Family Fun Tours

January 14, 2014

Every summer my parents would load my sister and me up in the family car. We would drive for hours across states. Our destination was usually a national park. My sister and I did pretty well in the car, we had the normal backseat battles for space. My mom would work hard to keep us engaged by reading books out loud, providing coloring books, reading tidbits about our destination, and leading car games that kept us looking outside. Due to my parents efforts, my sister and I saw national parks, national monuments, and a large portion of the United States. Though I wasn't always appreciative then, today I look back on those trips as some of my best memories and I am ecstatic that I have seen so many states and national parks first hand.

The school year already is half over. Winter Break is behind us and even though the cold temperatures sweeping across the entire Lower 48 are making it hard to believe, the glorious days of summer are around the corner. Adventure Cycling’s Family Fun Tours provide an opportunity to have an active, educational, and engaging family vacation. You will spend your days riding through history-rich areas of the United States and your evenings relaxing with new friends and your family.

The majority of us learned about the Paul Bunyan Trail in grade school. Adventure Cycling's Family Fun,  Minnesota – Paul Bunyan Trail in early August makes the tales of Paul Bunyan, Babe the Blue Ox, Minnesota lumber jacks, and more come alive. The tour is filled with many opportunities to engage the mind, plenty of ice cream shops, and lakes to swim in or skip rocks across! To top it all off, Adventure Cycling will carry your gear and a caterer will provide hearty meals and hot breakfasts before you head out again.

Do you want to begin touring self-contained with your family? The Family Fun, Great Allegheny Passage tour takes place on bike trails making it a perfect location to introduce kids to self-contained touring. You and your family will carry all of your own gear and some of the group gear and help cook and prepare a meal for the whole group to enjoy. Your riding days will mostly be on a packed bike trail with less than 1% grade. With everything you need on your bike, you’ll enjoy the freedom of self-supported riding, your days filled with beautiful scenery, old train tunnels, and bridges. When you are off the bike your time will be filled with swimming, rafting, hiking, and sightseeing with a great group of new friends. Being bored is not an option on this trip!

Last month the Hess family decided that we needed to resurrect our yearly family vacations. We met in Colorado and loaded into the family car. We struck out for the mountains. This time mom didn’t have to keep my sister and I entertained in the back seat. My sister and I have grown but the joys and memories of those family trips years back have kept our family close despite the miles between us. We are already planning "Hess Family Vacation 2014." 

Check out all of the available Family Fun Tours and find a tour to begin your own family traditions this summer.

Photos courtesy of Lydia Hess

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ON THE ROAD is written by the tours team — Lydia, Darrah, Mike, Mandy, and Arlen — tours specialists and intrepid bicyclists, covering all things related to the Adventure Cycling tours department. Check out our 2014 Guided Tours today!