family travel

Montana’s Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park – 2TravelDads

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Montana's Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park - 2TravelDads

Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, just north of Yellowstone, is a remarkable place to explore. A must see on a Western Montana road trip, the caverns are an easy addition to any number of travel plans, including a cross-country drive. In this article we’re going to tackle the who, what, why, when and where of the Lewis and Clark Caverns (but not in that order).

Where is Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park

Located about forty minutes south of Butte, Montana, the Lewis and Clark Caverns are just off Highway 2. If you’re driving across the state, taking the detour to the Jefferson River Valley is easy and won’t put you terribly off track. The highway actually loops back onto I-90 so you don’t even have to back track! Like doing a detour to Philipsburg, MT visiting Lewis and Clark Caverns is an easy addition and totally worth it.

From Yellowstone National Park, Lewis and Clark Caverns is about 2 hours from the Gardiner, MT entrance and just under 2 hours from the West Yellowstone entrance. There are plenty of other attractions in the area, including Big Sky and Virginia City, so if you need to interrupt your Yellowstone trip, you’ll have plenty of other interesting sites and activities to make the day additionally worthwhile.

By Chris and Rob – Full Story at the 2TravelDads

Montana Gay Travel Resources

Oregon’s Painted Hills – 2TravelDads

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We travel a lot and make a point of visiting truly unique places. And living next to Oregon, we get to explore new and fascinating spots all the time. The Painted Hills are considered one of the Seven Wonders of Oregon. And they totally are. Visiting the Painted Hills really is a treat and it’s perfect for nearly any sort of traveler. We’re going to share with you why we love the area and how you can visit the Painted Hills.

Have you been before? If not by the time you are done reading this article and seeing our photos you are going to want to plan a trip to the Painted Hills ASAP.

Where Are the Painted Hills?

Some might consider it Central Oregon and some might call it Eastern Oregon, but the Painted Hills is located somewhere between the two. One of the three major units of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument the Painted Hills is a combination rolling landscape and jagged canyons. The canyons are what lead to the hills themselves, but half of the splendor and fun of exploring the area is the diversity of the geology and sites.

Full Story at 2TravelDads

Eastern Oregon Gay Travel Resources

California Agritourism in the Santa Maria Valley – 2TravelDads

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CALIFORNIA AGRITOURISM IN THE SANTA MARIA VALLEY

We’ve loved visiting the Santa Maria Valley of California for years, ever since our first visit in 2017. We wanted to take a different approach to visiting on our most recent trip, so went with the theme of agritourism. Of course we still enjoyed the beach and nature of the Central Coast, but California agritourism with kids was a hit in more ways than just a fun vacation.

Why the Santa Maria Valley for California agritourism? For three reasons: diversity of farm experiences; wonderful, welcoming people; and it’s gorgeous. Just keep reading…

WHAT IS AGRITOURISM?

We love agritourism because it’s a very different way to explore and learn. If you’re not familiar, agritourism is the approach of tourism through the lens of farming and agriculture. It’s visiting and interacting with farmers and experiencing both the work and the joy of farming. One of the biggest benefits of agritourism with kids is helping them see and understand where their food comes from.

Tip: a good conversation to have with kids is regarding sustainability and organic farming and labeling. When you start visiting farms and vineyards, you’ll see signs and you’ll hear farmers talking about what they do to ensure they’re growing the best produce possible, so it’s nice to lay some groundwork.

By Rob Taylor – Full Story at 2TravelDads

Central Coast of California Gay Travel Resources

Queer Family Hiking in Bend, Oregon – 2TravelDads

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Queer Family Hiking in bend, Oregon - 2TravelDads

Bend, Oregon with kids is an ideal vacation plan. Seriously. We just returned from a week long fall trip to Bend and enjoyed the culture and outdoors of Bend so much that we’re chatting about doing a return trip to consider and research moving there. We were based out of LOGE Camps Entrada Lodge on the Cascade Lakes Highway and couldn’t have been more pleased how it added to our Bend itinerary.

Check out our really cool, perfect family accommodations at LOGE Camps Entrada as well as our family friendly Bend itinerary for taking advantage of the outdoors. It’s the perfect vacation plan to make you fall in love with Central Oregon.

Staying at LOGE Camps Entrada Lodge

We first stayed at a LOGE Camps location in Westport, Washington and we were hooked. LOGE Camps are the coolest compounds perfect for outdoor lovers and families. LOGE Entrada is the newest member to the collection of family-friendly hotels in the group. Located just outside of the main downtown area of Bend, LOGE Entrada is on the way out to Mount Bachelor and the Deschutes National Forest. The location was perfect for us and our outdoors-focused Bend itinerary.

The rooms at LOGE Entrada are super cool, as they’ve been updated to incorporate outdoor elements like rustic wood and hammocks. Some accommodations have bike racks in the rooms themselves, others have exterior storage lockers with locks/keys provided. In the event you’re not prepared for the adventures, LOGE has everything you need for purchase, from Yeti coolers to metal coffee tumblers, charging cables to hammocks.

By Rob Taylor – Full Story at 2TravelDads

Bend Gay Travel Resources

 

Family Skiing in Vail – 2TravelDads

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Family Skiing in Vail, Colorado - 2TravelDads

You may or may not know this, but we (Rob and Chris) aren’t big skiers. In fact we avoid it, but there are loads of incredible people and adventurous parents that love to ski with their family. One of our 2TravelDads writing team, Rich, is all about skiing with the fam, especially teaching his young daughter to ski. Family skiing in Vail, Colorado is one of their favorite winter activities and Rich is here to share just how to do family skiing in Vail… with a toddler.

Skiing is both a solitary and social endeavor. Alone, you negotiate down a mountain with planks bound to your feet, gliding on snow, going 50 mph. The winter wonderland scenery, the rush of adrenaline, the fear of a painful wipe-out is also best when shared with the whole family. My husband, Brian and I are very avid and dedicated skiers and we’ve chase pow from the French Alps to Chile to Japan. When we both dreamed of eventually becoming Dads we wondered “can we still ski regularly and be parents?”

While it can be logistical challenge to check skis, snowboards, boot bags, pack ‘n play, suit cases, etc., it can also be a very worthwhile experience your child will remember and cherish. As long as you keep your expectations in line, center the activities around family, and come back in one piece, you can make it work. I can’t think of better place to do this than the beautiful and surprisingly accessible town of Vail, Colorado.

Full Story at 2TravelDads

Northwest Colorado Gay Travel Resources