Whether you're looking for something fun or educational for kids to enjoy outdoors, visiting a dude ranch can be a great option. Many towns and cities have at least one ranch, but if yours doesn't, check the neighboring areas. Dude ranches can provide hours of education and fun. Plan to spend at least a few days at a dude ranch, or longer if you can. Many dude ranches are equipped with lodging to make for a fun family vacation and provide easy access to get the most out of your visit. There often is too much to see and do to fit into just one day.

Horseback riding is perhaps one of the most popular activities for kids when visiting a dude ranch. Call ahead to make sure the ranch you are interested in offers horseback riding at your child's skill level. Some even offer classes for beginners that can also include simple hands-on horse care.

Hayrides allow kids a unique adventure and educational opportunity. Campfire cooking can help prepare kids for future camping trips, as well as give them hands-on experience in outdoor survival skills. Fishing is another fun activity for kids that teaches survival skills and is available at many dude ranches.

Cattle roundups can be fun for kids to watch. During the roundup, a parent or guide might explain the purpose behind rounding up the cattle. Children's rodeos are another fun event that often can be found at dude ranches, so don't forget those cowboy boots. You and the kids will need them for many of these experiences. They'll also look great during dancing and other country and western fun that is bound to happen at a dude ranch.

Swimming, hiking, rock climbing and canoeing are other common dude ranch activities for kids. You might also find other activities such as sewing, churning butter, collecting eggs. Many dude ranches even offer hands-on educational and activity classes for kids. The great outdoor activities at a dude ranch can keep kids busy and also provide great exercise. Many lessons and family memories can be had by visiting a dude ranch with kids.

Kids bored? Need something the whole family will enjoy doing that you haven't already done a million times? Try river rafting in Colorado and Utah. The kids will be having so much fun, there won't be time to get bored or disagree. There are many family river rafting tours that are geared toward the entire family. So grab your crew, grab your gear, and head to the mountains and rivers of Colorado or Utah.

If your crew is into camping, many family river rafting adventures including camping, hiking, fishing and more for an all-out outdoor adventure. Spend your days and nights in the wilderness, with plenty of time for bonding, laughing, and reflecting. The river rafting experience adds more excitement and adventure to a fun family camping and outdoor experience.

If you're looking for more of a day trip, there are plenty of family river rafting excursions that allow for that as well. Family river rafting in Utah or Colorado can be done in an inflatable kayak, an oarboat, or even paddleboats. There are several ways to enjoy river rafting with the family. For the safest family trip, guided tours are recommended.Guides will be experienced in the area as well as on safety.

Many of the guided river rafting tours will include the watercraft and flotation devices for the whole family. Always check to be sure you are aware of what's included. Flotation devices are a must for anyone participating in a watercraft activity, even superb swimmers. Be sure that everyone knows the proper safety procedures. Guided tours generally include safety instruction, but it's wise to also do safety research beforehand.

Check with the desired venue ahead of time for recommended clothing and supplies. Boat shoes are a must for everyone. A good pair will help prevent slipping and will have a waterproof design for comfort. Other family river rafting supplies might include swimwear, compasses, a nautical watch, lightweight food that requires little to no preparation, plenty of water, appropriate clothing for the weather, and more. Check with the tour coordinators for suggestions appropriate to your exact type of river rafting experience.

Sources:
http://www.griffithexp.com/family-river-rafting.htm
http://www.fourcornersrafting.com/colorado_family_river_rafting.shtml

There is actually a medical term for the fear of ventriloquist dolls: automatonophobia. Some kids get scared of those dummies, even when they aren't particularly creepy. Other kids just seem fascinated by the whole idea of a talking doll. Believe it or not, but there is a museum devoted to the world of ventriloquism. The Vent Haven Museum is located at 33 West Maple Avenue in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. Tours are by appointment only, but a tour is really worth the effort.

The Vent Haven Museum is made up of hundreds of "retired" ventriloquist dolls, including some replicas of famous dolls like Charlie McCarthy. The tour can last up to ninety minutes, so that should give some indication as to what to expect. If the Vent Haven Museum was just a collection of wooden and plastic doppelgangers staring at visitors with their dead eyes that would be one thing and kind of interesting in a macabre way. Admittedly, some younger kids will not be impressed since the Vent Haven Museum is not the kind of hands-on museum that all the kids seem to love today. But as the only museum dedicated solely to the genuinely bizarre art of ventriloquism, it is worth a visit to peek into what still remains a rather mysterious sub-genre of the entertainment world.

Parents whose kids do suffer some form of automatonophobia or parents who suffer the disorder themselves, may want to put some serious thought into visiting the Vent Haven Museum. A large part of the appeal for some visitors is the eerie feeling the museum gives off. Yes, truly walking through a museum that is populated with lifelike dummies everywhere you look is like stepping into the Twilight Zone. If one of the dolls happens to move by itself, the best course of action is probably just to ignore it. It almost undoubtedly is simply your imagination at work. Either that or put a direct call in to Mulder and Scully.

Baseball may not be quite the yardstick by which kid-dom is measured, but that doesn't mean the National Pastime does not permeate into the collective consciousness of most children. The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, is unquestionably a destination spot that any lover of baseball will enjoy, regardless of age.

It is perhaps more important than ever to taken kids to Cooperstown, however. After all, the current state of baseball is not one that is inclined to inspire idol worship and heroism the way it used to. Steroids, salary disputes and strikes have tarnished much of the glamour of the game, and for those reasons, it behooves the parent of any baseball fan to take their child to Cooperstown so they can see what baseball players used to be like.

The Babe, Jackie Robinson, The Mick, Dizzy and Daffy. These names are threatening to disappear off the face of the playground, not just because they are old and dead, but because baseball as a social force in America is dying. It is very hard to teach kids about how vital the game of baseball used to be to the very fabric of America when the home run king's tally is tarnished by allegations that his well-sculpted body may not entirely be the result of good old-fashioned workouts. But baseball really did used to mean something special to kids, in part because baseball players were special. There was something elemental about a man knocking out 60 home runs in a season or tossing a perfect game in the World Series. Those days may be gone, but they will exist forever at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

The movie, Night at the Museum, introduced millions of kids to the imaginative effects of walking through a museum. In this case, the museum isn't one of those Smithsonian deals in Washington, but the very same museum hosted Ben Stiller battling Genghis Khan and playing fetch with dinosaurs. Truly, it can be said that no visit to New York City with kids is complete without stopping by the American Museum of Natural History.

This iconic piece of American was founded in 1869, and one of those founders was none other than the man who would give birth to President Theodore Roosevelt. You can see why he was the only president who came to life in the movie. The museum always has a revolving list of new exhibits. You never know what you may find when you walk into that tremendous lobby, but it is the permanent exhibits that really draw the attention of kids. Any kid who has watched Night at the Museum will definitely want to get a glimpse of the big dinosaur that can fetch as good as any golden retriever.

In fact, much of the fun of visiting the American Museum of Natural History nowadays, for both kids and their parents, is finding the exhibits that came to life in the movie. For the most part, it's all there. The little dioramas featuring the movie's tiny characters are available for up close viewing. The monkey and Mr. Khan also await your fascinated viewing. In essence, the American Museum of Natural History in the Big Apple becomes two tourist destinations in one. The museum offers an opportunity to learn about everything from dinosaur fossils to the Star of India, the world's largest blue sapphire. At the same time, the museum allows kids to relive the events of the movie: pretending to be chased by dinosaurs and Mongol hordes. Maybe a day at the museum is no Night at the Museum, but there must be something to a place that has been around for almost 150 years.

With television, video games and other forms of technology around every corner, it's easy for families to get caught up in their own worlds. Even parents and children sitting in the same room can be separated by iPhones, iPods, text messages, laptops and computer games. If technology has taken hold of your life, consider tuning out for a weekend and getting back to nature.

Before you start packing the things you will need, start with the things that you won't need. Leave the portable DVD player, cell phones, iPods, PSP and Nintendo DS. If you own a portable GPS, you may want to consider bringing it along for geo caching or for the car ride. But the technology stops there -- leave the laptops at home.

Locate a campground with toilets and showers, and you'll alleviate most of your teenagers' concerns. When researching the campsite, confirm if they have grills or fire pits available for cooking. Once you've found the campground and gotten the family on board, you can start planning for your family camping trip.

If you've never been camping before, you'll be pleasantly surprised with how easy the experience can be. One of the most important things is to bring a tent big enough for the family. Include sleeping bags, extra blankets and pillows, one or two changes of clothes per person, hiking boots, extra socks and food. Use backpacks, rather than suitcases, to haul your belongings.

Don't forget the food! Be sure to bring things that don't need to be refrigerated and can either be eaten cold or warmed over a fire. Include a pot and saucepan for soups or anything else you may need to heat. If you are going on a short trip, a cooler with ice might be helpful, especially for drinks.

A family camping trip is a great way to leave the technology behind and get back to basics.

Quiz: What kind of structure is Hoover Dam? If you said dam, pretend you hear the sound of a buzzer going off. You are wrong. Technically speaking, Hoover Dam is not a dam, it's a retaining wall. To get even more specific, Hoover Dam is a retaining wall that is used to block the Colorado River about 30 miles away from Las Vegas. Las Vegas is the site where you and the spouse and other adults can try to break the bank by counting cards while playing 21. During the day, however, you really need to travel that 30 miles and take in what has often been designated one of the modern wonders of the world. If you have kids, this side trip away from the glittery and glam of Vegas makes even more sense.

No child getting his or her first look at the amazing, if misnamed, Hoover Dam is likely to yawn. Amazement may either be preceded or succeeded by fear when they realize they are actually going to take a tour along the top of this magnificent monstrosity. Once you get there, you will find two types of tours, the Power Plant tour and the whole Hoover Dam tour. The Power Plant tour is available to kids as young as four years old, while the so-called Hoover Dam tour excludes children under eight years old. If possible, try your best to convince the good folks who run things at Hoover Dam that you five year old is an eight year old that is simply short for his age because there is no doubt that even younger kids will be fascinated by the inner workings of Hoover Dam.

Many adults have been pleasantly surprised to learn that a trip to Hoover Dam leaves them with a feeling of breathless wonder that they cannot even get inside one of the more spectacular casinos. And the best thing is that a tour of Hoover Dam won't cost you nearly as dearly as that trip to the 21 table is likely to cost.

The challenge of choosing a great family vacation destination may be daunting enough to send chills down the spine of any parent. The quintessential family vacation should be memorable, exciting and fun for everyone. What destination provides that experience for family members with different tastes? Black Hills, SouthDakota, is a diverse area with activities perfect for today's family.

The Main Attraction: Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial features the faces of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. These 60-foot high, breath-taking carvings are best experienced in person and provide the perfect opportunity to sneak in a history lesson. Enjoy the fresh air and scenery while meandering through the Presidential Trail, which spans a half mile. Highlights include exhibits at the Lincoln Borglum Museum and the Evening Sculpture Lighting Ceremony.

Black Hills, South Dakota, Side Trips
Mount Rushmore is near a variety of attractions sure to leave lasting vacation memories. Seeing the progress of the Crazy Horse Memorial gives visitors better insight into the construction of Mount Rushmore. After approximately six decades of work, the 563-foot tall carving of Lakota leader Crazy Horse is still under construction with only his face completed.

Jewel Cave in Custer, South Dakota, offers scenic hiking and spelunking for the adventurous. Watch the buffalo roam in Custer State Park, view the world's most extensive collection of reptiles and birds at Reptile Garden in Rapid City or pan for gold at Big Thunder Gold Mine.

Culinary Delight
The Corn Exchange in Rapid City, South Dakota, is an unexpected source of fine dining and wine. The eatery prides itself on using organic and local ingredients, including buffalo. Elle, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food Art and the Washington Post are just a few of the publications to praise the restaurant.

Fjord's Ice Cream and Coffee Shop, also in Rapid City, offers a unique selection of fresh, homemade ice cream with flavors ranging from beer to lemon chiffon to strawberry cheesecake.

Chubby Chipmunk Hand-Dipped Chocolates in Deadwood sells homemade one-and-a-half ounce truffles. The owner, Mary "Chip" Tautkus, creates specialty flavors and generously offers samples to visitors.

"I want an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle (BB gun) with a compass in the stock and a thing which tells time."

Just about everybody recognizes that Christmas wish made by Ralphie Parker in A Christmas Story. The BB gun has been a traditional Christmas gift since at least Ralphie's time, and for those who are interested in a little bit of history to go along with owning a Daisy Air Rifle, why not take some time to visit the Daisy Airgun Museum in Rogers, Arkansas.

Red Ryder and Buzz Barton should bring back solid memories to some parents who grew up with their own rifles. While you can't actually find that really cool model that Ralphie would have sold his soul to own in A Christmas Story (because it never actually existed), you can see every other model that Daisy ever made. But the really impressive part of the Daisy Airgun Museum is that it goes well beyond just being a commercial showcase for the company's products.

This museum is also a history of the airgun itself. One of the most fascinating parts of the history of airguns is one that is incredibly important for kids to learn. An airgun is a gun; it's not a toy. It can do harm if handled improperly. When you take the kids to this museum, they will learn that even a powerful man like Napoleon Bonaparte recognized the dangers of putting an airgun into the wrong hands. He actually ordered anyone found with the precursor to Ralphie's 200-shot model air rifle to be put to death.

Another really cool bit of trivia that kids will love is that an astronaut used a customized air rifle to project himself through space. The Daisy Airgun Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

What kid doesn't love comic books, cartoons and comic strips? For this reason alone, a visit to the amazing Barker Character Comic and Cartoon Art Museum in Cheshire, Connecticut, is one that comes with a solid guarantee to entertain everyone. If it has something to do with comic books, animated movies and TV shows or newspaper strips, it is almost assured to be found inside this museum. This fascinating trip through the history of animated art, founded by Herb and Gloria Barker, continues to grow at an almost alarming rate. At last count, the collection of collectibles at the Barker Museum was well over 80,000 pieces.

Sure, a 1930s vintage, Popeye, burlap bag that was once used to haul popcorn to a cinema of bygone days probably won't appeal to a lot of kids by itself, but it is the entirety of the collection that will make an impression. Sheer wonder is instilled by the recognition that all these classic cartoon and comic-strip characters have made their way into the cultural orbit of America from a tin pail featuring the likeness of Herman Munster to a 1930s blackboard featuring the likenesses of Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Pluto.

The Barker Museum is not just a chance for kids to browse through the history of pop culture; it also presents an opportunity for the shock of recognition of characters that adults have long forgotten. The underlying beauty of the museum is the revelation that things that are wildly important to kids eventually get tossed into the trash bin of memory. Only by being reminded through discovery do some of the characters that meant so much to you when you were a kid begin to resurrect themselves in your consciousness. The museum offers a perfect opportunity to remind kids today how they should take care to preserve their own memories while they have them, because so many of the items that are valued today will be relegated to the dustbin when they become adults.

The La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles may not seem like the first spot in that dazzling town to settled in for a few hours of serious vacation time with the kids, but if you start with this crowd pleaser you will get the kids fired up enough to visit some places you want before ending up at Disneyland when the kids get bored on day three.

You may have heard many pop culture references to the La Brea Tar Pits in movies and TV shows, but do you know exactly what the attraction of big pits of tar really is? The location of the pits is the first thing that will strike the kids with amazement. These homes to ancient animal fossils are not located off in the distant hills of Southern California but rather smack dab in the heart of L.A. But it is those creatures that were found within the tar that will astonish and amaze the kids.

Just about every skeleton that is displayed at the La Brea Tar Pits is an authentic fossil from thousands and even millions of years ago. The one thing you won't find at the pits that many people probably think is the centerpiece is dinosaur fossils. The animals that got sucked into the pits were either mammals or birds. So while your little ones won't get the pleasure of enjoying an actual stegosaurus, there are plenty of wolves, eagles, sloths, mammoths and even a saber-tooth tiger or two.

If you kids have enjoyed the Ice Age series of movies, they will enjoy the La Brea Tar Pits. This endlessly fascinating little glimpse into ancient history surrounded by the concrete jungle of Los Angeles is like stepping back in time to the real Ice Age and bringing those creatures from the animated movies to life. And the work of the tar is not yet done. Even today, smaller critters continue to find their way into the pits and never come out. Just make sure your little ones are not put on display for future visitors.

Doubtlessly, you and the kids have enjoyed the Nicolas Cage movie, "National Treasure," by now. Rare, indeed, is the occasion when you can actually take the kids to see a vital plot component of a major motion picture: the Declaration of Independence. When you visit the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and stand in hushed awe amidst the towering echo chamber of the rotunda where the most important of American historical documents is kept, you will never accept that stealing such it could be so incredibly easy.

Every American, regardless of whether they are 3 or 93, needs to visit the rotunda inside the National Archives at least once in their lives. Placed beneath the domed architecture inside this eerily silent room is the foundational document upon which this great experiment in self-rule was based. If you have not been to Washington, D.C., or it has been so long you have forgotten the tremendous sense of pride at witnessing the actual signature of John Hancock on the Declaration of Independence or looking at the original Constitution of the United States, you can bet there has never been a more perfect opportunity.

American optimism can be traced back to the documents on display inside the National Archives. We the People are finding ourselves holding this truth to be self-evident. Take the kids to see all the amazing documents that have meant so much to this country and watch the illumination in their eyes.

Ever want to slip on the trench coat of an international spy and enter into the mysterious world of cloaks and daggers? Admit it, adults and kids share this particular fantasy. Witness the long-lasting popularity of James Bond movies and the success of the Fox television show 24.

But just how close to the real thing is the fictional world of spies? Washington, D.C. is home to a fascinating museum that answers this question and provides enough fun and information to keep you and your little spies-in-training turning down every corner. The International Spy Museum is constructed to appeal to those who want to learn what really goes on inside the world of international intrigue, as well as keep children from being bored by providing a healthy dose of hands-on, interactive fun.

You begin the tour by choosing a secret spy identity from those posted around the welcome room. These secret identities range in age from the very young to the very old and give you names and birthplaces from around the world. In addition, you are also instructed to memorize several facts such as why you are in America, what kind of job you have (including student) and your spy's family background. You have about two minutes to memorize this information and will be quizzed at the end of the tour.

Visitors to the International Spy Museum are then unleashed on a history of espionage, where you will see exhibits that reveal all the amazing tricks of the trade. Beside the exhibits there are interactive entertainment stations in which you and the kids can attempt such things as identifying a spy in disguise on a video screen or experiencing what it is really like to crawl inside an air duct and spy on other unwitting visitors. The exhibits are a great history lesson, but also toss in some kid-friendly things like the radio signal beacon disguised as a piece of dog poop.

And if the kids still aren't satisfied, wait till you get to the International Spy Museum gift shop, which sells nearly every kind of spy gadget you have just seen.

When I was 14, my parents got permission to take me (and my siblings) out of school for a week so that we could go to Orlando, Florida on a family vacation in October. Because hardly anyone goes to Disney World in October (or Orlando on vacation for that matter), everything was relatively inexpensive: airfare, lodging (in a condo), entrance passes and car rental. Not to mention that we didn't have to wait in line for any of the rides. This experience has stayed with me for a looooong time. After all, my parents saved more than a thousand dollars on a family vacation for seven, just by choosing an odd time of year to travel.

Off-peak family vacations
The main trouble with off-peak family vacations, of course, is the fact that they often take place during the school year. It is usually possible to get a week or so off for the kids, but you will have to get the expected homework, and every day there should be time to study. We had to do homework each morning before we could head out for fun. That way, we didn't fall behind.

In addition to making sure that the kids keep up to date with their schoolwork, it is also important to realize that off-peak means different things to different destinations. You can usually get a cheap Christmas cruise to the Caribbean (although this is becoming less common as the practice becomes more popular), but try to get a cheap ski vacation at Christmas, and you are out of luck. Different hotels, airlines and destinations have differing definitions of "off-peak." This means that you need to localize your efforts and plan accordingly.

It is also important to dress for the weather. In the mountain west, it was snowing when we left in late October to head to Orlando. So we had to bring coats to the airport. But in Orlando, we wore shorts and T-shirts.

Family vacations are great opportunities to have quality time together and to build shared memories. And you can save money with off-peak family vacations.

If your kids are fascinated by UFOs, aliens, ghosts or any of the other myriad mysteries of the world, then you would be doing them a disservice by not running them by the Hornet Ghost Light if you ever get the chance. The Hornet Ghost Light is located around the town of Neosho, Missouri and the mystery that surrounds the ghostly illumination dates back to at least the 1860s.

The Hornet Ghost Light can be located along an eerie little back road known as the Devil's Promenade. The most common description of the strange light hanging in the sky is that it looks like a floating lantern. Of course, since the Hornet Ghost Light dates back to pioneer days, what other object would it look like? Your kids may describe it as a flying Bulbasaur. Some younger kids may be a little frightened, but the Hornet Ghost Light is probably a quite natural phenomenon, probably mine gas. Of course, don't try telling the people of Neosho that.

Some visitors to the Hornet Ghost Light have reported trying to follow the glowing orb down the Devil's Promenade only to find out that the closer they seem to get, the farther away the light became. There have been a few devoted party poopers who want you think that the light has attacked them, but so far no authenticity is attached to these reports, so don't let that make you too terrified to take your kids.

America today is dominated like never before by the idea of the unexplained, and entire generations are being raised watching "Ghost Hunters" and other shows on the Travel Channel and Discovery Channel about strange and supernatural events. The Hornet Ghost Light presents the opportunity to test the mettle of your kids. Oh sure, every kid enjoys seeing the unexplained on TV, especially if Leonard Nimoy is the narrator, but how will they react to actually seeing a strange glowing light in the sky? The Hornet Ghost Light is your answer.