Author: rickhmorales

Rocking Horse Ranch – Highland, NY

This is a forgotten little gem in upstate New York. We’ve been wanting to check this place out for some time, and let me tell you it is well worth it! We drove there from our home, it was shy of just three hours – but we are road warriors! That said, if you are going to drive, be careful. Its a high ticket area.

Outside of that, it didn’t disappoint. From the moment we arrived it felt like we left New York altogether. The workers were dressed in their cowboy and cowgirl gear and greeted us with friendly attitudes and smiles – something I’m not to used to by strangers!

We opted to go during the winter months of New York in January, because we wanted to enjoy the winter activities. In January you can also get some good prices, while ensuring the weather is cold enough for the ranch to make snow and for it to stay and not melt away. The beauty of this place is that it is all-inclusive. So all indoor and outdoor activities, all shows, all food (three meals per day, plus snacks and hot chocolate) are all included in the one cost for the whole family. I believe we paid about $349 per night, and that is for the whole family! We stayed for two nights and three days, and the day that you get there and on the day you leave you get to use the facilities from the moment they open till the moment they close. We chose a low-price week, which included a Sunday. On peak weeks it can cost more than double that, so make sure you do your research.

Here are some of the activities we packed into our short stay (all-included):

  • Snow Tubing
  • Skiing
  • Outdoor Ice Skating
  • Horseback Riding
  • Wildlife Exhibit
  • Indoor Water Park
  • Indoor Game Room
  • Arcade with mini-bowling
  • Archery and BB Gun Shooting Range
  • Gift Shop – with a beautiful model train that circles the outside
  • Country Western Theme Rooms that were super clean and very comfortable
  • Comedy Show

When your done with the cold activities outside you can warm up by the big fireplace inside and enjoy some cookies and hot chocolate which are available to you all day. Or stop by one of the fire pits by the ski slope or ice skating rink to warm up and enjoy some smores. These are just the winter activities. In the summer they have even more!

The food was incredible. We ate so much that we got to the point where we wanted to skip meals – but we didn’t because it was so delicious. From starting your meal at a salad bar, to taco bars, steak dinners, chicken and just about everything you can think of. They also allow you to bring your own wine to dinner, so you can bring your favorite bottles with you without an additional cost. They have an incredible breakfast bar too, with just about every breakfast meal you can think of. But don’t be shy, you can request an omelet made to order. And if you’re not already full from eating your dinner, they have a big array of endless desserts, including a chocolate fondue!

Our conclusion? A great family resort for a weekend or extended weekend stay. Our kids absolutely loved it. While I’m not sure if older teens would enjoy it as much, we did go with another family and the ages of the kids we brought ranged from 13 to 9. Everyone had a blast and wants to come back during the summer time. So this all-inclusive stay with endless activities and food, made for an unforgettable vacation.

Written by Rick Morales. — Your life guide

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Experience, Learn, Share and Help!

I’ve caught the bug! A few years ago I traveled to Lake George New York with my wife Melanie and my two kids, Angelina (now age 11) and my son Zachary (now age 9) and it was the beginning of an obsession and addiction that we can’t get enough of! We have gotten so hooked that we’ve made it our bucket list to travel all 50 states. The best thing is that we’ve just begun. So you get to experience our travel goals real time!

We also plan on taking you with us as we travel around various locations around the world! While we know this will be a great blog for you to enjoy our experiences and to plan for your own getaways, we know we won’t be able to think of everything their is on our own. So we want to learn from you and for others to learn from both us and you! We want to hear your experiences and advice too, so we can all assist one another as a community.

Beyond the larger trips we’ll chat with you about weekend excursions, same day trips, we’ll try delicious foods, we’ll give you clothing and merchandise reviews, we’ll talk about the activities we experience and want to experience, and we’ll give you a whole lot of places you can visit and the things you can do in my home state of NY.

Here’s some of what you’ll get:

    • Travel to all 50 states in the United States and take you with me – our bucket list goal. See how it’s going for us!
    • Selective world travel and why we may select one area of the Caribbean or Europe over the other.
    • Experience New York and its multiple vacation and travel spots so you can plan your getaway here!
    • Learn about activities and things to do in the many locations we travel to, even within our home location on Long Island, NY. I’ll be your local guide on all things Long Island and on my many first hand travel experiences.
    • Experience the food, vineyards, breweries, culture, clothing, and other merchandise and share them with you. 

When I get obsessed with something, I want to know everything about it. I immerse myself in it and all the research that goes with it. I’ve become so good at it, that people have been coming to me for their travel plans. However, I want this to be more of a community as I don’t know everything and there are yet places I haven’t traveled. So this will be more of a community where we can all share and help one another.

So come here often and let’s all – Experience, Learn, Share and Help one another!

Written by Rick Morales. — Your life guide