay to ride a van to the top and get up and close the face of Crazy Horse.  This is the one portion of the carving that is done. The cost for that is not as cheap as you think  – we did not do this either.    It would have been about $500 for my family to do that.  So if you want to go up, you really need to bring your money. If you are ever near Crazy Horse Memorial, I would definitely recommend going.

Barnett-10

Just down the ways from Mount Rushmore is the Crazy Horse Memorial. This is way different from Mount Rushmore, because Mount Rushmore is finished and this isn’t finished. You can get in the Crazy Horse Memorial for $28 which I think is too much, because Mount Rushmore is half that price and is finished.  When you get into the park, you can go to the visitors’ center and watch a movie about the Crazy Horse Memorial.  After that you can look at all the old time Indian stuff like their shoes, their paintings, and their clothes.  If you want to go to the very top of the monument to see the face of the Native American in person, though, it takes $500 out of your pocket.  My family didn’t do it, because we didn’t need to go up there, and we were fine looking up there from the ground.  It was good to go there once, but I wouldn’t go there again.  I think you should go there just to experience it if you are in the area.