You may be wondering what in the world you can do to make this year's vacation the best one yet. Never fear because there are many, many places you can go that will spark the imaginations of everyone in your family. Why not try something different this year and spend a few days at a dude ranch? These are some of the best family vacation destinations around and they can be found all over the United States. Most of them cater to families and everyone in your brood will have the time of their lives.
Experiencing the great outdoors is the goal of any dude ranch. They specialize in keeping their visitors well fed with wonderful home-cooked meals that are often cooked over an open campfire under the stars. Many ranches are kept in rustic condition making them seem like authentic old western towns. Other dude ranches are fancier, with high-end spas, massages and 5-star meals and accommodations. Many of them have programs for children that keep the young ones entertained and busy all day, every day.
A dude ranch vacation experience is something that will not only be enjoyable but build character and confidence as well. Most of these ranches give the feeling of the old west and have real cowboys who ride rodeos, run cattle, brand livestock and do crop harvesting. These cowboys include their guests in many of the ranch's activities and often take them along to do some of the daily chores. If nothing else, guests leave feeling invigorated and ready to tackle any mundane chore that may be waiting for them at home!
Dude ranches have activities for all the members in your family. Everything from horseback riding to simply relaxing in front of a fire is provided. Guests often enjoy western-style dancing and hay rides along with cattle rustling and hiking. Children are given special chores to do such as brushing and feeding livestock as well as helping with daily feeding of farm animals. Most dude ranches have swimming pools or lakes that give "the young uns" some well-earned relaxation at the end of the day.
Dude ranches provide some of the best family vacation destinations around and there is sure to be one that will appeal to your "inner cowboy".
Author: By Matt Murren