The Goonies is one of my favorite movies and I was giddy to see the house when we visited Astoria. In the picture, I’m pointing to a sign at the driveway entrance, “Goonies on Foot Welcome; No Cars.” That’s cool that the owners are so open to letting fans walk up their private drive. Just Google “Goonies House” and you can find the address or see this site that lists the different locations from the movie. Brittany and Hedda also saw Haystack Rock, a sea stack, near Cannon Beach.

Yaquina Head Natural Area equals fun, fun, fun! The spectacular interpretive center keeps kids busy with hands-on activities like coloring and the all-important skill of hula-hooping. Okay, we’ll admit it. The moms really liked the hula hoops, too. There’s trails to walk and a rocky beach to comb and a lighthouse to climb. Pack a picnic lunch, watch for whales in the bay, and spend the whole day exploring.

Click here for rates and hours.

The Oregon Coast offers breathtakingly beautiful views. We stayed in a yurt at Beverly Beach and enjoyed the prehistoric/rainforest feel of the regional plants (which were taller than our children). The kids also spotted a slug near our camp site and explored the beach every day.

Holy Pixie Dust! Who knew that a single place could hold so much magic?! The carousel’s exhilaratingly fast, yet safe enough for tiny tots thanks to the safety belts. The big kids (a.k.a. the adults) can reach up and grab plastic hoops from the dragon’s mouth as you fly by.

The story of how this place became a reality provides even more magic. An artist offered to build the carousel and hand-carve the horses if the community would provide volunteers and raise money for the project. Not only did the citizens of Missoula do that, their next undertaking was the huge fairyland of a playground right outside the carousel called Dragon Hollow. You can see names of people who donated to the project throughout the pictures I too.

Dragon’s Hollow is FREE!

Home Sweet Yurt. Yurts provide a cheaper alternative than hotels, but offer more security and comfort than tent camping. While we absolutely loved our yurt experiences on our two-month cross country expedition, know this about yurts…

1) The yurts at Harriman State Park have no electricity and are a fifty foot walk from the parking area and there are bears in the area. We didn’t get there until after dark and that was a bad idea.

2) It can get very cold even in late August when we were there. Some yurts have heaters, but the one at Harriman only had a wood stove and it was too late (and dark) for us to make a fire. Again, poor planning on our part.

Note: I saw some of the brightest stars in the skies above our yurt and we got to hear a coyote cry…something I haven’t heard since I lived out in the country as a kid.

Not only did we get to see Old Faithful in action, we actually got to drive alongside a buffalo. Twice! I had to roll up my window because its horns were nearly coming in the driver’s side. I’d recommend a one day tour to orient yourself to the park and its history. On this trip we only had time to drive through and Yellowstone is beautiful either way.

Tips: If you plan on seeing more than one national park, you could save money by purchasing a national parks pass.

We were losing daylight fast and weren’t gonna make it to Cody, WY, where we had reservations. Lucky for us we found the Historic Hotel Greybull instead. Not only was our suite amazingly cheap, but it was big with two bedrooms, kitchen, bath, and living room. We even got a tour of the building which has been everything from a bank (notice the sitting area in the vault) to a speakeasy (Xavier’s pushing the emergency button for when the cops came!).

Another great little town that is just the right size for exploring with small kids. Forget the hustle and bustle of Cody, WY, we loved looking in the shops in Greybull and accommodation’s much cheaper than in Cody. Easy, beautiful drive to Yellowstone, too.

Click here to see what you can do in Greybull, WY.

For families wanting to see Mount Rushmore, I’d STRONGLY suggest Hot Springs, SD, over Rapid City because of the beauty and quiet of the place. Xavier loved climbing on the train at the visitor’s center. Then after walking along River Street downtown and looking at some shops, we waded through the spring fed waters.

Xavier loves all things transportation, but trains rule supreme. When he sees one he yells, “Choo choo! Woo woo!” So I couldn’t resist a trip on Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner to kick off our wild west adventure. The train services several stops across Missouri including Washington where we hopped on.

Tip: Bring something to eat because the food’s no good.