Disney World Part 4: Toddler Tips

Going to Walt Disney World (WDW) is always a big venture, but adding toddler logistics on top of everything else can make it seem overwhelming. While it is reassuring that millions of parents take children of all ages to WDW each year, planning and preparing is strongly recommended. Here are a few things that helped me get through our trip as smoothly as possible.

Travel

We flew on Southwest because it was the best deal for getting flexible tickets (God forbid unexpected illnesses), and I think this is part of why it has a reputation of being a family friendly airline. Even though you don't reserve specific seats on Southwest, they offer family boarding, which ensures that parents traveling with young children can get seated together. By the way, the line for family boarding begins to form around the same time that pre-boarding begins because they share the same line area.

Since our daughter was not yet 2 years old, she flew for free as a lap child (we did not buy a separate seat for her). While some healthcare providers recommend bringing a car seat for infants and young toddlers to use on the plane (I think these help keep them more stable during turbulence), we chose not to bring one (this would presume the use of a separate seat).

We gate-checked our travel stroller, which I'll talk about more later. If you are planning to use a stroller in the airport, go to the ticket agent (near the gate) to get a gate-check tag prior to boarding. I've seen some social media influencers take compact travel strollers onto the plane and place it in the overhead bins, but we did not feel the need to do that.

My daughter didn't seem to have much trouble with the changes of pressure during takeoff and landing. We tried to get her to drink some milk during these times, but she refused, and she was fine. She actually fell asleep shortly after takeoff, and she napped for half the flight (yay!).

Once we landed in Orlando, we realized that booking an UberX (with a car seat) on demand was going to be very expensive ($140), so we decided to take the Mears Connect shuttle bus to our Disney resort. That cost about $35 for two adults (our child was free). By the way, the Mears Connect check-in desk and boarding area (lower level of Terminal B) is the only place you can purchase a ticket if your flight has already landed (you cannot purchase them online or over the phone). The Mears Connect shuttles are large and comfortable, with air conditioning and TV monitors throughout. You just need to wait for the correct shuttle for your Disney resort, which can take up to 20 minutes.

On our way back to the airport at the end of the trip, we took an UberX, which we were able to request with a car seat. We reserved this ride the night before, and it cost $50. The car seat was installed to be forward-facing, so if you have a smaller infant, you would have to reinstall the car seat to be rear-facing.

Strollers and Baby Carriers

I would 100% bring a stroller to WDW for young toddlers. My younger nephew had just turned 6, and he was fine walking all day, but I think even a year before, he would have wanted to ride in a stroller or wagon for part of the day. The other option would be to use a baby carrier, but remember that unless you're going to Florida in December or January, it's probably going to be hot.

I saw all kinds of strollers ranging from top-of-the-line full size strollers to discount store umbrella strollers and also the Mickey-themed strollers you can rent at the parks (these do not look that comfortable). Once you are in the park, there isn't much need to open and close your stroller, so full-size strollers would be fine if you are driving directly to the park. However, if you are taking any kind of public transportation, including a resort shuttle, Skyliner, Monorail, etc. to get to the parks, then a travel stroller that is easy to carry and easy to fold up and down would be handy.

We brought the Colugo compact stroller, which we borrowed from a friend. It was light, easy to fold up and down, and easy to carry over the shoulder with an attached strap (it also came with a carrying case that made it easy to gate check at the airport). We were big fans of this stroller, but I don't know whether we would have bought it for the trip if we did not have the option to borrow it (it costs about $300).

Stroller rental at the Disney parks cost about $15 a day for a single stroller and about $30 a day for a double stroller. Again, these strollers did not look to be the most comfortable for children or the easiest to maneuver for parents, but I saw plenty of them being used. Outside of the parks, there are also stroller-rental companies that operate in Orlando and will drop off/pick up the stroller at your hotel/resort. The strollers you can rent through these companies are the same brands that you might use at home, e.g., Baby Jogger City Mini. These would be more comfortable and maybe a bit more functional for parents (cup holders, storage baskets, snack trays, etc.), but these are more expensive to rent that the Disney strollers ($60 for 1-3 nights, for example).

One unexpected reason that our stroller was extra-great was that it had a leopard-print pattern, which made it really to spot (hehe) among a sea of strollers parked outside of each of the rides and shows. Most shows and rides do not allow strollers inside, even for waiting in lines, so they are parked just outside the entrances, and stroller parking areas are all over the parks. Often, parked strollers may be moved by Disney cast members to keep them organized. 

We had an Apple AirTag on our stroller just in case it got lost or taken, but that never happened. If you don’t happen to have a leopard print stroller, I strongly suggest putting something on the top of your stroller to help it stand out (some people use flags, balloons, or bright-colored signs). 

I also brought our portable stroller fan, and this was a must-have on the hot days.

In addition to the stroller, I brought a TushBaby hip carrier, and I’m very glad I did. I would have preferred to borrow one, but I couldn't find any friends who had one, so after a thoughtful internal debate, I bought one for myself. You can find cheaper versions of it on Amazon (or used ones on Marketplace). My thinking was that we could not take strollers into the lines for rides, and I wasn't sure whether my daughter would want to stay standing/walking during that wait for want to be held. Well, it turned out that she wanted to be held for most of the time (she got a better view of the sites this way), and the hip carrier also helped me to hold her while on some the rides when she didn't want to sit on her own. I would say that the hip carrier paid for itself on the trip, but now I don't have much use for it.

One note about the TushBaby hip carrier is that it's technically a baby carrier, so it should not count as a carryon or personal item on flights, but I was asked about it one time because I was not holding my daughter on it, and it looked more like an oversized fanny pack. They were fine with it.

Supplies

I brought noise-canceling ear covers for my daughter, but we never used them. The noise level and volume on Disney rides was loud at times but never too loud (based on our standards). She did not seem to be bothered by the noise level. I saw some sleeping infants wearing headphones, though.

I packed lots of snacks for our daughter, and her favorites were Pepperidge Farms goldfish crackers, Gerber puffs, and applesauce pouches. She also liked the “That’s It” mini fruit bars and Larabars, but I think the chopped almonds in Larabars made her poops grainy and difficult to clean up.

Regarding milk - my daughter drinks whole milk, and whole milk is not always an option at park concessions (however, the resorts had it). We got some shelf-stable whole milk, refrigerated a couple of boxes overnight, and took them into the parks in insulated bags.

To keep my daughter busy on the plane, we bought a few new toys and activities. We bought some sticker books with reusable stickers, some water-pen coloring books, and a busy book. But she spent just as much time fidgeting around with the airplane seat belt buckle and opening and shutting the window covers as she did playing with any of these things.

I brought plenty of sunscreen as well as an old travel makeup brush to help make application easier. I bought a sunscreen stick as well, but I never used it.

I brought my daughter’s sunhat and sunglasses, but she refused to wear them. Fortunately, she was under the shade of the stroller canopy for most of the outdoor time.

I also brought a few different over the counter children's medications, but we never needed them (yay!). However, I learned that the resort souvenir shop had a whole range of children's cold and allergy medicine, so I wouldn’t pack them again next time.

Disney Baby Care Centers

Each WDW park as a Baby Care Center, where you can go with your child(ren) and find nursing rooms, changing tables, feeding area with highchairs, and a quiet area to rest. We never used one, probably because we never needed to (there are also changing tables at every bathroom in the parks), but this may have been different if I was still nursing. I saw a few moms nursing throughout the park, and that's fine too. But if you need a break from the crowds or the heat, keep these Baby Care Centers in mind.

Disney World Park 3: Disney's Animal Kingdom

All photos are from the Disney World website.

The Tree of Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom (AK) is a much smaller park than Magic Kingdom, and the focus on rides is smaller too. The park felt like a combination of a zoo and an amusement park. The park is split into several sections, and Discovery Island is the center hub of it all (that’s where the Tree of Life is). 

Rides

We didn't go on many rides at AK, and my daughter's favorite ride was Kilimanjaro Safaris. Note that this ride does not have a height restriction, but it does have an advisory for expectant mothers (this is a rare combination of restrictions in WDW). My sister said that the ride was very bumpy, but everyone said it was a good ride.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

We also took the Wildlife express train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch (RPW), and the train ride was short, smooth, and pleasant. RPW has an Affection Station (petting zoo with goats), but my daughter wasn’t that interested in petting any animals. The Conservation Station has a vet treatment room, animal nutrition center, science center, and a few amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates on display. They also have the Animation Experience, if you want to learn how to illustrate your own Disney character. My party was not really interested in any of these things, so we ended up riding the train back pretty soon.

My husband went on several more rides, including Expedition Everest, DINOSAUR, and Avatar: Flight of Passage (which requires a separate LL purchase), and he liked them all. He said that the Avatar ride, which is a VR experience, was his favorite, though Expedition Everest was the closest to a classic rollercoaster.

The one major ride that we missed was the Na'vi River Journey in Pandora. My sister described it as "fine," and she said it was similar to Pirates of the Caribbean in that you were ride a boat in water indoors and through the dark, but instead of spooky pirate people, you saw fluorescent scenery of the Na'vi world. When I watched a YouTube video of the ride, I thought it looked a bit psychadelic (but not over the top).

Shows

We went to the Festival of the Lion King, and it was an impressive 30-minute show with singing, dancing, and acrobatics. My daughter enjoyed the show and recognized the large animal floats (lion, giraffe, elephant). There were also some “monkey” performers jumping on trampolines, and she liked that a lot. One of the songs (“Be Prepared”) was darker and moodier, but she did ok through that one too.

Festival of the Lion King

We also went to Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond, and it was a fun, 25-minute version of the movie, but with musical numbers added. My daughter recognized a lot of the water creatures (fish, turtles, and sharks), and the show kept her attention almost the whole time.

My sister’s family went to It’s Tough to Be a Bug, and she said that it was entirely skippable.

Food

We got lunch at Flame Tree BBQ on Discovery Island. My husband got the pulled pork sandwich, my brother-in-law got the St. Louis Ribs, my sister got the ribs, chicken, and pulled pork sampler, and I got the smokehouse chicken salad. Everything was good, but my salad was not a “healthy” salad. It had greens and veggies, but it was also covered with cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce, and ranch dressing. My daughter fell asleep in the stroller and missed lunch (she had some food that I packed later).

Flame Tree BBQ

Also, if you are looking to get a Dole Whip in AK, you'll find it at Tamu Tamu Refreshments in the Africa section.

Final Thoughts on AK

• Since I didn’t go on any rides at AK, I do not feel like I had a complete experience (which I was fine with). I thought we would spend more time walking the animal viewing trails, but it was too hot for that.
• The advantage of Genie+ for AK is for a combination of rides and shows. There aren’t that many rides at AK, but it’s still nice to not wait for more than 5 minutes for any given ride. Also, the main shows (Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo) have LLs, and Genie+ includes these as well. On the Saturday that we went in April 2024, Genie+ for AK was $18 per person. Individual Lightening Lanes cost $16 for Avatar: Flight of Passage.
• The best air conditioning (aside from indoor shows) is in the main souvenir shops on Discovery Island.
• Rafiki’s Planet Watch seemed like it could be really hit or miss depending on what your party members are interested in. For example, some kiddos would have so much fun at the petting zoo; others, none. But the Conservation Station has really good air conditioning.

Disney World Part 2: Magic Kingdom

All photos are from the Disney World website.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom (MK) is the biggest park at Walt Disney World, and it is the most popular. It is always busy. We spent most of our day in Tomorrowland, Adventureland, and Fantasyland. Frontierland doesn’t have much going on right now (in fact it might be closed as of April 2024), and Main Street seems to be mostly for shopping and photo ops. Our big focus was on rides. We could have spent more days at the park if we wanted to focus on other things too, such as character meet and greets and dining experiences.

Rides

We focused our day at MK on going on as many different rides as possible. Here are all the rides that I went on with my daughter, in roughly the order we went on them (morning mood and afternoon mood maybe making a difference in her experience).:

Our first ride was Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin in Tomorrowland, and my daughter was ok with it. It was all indoors and in the dark with bright lights and glow-in-the-dark effects. Each cart has two laser guns that you can use to shoot at targets. My daughter liked to press the trigger and also jiggle the joystick that made the car spin, but overall, I think the effects were on the heavy side. By the way, this was my nephews’ (ages 6 and 9) favorite ride, and they went on it three times the same day

Next, we went on the Tomorrowland People Mover, which is not much of a ride but more of an elevated tour of Tomorrowland. It is a relatively slow ride, most of it is outdoors, and you can see the attractions throughout this section of the park. There were some parts that were indoors and dark, but they passed quickly. My daughter enjoyed it.

After lunch, we went on Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid, which takes you through the entire store of the Little Mermaid. It was indoors and mostly dark, with bright lights shining on the familiar characters. My daughter enjoyed seeing all the colorful fish, but she did not like the spooky parts of the ride with Ursula and the eels. It did not help that the ride got stuck during that scary part for us. By the way, throughout the day, we got stuck in the middle of the rides three times out of eight rides. So this seems like something you should expect to happen.

My daughter’s favorite ride was Jungle Cruise, where she saw lots of (animatronic) animals, called out their names, and made their animal sounds. This is a slow and smooth outdoor ride without any big surprises. I would recommend it for young toddlers. Also, if you happen to be traveling as part of a larger group, this is one of the only rides where all the riders are somewhat facing each other on a large boat, so it is a nice group experience.

Jungle Cruise

I think Pirates of the Caribbean was my daughter’s least favorite ride. It was indoors, dark, and spooky. She held onto me the whole time. I would not recommend it, even for pirate fans, because it was more about showing the dark, dirty side of pirate-life (as opposed to the fun cute side with pretend sword fights and the stuff that kids like).

My daughter was also not that impressed with it’s a small world, even though there was nothing scary or spooky about it. It was indoors and pretty dark, I suppose, with no recognizable characters. Maybe I should have practiced singing the song with her beforehand. Although, we did this ride toward the end of our day, so she may have just been pooped. There was an infant sitting right behind us, and he slept through the entire ride.

The Disney World Railroad is not really a ride, but it is a 20 minute train ride around the perimeter of MK. It is fully outdoors, and it narrates the various sections of the park. My daughter enjoyed this easygoing ride.

Walt Disney World Railroad

Shows

We did not prioritize any shows at MK. However, we came upon some of them out of convenience.

In the afternoon, it was so hot and we needed a break from the sun, so we went into the Enchanted Tiki Room, which is a 15-minute show of fake singing birds. This show is entirely skippable. My daughter was not really a fan either, although she didn’t have any problems with it.

The Festival of Fantasy Parade started at 3p, and we happened to be walking along its route while it went by. It was fun to watch in passing, but I don’t think I would have regretted missing it. Maybe this would have been different if our daughter was more into the Disney characters.

Festival of Fantasy Parade

Finally, the Carousel of Progress, which I think is described as a ride but felt more like a show to me, provided another air-conditioned relief for us that day. The circular stage is split into four scenes describing the common technology of various periods throughout the century, and your section of seating rotates around every few minutes to view each scene. I did not find it that exciting or entertaining, but my nephews seemed to enjoy learning about the history of consumer technology. My daughter thought it was fine.

Also, my sister’s family watched Monsters Inc. Laugh Factory show, and my nephews said that it was just ok, but mostly that it was a good break from the heat.

Food

We ate breakfast in our hotel room, and we would need to be back at the resort in time for our daughter’s bedtime, so our only meal in the park was lunch. After doing some research, we decided to go to Columbia Harbor House to get fried seafood. My husband and I shared the trio platter and a lobster roll with fries, and they were very good. It also helped that this restaurant had indoor seating, so we could get a break from the heat. My daughter ate some fries along with some fruit and snacks that I had packed.

In the afternoon, we got the world famous pineapple Dole Whip from Aloha Isle, and it was worth the wait. There was also an orange Dole Whip available at Sunshine Tree Terrace, and the line was much shorter there.

Dole Whip

Final Thoughts on MK:

• If you want to go on a lot of rides, get Genie+. If you don’t want to wait in line for more than 5-10 minutes at a time, get Genie+. On the Friday that we went in April 2024, Genie+ for MK was $28 per person.
• The rides that have the longest wait times in the morning will continue to be the highest in demand throughout the day. In fact, wait times for most rides get longer throughout the day until after dinner time. So don’t put off a ride thinking that you might have better luck if you wait until the afternoon.
• The best air conditioning (aside from the indoor shows) is in the souvenir shops on Main Street.
• The Festival of Fantasy parade starts at 3p, and it lasts about 12 minutes from start to finish. The parade starts in Frontierland and ends down Main Street, so if you are waiting in Main Street to see it, you will be waiting a little while after 3p.

Disney World Part 1: Introduction

All photos are from the Disney World website.

I recently traveled to Walt Disney World (WDW) in Florida with my 1-year-old daughter (21 months). We visited the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom parks, and I summarized my experience into a four-part series of posts. I hope that these posts are helpful to those who are planning a trip to WDW with a young toddler.

Planning and Preparation

Some of the planning for our trip was done for us. For example, we booked the same resort that my sister chose without doing any research of our own. We also worked with a Disney travel agent who gave us a summary of the rides, information on transportation options, and a packing list.

One thing we researched in detail on our own were the rides at the two parks that we were going to and what height and other restrictions they had. The Disney World website has a tool for searching through rides and attractions and filtering them for certain requirements. Parts 2 and 3 of this series are dedicated to describing the rides that we went on.

We also researched what Genie+ was and how Lightning Lanes (LL) worked. I can seem confusing at first, especially since you can't really do a "trial run" until you're at WDW, but you'll get the hang of it soon enough. I could write another post about how Genie+ works, but you can already find this information via other blogs.

I also researched what kind of food was available at each of the quick service restaurants in the park, although we were open to eating at whichever restaurant was most convenient at the time. You will find more details about where we ate at the parks in parts 2 and 3.

Finally, shopping for supplies and packing was a major part of the preparations. We got a lot of snacks for our daughter and a few new toys/activities as well. You will find more information about this process in part 4 of the series.

Accommodations

We stayed at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, which is rated as a moderate resort. Our room had two queen beds, and it was on the small side. Although it was fine for my family of three, my sister, who had the same size room, thought that it was too small to share with her two growing boys. The main restaurant, Centertown Market, had good food. The pool had water slides that all the kids enjoyed. The resort also had direct access to both Epcot and Planet Hollywood Parks via the Disney Skyliner. Access to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom were by shuttle bus, which was also convenient.

Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

We requested a pack ‘n’ play for our room when we made the reservation, and we requested it again at check-in. They brought the pack ‘n play to our room after we arrived, and they provided a clean sheet for it. Our room included a beverage cooler but no refrigerator with a freezer, so we did not store anything that needed to be kept frozen or very cold. However, we could place Amazon Fresh delivery orders to the resort.

Overall, I was happy with our accommodations, and I would recommend it to other small families. In terms of downsides, I think there are other Disney Resorts that would provide more direct access to Magic Kingdom. We did not get to ride on the famous monorail, although the Skyliner was nice too.

Door County with a Toddler

My previous post included some ideas for my next trip to Door County. We just returned from that trip, and we didn't do anything that we planned for! That's ok; we had some great new experiences, and I am happy to share them here.

Timing

In each of the past two years, we visited Door County over the last weekend of October, which is when foliage is usually past-peak. However, this year, we booked our trip for the third weekend in October, and we arrived during peak foliage. This was both good and bad. Yes, the colors were beautiful! But the crowds were bigger, waits at restaurants were longer, and traffic seemed heavier. Next year, I might opt to go over the last weekend in October again.

Friday

We arrived to our hotel in Sturgeon Bay around four o'clock, and there was a line of guests waiting to check-in. By the time we got everything up to our room, it was time for dinner. We tried to go to Nightingale Supper Club, but they said that the next available opening would be at 8:30p, so we went to The Mill Supper Club, and we got seated right away. It was our first time at The Mill, and they had many different fish fry options (I got the walleye, and my husband got the perch). Baby enjoyed all of our food, including the fish, rye bread, coleslaw, and fries. While we didn't order a kids meal for Baby, our friends did for theirs, and they came with a scoop of ice cream.

After dinner, we went back to the hotel and put Baby down for the night. Since we couldn't keep the lights on or make noise after she was asleep, we put in our earbuds and watched a movie on our phones. Next time, we would bring the baby monitor so we could leave our hotel room and hang out in the lobby.

Saturday

On Saturday, I woke up with Baby and went down to the hotel continental breakfast around 7am. She had some sliced bread, an apple (I had to cut the apple with a plastic knife), and milk, but they only had 2% milk (she usually drinks whole milk). 

Our first activity was a private tour at the Open Door Bird Sanctuary. I had never heard of this bird sanctuary before, but our friends found out about it. All we needed to do was reserve a private tour by phone and pay when we arrived. The tour was very cool, and we saw many birds (of prey) that were being taken care of. My favorite was the snowy owl. Baby got cranky during the tour (she had missed the usual timing for her morning nap), but she eventually fell asleep in the stroller. Our friend's 3-year-old also got bored within the first 15 minutes of the tour. However, the 6-year-old (and the dads) stayed engaged the whole time (almost 1.5 hours). I would recommend this activity for kids ages 5 and up.

Meeting one of the many owls at ODBS

For lunch, we went to Grasse's Grill, and they were busy, as expected. All the tables were full when we arrived, but we grabbed an open table by the time we got our food. They have high chairs available. My husband and I split a couple of wraps, some soup, and some cheese curds - all good!

After lunch, we went to The Ridges Sanctuary for a nature hike. We were planning to do the Family Discovery Trail, but when we arrived, we were told that this trail could be encroached upon by hunters and that we shouldn't go on it unless we wore orange vests. This was not something we were expecting to hear. Regardless, we opted for the main trail system, which begins with a 1800-foot boardwalk. We made our way to the Ridges County Beach, which the kids loved, and we also got a tour of the Upper Range Lighthouse. From there, we walked down the Mt. Maple Trail, which was fine with our stroller, and completed the loop via the Sandy Trail, which had some tougher (sandy!) sections for a stroller. When we got back to the nature center, the kids colored and made Halloween-themed crafts at the stations they had set up.

Kids loving the sand

Note that when you enter "The Ridges Sanctuary" into Google Maps, the default directions have you going down County Road Q - this is not correct. The nature center is located at the corner of WI-57 and Ridges Road, and the entrance to the parking is off WI-57. On Google Maps, search for "The Ridges Sanctuary Nature Center" or use the address, "8166 Hwy 57."

Our last stop of the day was Cave Point County Park, which is surrounded on three sides by Whitefish Dunes State Park. If you don't have an annual vehicle admission sticker for Wisconsin State Parks and you don't want to pay for a daily pass, then you can park at Cave Point County Park for free and hike into Whitefish Dunes State Park via a connecting trail. We walked along the limestone cliffs overlooking Lake Michigan, which was picturesque with some views of sea caves. The lakeside trail was very rocky with exposed tree roots, and it was not suitable for a stroller.

Lakeside Trail at Cave Point County Park

For dinner, we really wanted to get prime rib (a Saturday night special in Wisconsin), but the wait was too long at the nearby supper clubs. So we got takeout from Nightingale Supper Club and enjoyed prime rib in our hotel room. I wish we had brought a steak knife! By the way, Nightingale added a mandatory 15% service charge to our carryout order total.

After we finished dinner, it was Baby's bedtime, and our hotel room went dark and quiet once again.

Sunday

On our last morning in Door County, I took Baby down to the hotel continental breakfast, and they had sausages that day (they had corned beef hash the day before, which we didn't try). My daughter liked the sausages, and she ate some eggs too. I sliced another apple for her, and she ate some more bread as well.

We left Door County and headed down to Kohler-Andrae State Park, which is located on Lake Michigan halfway between Sturgeon Bay and Chicago. Kohler-Andrae State Park is known for its Dunes Cordwalk, a unique out-and-back trail that is surfaced with wood planks connected by cords. It is like a boardwalk but designed to shift with the sandy dunes. By the way, we saw a group of about a dozen sand hill cranes in the distance (hanging out on a sand hill!). The Cordwalk is not accessible, so we used our child carrier (Osprey Poco). Baby slept in the carrier for the whole hike, which took one hour.

Dunes Cordwalk (South) at KASP

What I learned:

• Open Door Bird Sanctuary is a good organization taking care of lots of beautiful birds. I would recommend this activity for families with children ages 5+.
• If you want to hike the Family Discovery Trail at The Ridges Sanctuary during hunting season, wear orange.
• If you want to eat at The Nightingale on a Friday or Saturday night during peak foliage season, make a reservation more than a week in advance.

What I would bring next time:

• An insulated food container for keeping warm food warm for Baby
• A paring knife for cutting up apples at continental breakfast
• A steak knife for enjoying takeout prime rib
• Our baby monitor so we could leave the hotel room and hang out in the lobby after putting Baby down for sleep at night
• More/different/new activities/toys for Baby to play with while in her car seat and/or high chair at restaurants (we have not introduced screen time yet).
• A smaller bottle of whole milk (which I could have purchased at CVS, but all the gas stations we stopped by were out of the smaller bottles)

Stroller-Friendly Door County

In October 2022, we went to Door County for our first overnight trip as a family of three. We had been to Door County multiple times before and knew many of its best trails. But now, we had a three-month-old baby, and we planned on sticking to stroller-friendly hikes in case the baby carrier didn't work out (it didn't). Here's what we tried, what we learned, and what we would do next time.

Accommodations

The Best Western Maritime Inn in Sturgeon Bay is not the fanciest or cutest hotel in Door County, but it's good enough for me. I have stayed there many times, and I have no complaints. This time, I called ahead to let them know that we were traveling with an infant, and they gave us a corner room at the end of the hall to minimize noise (both coming in and going out). All the rooms have blackout curtains, but if you want to block every bit of light for a baby to sleep, I would bring portable blackout blinds. We were also glad to get a room with two queen beds (instead of one king bed) so we could use the second bed for diaper changes.

Meals

Friday nights in Wisconsin means fish fry, and we didn't let our newborn keep us from the tradition. We rolled (with our stroller) into Nightingale Supper Club for an early dinner at 5p. We didn't have a reservation, but they took pity on us and seated us right away. Thankfully, our baby fell asleep in her car seat (attached to stroller) right after we placed our orders, and we ate our meal in peace (albeit at record speed).

For lunch on Saturday, we went to Grasse's Grill in Sister Bay. The last weekend of October was their last weekend of service for the season, so they were out of most bottled beverages, but their food was still excellent. When we walked into the restaurant to place our order, there were several kids, babies, baby carriers, and strollers in the line in front of us. We decided that Door County must be a good destination for families, including new parents taking their first trips with babies.

Hiking

We started our sight-seeing day by driving from Sturgeon Bay to Newport State Park, which is at the northeast end of the Door Peninsula. We decided to take the longest possible drive in the morning to give Baby the best chance of napping in the car. We parked at Parking Lot 3 and decided to check out the Newport Trail, going south from the parking lot. We found that the trail was ok for strollers, but not the best. There were some tree roots and rocks to navigate around, but it wasn't too bad. There was another family using a jogging stroller on the trail, but I wouldn't recommend the trail for simple umbrella strollers. We walked about a mile on this trail before deciding to turn around and head back. What we probably should have done was head north from the parking lot on the Fern Trail, which connects with the Europe Bay Trail to create an accessible 1.2-mile loop. We will try this next time!

Next, we drove to Ellison Bluff County Park on the northwest side of the Door Peninsula. This small park features an observation deck overlooking Green Bay. The observation deck is right off the parking lot, but it requires some stairs and a few steep steps, so leave the stroller behind (it won't take long). We also hiked the park's 1.2-mile loop trail, which had a hard-packed stone surface. It was an easy trail to push the stroller on, and we walked through some nice foliage, but there were no additional views of the water from the trail.

Our last stop of the day was Peninsula State Park, where the new Eagle Tower (completed in 2021) is a must-see. The new ADA-accessible ramp winds up and skims the canopy of the adjacent woods before taking you to the top of the tower.  After enjoying the view from Eagle Tower, we took a scenic drive around the rest of the park before heading back to our hotel. Next time, we might try hiking some of the Sunset Trail (or Sunset Bike Route) on the west side of the park. This relatively flat trail with fine gravel is accessible to wheelchairs.

The next morning, we stopped by Potatwatomi State Park before leaving Door County. We parked at one of the picnic areas on the southeast corner of the park and walked along the paved trail overlooking Sturgeon Bay. We passed a playground, for future reference. For our return walk, my husband convinced me to try taking an unpaved trail back (on the map, it is marked as an off-road bicycle trail), and this was a bit of a challenge for the stroller. There were a lot of tree roots and rocks to navigate around, and Baby did not seem to mind, but I would not recommend this trail for strollers.

For Next Time

We have another trip to Door County planned for this October, and by then, our baby will be 15 months old. We plan to use a child carrier for hikes (an Osprey Poco on long-term loan from a friend), but we will also be traveling with my parents, so we will be looking for easy to moderate trails.

At Newport State Park, the Fern Trail (1.2 mi) will be high on my list, but we might want to extend the hike to the Lynd Point Trail (2.4 mi), which includes beautiful rocky shoreline on Lake Michigan.

At Peninsula State Park, we will check out part of the Sunset Bike Route, which meanders for over nine miles along the parks northwest side. If Baby is walking more consistently by then, we might also check out the renovated White Cedar Nature Center (reopened in 2021) and the surrounding White Cedar Nature Trail (0.5 mi). And of course, we will climb to the top of Eagle Tower.

We might also visit Whitefish Dunes State Park, where the Brachiopod Trail (1.5 mi) is "intended to be accessible for all people," as per the Wisconsin DNR website. The last time I visited Whitefish Dunes State Park, however, the wind coming in from Lake Michigan made for quite the brisk stroll.

Even though we won't be able to do all the best hiking trails, Door County has more than enough to offer for our family.

2022 NPS Visitor Use Statistics

This is my first post in over a year (I had a baby). I remain interested in National Parks from a distance, and it felt good to dive into the National Park Service ("NPS") visitor use statistics again. Let's get started.

Total Recreation Visits by Year

The NPS now encompasses 424 individual units, including 63 National Parks, 83 National Monuments, 74 National Historic Sites, and more. Together, these NPS units recorded over 311 million total recreation visits in 2022, which was about a five percent increase from 2021.

For the 63 National Parks, 2022 total visit was about 4 percent lower than in 2021. 

The remainder of this post will focus on the National Parks.

Top 10 Most Visited National Parks

Some of our most popular national parks saw big changes in visitation in 2022, for one reason or another. 

The perennial favorite, Great Smoky Mountains, recorded 2 millions fewer visitors in 2022 compared to 2021 (a decrease of 8 percent). Reading over their monthly visitation comments, it looks like they had counter issues for much of the year. Nonetheless, they retained their top spot on the list.

The Grand Canyon reclaimed its #2 spot for the first time since 2019 with 4.73 million visitors, edging out Zion's 4.69 million visitors. Zion was another park that saw a decrease in visitation in 2022, recording about 4 percent fewer visitors compared to 2021. Some reports suggested that economic factors, such as inflation and high gas prices, were behind the decrease in visitation. 

Another favorite, Yellowstone, suffered a major drop in visitation due to destructive flooding in June and July. They recorded over 30 percent fewer visitors in 2022 than in 2021.

Yosemite saw one of the biggest increases in visitation among the most popular parks last year, recording over 11 percent more visitors in 2022 than in 2021. Another popular park to see a double-digit percentage increase in visitors was Cuyahoga Valley, which entered the Top 10 list for the first time with over 13 percent more visitors in 2022 than in 2021.

Parks that dropped out of the Top 10 from 2021 to 2022 were Indiana Dunes and Grand Teton.

The chart below shows 2022's Top 10 most visited national parks with their 2021 and 2022 visitor counts.

Is the pandemic over for National Parks?

While many national parks saw record visitation in 2021, others waited until 2022 to see a closer return to pre-pandemic numbers. In 2022, 14 National Parks saw over 20 percent increases in visitation between 2021 and 2022, and half of these parks are in Alaska (Glacier Bay, Denali, Kobuk Valley, Katmai, Wrangell-St. Elias, Gates of the Arctic) or Hawaii (Haleakala and Hawaii Volcanoes). However, most of these parks still saw fewer visitors in 2022 than before the pandemic (2019).

There are a few National Parks that saw significant increases in popularity in 2022 (compared to both 2021 and 2019), and these were Mammoth Cave (up 29 percent from 2021 and 20 percent from 2019), Hawaii Volcanoes (up 25 percent from 2021 and 16 percent from 2019), Hot Springs (up 22 percent from 2021 and 80 percent from 2019), and Cuyahoga Valley (up 13 percent from 2021 and 30 percent from 2019).

What's next for National Parks?

In the last 10 years, visitation at the National Parks has increased in 28 percent, and the popularity of National Parks doesn't seem to be slowing down. In recent years, many national parks have been dealing with issues of overcrowding. In response, some parks, including Acadia, Arches, Glacier, and Rocky Mountain, implemented timed entry reservation systems. Zion implemented a lottery reservation system for its dangerously congested hike, Angel's Landing. Still, these stricter measures impact a very small portion of public lands, and there are still many beautiful places that are open to visit anytime.

Other than overcrowding, littering, and vandalism, another issue has been raised with National Parks claiming to protect lands that once belonged to native peoples, and some parks have made an effort to acknowledge their land's history. I would like to see these parks appreciated for everything they have to offer, including both outdoor opportunities, lessons in nature and climate change, and native heritage.