So, it's just a big hole?

-

 The Grand Canyon wasn’t so grand for the kiddo. She’s three, and we had been hyping it up quite a bit. The drive to get there was long. The stops were in the desert. She was hot. She was hungry. She didn’t understand why we were here and so excited to see a giant hole.

For my husband and myself, seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time was a spiritual event. It literally took our breath away. For the kid, well, she just kept asking to throw rocks off the ledge and when we were going to go. If we were all going to enjoy this trip, we were going to have to revise our plan…and fast.


Things to Consider

When traveling to any site with kids, really, you need to see it from their perspective. While I had an entire lifetime to stare in awe at pictures of the Grand Canyon, the little had no idea what a canyon was. But she knew what it wasn’t: interactive, moving, filled with water she could play in, food.

Here are a few tips when visiting the Canyon with youngsters:

·         Get them ready. Show them photos or videos of what you’re going to see, and manage their expectations.

·         For young children, shorten your activities. I was ready for a long walk around the rim of the canyon, but my traveling companion wasn’t. We did take a walk, but it was mixed with games of hide-and-seek, balancing on rocks, and snack time.

·         Camp! This was the best idea we had during our visit. We booked a campsite in the Mather Campground, and we spent the night inside the park. The little loved it! It was such a novelty to eat “picnics” for every meal and sleep outside.

·         The bus service around the park is fantastic, but we preferred to drive ourselves. We were able to handle meltdowns and naps a lot more efficiently with our own vehicle. The Desert View scenic drive was one of the highlights of the trip for this reason. We stopped when and where we wanted, rested when we wanted, and had a quiet(er) place for a nuclear pre-nap meltdown.

·         Utilize the visitor’s center. We visited in August, so daytime temps were quite warm. It was nice to have an air-conditioned place to rest. The kiddo also enjoyed the movie and exhibits. There were a lot of families there, so she was also able to meet new friends.

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Finding South Dakota

-
Image
As I mentioned in the last post,  Christian Living in the Mature Years Magazine,  the inspiration for this blog, will no longer be published.  Today you can read the Winter 2021 travel story, which features a road trip through South Dakota. I hope you enjoy it. We entered South Dakota in a cloud. We drove across the plains where snow blanketed the fields. The sky was bright white, and a curtain of fog hung around us. It was the perfect introduction to the winter wonderland vacation we had planned.   Falling for Sioux Falls As the fog cleared at dusk, we began our adventure in Sioux Falls, the largest city in South Dakota. We arrived just after the holidays, and the city was still festooned with brilliant light displays. We drove through downtown, near Washington Pavilion where skaters glided across a seasonal ice rink and the giant Christmas tree held court over the square. Then we drove to Falls Park (home of city’s namesake waterfalls). The entire park was lit up with twinkling
Read more

What's Blooming in Virginia's Blue Ridge?

-
Image
If you've been reading the blog for a bit, you know that I was the travel writer for Christian Living in the Mature Years Magazine,  which was actually the inspiration for this blog. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, the Summer 2021 issue will be the final printed issue of the magazine. You can pick up your final copy here . Since stories are written a year out from publication, the articles in the Fall 2021 and Winter 2021-22 issues were already created. Most of the stories can be found for free in upcoming blog posts at www.adultbiblestudies.com . The travel articles, however, didn't quite fit the format of that blog, so they will be featured here! Today you can read the Fall 2021 travel story, which features a road trip through Virginia's Blue Ridge region. I hope you enjoy it. Thousands of yellow-faced sunflowers danced as the breeze blew through their ranks. I squished through the muddy field, broad smile on my face, and posed for the perfect selfie. I had come to the
Read more

Making the Most of a Short SF Visit

-
Image
This past weekend, the little and I traveled to my favorite city in the world: San Francisco. I'm a little biased because I used to live there, but the city is an amazing place to be with kids. Still wary of Covid since the little can't be vaccinated, we spent most of our time outdoors. We wandered Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf, which were far less crowded than I've ever seen them. We found playgrounds tucked in quiet neighborhoods and had picnics with some of San Francisco's amazing food. We spent a lot of time in Golden Gate Park since the weather was so cooperative. In order to maximize our time, I purchased us both CityPASSes . The passes included entrance into the California Academy of Sciences (my favorite place in the park), a Blue and Gold Fleet bay cruise, and entrance into one other attraction from a list. We chose to visit the San Francisco Zoo, but I know the little would have loved any of the other options: Aquarium of the Bay, the Walt Disney Family
Read more