Vacations Blog

The northern panhandle of Idaho is my family’s stomping ground.  Over the years, we’ve discovered a great number of cool and exciting places to take the kids.  So, when people ask what there is to do around here with children, I always have a ready list of sights and activities that will make any family vacation a memorable one.

Ten Cool Things For Kids In North Idaho

1.  World’s Longest Gondola Ride

Silver Mountain Gondola

In the town of Kellogg, you can board the longest gondola in the world for a 20 minute ride to the Mountain Haus terminal at the top of Silver Mountain, a climb of 3400 vertical feet.  In the winter, you’ll find some of the best ski runs around, but in the summer you can hike the nature trails, go mountain biking, or ride the chair lifts for more scenic beauty even higher up the mountain.

2.  Hiawatha Bike Trail

Along the Hiawatha Bike Trail

I’ve covered this amazing trail already, but it bears repeating:  This is an incredibly easy ride for kids of all ages.  17 miles of gradual downhill biking through stunning wilderness, with a shuttle bus waiting for you at the end to take you back to your car.  The 1.6-mile Taft Tunnel alone will keep your children talking about this adventure for a long time.

3.  Digging For Garnets

Digging for star garnets

There are only two places in the world to find star garnet gem stones… India and Idaho.  Near the tiny town of Clarkia, Idaho, is the forested Emerald Creek Garnet Area, run by the US Forest Service, where you can dig into a massive pile of mud and gravel, then use sluice boxes to search for star garnets.  What kid doesn’t like playing in the mud?

4.  Coeur d’Alene City Park and Independence Point

Coeur d'Alene City Beach and City Park

Just west of downtown Coeur d’Alene, the 16-acre City Park and Independence Point sits on the northern shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene.  Here you’ll find a wide range of free activities, from playing on a huge wooden castle in the park to splashing on the smooth sands of City Beach.  For something more adventurous, you can rent paddle boats, kayaks, and jet skis, or, view the lake from above via parasail or float plane.

5.  Tubbs Hill Beaches

A secluded beach on Lake Coeur d'Alene

If you’re in Coeur d’Alene and you want to get away from the crowds at City Beach, I suggest taking a hike on Tubbs Hill, a 135-acred forested peninsula with a 2-mile loop trail that will take you to one of dozens of secluded beaches.  Oh, there will still be people out there during the summer, just not as many.  All along the trail, older kids will find rope swings and high rocks so they can fling themselves into the water below.  Our favorite Tubbs Hill beach is at the tip of the peninsula, where there are smaller rocks for the kids to play on.  Just a warning, though… Bring swim shoes.  These beaches are mostly rocky, and not easy on bare feet.

6.  Sierra Silver Mine Tour

Inside the Sierra Silver Mine

We’ve been on this tour so many times, I should get frequent miner miles.  The tour starts in downtown Wallace, a town that is so historic they put the whole place on the National Registry of Historic Places.  A trolley takes you up to the mine itself, where you don hardhats and then descend into a cool dark tunnel that winds into the mountain for over 1,000 feet.  During the 90-minute tour, you’ll learn a lot about hard rock mining and the history of the Silver Valley.  It’s completely safe, although a little bit noisy when they demonstrate the hydraulic equipment.

7.  David Thompson Game Preserve

Oh, deer.

Located along the northern shore of Lake Pend O’Reille, this game preserve is cool with my kids for one reason.  There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of whitetail deer there, grazing contentedly along the paths and roads, and in amongst the Beyond Hope RV Park.  Several years ago, the owners prohibited feeding the very tame deer, but it’s still fun to walk among them.

8.  Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes

Chatcolet Bridge, on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes

I don’t propose you make your kids pedal the entire 73-mile paved Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes.  That’s a long way.  But you can certainly ride portions of the trail, which spans almost the entire panhandle and runs along rivers and lakes, over trestles and bridges, and through several historic small towns.  There are 20 trailheads with parking and restrooms, so you can begin your ride anywhere.  One of our favorite short rides starts in Heyburn State Park and crosses the 3100-foot Chatcolet Bridge, which spans the southern end of Lake Coeur d’Alene.  Another beautiful spot to start a ride is near the Old Mission at Cataldo, where you can ride east along the north fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.

9.  University of Idaho Arboretum and Botanical Garden

Stopping to smell the roses

Amid the rolling hills of Moscow, in the middle of the campus of the University of Idaho, sits 63 acres of walking trails, ponds, creeks, and, of course, lush vegetation divided into geographical regions.  Don’t tell your kids that it’s educational, just let them roam the grounds and discover things for themselves.  There are rare flowers and trees, and plenty of granite benches to sit or climb on.  My kids had the most fun exploring the creek and ponds, where a student researcher patiently showed them tadpoles and frogs. The arboretum is open year-round, and it’s free.

10.  Silverwood Theme Park

The kids drive dad at Silverwood

This goes without saying.  Silverwood, the northwest’s largest theme park, is the #1 destination of families heading to North Idaho.  Between the rides and the adjoining water park, all of which falls under just one admission price, your kids will be in paradise.  Rollercoasters in the morning, water slides in the afternoon!

All photos by Phil Corless

Innovation Analysis Group does a bunch of cool stuff, but that didn’t stop them from hosting yours truly in their ongoing series of travel-related podcasts.

Listen to the patient Addison keep me on track as I discuss the perils and benefits of traveling with children.  Really, there are benefits!

It’s only 14 minutes of your life that you’ll never have back. And yes, sadly, that is my real voice.

Traveling With Children

There is a lot to do in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia. Many tourist activities center on Fredericksburg’s Colonial and Civil war past. These also tend to be outdoors. If your family vacation lands you in town on a foul weather day, all is not lost. I’ve spent many cold and rainy days in Fredericksburg and there are plenty of ways to keep the kids entertained. Here are a few of my favorite kid-friendly inside activities.

Riverside Center Children’s Theatre

One of our wintertime favorites, the Riverside Center Children’s Theatre is an excellent place to spend the morning. They offer kid-friendly shows and bag lunches every Saturday and additional performances on select Tuesdays and Thursdays. The dress code is casual; jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers are recommended. This is a place where children are encouraged to feel comfortable and enjoy the show. Performances start after lunch and they are around 90 minutes in length.

Admission is $16 and includes lunch and the show. Tickets must be reserved in advance.

The Bug Box in Fredericksburg, Virginia

The Bug Box

The Bug Box is a small building but if you are driving by you won’t miss it. Inside they have organized the small space into an insect cornucopia packed full of fun and learning for all ages. Divided up into habits, they have live insects, spiders, crustaceans and amphibians on display in their insect zoo. The gift shop, The Hornets Nest, is full of bug related items. There is also a quiet area to color bug pictures and play Geo Safari or bug themed computer games. I’m just going to say it…the place is crawling with fun.

Admission is $2 per person.

Paragon Training Center

If the school-age kids are climbing the walls and you need a break, Paragon Training Center offers an open gym on Friday and Saturday evenings, and Sunday afternoons. Here the little monsters can literally climb the wall in their rock-climbing area, play supervised games, or try out the gymnastics equipment while you go and have a quiet dinner or enjoy a few hours of childfree shopping. They also offer a homeschool open gym from 1-4 on the first and third Friday of the month.

Open Gym Fee $10-$15 per child. Homeschool Open Gym $6 per child.

The Fredericksburg Ice Park Logo resembles a tooth!

Fredericksburg Ice Park

From a distance the logo for the Fredericksburg Ice Park looks a lot like a tooth. That’s why my children didn’t want to visit when they first opened. Who wants to visit a cold dentist? After explaining that the logo was a polar bear, they were all for it and we had a lot of fun teetering around the rink. Ice-skating is good exercise and a fun way to spend a few hours. I wish we had time to do it more often.

The Fredericksburg Ice Park has public skating seven days a week but times vary so you check the website or call ahead for the schedule. Rink Fees are $5 Monday-Friday morning, $8 Friday night-Sunday. Skate rental is $2.

Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop in Fredericksburg, Virginia

Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop

Tucked on the corner behind a tree and sporting an unusual flag, Hugh Mercer’s Apothecary Shop is a step back in time. Dressed in period attire the assistant will suggest remedies for common ailments and show you the tools of the trade in the back room. If you’re lucky, they’ll have a fresh jar of leeches. Don’t forget to go upstairs and powder your wig when you are done.

Admission $5 adults, $1.50 Children 6-12, No charge for children under 6.

All photos by Sherry Roberts

Capitol Blvd. in downtown Boise, Idaho

Boise, Idaho, used to have a reputation as a sleepy, boring kind of town. That’s all changed over the past twenty years as the population of the city and surrounding metropolitan area has boomed to over 600,000 people. It may be a big city now, but there’s still a part of the downtown that evokes that relaxed, smalltown feeling.

Julia Davis Park, which stretches out along the banks of the Boise River, is just a half-mile from the steps of the Idaho State Capitol Building and most of downtown Boise.  With a wide variety of sights and activities, It’s the perfect place for a family to spend a day.

Inside the 87-acre park, you can start off at the Idaho State Historical Museum or next door at the Boise Art Museum. My kids always wanted to head straight for the history, and I don’t blame them. The museum is small, but packed full of relics and displays that tell the story of Idaho’s past from prehistoric times through the pioneers coming west on the Oregon Trail and straight into the 21st century. On the grounds of the museum is a pioneer village, showing how settlers lived in the 1800’s.

Watching meerkats at Zoo Boise

From there, it’s a short walk through the park to our favorite little zoo, Zoo Boise. I used to go there regularly with my kids when they were toddlers. It’s big enough to keep an exotic assortment of animals, but small enough to see everything without wearing down the youngest members of the family.

The best part, at least according to my kids, is the extensive children’s area of the zoo. It’s where my son first came face to face with a Komodo Dragon, and my daughter first felt the tickle of a butterfly landing on her nose. There are plenty of slides, tunnels, and hands-on activities to keep kids busy for a few hours. Myself, I could just sit and watch the meerkats for most of an afternoon.

Zoo Boise has a brand new exhibit called African Plains, featuring giraffes and lions (not in the same enclosure, I hope). Other animals you’ll see at the zoo include tigers, bears, bald eagles, lemurs, and snow leopards.

There are other activities in and around Julia Davis Park, including a children’s science museum, the Idaho Black History Museum, Boise Trolley Tours, playgrounds, rose garden, paddle boats, and the Boise River Greenbelt.

MK Nature Center in Boise, Idaho

If you have any time left in your day, head on down the Greenbelt to the Morrison Knudsen Nature Center, a 4.6-acre fish and wildlife experience that features a mountain stream, waterfalls, and wetlands. There are multiple viewing windows for the kids to see how fish develop from tiny eggs into full-grown trout, whitefish, or kokanee.  You’ll even see nesting geese, turtles, beavers, and wild ducks.  The Center also has a large education building where kids can learn about all the different animals that make their home in Idaho.

There’s no better way to show the circle of life, at least in the fish world, than in a place like the MK Nature Center.  In fact, this was the first “field trip” we took our son on after he was born, and we always go back there when we make return trips to visit our old hometown of Boise, Idaho.

There’s even more to Boise’s downtown than Julia Davis Park, the Boise Greenbelt, and the MK Nature Center, but those three sites alone should keep any family fairly busy for a day or two.

All photos by Phil Corless