Before we could leave Brandon, South Dakota, we needed just a little more sleep and some more waterpark. We were apparently wiped out from our mega-drive and slept right through the free breakfast. No worries, we still had pop tarts, cereal and milk from our VRBOs. We got most of our things packed up, and headed to the waterpark.

They played, and we had coffee. Mike and I realized that watching them laugh and play is just about the most relaxing thing in the world.

We rinsed off and hit the road, again. Not too far today though. As we edge out of South Dakota, we crossed back into Minnesota for a little bit… we knew we were in Minnesota because we started seeing lakes again.

As we neared Iowa, the scenery changed… field after field after field of corn and soybeans, and then here we were: Iowa!

We aren’t going far into Iowa today, but we did get to see the home of Indian Motorcycles

We headed to Arnold’s Park, Iowa – City of 5 Lakes but we were mainly interested in Lake Okoboji and Arnold’s Amusement Park.

Arnold’s Amusement Park started in 1889 with a water toboggan slide. Folks would rent wool suits to slide down it. Things grew from there and it became the community area. In 1999, the area was to be sold to a commercial developer who planned to put condominiums with Lake Okoboji views on the property. The citizens of Arnold’s Park started a Save the Park Campaign and within 6 weeks over $7.5 million dollars was donated to stop the sale, and create the Arnold’s Park Community area and green space. The amusement park is now the oldest amusement park west of the Mississippi River.

The Park is old fashioned and awesome! The rides had signs on them explaining their history.

It wasn’t too crowded or too expensive. Perfect place to spend a day!

We giggled at our teenager who “just had to finish this game” before he could do anything.

And we got really tickled by this young man and his dad who had season passes. They told us which cars went fastest in every division (single, double and junior). I think there are dreams of NASCAR stardom here!

We spent a little time on the go-cart track, and I may have scared Mike to death with my driving especially my drifting in the sharp turns. If you ain’t first, you’re last! 🤣

And we all had a flashback to Leo’s love of lions! If you don’t know, Leo loved lions when he was little. We prayed for the daddy lion at the NC Zoo, and we always rode on the lion at the Zoo’s carousel… waiting however long it took to be sure to get the lion. When we left the carousel, Leo would usually scream at the next rider of the lion to “jit off my lion!” So while he acted like he didn’t want this picture, I think he secretly did ♥️

It was a pretty perfect day at the Park!

But wait! What’s that across the street? Nutty’s Ice Cream. The only way to make this day better – Ice Cream!

We left Arnold’s Park and explored Okoboji a bit before checking into our hotel, Vintage Block Inn and Suites. It is an old Motor Court that has been HGTV’d, and it’s about the cutest place ever!

They had an outdoor area with a mini basketball hoop, corn hole and giant dominoes.The boys liked the outdoor pool, and there were surries (with a fringe on top 😉) to ride around the property,. And they had the biggest and most beautiful plants I’ve ever seen!

I spent a good bit of time timing the “breath holding” which has become Leo’s thing on this vacation. He’s up to 55 seconds.

After we rested a bit, we walked back into town to have dinner at the Okoboji Store. The Store was originally built around an ice rink in 1884, then converted into a general store, post office, boat rental and livery. A restaurant developed for boaters and the restaurant stuck. They had live music (quite possibly the worst singer we’ve ever heard – non-Southern people should not try to sing with a southern accent), and one of the coolest “waiting areas” ever!

It got chilly sitting by the water but it was a beautiful view. Dinner was delicious, and Michael’s branded burger was too cool.

Tomorrow we head out for our last day in Iowa, and then start heading back to Chicago. But for now, we’re snuggled in our HGTV Motor Court for the night.