HI! I am going to tell you all about one of my most memorable family vacations. I am a senior in high school now, but one of my most favorite vacations was a family one in the eighth grade to Okoboji, Iowa. Since my family has six members, we decided on a destination closer to home that summer in order to save money. Lake Okoboji was the perfect choice for us because it offers activities that are free and totally fun. We began our vacation with about a four hour road trip to the lake with a stop in Storm Lake for lunch and various gas stations for snacks on the way.
When we arrived in Okoboji we went straight to our motel that my mom had booked earlier that summer, The Inn at Okoboji (http://www.bojifun.com/index_broadband.html ). The Inn is a very nice play to stay if you have a larger family, since you can get a unit with multiple rooms for a decent price. Also, The Inn is right on the lake and has its own dock, park, picnic tables, indoor and outdoor pool, and a communal fire pit for marshmallow roasting. When we were not enjoying our motel, we toured the unique places Okoboji has to offer. We went to Arnolds Park (http://www.arnoldspark.com ), which has a free and really cool topsy turvy house, various rides, go karts, and games, as well as, some free park equipment. Located close to Arnolds Park, is the dock for the Queen II Excursion which offers a tour on Lake Okoboji and tells you some of the lake’s history. My family even saw a bald eagle nest! When we had finished the excursion we got ice cream in Arnolds Park, and went to the free Maritime Museum which had artifacts from Okoboji's past. The next day we relaxed on the beach and went mini golfing at Treasure Village (http://www.treasurevillage.org/) for which we had some free tickets that were given to us by our motel, the Inn at Okoboji. We wrapped up our trip by hanging out on the dock near our hotel and roasting our supper on the fire pit, playing at the park, swimming, and watching the sunset.
Lake Okoboji, Iowa offered my family a unique get away that was affordable, memorable, relaxing, and totally fun! We have been dying to return since we last went and I will be sure to take my own children there someday. Okoboji is a great place to make life long memories! – Bea
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