Fall in Southern Illinois: Best Places to Explore With Your Family

Fall in Southern Illinois

We explored the beautiful region of Southern Illinois earlier this month. If you want to enjoy fall in Southern Illinois, this area is only two hours from St. Louis and works well for a family-friendly trip.  I partnered with Southern Illinois Tourism and Southernmost Illinois for this visit. Our family enjoyed new outdoor spots and […]

Best Midwest Beach: Clear Lake

Earlier this month, we drove to Clear Lake, Iowa and we were blown away by this surprising summer destination. Who knew there was such a great beach close to us?! Clear Lake, Iowa was a 6 hour drive from St. Louis and the city is named on the large lake on which it is located. […]

Summer in Branson

We headed to Branson for a long weekend and it was such a great trip! There is something so magical about this area. This was our family’s first time visiting here in the summer and it did not disappoint! Table of Contents Day 1 The Branson Landing 100 Branson Landing, Branson, MO 65616 We drove […]

Family Adventure Camp at Summit

We experienced the most magical week at Family Adventure Camp at Summit Bechtel Reserve (click here for my 10% discount code). Mark and I loaded our four daughters up in the van and drove to beautiful West Virginia. This was such a great family bonding experience and our kids didn’t want to leave. What a […]

The Four Best NW Arkansas Bike Trails

We recently took our 4 daughters on a 55-mile bike adventure in Northwest Arkansas. Starting in Fayetteville, we rode north to Springdale and then ended in Bentonville. It was an incredible adventure and everything was so bike-friendly! Below are our family’s four favorite bike trails in the area. Table of Contents Razorback Greenway This greenway […]

Low Effort Snow Activities

It is our second snow day this week in St. Louis, so I thought it would be fun to share some low-effort snow activities! These were relatively easy to set up and we had all the items on hand at home. I hope these can offer some fun ideas to enjoy the snow as a […]

Family Adventure in Chicago

Are you looking for a fun family adventure within driving distance from St. Louis? Look no further than Chicago (a 5 hour drive)!! We visited my family in Milwaukee for Thanksgiving this year and wanted to take our daughters to Chicago for a little mini-vacation beforehand. My 5 year old has been wanting to either […]

The Ultimate STL Christmas Bucket List

Winter in St. Louis is such a special time! It is truly magical. Here is a list of our family favorites over the years, plus some new ones! Table of Contents Jingle St. Louis This new addition to the holiday celebration in St. Louis is going to be epic! From ice skating to snow tubing […]

Top 5 Family Nature Activities

Camping as a family is my favorite family activity. It really encourages us to have time focused on each other, by removing other distractions we may have at home.  Here are five fun nature activities to do as a family, and they are quick and easy to bring along on a camping trip.  Table of Contents We camped […]

A Weekend in Murphysboro

Just 2 hours from St. Louis is a complete hidden gem! Not only is Murphysboro surrounded by beautiful family-friendly hiking trails, but their food scene is nationally recognized. We had such a wonderful time exploring this area that was new-to-us.  Here is our weekend itinerary from our visit. As a reference, my kids are 7yo, […]