Okoboji Vacation

This summer we made another visit to one of our favorite places! We headed down to Okoboji, Iowa where we stayed at Fillenwarth Beach. The cabins are perfect for our group as we all get to relax and just enjoy our time.

Relaxing by the pool!

Missy and Molly enjoying the water on a paddle boat

waiting for dinner

Everyone braved the "Crooked House" at Arnold's Park

cheers!

The group took a nice ride on the Queen Mary out on Lake Okoboji. It was so nice to be out on the water and enjoying the beautiful scenery that Iowa has to offer.

Our day at Arnold's Park ended with a nice train ride through the park. Everyone was sad to see the vacation end but it was sure fun while it lasted.

Green Bay, Wisconsin

This summer our group took their first ever trip to the "Frozen Tundra" better known as Green Bay, WI. It sounds like they had a blast and saw lots of neat things.

 Our trip started with a trip to Lambeau Field where we were able to go on a Stadium Tour! We saw the behind the scenes stuff as well as some of the fancy "boxes" that people pay mega dollars for!  

Our whole crew on Lambeau Field

While we were at Lambeau we also did the Hall of Fame tour.This showed the history of the Green Bay Packers and their start up as the A.C.M.E Packers to where they are today. We even got to visit the trophy room!

 We also visited the National Railroad Museum. It was something we all really enjoyed!



Another highlight from our trip was our visit to the Green Bay New Zoo. We got to get really close to the animals which was pretty exciting! Everyone had a great time there and especially loved feeding the giraffes. All and all our vacation was a great experience had by all. We can't wait to go back in the future!

Memphis, TN

Our first day in Memphis started with a delicious breakfast at the hotel, then it was off to the Memphis Zoo! After seeing all of the amazing animals, we checked out the gift shop. We soon got tired of shopping and our stomachs were growling so we went to Kooky Canucks for supper.

The next day we explored Graceland, and took an audio tour. It was very interesting to learn about Elvis and his music! After an amazing pizza dinner, we headed back to the hotel and rested up for our final day of vacation.

Our last full day of vacation started bright and early with breakfast at Cockadoos. Then, we saw the Rock and Soul Museum where we got to wear headsets as we learned about musicians who started out in Memphis!

Our last day in Memphis came fast, much to everybody's dismay. We stopped at the Firefighter Museum, where everyone got to try their hands at putting out a virtual fire. Overall, the trip was a blast but we were all happy to get home!

Wisconsin Dells

Our trip to the Wisconsin Dells started off a little rocky, with lots of detours and traffic jams. But we finally made it to the beautiful Dells! After we unpacked, we headed to the amazing Tommy Bartlett Show, where we saw a man jump through fire on water-skis.

The next day we visited Noah's Ark Waterpark. After a fun day filled with water, sun, and great food, we ventured back to our hotel where we rested up for another exciting day.

Next on the agenda was the House on the Rock, which had so many amazing rooms! We all enjoyed the Infinity Room, even though it made us nervous. We also got the opportunity to see a giant octopus whale, a butterfly room, a circus room, and a ton of cool lights.

Our final day was an exciting one! We stopped in Wabasha, MN and visited the place where the movie Grumpy Old Men was filmed. Then, we learned about our national bird at the National Eagle Center. Once we arrived home, we were all anxious to see our friends and family, and to sleep in our own beds!

Disney World, FL

Our vacation to Disney World was an exciting one! We had to get up at 4:00a.m. in order to catch our flight. Once we arrived in Florida, we caught the Disney Magical Express which took us straight to our Pop Century Resort. During our 5-day vacation, we managed to see an abundance of major attractions! Our first stop was the Epcot center. Here, everyone enjoyed the variety of rides, and seeing the beautiful underwater creatures. The rest of the trip was packed with amazing shows, restaurants, and parks; such as the Tower of Terror, DINO Land U.S.A., Hollywood Studios, Peco Bill's Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, and Mickey's Toon Town. We all had an amazing vacation, but we were sad to see it end!

On the scene from a movie set!

Pocohantas!

DINOLand, U.S.A.

Epcot Center!

The Seas with Nemo and Friends

Branson

Our trip to Branson, Missouri started bright and early when we left Mankato at 7a.m. Once we finally arrived, we checked into our hotel, then walked over to Pizza World for supper! The next day, we got to explore the beautiful sites in Branson when we got to Ride the Ducks. Each of us even got to drive the boats! Throughout the next four days we saw tons of amazing things. Some of the major highlights included the Waltzing Waters Show, Dixie Stampede, the Kirby VanBurch Magic Show, Ripley's Believe It or Not, the Brett Family, and the Hamner Barber Variety Show. Overall, the trip was an amazing experience and we all created memories that will last a lifetime!

After the show, we got autographs and a picture with Hamner and Barber!

Richard and Timothy loved quacking their quackers.

Florida Keys & Dolphin Research Center

Our trip to Key West started off with a smooth plane ride to Miami. Once on the ground, we gathered our stuff and rented a van to drive to Key West arriving to Hanks Cay around 8pm.

On Day 2 we ate breakfast at IHOP and everyone loved it! We went to the Dolphin Research Center only to find out that they were full for the day so we made reservations for tomorrow. Our group was a little bummed but we decided to make the best of it and headed back to the hotel where we spent the afternoon in the hotel pool and relaxing in the hot tub. That night we treated ourselves to dinner at the Barraccuda Grill.

Finally on our third day we got to go swimming with the dolphins! Our dolphin was Talon, the grandson to Flipper, the famous TV dolphin!

We spent the following day at Key West. We took a trolley ride through the Historic Site of American Company. After that we went to the Key West Aquarium and Museum. There we got to pet a shark and some of us even held a baby alligator!

We were all sad that our trip had to come to an end but on our final day we packed our bags and said goodbye to Florida. Even though the weather was as "tropical" as we had hoped, all vacationers agreed that it was an experience they would remember forever.

Disney World at Christmas '09

Our trip to Disney World started bright and early at LEEP. Once we got to Florida we checked into our hotel, Disney Pop Century where we couldn't wait to get settled in!


On our 2nd day in Florida we went to Animal Kingdom where we got to see Finding Nemo the Musical and the 3D Bug's Life Show! In the evening we met Goofy and Donald Duck and watched an amazing firework show over Cinderella’s castle.
On the 3rd day of vacation we stopped on over at the Magic Kingdom and shopped down “Main Street USA!” During our visit we met the “Incredibles” and watched a Monster’s Inc. show.

On Day 4 we ate our hotel and headed to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The High School Musical performance and an American Idol Experience were pretty awesome! Later that night we headed over to watch another amazing firework show which was a perfect way to end our visit to Mickey's house.
On our final day in sunny Florida we packed our bags and headed North to Minnesota. Everyone had a terrific time at Disney World and definitely didn't want to return to the blustery Midwest!

Nashville, TN '09

Our southern style vacation to Music City started off with an early morning flight. When we arrived in Nashville, and after we checked into our hotel, we did a little swimming and relaxing poolside before our many adventures started. Our second day started with the Nashville Tour and we finished the day with the "Legends Tour". We ate our dinner at the Orpyland Hotel and enjoyed a nice indoor boat ride!

The next day we went on the Homes of the Stars where we were able to see SO many stars homes! We saw; Carrie Underwood, Trace Adkins, Dolly Parton, Martina McBride, and so many others! During the afternoon we hit up the Sports Hall of Fame where we were able to see tons of jerseys, awards, and lots of older antiques we could check out. On our final day in Nashville we went to the Country Music Hall of Fame. It was really cool to see all of the Platinum and Gold Records hanging on the wall. There were so many shops around that we took full advantage and shopped till we dropped! Since we were all exhausted we headed back to the hotel and relaxed, packed, and got ready for our trip back home. What a great end to a great vacation!

Duluth, MN '09

Our big trip north began bright and early as we all met at LEEP around 7:00 am. We arrived in Duluth shortly after lunch and got right down to business getting settled into our hotel rooms. Our first big adventure was hitting the Omnimax Theater to watch the "Mysteries of the Great Lakes". Everyone was amazed by how large the screen was! Day 2 was spent at the Lake Superior Zoo where we were able to see all sorts of animals! After a bit of shopping we headed down to Canal Park to do a little more shopping and then watched the Aerial Lift Bridge. Some of the crew was even brave enough to dip their toes in the FREEZING water! We finished our stay down at Canal Park by eating at Grandma's Restaurant.

The next day we woke up and the weather was crappy so we decided to go do some indoor shopping. Our lunch was going to be aboard the Vista Fleet Lunch Cruise and did a nice Duluth Harbor tour. To finish out our day we headed over to Glensheen Mansion where we were able to take in lots of really awesome art and architecture. We were all sad as the day came to a close because we knew we would be heading home. It was a great vacation and we all had an awesome time! We can't wait to

Indianapolis Speedway '09

On this trip traveled to Indianapolis, IN for one of the most exciting races of the NASCAR season! Our trip started with a nice drive across the Midwest en route to our final destination. On our first day in Indianapolis we went to the Brickyard and did a little shopping, ate, and then watched the practice runs. Our group was completely amazed by how fast the cars whipped by! Some of the guys even had their hats blow off in the wind! Day 2 the weather wasn't really cooperating too well so we headed over to the Indianapolis Zoo where the group enjoyed all of the animals and were even brave enough to touch the small sharks in a pool. We also got to watch a few movies in the IMAX theatre which was really cool! On our final day in Indianapolis it was finally time for the big race! We headed over to the Brickyard 500 to see our favorite drivers compete. When the race was over we did a little shopping, took some more pictures, and even kissed the brick finish line like the winning driver does after the race. It was a really great experience and we all agreed we couldn't wait to do something like this again!

San Diego, California '09

Our trip began with a nice long flight out to San Diego. We took off from the Minneapolis Airport at 9:15 am and landed out in California around 11:30 Pacific time. The group headed off to the hotel to see if we could check in early. Unfortunately our rooms weren't quite ready so we decided to head down to Mission Beach for a little rest and relaxation! After soaking up some rays we did a little walk up and down the boardwalk. Everyone was really hot so we enjoyed some ice cream and cooled off with a nice treat. The next morning we got up bright and early and caught the shuttle over to the San Diego Zoo. While we were there we took a bus tour on a double decker bus where we could see the majority of the animals up close and personal. Some of the animals we saw were: elephants, lions, cheetah, giraffes, a giant panda, and SO many others. After we enjoyed a fun filled day at the zoo we headed back to the hotel to jump in the pool and cool off.

The next morning we headed out to Sea World where we got to see the well known Shamu show. It was quite an experience that everyone seemed to enjoy. We were also able to experience a dolphin show where we saw them doing lots of flips and tricks! Some other fun stuff was touching the starfish, touching the sting rays, and getting to see all of the sea creatures the park had to offer! We headed back to the hotel for the night and enjoyed a fun pizza party where we could all relax! On our final day in California we were lucky enough to drive out to the Wild Animal Park about 35 minutes from the city. We were able to see wildlife in their "natural" settings so that was lots of fun! It was sure hot out there but everyone liked it just the same. Before we headed back to the hotel we took the van over a HUGE bridge to do some site seeing over on Coronado Island. Everyone did a little shopping and got some great deals. We grabbed a quick bite and then headed back to the hotel to get packed and ready for the big trip home the next day. Everyone enjoyed their time together and no one could stop talking about how much fun they had!

Madison, WI '09

We hit the road early for Wisconsin this morning. We had so much to do and not a lot of time to get it done. Our first stop was at the Ho Chunic Casino where we had an AMAZING lunch. We even tried our luck at a little gambling, one of the group members even left with a $29 winning! Since we had been traveling all day we decided a pizza party sounded like the perfect way to end the evening. On our second day we went to the Capital Brewery to see how beer was made. That was really cool! Later that afternoon we headed down to State Street for a little shopping. Everyone made out with some really neat things so we headed off to Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant! The next morning the weather was a little questionable so we changed plans and headed to the state capital for a nice tour. We had high hopes for hitting up the winery but unfortunately it was raining so we headed to House on the Rock instead. That was a pretty neat place to check out since there are so many memorable things there. One thing we all were impressed by was the carousel with 20,000 horse heads on it! On our final day out in Madison we headed to the zoo for some much needed animal interaction! We saw rhinos, camels, flamingos, as well as lions, tigers, and BEARS! Before calling it a day we finally got to check out the winery! This was an awesome experience for everyone and we even got to sample a few of the wines. Since it had been such a long day we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed a super fun pool party! The ride back to Mankato was a little sad since we all wanted to stay on vacation but we were thankful for all the fun we had while we were on vacation!