Living right in Saugerties, I never thought to take a vacation an hour away. But when we were invited to come stay at the Pine Ridge Dude Ranch, in Kerhonkson, I did not hesitate! I booked the trip for my husband's next days off (he rarely gets to join us on our day trip adventures). There was so much to do there and it was really nice to get home an hour after we departed from the resort, instead of having to drive or fly for hours! Also, not a bad distance for us to take two vehicles, we knew ahead of time I would want to stay longer with the kids as Mr. Macaroni would have to head back to work on our last day there . Glad we did because we ended up staying another 8 hours after he left! Did I mention there was a lot to do there?
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Almost all of the activities are included with your stay at the Pine Ridge Dude Ranch. There are 2 pools at the Pine Ridge Dude Ranch, and indoor pool and an outdoor pool. They each have two water slides. There is also a giant bounce pillow, a rock wall, archery, a petting zoo, hiking trails, hay rides, schedule group activities and games through out the day, board games to borrow, bonfires, after dinner activities and entertainment. All the staff dress in cowboy/cowgirl boots and plaid tops and my kids loved dressing up too!
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Most packages include one horse trail ride (ages 8+) per stay. The kids, 7 and under, get a pony ride each day. Make sure you sign up the night before for these rides. You can do this between 5-6pm, and eat the amazing "chef special" appetizer of the day while you do! Extra rides, riding lessons, private rides, and other horse activities (like own a horse for a day) can be additional add-ons for your trip. If your children are too young for the horse trail ride or you just want to enjoy some kid-free time, you can take advantage of the day care available (children must be potty trained for this). See the website for current prices.
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Our Adventure
We arrived in the afternoon on Tuesday, and explored the grounds and outdoor pool until dinner. After dinner we headed back to the barn and fed the horses. It was cool to get a quick walk through the stables and get up close to the horses and hang out with the goats and chickens in the petting zoo. Make sure you help your little ones shut the gate to the goat cage... or you will be making a run for the nearest cowboy to help wrangle all the escapees.... I will not confirm or deny if we learned that from experience .
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We then headed back to the Ranch and checked out the entertainment for the night. My little one loves to dance so we figured we'd check the DJ (8pm) out before the hypnotist show. (9pm). We ended up staying for the entire show which was very kid friendly while being entertaining for adults. My oldest got chosen to go on stage for part of the show, and her 2 year old brother followed her up. The entertainer was very relaxed and let him follow along and join in on the show, which I appreciated because he really enjoys the spot light.
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Our second day we really got to spend time with the horses. With our stay, the kids got a pony ride each day and we received 2 horse trail vouchers. Since my husband and I couldn't do the trail ride together (my youngest is too young for the day care) I ended up taking his ticket and going for two rides!
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The barn staff was AMAZING. They were extremely patient, encouraging and friendly. They can definitely tell when you are hesitant near the horses and they are 100% there to help you get comfortable and enjoy your rides. I haven't ridden a horse since girl scout camp (coincidentally at this ranch under its previous name and ownership 25ish years ago) and I was pretty nervous (understatement of the year!). They stuck by me on the trail ride and gave me tips the entire way. They observed my needs and fears and made sure to give me a horse that they knew I would fall in love with on my second ride. Reno and I definitely had a great connection and I left with a new love of horses and am excited to ride again (hopefully a little sooner this time).
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(The above 3 images are from an onsite photographer that was there on our riding day, PJZ Enterprises Inc.)
My 7 year old could not wait to get on her pony ride. My 4 year old kept going back and forth between not being able to wait and not wanting to go at all. She finally settled on "I'll go now but I am only watching tomorrow!" As you can imagine she did not want to get off the pony and the "is it time to ride again?" questions began! Luckily we were able to distract their impatience with archery, the petting zoo, the pool, rock wall and bounce house! They could not get enough of any activity offered and there was always something going on to entertain everyone.
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We did not spend a lot of time in our room, but it was the perfect size for sleeping large families. Equipped with a king and full size bed as well as bunk beds, there were no complaints on the sleeping arrangements!
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Breakfast and lunch were both included for our second day and our departure day. These meals were buffet style . Breakfast had options of cereal and fresh fruit bar as well as warm choices like eggs, bacon, pancakes or french toast, and warm rolls with breakfast gravy. Lunch was BBQ one day and pizza and an assortment of wing choices on our second day (delicious wings!) Dinner was served on your arrival date and days you stayed over. We had options of chicken and steak with sides of veggies and potatoes. There was also salad bars available and gluten free/vegetarian available upon request.
Check out is at 11am, but you can stay later for your last meal at 12. We had a hard time leaving, so we eased our way out by checking out, then heading to lunch and to swim one last time.... ok in reality we also had one last rock climb, archery shootout, bounce pillow jump, and horse petting session.... THEN we left. WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! I can not wait to get back to the Pine Ridge Dude Ranch and it definitely won't take me another 25 years!
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Disclaimer: My family and I were given complimentary stay at the Pine Ridge Dude Ranch in exchange for this review. As with all of my reviews, all comments and opinions are my own.
