I love the YMCA Trout Lodge and have been coming here for years! It is only about an hour and a half a way from where we live, had beautiful scenery and a lot of fun activities! Together, Michael and I have 5 kids ranging from 7-12 so we like places where we can go and stay for a few days and keep everyone entertained.
My birthday was this week (hello, 39) and Michael surprised me with an overnight trip to Trout Lodge. We headed to Potosi Friday afternoon and arrived about 4:30pm. This weekend we only had two of our five kids with us.
Friday night we visited the Arts and Crafts Studio which is always one of our favorite activities. Activities included painting pottery, doing tie dye, making necklaces, doing mosaic tiles….and may other things. We chose to do pottery painting and had a lot of fun. Kaylee made a food bowl for one of our dogs.
Then, we got in a serious game of kickball in the Fitness Center. The kids loved this, Michael pulled a muscle and we both realized we are too old for a competitive kickball game. The big indoor gym is great for kids running around and playing sports if it is too dark to explore outside or if it is raining.
Then we went by the lodge to check out a few board games. There are a few different lodging options at Trout Lodge and this time we stayed in the Forestview Family Cabins. They have a large living room with fireplace, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Each bedroom has a full size bed and a bunk bed.
Monopoly and kickball are both taken seriously in our family. Unfortunately, Michael beat us all and was more than happy to gloat with his winnings.
Saturday morning we were ready for outdoor adventures! After breakfast we went to archery. Most if the activities are included with your stay, but a few require an additional fee. Archery is always one of my favorites.
After archery, we headed to the stables for a horse ride doing the Mountain Trail. This is the first time I’ve done the horse rides at Trout Lodge and it was fun! The scenery is beautiful right now with all the leaves changing colors. Horseback riding does have an additional fee.
After lunch, we took one of the many hiking trails on the property. It was a two mile trail and was a fairly easy hike through a beautiful setting.
Then we headed to the axe throwing activity. This is a fairly recent addition to the activities list and the kids had never done to before.
Our last activity before we left was zip lining! The kids both wanted to do this so we fit it in before we had to head out. They had to climb up a tall pole with pegs on the side to get to the platform. Both kids loved the zip lining!
One of my favorite parts of Trout Lodge is the gorgeous lake on the property. In the summer, you can swim in the lake and they have inflatables on the water, a water slide, pontoon boats and kayaks and other water fun. Even though it was too cold to partake in these activities I still enjoyed being around the water.
On Saturday morning the sunrise and light over the water was gorgeous.
Another great aspect about staying at Trout Lodge is that they serve three meals or day at the lodge and they are all INCLUDED with the price of your stay. You don’t have to worry about packing food, cooking or going out to restaurants.
This visit we were only able to stay one night but we still had a lot of outdoor fun! This is a great place to visit for a family weekend away, a couples getaway or a weekend with friends. Check out their website for more information. If you are a YMCA member you get 25% off lodging rates and they also offer day passes.
