We found this shrine while driving home from the Black Hills, a little ways past Mitchell. It has a darling little Catholic church and there are some beautiful statues on the grounds. There is a Carmelite monastery across the street as well, and a gift shop. It is in the perfect location for a rest stop or picnic (it even has a small open-air covered room). Great place for the family to stretch their legs.

Website = http://www.catholicshrines.net/states/sd1.htm

We brought our children (ages 7, 5, 3, and 1) here one afternoon. We were in town and thought it would be fun to see the inside of a mansion. I was thinking this would be similar to the Glensheen Mansion in Duluth, which I enjoyed touring as a child. Unfortunately, the best part was an art exhibit in a room that wasn't originally part of the mansion, and it was small - there were only five rooms we were allowed to go or look into. The volunteer staff was very friendly, and thankfully they didn't charge admission so we just left a donation. This is a place for avid Des Moines history buffs - not for sightseeing with little ones!!

I brought our four children (ages 7,5,3 and 1) here one cold February morning when my hubby was at a business meeting. We had a great time and really enjoyed the exhibits, many of which were hands-on and most appropriate for ages 2-10. It was a weekday morning and in spite of having very few visitors, the demonstrations were on as long as we were waiting at the doors. So my little ones got to participate (yep - those are my children that you see in the dry ice demo photo)!! The cafe was reasonably priced. I wasn't planning to stay for lunch, figuring it would cost a lot, but we were able to find inexpensive and nutritious items. Overall we had a **very** pleasant time, even though I was six months pregnant and without my husband in an unfamiliar location with four little ones.

We visited here in 2004 with three children ages 4 and under. We all had a wonderful time. The displays were absolutely charming and VERY interactive. Lots of darling photo ops. Very safe and stroller friendly as well. Unless it has changed much in five years, this museum is best for children ages 10 and under, although I remember perhaps one or two exhibits that would appeal to older children. Plan to spend about 1-2 hours here (we spent two).

We stayed here for my husband's business trip with four children ages 5 and under. The room was gorgeous and had VERY comfortable beds!!!!
Some details:
--friendly staff
--felt a bit out of place as if children weren't normally guests here
--if you drive you will need to use the valet service (no parking lot)
--there is a mall attached to the hotel which was nice (to use the handicapped elevator entrance to the mall you have to have staff help you, and since I was in a hurry to grab lunch with the kids and didn't want to run all the way back down to the lobby with four little ones, I ended up carrying our double stroller up the flight of stairs instead)