Siouxland Families

One of the most peaceful places in Siouxland is also bustling with life and adventure. Stone State Park, nestled in the northwest corner of Sioux City, provides just under 1600 acres of hiking, fishing, camping, and other outdoors fun in all seasons, from spring and summer wildflowers to beautiful autumn colors and snowshoeing in winter!

Just an hour north of Sioux City on the Big Sioux River, you find the city of Sioux Falls, and nestled in the heart of it all is 123 acres of Falls Park, where the namesake waterfalls provide a scenic background for family fun. Over 7000 gallons of water per second fall over 100 feet! Here's a look at a recent visit to Falls Park: Want to find out more? Read on! As you saw, Falls Park in Sioux Falls offers many other attractions to families beyond the beautiful waterfalls, like lots of grassy space, picnic tables, outdoor sculptures, and much more, including: The Stockyards Ag Experience in Falls Parks The Stockyards Ag Experience is a museum devoted to the history of the Sioux Falls stockyards and to agriculture in general. The upstairs consists mainly of informational exhibits and artifacts to look at, while the downstairs is almost a mini-children's museum. My kids loved the downstairs, especially a "farm to table" play area with tons of toy food. A...

Sioux City's newest park just had it's grand opening! We checked out Prairie Park, just off Lewis Boulevard, and were pleasantly surprised. Prairie Park makes use of some previously untended land near the water treatment plant and now provides a butterfly habitat and fishing pond, along with about a mile of walking trails and a shelter with several picnic tables. The pond has a wide trail around it, which is perfect for walking with kids. We saw a pair of geese which was very exciting to my 1 and 5 year olds, and the water was beautiful and peaceful. You could hear a little bit of highway noise when you were on the part of the trail closest to the road, but overall the plants provided a nice screen from the sound, and I would guess they will do so even more as the park grows and matures in future years. There were several people fishing while we were there, and the DNR stocks the pond so it is sure to reliably have fish. Geese! The prairie grass and butterfly ha...

Fall hikes are my favorite. The leaves are changing color, the mosquitoes are dead, and the weather is cool enough you aren't too hot in hiking pants. And surprisingly, one of our Sioux City city parks offers a great Iowa hike with a view of the Missouri River, varied terrain, wildlife, and even a little bit of spooky history! This rock sits near the entrance to Ravine Park Where is Ravine Park and the First Bride's Grave? Ravine Park includes 120 acres of land at the intersection of Lincoln Way and Lewis Blvd. The entrance of the park has a small gravel parking area off Lincoln Way.  Hiking at Ravine Park From the parking area, visitors cross a bridge across the ravine to get to the rest of the park. My kids love looking over the bridge, and if it has rained enough, you can even play Pooh Sticks (basically, stick races, but we call it Pooh Sticks because it is mentioned in the book The House at Pooh Corner --let each kid choose a distinctive stick, then everyone tosse...

Scarecrow Farm in Lawton, Iowa is a working farm, but also so much more. There are plenty of pumpkins, dirt and rustic charm, but there are also tons of other fun things for families to see, do, and eat. There are games, activities, decor to take selfies with. We received free admission to Scarecrow Farm for free to write about it, and we were blown away with how much fun Scarecrow Farm packs into one pumpkin patch. Here's what you need to know if you're considering a trip to Scarecrow Farm too (note: this post was originally written in 2017 and updated in 2024): Where is Scarecrow Farm? Scarecrow Farm is located at 1592 Charles Avenue, Lawton, Iowa. It's about 15 minutes from downtown Sioux City, just about 4 miles east from the Menards on Gordon Drive on US-Highway 20.  There is ample parking in their free lot. Pumpkins at Scarecrow Farm When you first come to Scarecrow Farm, you go through an entrance area and pay, then head down the hill. The main visitor area i...