Siouxland Families

Nestled just to the northwest of Des Moines, in Altoona, Iowa, you'll find a wonderland of roller coasters and waterslides, known as Adventureland. Adventureland is Iowa's only theme park and is all about grand adventure, from cowboys to pirates to biplanes. Here's what families should know about visiting Adventureland, including firsthand perspective I gained during a trip to Adventureland in 2018 with complimentary passes courtesy of Catch Des Moines . We had a blast and learned a lot! This post has also now been updated to reflect an additional visit to Adventureland, additional research, and new updates and changes for the 2025 season: Where is Adventureland? Adventureland Park is located at 3200 Adventureland Drive, Altoona, Iowa, just minutes from downtown Des Moines. From Sioux City, it's about a 3-hour drive to Adventureland. There is ample parking at Adventureland, and it is $21 per car and $26 for vehicles that require multiple spaces, so carpool wisely! ...

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo is advertised as "the #1 Zoo in the Nation" and it's less than 2 hours from Sioux City! Does it live up to the hype? As someone who grew up in San Diego and regularly visited the world-famous San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, I'm a huge fan of zoos while also having a somewhat high standard for them. But the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha truly impresses me and holds own amongst the best zoos in America. I even think you can make an argument that it is literally THE best zoo in the entire nation. If you have never been to the Omaha zoo, or haven't been lately, you're missing out. Here's everything you need to know about visiting the Henry Doorly Zoo with kids: Where is the Henry Doorly Zoo? The Henry Doorly Zoo is at 3701 South 10th Street in Omaha, Nebraska, almost exactly an hour and a half from downtown Sioux City. There is ample free parking in the zoo's parking lots, but expect a bit of a walk from your car to the ent...

Spring and baby animals are such an iconic combo, and I'm excited to share a new picture book out for spring 2025 that combines them adorably,  Barnaby the Runaway Sheep: A Parable of the Lost Sheep .  Thank you to Paraclete Press for providing me with a free review copy of the book so that I could check it out before sharing it with you! The Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, which doesn't change your price, but means that I get a tiny bit of Amazon's profits if you choose to purchase through one of them. Thanks for supporting SiouxlandFamilies.com! Barnaby the Runaway Sheep is the latest title from Maria Antonia, an imaginative writer best known for the Christmas Elephant . You can learn more about Antonia and her books on her author website . Barnaby the Runaway Sheep  is sweetly illustrated by Sayani Mukherjee and is published by Paraclete Press .  As you might have guessed from the full title, this book is based on one of the parables from the Bibl...

Get ready to join your favorite Sesame Street characters for a spectacular afternoon in downtown Sioux City! For more than half a century, Sesame Street has been delighting kids with entertaining and educational shows, first on TV starting in 1967, and on the live stage starting in 1980.  Thanks to Skopos Productions, who is sponsoring this post, I have all the details for you about the latest iteration of Sesame Street Live and how you can catch it this April in Sioux City. The newest live stage Sesame Street show is  Sesame Street Live! Say Hello , starring Elmo, Abby, and Cookie Monster. It's coming to Sioux City in April 2025 to entertain the next generation of Sesame Street fans, and it's sure to be a big hit with its young audience. Here's what you should know about Sesame Street Live! Say Hello and about the Sioux City performance : What is Sesame Street Live! Say Hello ? Sesame Street Live! Say Hello is a live stage production starring c...