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Group Friend Trip Ideas with Kids Attending


Spur08

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I’m looking for a place to have a group friend trip with kids.  I have a good friend who has stage 4 metastatic breast cancer – her 5 year survival rate is about 20%.  To maximize the joy in her life, we’re trying to schedule as many friend trips with her as possible.   The stipulation for most trips will be that kids will be attending – all under the age of 5, which will make things a challenge b/c don’t want to be isolated to our rooms once naptime/bedtime commences. 

 

Do any of y’all know what options are available where we can all have separate rooms, but still be a baby monitors lengths away so the adults can socialize, drink, etc?  The group would roughly be around 5-10 families, depending on everyone’s availability.  I’ve thought of maybe getting a group of cabins together around Broken Bow as long as they are close enough together where we can congregate.  Any other options?  Specific examples/links would be appreciated.  Most of us are located in DFW area but obviously are able to travel a reasonable distance (via car)

Edited by Spur08
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Kids are much older now but went here when they were young and more recently in 2016.  They liked it both times.  Cabins are all together.  Good hiking and you can also drive places like Hot Springs in about an hour etc.

 

https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/petit-jean-state-park

Edited by Surly Bevo
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One of my best memories as a kid was hiking up and watching the sun rise from the top of Enchnated Rock.  A group of us climbed it early, with our sleeping bags, and watched that beautiful sight.  You can only do it if you camp there.  So none of the day hikers are up yet.  God, I love Texas.     

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When ours were little, we liked staying onsite at Schlitterbahn, since it was easy to let them take a break for a nap and we didn't have to truck their shit everywhere.  It's pricey for the kinda crappy accommodations, but it's easy to grill, bring your own booze, and is pretty amenable to hanging out with a group.

This is a really awesome thing you're doing.

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First, I'm sorry to hear about your friend.  Just this past Saturday, I buried a close friend of mine who suffered from the exact same diagnosis. She left behind her husband, a 13yo daughter, and a 9yo son.  I wish your friend, her family, and you and your good friends all the best in working through the time she has left.  And hopefully, she'll make it past the 5 years where things start looking up.  

Very similar to your group dynamic, I think, we also have a group of several families with kids all around the same age and we tend to do a lot together.  Fortunately for us, we all already had RV trailers, and so camping was an incredibly easy and fun activity that checks all your boxes.  Even over the past few months when it got more painful and more taxing for my friend to get around, camping was something that was relatively easy, as long as we did all the heavy lifting for her (cooking, cleaning, etc.).

Renting RVs can get really pricey, but the cabin idea would likely accomplish the same effect. 

You might also look into renting out beach-houses down at the Texas coast, some of them can accommodate multiple families.  From Austin,  Matagorda is a little closer than Port Aransas and usually cheaper, too.  But Port A traditionally has more options, and the rebuilding is coming along fairly well down there.

Anyway, once again, I'm sorry to hear about your friend, and I wish you all the best in dealing with it.

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19 hours ago, Spur08 said:
On 1/28/2019 at 1:28 PM, SimonBolivar said:
We had a good time out at Mo Ranch whenever Christian Camps aren't there.

I actually looked at that but the whole religious thing was iffy for me. Do they allow alcohol, grills/smokers? How is the property setup?

Unsure about alcohol (I was a kid when we went) but I doubt it. They used to have your standard park grills, but not sure about now. We stayed in air conditioned cabins that were separated by family. The main attraction was the river of course.

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Try Wildcatter Ranch out by Possum Kingdom Lake.  For accommodations, they have a bunch of options depending on party size and budget, ranging from a luxurious house to individual cabins to hotel rooms.  There are all kinds of activities, some even OK for kids under 5, like feeding the longhorns each morning.  Or just chill out with the great views and peaceful grounds.  Also, the onsite restaurant is quite good - mesquite grilled steaks and world-class CFS.

If not there, I'd look to the Texas coast.  Get adjacent beachfront houses in Galveston or Port A.  Maybe Condos in South Padre, but that's a haul with little kids from DFW.

EDIT:  With regard to accommodations at Wildcatter, the house rental is self explanatory.  The cabins are arranged in groups of 4, with each group next to each other, so easy congregation during nap time.  The hotel is the least glamorous, but it has a TON of communal space within eyeshot of the rooms.  There's also a cabin set out from the rest, but it wouldn't work for a group as large as yours.

Edited by solamente73
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