We decided to camp in Oklahoma for Easter weekend. There are cabins to rent, but you need to make reservations. So we took the tent and chose a beautiful campsite in Dogwood area. The only problem with the tent campsites is that the restrooms are just cement port-a-potties with a water pump out front to wash hands. The RV sites have flush toilets, sinks and showers. You can camp at an rv site, but they fill up fast. We ended up driving to the nearest rv site at regular intervals to use the restroom. In the mornings the rv restrooms are packed with everyone trying to get showered for the day, so bring toilet paper and be prepared to wait. My only complaint about the park is the restroom situation.
There was absolutely no cell phone signal in the park. If you are hoping to get on the internet or to call and text, you will have to drive over the dam or out of the park. This is mostly fine when you are camping unless you are with a group that separates. Then you will have to set up definite meet times because you wont be able to call and find out where everyone is.
Because we went in April, it was quite cold at night. I usually pack very well, but I forgot that air mattresses are already cold when aired up, so I should've brought a thick blanket to lay on as well as to cover up with. The men folk were fine, but my daughter and I froze. Also, whenever water is let out of the dam the alarm is sounded. Do not be suprised to hear the alarm at midnight!
Inside the park there are kayak and canoe rentals. You can take a mini train ride, or go on a 45min trail ride on horseback. My kids are 15 and 12 so we skipped the train, but we did pay the $25 each and took the horseback ride. It's just a jaunt through the woods so there's no great view, but it was a nice family bonding experience for us. We also spent the $11 for the kayaks and had so much fun we went back again the next day. That was really the highlight of our trip. Even young kids can do the kayak, but there is a canoe that seats 2 adults and 2 children for $21. Life-jackets are given to everyone, 14 and under must wear them. The van drops you off and gives you 2 hrs to make it back. There is no reservations at the kayak/canoe rental. You show up and they take you as soon as they get you loaded up. But again, there is no restroom at the rental shop so go before you go! LOL
We bought the disposable waterproof cameras for the trip. Lots of photo ops on the kayak trip.
We did not do any swimming because it was pretty cool, but we were told the river temp is always 59 degrees, which means it will always be cold. Broken Bow lake is just down the road so you can spend the day there where the water is warmer. We did not do activities at Broken Bow lake, but I know they have boats, houseboats, and jet skis to rent. They even have parasailing.
We spent quite a bit of time trout fishing. There are some beautiful spots to sit and read while the guys did the fishing. It was very relaxing listening to the river rush by. But if you want to walk out in it to fish, make sure to bring your waders, I am not kidding about that water being COLD!
We had a wonderful spur of the moment getaway. Beavers Bend is definitely a place we would travel to again.

The main reason we went to the fair was so my daughter could see a band that was playing that night. And I thought we should just make a day of it. We bought wristbands, but did not realize they were only good till 5:30pm. Luckily, some of the rides allowed the kids to continue riding because I wasn't buying more armbands. We really enjoyed the butter carving contest and some of the other attractions. And I liked how most of the rides were in one section, so after a while I could sit and let the 4 kids (11 and 14) wander without being too concerned. The thrill rides were in a separate area and weren't as thrilling that day since there were two teens stuck on a ride for a few hours waiting to be rescued. The fair is probably not something we would do again, but it did give us a day of adventure :)

I have always been fascinated with the Kennedy family so I enjoyed visiting this museum when I was 20. I enjoyed it just as much the second time when I took my 12 and 15 yr old. They had both learned about JFK in school so it was a neat field trip experience to see where everything actually happened. They wore the headset and walked around listening and looking on their own. We want to do fun things with the kids, but it's nice to throw in some history lessons when we can and this place made it easy and enjoyable.

The park around the buildings is nice to walk around. My daughter spent a lot of time taking pictures and my son went geocaching. The museums were nice, but very small. There were a few things the kids really enjoyed, but its not somewhere we would return to. The planetarium is very tiny and there is no video. It is a young guy with a laser pointer trying to speak above the noisy children. No offense to the children, or their parents, I'm a parent, too, but the guy should at least have a microphone.

While driving through Iowa, I searched on my phone for places we might like to stop. This place was very cool. I am a serious picture taker so this was a photo op moment not to be missed. If you have costumes or uniforms and want to do a themed photo this is the place. Or just go with the traditional costumes and pitchforks. Either way it was too cool to miss. And we didn't even know about the pie! We went inside the house, met Beth Howard and had wonderful slices of pie! This is one of those stops that is so out of the ordinary, I know my kids will remember it!