Vacations Blog

October is the time my kids and I turn our attention to ghosts, ghouls, and goblins.

Especially ghosts.

In a few weeks various haunted houses set up by local community groups will begin to open up, with the promise that they’ll scare the bejeebers out of us in return for a charitable donation.

And they do a good job, too.  But their ghosts leave something to be desired.

A Ghostly Town

Because I know where the real ghosts are.

Ghost towns.

Some of the best are in Western Montana, where the discovery of gold in the 1800’s led to mining camps popping up all over the place.  Many of these camps turned into thriving towns over time, but once the gold ran out, few of them could survive as the residents picked up and moved on to the next lucky strike.

Over the past century, these ghost towns were left to fall apart and fade away.  You could drive all over the western part of the state looking for the remains of hundreds of old settlements, but you’d need a lot of time, a very sturdy vehicle, and an extremely patient family.

Luckily, several locations have been well preserved by the State of Montana, so you don’t have to go hunting high and low.

Masonic Lodge at Bannack

You’ll have the best experience at Bannack, the sight of one of the first major gold discoveries in the area.  During its 1860’s heyday, Bannack had a population of  over 3,000, and it soon became the first territorial capital of Montana.  The town didn’t thrive for long, and by the 1880’s the population had dwindled to just a few hundred.  By the 1940’s the last resident had died or moved on, and Bannack became a ghost town.

By 1954, the state turned the town into a State Park in order to preserve it.  And that’s one of the keys to the place.  They preserve the buildings, rather than restore them. This isn’t some glorified amusement park recreation of history.  This is the real thing.

As you and your kids stroll the walkways, it’s easy to imagine what the rough and rowdy town might have looked like filled with prospectors, settlers, and thieves.  Special guided tours allow you inside some of the buildings, and even into otherwise restricted sites.

There’s really no better way to experience a little bit of the Old West.

Oh, and ghosts?  Yeah, they have them.  According to some people, Bannack has ghosts a plenty.

And at the end of this month, the ghosts will be walking the streets with you during the Bannack Ghost Walks.  These special performances are based on actual historical events, including gunfights, hangings, and other ghastly misdeeds.  Call (406) 834-3413 for more information about the Ghost Walks.

Bannack State Park is open all the rest of the year, with other special events during the summer that are fun for the entire family.  Entry fee is only $5 for your entire vehicle.  The park is easy to access, located just 24 miles southwest of Dillon, Montana, about 20 miles off I-15.

Visit the Bannack State Park website for more details.

If you’re a camping family, they have two different campgrounds in the park.  But if you like something a little nicer, I highly recommend Fairmont Hot Springs Resort.   It’s about an hour north of Bannack, just outside of Butte.  We’ve used it as a base of operations for exploring Western Montana, and it’s always a joy to end a tiring day by taking a dip in the hot pools.  While you’re there, you can also take a side trip to the Lewis and Clark Caverns, Montana’s first state park, and one of the largest limestone caverns in the Northwest.

Bannack State Park is also not too far off the regular routes to Yellowstone National Park.

Carriage rides at Bannack State Park

Photos courtesy of VisitMT, the official Montana Travel Website.

Kartchner Caverns Entrance

Kartchner Caverns State Park is located in Benson, Arizona. The “live” cave system was discovered in 1974, and extraordinary lengths have been achieved to preserve the fragile state of the cave’s environment.

Upon arriving at the park, visitors first enjoy a “Discovery Center” where they can peruse displays showing the different formations, minerals, and photographs of the original expeditions into the cave. A 15-minute video is played while people await their tour to begin. It describes how two intrepid amature spelunkers discovered an opening the size of a stretched-out coat hanger, wiggled their way along a shaft 200-feet long on their bellies, and discovered one of the most important series of caves in recent years.

This cave is “living”, meaning it still supports bats, and is still “wet” (limestone formations are still forming drop by drop). The explorers knew that once the word got out that the caves exist, they (the caves, that is, not the explorers) would be converged upon and killed in short order. So they, along with the Kartchner family (the landowners) appealed to the State government and made it into a State Park. They kept the modifications as subtle as possible to preserve the caves as they were when they were discovered. As it is, 85% of the cave network has never had a human foot upon it.

There’s lots more information and pictures! Click here to Read More »

One of the best things about having a three-year-old is that their fascination with the world around them can, in turn, rekindle that same fascination in a 41-year-old codger like me. The fascination du jour? Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs. Isn’t it convenient then that we have near us one of the largest dinosaur tracks sites in the country?

Dinosaur State Park is located in Rocky Hill, Connecticut about 10 minutes south of Hartford. The Park officially opened in 1968—two years after more than 2,000 tracks were uncovered during a building excavation. The tracks are from the early Jurassic period and were made over 200 million years ago by a carnivorous dinosaur similar to Dilophosaurus.

Surrounding the geodesic dome that provides cover for 500 tracks (the remaining 1,500 have since been buried to preserve them) are a series of nature trails and the Dinosaur State Park Arboretum, home to conifers, katsuras and ginkgoes and others that would have been common when the great beasts roamed the earth.

In addition to the tracks, visitors will find under the dome life-sized dioramas depicting the Triassic and Jurassic periods complete with common plants and creatures including the aforementioned Dilophosaurus. There are also several interactive displays, a reconstruction of a geologic foundation, highlights of the tracks’ discovery, as well as a discovery room with several lizards, some Madagascar hissing cockroaches and dinosaur arts and crafts: emboss a bookmark with footprints or create a dinosaur-shaped ornament.

There is also an auditorium that shows educational films on the weekends. Most recently they were showing Dinosaurs with Bill Nye (the Science Guy), however the subjects do rotate. During warmer months, visitors can create their own track cast in the track casting area. If you’re so inclined, be sure to bring the necessary supplies.

The park grounds are open daily 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (trails close at 4:00 p.m.). The exhibit center is open 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Tuesday thru Sunday—closed Mondays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The cost is $5 for adults and teens (13 and over); $2 for youths (ages 6-12); and Free for children five and under.

What’s the first thing you think of when you imagine a vacation in Los Angeles?  Disneyland.  Okay, yeah, that’s been covered here already, so what’s the second thing?  The beach, of course!  If you live in Wisconsin and you’re planning to visit Southern California, you’re not coming here for the art museums.

Santa Monica on Veterans' Day

The obvious beach destinations are the Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach, both places that are good for classic photo opportunities.  But if you’re the kind of beach lover who wants to see more beach than people, head north.  Once you pass Sunset Boulevard you leave the tourist traps behind in favor of some of the most beautiful beach spots in the area.  If you have the time and enjoy a beautiful drive, keep going even farther than the vast stretches of Zuma Beach, itself a great destination for a quick two-hour out-of-town getaway.

Family fun at Zuma Beach

The steep terrain that drops off away from Pacific Coast Highway makes some of these beaches a little bit more difficult to access, but that’s what keeps the crowds away, and almost guarantees that you will have a pristine view once you get down there.  Nicholas Canyon and El Matador are two beautiful less populated spots.  Look closely for the brown signs directing you to the turnoffs – they’re easy to miss.  Parking here is paid for at a machine, then you display your ticket in your window.  Solidly constructed staircases get you down to the sand, but there are a LOT of stairs, so make sure you pack lightly.

El Matador

Just up the coast, Leo Carillo State Beach has a campground to the east of the highway, and plenty of parking along the sand if you take the turnoff to the west.  There’s also a stretch of beach there that allows dogs.  Not just for sunbathing, you can watch surfers, windsurfers, and parasailors, or poke around in the tidepools at low tide.  Parking is $10 a day, so make sure you’ll be there long enough to make your visit worth the cost.

The last chance beach in Los Angeles county is called County Line.  No longer the true line that ends the county, this is a local surfing spot famous for its dual breaks, perfect for long- and shortboarders alike.   You’ll know you’re there when you see the turnoff for parking on the west side of the highway, right across from from Neptune’s Net, an old-school beach shack that attracts local color as well as beach visitors for bottled drinks, grilled meats, and steamed seafood.  (Warning – there are only portable toilets at this beach and restaurant, so leave your daintiness back at Leo Carillo’s flush toilets.)  It’s a perfect destination for your drive – sit on the porch and have a snack and drink while you watch the surfers, then head back south to that turnoff that you missed on the way up.