Life has been pretty crazy lately for everyone, so we decided to do an impromptu overnight trip. We wanted someplace away from home but not a long drive and away from the bigger cities. Enter The Rock Ranch to the rescue! We contacted them and were able to arrange a last minute rental of the "Pond-Side Cottage", a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house on the grounds of the ranch. We arrived Friday evening and the contactless check-in went without a hitch. The kids were ecstatic running from room to room and this was so much nicer than being cramped into a hotel room!! The oldest was the most excited about having her own room for a bit while I was in love with the peace and quiet of NO electronics. That's right, no TV! There were several types of games in the cottage and plenty of space for the kids to play outside while we enjoyed the serenity. The cottage is fully stocked with anything you could need including a gas grill and a fire pit, just bring your own groceries and clothes.
The next morning we awoke naturally and had breakfast. Check-out is also contactless, so after a few housekeeping chores we were ready to head the few blocks back to Truett's Barn for a fun day on the ranch. There have been a few changes if you have been to The Rock Ranch before. Admission to the ranch itself is now free as they offer a punch card for the attractions and you can purchase reservations for the zip lines. You can update on all the information on their "new normal" page. There are a few things that are closed due to being deemed "high touch areas", like Tiny Town, but we honestly had a time trying to take advantage of everything that is available.
We started out with the paddleboat and carousel ride and did a little loop around several other attractions before we took our lunch break back at the Barn. After amazing food and some good ole air conditioning we headed back out to play some more. The highlight of my day came during our time at the paddle cars. Our 10 year old son is high functioning but has some learning delays. Getting him to ride a bike or drive the lawn mower has been humorous at best and frustrating at times. When we arrived at the paddle cars he was first in line but has a really hard time with the mechanics of how things work. The man on the car was the staff member in charge of this attraction and spent extra time explaining things before launching our son who didn't make it 30 feet before the young man got on a car himself to be sure our son had a blast and didn't get frustrated. The truly special part about this was he did everything without us having to explain a thing about his condition! This may not seem like much to most, but it meant the world to this prego momma!
To help you prepare for your trip I have 5 pointers to keep in mind:
1. The Rock Ranch has a wonderful website with tons of information. Be sure to check it out and preplan your trip a bit before you go. Be prepared for a full day of fun and know the limits of your children and yourself.
2. This is pretty much all outdoors and is spaced out so be prepared for a lot of walking. We forgot our stroller, so we took turns carrying our 1 year old for the day.
3. Be sure to take your sunscreen and hats! Even though we stayed in the shade a good bit a few of us were a little pink when we left.
4. Private food is only allowed if you are staying in the homes or camping. Be sure to check out their dining options and plan for drinks.
5. There are tons of fresh food products available right now in addition to the curbside pickup shopping. If you plan to purchase these type things be sure to allot time for that also. We were going to do this before leaving for the day and lost track of time playing.
Overall this trip was amazing! We did a lot of stuff but still arrived home rested and ready for the next week. The kids are getting along better and it was a great way to hit the reset button after the long spring stuck at home. We are all very excited for our next adventure to the Ranch!
*This article was partially sponsored but all opinions are my own.
