This year we took our first official vacation as a family with four children. Yes, we survived. Yes, we had fun and had a few unexpected things happen along the way. You can plan all you want for a family vacation and things still happen.
Princess got sick on the way to Deer Creek Lodge. We had some things to pick up along the way and spent an extra hour in the car after getting breakfast at McDonald’s and stopping at Walmart. The route we choose to go to Deer Creek was a lot more hilly and curvy then we expected. Car sickness usually isn’t a problem but the van we were driving was having trouble with air circulation.
Once we got to Deer Creek Lodge things got much better and everyone had fun. We ate at the lodge restaurant and were pleasantly surprised by the view of the lake. The service was really good but took a wee bit longer then our not quite 1 year old could stand. So keep that in mind if you are traveling in a car for a few hours that sitting again even while waiting for dinner might not be high on your children’s priority list.
The kids were glad we decided to stay in a lodge versus a tent but the spiders found us anyways, lol. Luckily hubby grabbed some toilet paper and got rid of them quickly before anyone freaked out.
The stuffed deer on the bed was a welcome addition for the kids. They all love snugly animals so the fight was on as to who would claim him! Each room either opened to a balcony or deck area. We were on the 2nd floor so we had a balcony. I actually think that this would be safer for those with small children that would be big enough to open the sliding glass doors.
The outdoor pool had a lifeguard or two when the pool was open. The indoor pool was “swim with a supervising adult”. We didn’t really get a chance to use the hot tub since we have 4 children and it seemed to be occupied most of our stay.
What WE Liked About Deer Creek Lodge
1. The diversity of overnight accommodations included the lodge, cabins, or campground.
2. The gift shop had a nice selection of items.which were very reasonably priced for s State Park Resort.
3. Room Features- coffee pot, spiders, mini fridge
4. The view from the restaurant was amazing
5. The scenery throughout the park was peaceful. We even went on a little drive one night and saw 7 deer!
What we did not like about Deer Creek Lodge
There wasn’t room service but you could call ahead and order food.
The food wasn’t as spectacular as advertised. Super glad we packed some snacks but could have packed more food.
There didn’t seem to be a way to get an activity schedule ahead of time which would have changed our stay dates to adjust for nature center activities.
We would love to go back to Deer Creek Lodge each season of the year to experience different activities, wildlife, and the changing of the seasons. A week doesn’t go by when Big Red asks us if we are leaving for Deer Creek Lodge.
Sounds like it was good trip! I love incorporating nature into our vacation. Helps counter all the tech we use in our daily lives.
Honey
Sounds like a successful trip with 4 children! I think it’s hilarious when you said what was included and listed “spiders.” Ha! Thanks for the tips!
This sounds like a trip my crew would love. They like being off on hikes and enjoying the water. I think I would like the quiet… oh for a little quiet
Most places would have things that we like and things we don’t…as long as the don’t aren’t something I can work around.. I would say this place was a hit!
Yes, my hubby chuckled on that as well. Cause my kids scream when they see spiders. So you can imagine our surprise to see 3 in our room after reassuring them that they would only be outside in THEIR home!
It was a really great trip with a little tech, too.
This looks like such a cool getaway! I want to go!
haha- “Room Amenities-coffee pot, spiders,…” My daughter is fascinated by spiders. My husband and I are hoping she’ll be the one to get rid of them when she’s older. As it is, my husband and I do rocks, paper, scissors to decide which one of us has to. Sounds like you guys had a nice vacation, it must have been cool to see all those deer!
Sounds like you all had a great time and I would love to take my family on a Trip one day like this. As for Spiders forget the kids screaming it would have been me. And you would have heard me in the next County as I hate hate hate Spiders and Bugs and Snacks of all kinds.