 Camping with your kids can be an enriching experience. Thinking about a few things ahead of time could certainly make the experience even better than you thought. Camping in Minnesota offers many different options. At Riverside Resort, you can camp in a tent, camp in a camper or RV, or rent a cabin (Renting a cabin in Minnesota, yes!, that can be considered camping!). Plan what you want to do while you are experiencing Minnesota camping.  What kind of camping do you want to do? How can you choose? Tent camping: Investing in a tent or borrowing a tent is pretty easy. Do you want to rough it? Tent camping doesn’t have to mean roughing it, unless you want to! You can: Bring air mattresses to make sleeping more comfortable (even a box fan if you have electricity)... At Riverside Resort, we have the ability to run a long extension cord out to where you are camping. Bring a cook stoves and any other kitchen item to make cooking easier. Use picnic tables so you don’t have to sit on the ground. Bring those fancy collapsible chairs that even recline. You can even take a nap in them. Camper/RV camping: If tenting isn’t your thing, then perhaps you want to rent or use a camper. There certainly are busier times than others, so try to plan ahead. If you are lucky, you might be able to borrow one from a friend also. Rent a cabin: Some people call renting a cabin “Camping.” Although it isn’t tent or RV “Camping,” it certainly is a way to enjoy many of the same experiences as tenting or RVing has to offer. At Riverside Resort, we have 21 different cabins to choose from.  What do you want to do? As you are planning your camping trip with the kids think about what and how you want that experience to be. Are there activities that you would like to do? What are the “must haves” and the “nice to haves?” Boat, Swim, Cook over the fire, Hike, Bike, Fish, Play games, Movies, Eating out, Scheduled activities at Riverside Resort are definitely a favorite of our guests!  Who will be going? How large of a group will you have? Will you be camping with just the family? Will you invite grandma and grandpa? How many sites or cabins will you be needing? Think about if you want to have your kids bring a friend along. There are certainly pros and cons to camping with a larger group and extended family.  Once you have thought through all these questions and have finally booked your "camping trip", just think about how beneficial this will be for the whole family. It will be an "unplugged" time where you can all just enjoy one another and beautiful world around you! Submitted by: Karen Senger
Edited by: Kathryn Rupnow, Riverside Resort Photo Credit: Riverside Resort
1 Comment
Planning a vacation may be a challenge. One of the decisions that need to be made is the length of the vacation. People may ask… do I really need a full week long vacation? Well… that depends. Below are some pros and cons about a full week long vacation at Riverside Resort in Richmond MN.  Pros: You can really relax. As a resort owner I have heard so many times that it take 3 days to really start relaxing. The first couple days you start to decompress and then starting the third day the stress level starts to go down. So, by the time you are on day 5 you are feeling good! Use more amenities at the resort. If you have a full week, you may have the time to partake in all or at least more of the activities or amenities that the resort offers. You will have time to take both the canoe and the kayak out. You may take the time to sit in all the beach chairs at the beach. You may take the time to have a conversation with the friendly resort owner. You can spend days doing nothing. Perhaps you have no interest in taking day trips to see area attractions. Sitting and doing nothing can be awesome. Doing a full week of that… well… even MORE awesome. You can really get to know an area in a week. If you are new to an area and want to get to know the area, by staying a full week you will have time to hit the attractions that everyone goes to AND you will have time to see some that aren’t as popular, but are just as good. Bad weather day isn’t a big deal. You cannot control the weather, so it is not beneficial to get angry with the weather (not always easy to avoid though!). But, if you have a full week, having a rain or wind day (or two) isn’t as big of an impact. You can spend time in the cabin playing games, bake something new or special, have a reading or movie marathon. Or maybe go to the Riverside Inn. There you could take advantage of their indoor pool area, which includes a hot tub! You may have some alone time and some together time: Maybe you are vacationing with other families or adult children and not everyone can stay the full week. Hurray! That can be a good thing. You can spread out the visits throughout the whole week. Or perhaps….. you will have some together time with the family and some quieter time, too. Ah, the best of both worlds! Ok, so we know there are plenty of pros to taking a week-long vacation. But, there are some cons as well.  Cons: More time away from work. It may not be easy to get all the time away from work that you want. You may not have many weeks of vacation. Or perhaps you don’t feel like you can take a full week away from work. That is another topic all together. But, it is a reality. Taking time off is a gift to you and your employer. Do try to take some time away. More time with the whole family. Although this is also a pro, it sometimes is a con as well. Families can be complicated. You may be vacationing with extended family, or with your adult children, or perhaps with your minor children. It isn’t always easy. It is rewarding and worth the effort. But… not always easy. Kids may not want to be away from their friends that long. Your kids may say that they don’t want to be away from their friends or activities for that long. But, later on when asked what they remember most about their childhood, many talk about their vacations. You don’t know how to relax for a whole week. Relaxing may take practice. Many people are so busy with their lives that the thought of not having anything structured for a full week is overwhelming. Again, practice makes perfect. If a week seems overwhelming, then try a weekend, then a long weekend. Work up to a full week vacation. It is usually less expensive! Yes that is right. For most Minnesota Resorts if you stay 4 or 5 nights the rate is the same as a full week. So, if you were thinking of staying 4 nights, why not stretch it out? The cost may not be more!
Submitted by: Karen Senger
Edited by: Kathryn Rupnow, Riverside Resort Photo Credit: Riverside Resort  Our guests at Riverside Resort often talk to us about how they are feeling while on their vacation. Many of the comments have a consistent theme. These themes are true for these guests that are vacationing at Riverside Resort in the summer, but you know these feeling will be the same for upcoming fall vacations as well. So, I think we have an answer to the question: Why take a fall getaway at a Minnesota resort? Because: – This is the most normal I have felt in months! – It’s a great way to get out of the cities. – Fall fishing can be the best. – It is a different world up here. – I love the open environment.
It’s a great way to get out of the cities. Vacationing in the fall at a Minnesota Resort, like Riverside Resort, will give you a great reason to “get out of town.” Many of us are feeling a little cooped up. Taking a trip up north is a great way to make you feel like you have really gotten away from everything. Just driving out of the city and not seeing car after car may make you feel more relaxed. Yes, you can leave the city! Perhaps you have been in the city just a little too long. It is time to explore again.  Fall fishing can be the best. Yes, some vacationers swear that there is no time like the fall to experience great fishing. Everything seems to bit better in the fall! The fish are getting ready for winter and are fattening up. Fish in different lakes in different areas of the state may act differently as the weather changes. Check with us for advice on best places to fish during this time. Explore Minnesota offers some good advice on fall fishing as well. It is a different world up here. We do hear this a lot! Spending some time at Riverside Resort can possibly give you that little change you need. It can help you refuel and get ready to settle down for the winter. We don’t want to talk about winter yet! But, we know that it is coming... Think about taking your family, a significant other or just a couple friends to a different world, at Riverside Resort.
 It’s time to feel normal again as you get out of the cities to go to a different world… a more open environment and maybe even get in a little fall fishing!
Check out our resort and feel a little more normal again! Submitted by: Karen Senger Edited by: Kathryn Rupnow Photo Credits: Riverside Resort  Whether you are at home or on vacation you still have to eat. How do you do your meal planning while on vacation? There are many options and lots to consider. Every family or group is different. Some really like to spend time on meals while on vacation because they don’t have time to cook while working full time. Others don’t want to do any cooking and consider it a vacation from cooking. Yet others do a mixture of them. Resort owners have seen it all. So, I ask, “How do you handle your meal planning?” Eat every meal at the cabin. Some families eat all their meals at the cabin. It could be for many reasons. It is a great way to save money. Eating at the cabin can certainly save money, if that is your goal. But saving money is not the only reason to eat at the cabin. Some really prefer to take the time to cook and enjoy the process. Grill meals. People may have more time to prepare meals and want choose to grill as much as possible. Depending on the time of year, keeping the heat from cooking outside is not a bad idea. Take the time to do some grilling. If you do some planning, really most meals can be prepared on a grill. But, be prepared to cook inside in case of rain and you don’t want to be outside in the rain. At Riverside Resort, many of our cabins have a grill right outside, however we also bring charcoal grills to wherever they are needed. Just make sure to let us know!  Make super simple meals: Food is just a necessary thing that we all need every day. While on vacation, vacationer’s certainly have different view points on food. Some think that it’s just food and tries to make it as simple as possible. If that is you, there are ways to simplify your meal planning. You can bring prepackaged foods, bring food that you precooked at home or maybe just look at meals with as few ingredients as possible. If you don’t want to spend much of your vacation time on meals, you have options. Even if you are bringing a weeks worth of food, thats ok! We have full sized refrigerators in all of our cabins at Riverside Resort. Have complex meals. On the contrary, some vacationers think that a vacation is a perfect time to spend more time on food. If you enjoy cooking, but do not have much time at home, then take the time while on vacation. Make sure to bring all those spices that you need. At Riverside Resort, we have fully furnished kitchens with most of the supplies that people need. If your recipe calls for something specific, feel free to call first to see if we have it!
 Share meals with others. If you are with other families or friends, think about sharing meals with others. Everyone picks a dinner. Then your meal planning will be reduced! If you are cooking for a larger group check with your resort to make sure that they have enough supplies/equipment. You can also share supplies with the others in your group in different cabins. Just make sure to return the items to the correct cabin when done.  Have the kids cook and do the meal planning. What a great opportunity to have the kids more involved with cooking and planning. Depending on the age and interest (yours and theirs), this can be a great time to hand over some or all of the responsibilities. If the kids are a little older, sit down ahead of time and have the kids help you decide what to eat while on vacation. Work together and be flexible with what they want to make. They might surprise you. It can certainly be a fun experience for all of you. If they are a little younger, they can still help with the planning and they can be assigned meals to help the adults cook and prepare. You determine what their level of interest, capability and experience is and go from there. Written By: Karen Senger
Edited By: Kathryn Rupnow (Riverside Resort) Photo Credit: Riverside Resort  Much promotion related to Minnesota resort vacations is “Making family memories that will last a lifetime.” You see and read it all the time. Resorts promote it, tourism communities promote it, and so does Explore Minnesota Tourism. There is a class held at some churches called, “Intentional Parenting: 10 Ways to Be an Exceptional Parent in a Quick Fix World." One subject that the course included was family vacations, under the topic of positive family memories. So I guess it turns out that it’s not just the vacation industry that thinks family vacations are a really good idea! Parents wanting the best for their kids will take them on vacations. It’s the time spent together, and the memories created from that time, that truly counts. Not how fancy or expensive the vacation is.
 Just too paint a picture, Minnesota resorts see this scenario all the time. Families with young children come to a resort for 10 or 20 years in a row, and those kids develop some of their best childhood memories. But then college or summer jobs or weddings get in the way and they stop the tradition of the family lake vacation. Years pass and then you get a phone call that goes something like this: “Hi. My name is Billy Smith and I used to come to your resort with my family when I was a kid. I have SO many great memories of that time and that type of lake experience and I want my own kids to have that same experience. Do you have anything open this coming August?”  Other than providing a nice place for families (big and small) to spend some time together, the whole “family memories” thing just happens on its own. Every day. Every week. Every year. Simple. I invite you to contact us at Riverside Resort and make a reservation. As you might imagine, I think it’s a good decision for your family. Written By: Jennifer Bateman
Edited By: Kathryn Rupnow, Riverside Resort Photo Credit: Riverside Resort
 Safety and protection: Next on my list of what to pack when going on vacation in Minnesota is protection. We all know that sunscreen, bug spray, and life jackets are a necessity for any time spent in Minnesota. I always bring along a variety of sunscreen (face, spray, lotion, and tattoo stick) to shield all of my body. Don’t forget to bring a hat to protect your head and/or face. As for bug spray, we know that the unofficial state bird of Minnesota is the mosquito; having a few cans for around the fire or on the boat is mandatory. Lastly life jackets and other water safety equipment is what keeps us safe. While at Riverside Resort however, they have a plethora of life jackets that are complimentary for the guests to use during their stay! Make sure to take the time to look up the regulations on each of the water crafts you will be on to ensure you are up to date on current standards.
 Food. We all know that on vacation the food is the most important part. My family always mentions that we are just going from meal to meal and having some fun in between. If you are traveling with more than one family or don’t want to do all of the cooking yourself, assigning meals is a great way to guarantee that everyone is eating food that they like. At the very least don’t forget the S’mores. Click for 5 Campfire Recipes. Click for Meal Planning While on Vacation. So when you are planning what to pack while on vacation don’t forget:
Lake Gear: Lastly, on my list of must haves for a Minnesota vacation is lake gear. We all know a vacation in Minnesota is not complete without spending some time on the water. Make sure to pack those swimsuits, pails and shovels, kayak or paddle board (don’t forget the paddle), and fishing license. Again, here at Riverside Resort we have water crafts for our guests to use. Canoes, paddle boards, and kayaks are free for our guests. While they can also enjoy a day on the pontoon or row boat for a discounted price!! One thing that I think that most people forget is a change of clothes after spending time at the water's edge! 
 Hear the word, ‘spring.’ A mental collage fills your head; tinkling sounds of ice-out, bird songs so familiar, quiet hum of awakening earth, easy drift of neighboring voices, glimpse of a robin, morel hunting, still long evenings, perennials poking through.
 As you plan for your unshakable spring vacation tradition, do all the things you love and maybe add a new something to the plan this year. Here’s a list to think about. → Fungi hunting. Learn more at the University of Minnesota’s website about morel mushroom harvesting. → Listen for bird songs. Click here for a great site to help you identify bird calls and songs. → Notice if old wives’ tales match what happens in spring. ‘When oak leaves are the size of a squirrel’s ear, it’s time to plant corn and hunt morels’; ‘Oak before ash, in for a splash; ash before oak, in for a soak’. Google for more. At Riverside Resort, you can put the things you love front and center; spring fishing, early season golf, photo-hunting for fawns, biking the trails, having your first s’more of the season. Let your spring vacation seep into your soul, hold your heart, and keep you looking forward to that early getaway year after year.  Submitted by: Lynn Sharenbroich
Edited by: Kathryn Rupnow, Riverside Resort Photo Credit: Riverside Resort Minnesota lake country is full of owner operated resorts, including Riverside Resort all providing a family vacation experience like no other vacation does. There seems to be a universal thought that the only time to go to a lake resort is in June, July or August. Well, I’m here to tell you that the month of May is an overlooked gem! If you are a lover of lakes, then May is the month for you. Here’s why:   1) Wildlife watching — May is the month that Minnesota lakes come to life. Spring is actually happening, and in a comfortable cabin by the lake is one of the best places to experience it! The spring bird migration occurs during this month, so it’s a great opportunity to see a wide variety of birds move through the area. The lakes attract groupings of waterfowl such as trumpeter swans, loons and ducks. Wildlife is also on the move, increasing your chances of seeing deer, fox, moose, bear and other furry creatures. The sights and sounds of wildlife, during both the day and night, are unique and more plentiful in May.
2) Value — May is typically the least expensive time of year to stay at a Minnesota resort. The reason for this is the demand for cabin rental is lower. Most mid-west schools are in session until early June, which means families with children typically do not vacation in May. Lower demand means lower rental rates, but you still get the same great cabin, the same great lake view and the same great customer service as you would get during peak season.  3) Quiet — Staying at a lakeside resort that isn’t full to capacity and with few to no kids means quieter days and nights. May is a more popular month for couples and empty nesters.   4) Full choice of water activities — Yes, lake water takes time to warm up after ice-out, so swimming is rare in May. But if you’re not one to have to actually get in the water to enjoy the lake, then May is a really good option for you! With the exception of swimming, all lake activities are possible. Just to name a few are fishing, sailing, kayaking, canoeing and paddle boarding. 5) The Common Loon — Minnesota lakes are the summer home for the Common Loon, which are a beloved bird for their beauty as well as their vocal singing. Loon cries are most prevalent during breeding season as pairs aggressively defend their territories and begin mating and guarding their territory. And as you may have guessed, May is their breeding season. So if you love the call of the loon and want to hear it during the day and night, book your resort vacation in May! Click here to hear what a loon sounds like.  Do I have you convinced? Click here to check out all Riverside Resort has to offer, make your reservation, then get ready to have a wonderful spring experience at the lake! Written by: Jennifer Bateman
Submitted by: Karen Senger Edited by: Kathryn Rupnow Photo Credit: Riverside Resort  Family-friendly vacationing is a combination of so many small details that add up to amazing memories that last a lifetime. The main goals are to enjoy the outdoors, spend time together, and want to do this again next year! Here are the tips from my personal Minnesota Travel Guide to make traveling with family magical.  Tip #1: Know Your Family When traveling with the whole family the real start of the vacation is choosing where you want to go. Minnesota offers so many diverse options what type of vacation you want to have; so you need to know what your traveling partners want to experience. Do you have teenagers who want to just sit by the lake all day? Do you have small kids that you need to keep an eye on all the time? Does your family want to go fishing and have a fish fry at the end of each day? Sit down with everyone and decide what “type” of vacation everyone wants. Is the lake the most important? Are the hiking trails? Fishing options? Knowing what your household expects out of your Minnesota family vacation is the first tip on creating the perfect vacation.  Tip #2: Find the Ideal Spot Family vacation spots in Minnesota range from a tent camping site nestled in the woods where everyone is bumping elbows to the huge house by the water that can fit all of the extended family. The perfect place for your family might not be the right one for every family so make sure that it ticks off all of your family’s boxes. Be sure to check out Riverside Resort, because that might be exactly what you are looking for!! If your family has decided that fishing is how you want to spend all of your time then it is less about the pool and playground and more about the lake. Or you could have decided that sitting by the pool and getting those rays in are how you want to spend your time. In this case, the amenities are what you will want to focus on. Choosing an ideal spot sets up your family vacation for a fabulous time.  Tip #3: Bring the Right Stuff Along Packing; can be the scariest part of a vacation. What do I all need to bring? What do I need to leave at home? What am I forgetting? There are so many variables of what goes into your packing list for your days of rest and relaxation. So, take a look at what you want to do when you are there; fishing, lake time, reading, hiking, etc? Start your packing list early! At Riverside Resort we make it easy by giving you a jump start to your packing list here in the "What to Bring" section.  Tip #4: Spend Some Time Alone on Your Family Vacation Traveling with family can be a little stressful but a family-friendly Minnesota vacation doesn’t have to be! Just because you are traveling together doesn’t mean that you all have to be “together” all the time. Take time to do the activities that you want to do. Take an hour to read your book by the lake. Take a nap in the sun; make sure to put on sunscreen before napping. Alone time is not usually what you think about when you go on a family vacation but giving yourself that space to relax is what makes it YOUR vacation as well! Have fun!
1. Vacations strengthen your relationship with your family 2. Vacations make you a happier person 3. Vacations make you a better employee 4. Vacations are a stress reliever 5. Vacations help make you healthier  1. Vacations strengthen your relationship with your family Exercise gets easier with practice. So does communication with family. The more practice you have spending time with your family makes spending that time easier. We have sometimes been asked, what do families do for a whole week? Let me tell you… the answer varies. Some families choose not to do much other than to relax, eat, nap, fish, swim or look at the lake (awesome!!!). Other families do all of that plus play games or schedule activities. Some families do all of that and plan some day trips to visit the area. Choose what is best for you and your family. But, no matter what you plan on doing, the more time you spend with your family on vacation, typically, the better your relationship can be with your family. Maybe you vacation with extended family, perhaps grandma and grandpa. Your kids may say, “I don’t know what to say to grandma or grandpa.” If they haven’t spent a lot of time with them, then, as I stated above, practice. The more time they spend with their grandparents, the easier it is to spend time with them. They will have experiences to talk about. So, take the time and effort to spend time (it may be uncomfortable at first) to make memories so you can talk about them later.  2. Vacations are a stress reliever Do you ever feel stressed? How do you feel when you are stressed? People who don’t take vacations may have a higher stress level. Chronic stress takes a toll on the body, making it more difficult for you to fight off infections, avoid injury and live a healthy life. When you are stressed you are more likely to have an accident, sleep problems, increased blood pressure and more. The type of vacation you take may determine its stress level. There is some stress involved with making the plans, dealing with transportation issues, being unfamiliar with the area etc. Poor vacation planning may cause stress. A less stressful vacation may mean a more beneficial vacation. So, make the plan, relax and de-stress. You will experience positive effects and less stress from a vacation. Your brain needs a break from your daily stresses and commotion. A vacation from work and every day activities results in more happiness and less stress. Plan a vacation, reduce your stress.  3. Vacations make you a happier person. Being on vacation isn’t the only part that makes you a happier person. Many times it happens during the process. Sure, being a vacation planner, especially if you are planning for a larger group, can be stressful. But, most of us are planning for ourselves and our families. Planning a vacation can be relaxing and after the plans are made, then THINKING about being on vacation can make you happy. Make your vacation plans, use a screen saver with a photo of where you are going, save the location on your phone to check the weather where you are going, LIKE the resort on Facebook, occasionally look through the resort’s website (like Riverside Resort) and look for updates or just at the photos of where you will be. Preparing for a vacation can make you a happier person. THEN imagine how you will feel when you get back. The stresses of life will be there. But, you can always take a couple minutes to think about your vacation, look at photos you saved on your phone, look at the new screensaver of a photo of you on vacation, remember how it felt to try something new (perhaps it was kayaking, canoeing, trying the stand up paddle boards, fishing off the dock, making S’mores over the fire).  4. Vacations make you a better employee Yes, that is right. Typically employees that take vacations are better employees. They take fewer sick days and are more productive at work. So, do you want to be a better employee? Then take a vacation. Not taking vacation is bad for your health. If you are the boss, then show by example, take a vacation. You and your employees will be better for it. If you are the employee, take a vacation. You will be a better employee. Of course, you need to make sure it isn’t during the time of year that you are the busiest at work. Work with your employer. Be prepared for your vacation. If need be, plan for your time away and hire temps, cover your shifts or assist your employer in covering your time away. When you get back from vacation make sure to put a smile on your face. Hopefully that will be easy to do. Make sure that others see how important it is to have a balance between work and home. I don’t know of anyone that has said, “Gee, I wish I hadn’t taken so many vacations.” You typically hear, “I wish I had taken more time for myself and my family.”  5. Vacations help make you healthier Stress can cause many illnesses and negative health conditions. It is important to have multiple activities that help you enjoy life. Vacations and other leisure activities help you maintain positive feelings and experience less negative feelings. Engaging in varied activities, including vacations, lower blood pressure, lower stress hormones and actually help you lose weight. People typically feel healthier during their vacation. They sleep an hour more per night and have higher energy levels. All this and they felt more satisfied with their life. It has been argued that people that take vacations live longer. Gee… if for no other reason, maybe take a vacation to live longer! Submitted by: Karen Senger Retired Resort Owner, but still love Resorts and Resorting
Edited by: Kathryn Rupnow, Riverside Resort Photo Credit: Riverside Resort |
RSS Feed
