This goes back years, even decades. I can remember my first plane experience at the tender age of nine. I know a lot of people have traveled well before this age, but whatever I lacked in those younger years for travel, it has been made up in the years since. But before we delve into that, lets start with some basics.

Firstly, I’m from the upper Midwest, the beautiful state of Minnesota. It’s somewhere I will always go back to as I have all my family, and a good portion of my friends there. But as I write this now in my home north of Seattle, Washington, I didn’t stay there. Life has taken many turns, and there have been so many wonderful opportunities that I have been able to live in more than just Minnesota, and Washington, I also got to live in Europe. I hope this blog is fun for everyone who has always wanted to go to a location I cover, or it’s just fun to read someone’s take on somewhere they’ve always called home. I am no expert, nor will I ever claim to be. I have silly things to add to in my inexperience at the beginning of my travels, and hopefully they can encourage you to not be so hard on yourself.

Our first trips as a family of three were not to exotic places, cross country roadtrips, or beach resorts, no they were more local and family centric. Humble beginnings is a great place to start, and that’s where we will start today. First stop: Wisconsin Dells.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “Wisconsin isn’t a well known spot for vacations or holidays.” No, not really, most people outside of North America can’t place it on a map, but that’s okay. You know what’s great about a family trip to Wisconsin for an eight year old girl? A whole town devoted to family fun, and waterparks. We loved it so much we went back a couple years later. It’s a place that one of these days I want to go back and take my water loving son to, so hopefully one day we will.

What kid doesn’t love a swimming pool? But not only that, waterparks that cover just about any theme a kid would love imaginable. You’ve got Noah’s Ark, Mount Olympus, Kalahari Desert, The Great Wolf Lodge, Wintergreen Polar Bears, the list goes on. And if you need a break from the water parks there’s a lot of fun stuff to do in tour. We did one of those duckboat tours on the Wisconsin River that runs just by town. There’s also a wax museum, antique stores, ice cream shops, and even a horse trail ridealong. I don’t remember which facility we did the horse-riding, but I still fondly all these years later remember the beautiful black horse named Porkchop I got to ride, with my parents flanked in front and behind me on their own horses. It was such an amazing time, and honestly so much fun even as an adult.

Prior to having kids and getting married, I went back as an adult with one of my best friends. We went to the Kalahari that time, all previous times my family and I went to the Wintergreen, minus that one mishap… (I can cover that later if needed.) It was so much fun, they folded all the guest towels into elephants. We had a blast at the waterpark, the food at the restaurants enclosed in the resort was good, and I still look back fondly on that. A different time as an adult, on the way to Chicago I stayed a night in the Dells and stayed at Mount Olympus. They have a full on amusement park! I know we got to ride a few rides, as it was early in the season, and the Mexican restaurant nearby was surprisingly good!

And if that all wasn’t enough praise, it’s only about three and a half hours away from the Twin Cities! Just long enough to get away from where you live, but not so far you have to hop on a plane. It was a perfect sized roadtrip for a second/third grader and not a problem these days with all the different things kids can occupy themselves with in the car.

But that’s my humble travel beginnings. We went twice once when I was eight I think, and then again when I was eleven I think. Loved it both times, the second time had some more memorable stories with hotel mishaps. But we still had a great time. A great place for all ages, as I’ve enjoyed it as a young kid and an adult in my mid to late twenties. If you’re nearby enough for a comfortable drive, check it out!

That’s it for now, next time I’ll share my first ever plane experience, which was between those two Wisconsin Dells adventures. Until next time!

Jess