Alexandria Recommendations

We've been to the Alexandria area twice now. Our first time was for our 9th Anniversary for a weekend (recap here) in which we stayed at Arrow

Here are our recommendations for the Alexandria area during our stays in late September 2015 and late July 2016.

What we Recommend

Noonan Park

Oh my goodness did we spend a TON of time here! We went back four times, and bought more loaves of bread than we would eat in a month to feed those geese and ducks. My kids LOVED it, but truthfully, it was so beautiful that I would've loved spending an evening here even without the kids. It's absolutely gorgeous, and it's so neat to see all the wildlife. That being said, you have to keep your eyes open for the hoards of people playing Pokemon GO there, because they're walking all over the place staring at their phones.

Alexandria City Park

We enjoyed having a picnic here and exploring a little bit. The playground itself wasn't really that much to write home about, but it kept the kids occupied for a little while anyways. The beach front there was gorgeous, we just wish we had brought a change of clothes and a towel for the kiddos.

Art Bar 39

They offer open studio hours for kids on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and my kids had a blast painting their thin canvases there. It was a fun "something else" to do for sure! It's $10 per kid, and you can come and go as you please. They provide paints, easel, thin canvas and little aprons for the kids. It was a great diversion from the usual with kids on vacation, AND if you have a little older kids, you could drop them off there and then go shop, as it's right there in the mall.

Arrowwood Resort

We stayed here for our anniversary trip in late September 2015 and decided to return with the kids for an evening in late July 2016 to do a little mini golfing and check out the zip line. They also have a little playground there, and it was fun to watch all the geese swarm the mini golf course haha For $5 an adult (and they let the kids "golf" free), it was a cheap $10 entertainment for sure!

The zipline was really fun too, and my boys spent more time doing this than we did at some of the other "attractions" we spent a lot more time and money and energy going to.

Fishing

We fished all the time at the place we stayed at, so I'm not sure which spots are the best in Alexandria, but do some research and then do it! Our boys had such a blast catching sunnies at the place we stayed at, and it was just so peaceful and calming. The lakes up in this part of the country are just beautiful! The caveat: You have to be willing to both bait hooks and then take the fish off the hook for this to be a good idea. I would never go fishing without my hubby to bait the hooks and remove the fish haha

Mt. Lookout Park Scenic Overlook

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you'd be WAY better off to drive here to see this overlook for 20 minutes than to drive up to Inspiration Peak. It's stunning, AND you don't have to put on any bug spray and hike through the woods for 10 minutes to get there. We have stopped here on our way home twice now, and I'll stop every time. The views are breathtaking! The pictures do not do it justice. And did I mention: You won't likely be eaten by mosquitoes?

Dining at...

Tennessee Roadhouse

We ate here both on our anniversary weekend as well as with the kiddos on our vacation, and both times did not disappoint. I especially loved the mustard sauce they had. Finger-licking good for SURE! I would say a tinge pricier than I would have expected, but nothing too ridiculous.

Doolittles Woodfire Grill

GREAT atmosphere, service and food. We ate here on our anniversary weekend and thoroughly enjoyed our meal! I would highly recommend this place! It was a medium price range - not too spendy - about like an Applebees or a Grizzly's.

Northwoods Cafe

We had breakfast here for our anniversary. I'd recommend the place, although it wasn't any better than a normal Saturday breakfast back home. The service was quick and friendly and the atmosphere was like you would expect at a locals cafe.

Papa John's

I know it's a big chain, but it's always good, and we LOVE it!

Pizza Ranch

When has Pizza Ranch ever disappointed us? We eat there too often back home, but it's a guaranteed easy meal with toddlers in tow, and they LOVE it there!

You Won't be Missing Much...

Big Ole Park and Statue

I wouldn't plan a whole day here or anything, but we enjoyed having a little picnic near the statue with the boys, and they were fascinated by it for about 5 minutes. If you didn't catch it on your trip, I wouldn't say you were missing anything, but it would be a fun photo op. Granted, while we were there, they were re-painting it, so the photo op wasn't so great. If it weren't right in town there, it wouldn't be worth much of a drive, honestly.

Runestone Park

This place had GREAT reviews, but it was just kinda boring if you ask us. They're restoring this old house on the property, and when that's finished, it might be a little more interesting, but overall, it's just really boring. It looks like it might be a great place for a small wedding reception or something, but just going there to explore, there isn't really much to see. I think there might have been some longer trails around somewhere, but we spent more time driving out there than we spent actually being there, and that includes the kids swinging. We didn't check out the museum, but maybe that would have been more exciting?

Inspiration Peak

I'll first note that Inspiration Point and Inspiration Peak are two very different things, so make sure you put "Peak" into your GPS instead of "Point". It's about 30 miles from Alexandria, and although it's kinda neat and the view is cool if you're kinda bored and looking for something to do, we only spent about 30 minutes there total (including hiking up there and back), so I figure if you spend less time at a place than it takes to get there, it's not worth it.

Dining at...

Zorba's

I hate to put it in my "you wouldn't miss it" category, but the food we got from there just wasn't really anything to write home about. We got the spaghetti for the kids, a burrito for myself and some enchiladas for Mark, and none of it gave me that WOW factor. The atmosphere seemed kinda fun, and I can imagine kids from teenagers through their mid-40s enjoying kicking back with some beers and pizza on a weekend night, but it just didn't do it for me. And it *might* be across from the lake, but it's also across the street from the lake, so it's not really on the lake like we thought. I'd pass up an offer to go there again.

Alexandria, Minnesota

We decided a few months ago to book a rental home on Lake Blackwell just southwest of Alexandria, Minnesota for a week. I'm super excited for our trip, coming up at the end of this month!

This will be our second time traveling with all three kiddos, our first time being to the Wisconsin Dells at the end of May. We had a great time in the Dells, but there were also all sorts of activities we could do there, so I decided we might want to plan a few fun activities (beyond the beach, teepee, and possibly kayaking) to do as a family while we're there.

It will also be our second trip to Alexandria, as Mark and I went there on our 9 year anniversary weekend this past September. We had such a great time, even if I was battling morning sickness

We've been doing vacation rental homes for the past few years, ever since bringing kids along, and we wouldn't do it any other way! It's so nice to be able to spread out a bit, have a fully-functional kitchen, and let the kids have their own rooms as well.

We had fewer options than usual this time, considering we're looking to book so late in the season, but were thrilled to find this adorable 2-bedroom bungalow was still available, and we locked it in right away for the week our daycare provider would be gone on vacation.

Of course, being on a cabin right by a lake will provide a lot of entertainment all by itself, especially with all the fun amenities this place offers.

As far as extra activities we're thinking about doing, we're thinking we might try to find a kid-friendly movie at the local theatre, possibly hitting up Casey's Amusement Park (the verdict is still out), and possibly taking the boys bowling for the first time. We'll also probably eat out a time or two and hit some of the gorgeous local trails. I highly doubt we'll do much as far as shopping, although they have a little mall there as well. Otherwise, I guess we'll just have to see what happens! We're really excited to take the boys and just have some downtime with no expectations. We've had a jam-packed year so far, and we're excited to just not be busy for a week!

Wisconsin Dells (May 19-22)

We took our first vacation as a family of five to the Wisconsin Dells the third weekend in May, and it actually went pretty good! If you're looking for more of a comprehensive overview of the trip, you can find that on my family blog here. Here I'm going to do more of a recap of what we did, and not so much the trip itself.

Overall, we really had a great time, and we would highly recommend the Dells to anyone within driving distance. I wouldn't go out of my way to fly across the country only for the Dells by any means, but it's a great mid-western getaway for a family with kids. Coming from SW Minnesota, I think we'll probably stick to Minneapolis in the future, and go to the Water Park of America or Valley Fair, simply because I don't think it was THAT much more incredible than any other average water park, and 5 hours in the car is just a little more than we care to drive with 3 little kids.

I'm going to break this down into three sections:

Lodging: Meadowbrook Resort

Dining

• Buffalo Phil's
• Moosejaw
• Kicker's
• McDonald's

Activities

• Knuckleheads Indoor Amusement Park
• Timbavati Wild Animal Park
• Army Duck Boat Tour
• Mining for Gems
• Lock & Dam No. 7

Lodging

 

Meadowbrook Resort

Meadowbrook Resort was a fantastic choice for us with 3 little boys, especially with one of them being an infant. The big water parks would have been a blast as well, but not when we don't have someone to watch the littlest one. The water parks just aren't manageable with two little boys who don't always want to listen when we say things like "stop!!" or "come here!!". Plus, with so many people, it'd be easy to lose them in the crowds. With both of them not swimming just yet, it'd just be a lot of stress.

It's close to restaurants and what not, but far enough away from things that you don't feel like you're in the thick of town where it's busy. We thought the location was really pretty perfect, and the ambiance was great! They offered free coffee in the lodge in the mornings (although not breakfast), and the lodge was really very cozy.

Their indoor kid's pool was PERFECT for us. Mark could easily manage taking both boys there by himself without worrying about them getting hurt or drowning.

I wouldn't, however, recommend the resort to adults who are traveling without kids in the off-season if a pool is important to you. We were there as they were prepping to open the outdoor pools, but for indoor pools, it's just this one, which goes all of about 2 feet deep. I can't tell you how many adults peeked in and were very disappointed that there wasn't an indoor pool for adults or a hot tub.

They really cater to families at Meadowbrook, with fire pits and marshmallow supplies readily available (although we didn't take advantage of them), and each evening they offer a movie for the kiddos beginning whenever the vast majority of kids are there between 7-8pm. If you want to pick out the movie that night, you can pick from their selection before 4pm each day. They also offer popcorn.

The rooms overall weren't really anything to write home about, but they were comfortable and fairly spacious. The beds were comfortable enough, and they included a mini fridge, microwave and coffee table. There was a table nice enough to seat 4 comfortably, and the room we had came with 2 queen beds and a spare little twin bed off to the side, which was perfect for our family of 5.

The grounds were really fun to explore: Mark and the boys went for lots of walks over the bridge and down to the little stream running through the property. We also saw lots of cool birds perching on the cattails, and the giant moose sculpture was really cool too!

The rooms we stayed in have a long connected balcony in the back off a sliding glass door that has picnic tables and chairs out there. There aren't any stairs going down to the grounds from there, so that was nice to have for the kids in the late afternoons after naps before we headed anywhere for supper.

They also have a little gazebo on the property, which is PERFECT for family picnics; and when you're on vacations with 3 kids under the age of 5, family picnics are SO much more preferable than eating out in a restaurant!

Overall, I'd give this place 4/5 stars for families with YOUNG kids, but probably only about 2/5 stars for adults not traveling with kids or families with older kids.

Dining

 
I feel like for a 4 day trip, we really didn't eat out too extravagantly. The places we tried were Buffalo Phil's, Moosejaw Pizza, McDonald's and Kicker's. See the recaps below!

Buffalo Phil's

 
We put Buffalo Phil's on our "must do" list at the recommendation of a friend from church, and it was really fun for the boys! The food was just okay - nothing to really write home about - but the boys had so much fun watching the train go around, and thought it was so fun to have their food delivered on it.

Moosejaw Pizza

 
After a busy day at Timbavati Wild Animal Park, we decided to keep our evening low-key. The boys wanted to swim and swim and swim, so while they were swimming with Mark, I decided to just order a pizza from Moosejaw and have it delivered to the resort for a little picnic out at the gazebo.

The pizza was just alright. The crust was HUGE. It sorta reminded me of a DiGiorno's pizza with a crust on steroids. I would've rather had Papa John's, truthfully. BUT...their delivery was really fast, about 30 minutes faster than they told me it would be on the phone, so that was a huge plus.

Kicker's

 
This place was seriously so great! It could be that our kids actually weren't total hellions that made the difference (I'm sure that was a big part of it, really), or that it was the perfect night to be out on the deck. It could be that the other patrons said that seeing our little family made them miss their own. I mean, when you take 3 kids under the age of 5 out to eat and you get complements, it makes you feel like maybe you aren't drowning as much as you thought you were haha :) The wait staff was really great as well, and they were attentive.

It was just such a really awesome night, and we had such a great dining experience. The boys ate their food without too much argument, and our food was delicious. It all came really quickly, and it was delicious!

Plus, being out on the deck, we had the entertainment of just people watching outside.

Of all the places we ate during our stay, I'd recommend this one the highest. We would definitely go back here on a future trip.

McDonald's

We didn't plan very well for breakfasts, truthfully. I ended up running out each morning to pick up some hot cake meals from McDonald's. We brought cereal but forgot bowls or spoons, and had otherwise planned to eat out. However, when you wake up with 3 kids in the morning and realize that before you go anywhere you're going to have to get everyone dressed and in the car, it just seems like less of a priority to take them to a restaurant and order food, so fast food FTW!

We also had lunch here after the Wild Animal Park. The place is monstrous as far as McDonald's go, lots of space for everyone, and they process large groups really quickly. (I suppose they have lots of practice, being a vacation destination and all).

Activities

We spent a lot of time (I mean a LOT of time) at the pool at Meadowbrook, so as far as activities, we didn't really do a TON while we were there. The biggest ones were Timbavati Wild Animal Park and the Army Duck Boat Tour, but here is a short recap of all the activities we did.

Knuckleheads Arcade and Indoor Amusement Park

This place was attached to Buffalo Phil's, so after we ate, we went to check it out. It's a fun little arcade/indoor amusement park/trampoline park geared at kids probably between ages 3-9. There's no admission fee, so each of the attractions were priced about like a county fair. I think we paid $4 for each ride.

They have a little roller coaster, a huge trampoline and a HUGE arcade. Our boys were a little young for it, but we did go on one of the rides, and they sat on some of the other toys. Give us a couple years and I have a feeling this would be an entire evening activity, and we'll probably easily spend a couple hundred bucks in the course of 2 hours.

Timbavati Wild Animal Park

 
This was the perfect size for us for a day! I was pleasantly surprised at how many animals they had and the variety considering it isn't really a "Zoo" per se. We had such a blast here! Our favorite parts of the park were feeding the giraffes and llamas (although it's $4 a cup for carrot sticks, which is a huge rip off), the train ride and the pig races. We'd highly recommend it!

The train ride was really fun with the kiddos. I *think* we got to ride it for free, seeing as how we were there the weekend before it really officially opened for the season. Otherwise, it was kinda spendy. I'm not really sure I would pay for that part, but it was fun.

They take you through this gated area you can't get to without being on the train, but really, it just has a few of these different animals. The conductor gets off and coaxes the animals up close to the train so you can feed them.

The train's final stop (which is really only about a 15-20 minute ride) is the giraffe and camel feeding area platform, and that's it. Like I said - fun since it was included with the price of our admission, but I don't think it was worth paying separately for it.

Army Duck Boat Tour

 
We did the duck boat tour our second day in the Dells, and it was a really fun time! I'm not really sure why we ended up doing the Army Ducks versus any of the other options, but I think they're all about the same, really.

We enjoyed our ride, but probably wouldn't pay to do it again on a return visit.

The highlight of the Ducks was that they let the boys drive the boat on the lake. VERY fun for the little ones!

They start out on land, then they have two different entries into water with another landing in between.

Mining for Gems

 
I missed out on this one, as I had to feed the baby and pull the van up closer, but the boys appeared to have fun with it. They have different size buckets you can purchase, and then you get all the gems that are in there. Granted, the gems aren't worth much at all if you don't have them cut and polished, so that's where they make all their money. We came home with a little gem bag full of gems, all worth not more than the $12 we spent on the bucket. But we did have some sapphires and emeralds in there, so I guess if you wanted to spend the $10-400 to have them cut and polished, then go for it! We opted not to.

It was alright, but we won't be repeating the experience again.

Lock & Dam No. 7

 
Mark and I stopped here on our way to Niagara Falls on our honeymoon in October 2006, and we thought the boys might enjoy this little stop. On our way home, we stopped to pick up Wendy's for lunch and watched the barges come and go from Lock & Dam No. 7. This is located right on the Minnesota/Wisconsin border, so if you happen to be coming from Minnesota, it's a great stopping point.