Family vacations have gotten extremely complicated since our girls are now well into their teen years.  With a senior and a sophomore in high school, we thought this might be the last Spring Break where all our schedules aligned, so we wanted to make sure we did something.  We were looking for the perfect spring break trip to take with our teens.

Trip Planning with Teens is Complicated

The reality of planning a trip for our family, however, has become a true juggle to make sure everyone is (mostly) happy.  The list of considerations is long and complicated. Making sure most of the boxes are checked is a true challenge.  Some of the considerations include:

  1. Good Wi-Fi – We are long past the time when our girls will put down their phones for any length of time.  They are leaving their friends and boyfriends, so communication is key. 
  2. Activities for everyone – We needed activities that everyone was interested in doing, but also no pressure if someone doesn’t want to do anything or just wants to lay by the pool.
  3. Room to roam and potentially be alone – We wanted to be fairly self-contained so if someone wanted to go off and check something out we didn’t have to worry.
  4. Togetherness opportunities – On other trips we discovered that buying the “Breakfast Included” package ensured that we all got up, got moving and could plan our day together.  Even if one of the girls went back to the room and slept (as teens will do) we made a general plan together about our day.
  5. Sleeping arrangements – I cover this more below, but this has become one of the most important, and most difficult, boxes to check.

Ultimate Teen Test, the Sleeping Arrangements

As the primary trip planner, one of the more difficult things to figure out as the girls got older is sleeping arrangements. Sometime around the age of 13 our oldest daughter decided she would no longer sleep in the same bed as our younger daughter.  She said she “was finished” getting kicked at night by her sister.  We ignored this declaration until a trip to Universal Studios where she spent every night sleeping in the bathtub of the hotel room.  Finding three beds for a family of four takes any reservation into an upper tier.  (As a tip for those who also have this challenge, I’ve recently found that Springhill Suites offers standard rooms with two queens and a sofa that becomes a trundle bed.  I wish I’d found that sooner!)   

Anyway, suffice to say, it was a daunting task to find the right location and itinerary where this spring break trip could please everyone, and be a good experience and not a disaster. We were were on the hunt for the perfect spring break trip with our teens.

We Considered a Caribbean Cruise

When the girls were younger my mother took us on a Disney Cruise.  It was awesome.  A cruise ship could have checked all the boxes of our criteria – and the cruise lines now have more teen-friendly activities and spaces.  We would have to get two state rooms to accommodate the separate beds, but with adjoining rooms, that would work.

After looking into different cruise lines and watching video tours of the boats, we decided a spring break cruise could be great, but also had too many potential downsides.  So, we continued the search for the perfect spring break destination.

The Perfect Spring Break? A Dude Ranch!

We love Montana and have always wanted to do a Dude Ranch there, but in late March, that would have been cold.  We wanted something in warmer weather where there were a number of activities that everyone could enjoy.

After some Googling, we found Tanque Verde Ranch outside of Tucson, Arizona.  The temperatures were projected to be in the mid-to-high 70’s during the day, cooler at night.  They had all the activities we were looking for – horseback riding, hiking, a pool, yoga classes, etc. 

All-Inclusive or Ala Carte? That is the Question

The ranch offered both all-inclusive and ala carte options for food and activities.  After researching, reading reviews and doing a some back of the napkin calculations, we went with:

  • “Three Squares and a Bed” – this package included our lodging and all three meals. 
  • Ala Carte Activities – we polled everyone and had varying levels of interest in horseback riding, art projects, hiking, etc. so after crunching some numbers, decided to book our activities individually vs. the all-inclusive option.  About a week prior we were sent a link to a website to register for activities.  Honestly, I sat on it for a few days, and a few of the things we wanted to do were booked.  So, if you go don’t do what I did, book immediately!  Even if you cancel it while on property, at least you have the activities you want.

Favorite things about our Dude Ranch Spring Break

This truly was a great vacation.  We spent five days on the property and that was the perfect amount of time.  Here are a few of our favorite things and some lessons learned along the way:

  • The Accommodations – We stayed in the Rincon Vista area in a “Hacienda Deluxe”.  It had a huge living room with a fireplace and two queen-size murphy beds that pulled down from the wall.  Perfect for our sleeping requirements!  It had a main bedroom with a king-size bed and a huge bathroom with two sinks, claw-foot bathtub and walk-in shower.  And a great porch with two chairs that looked out on the mountains.  On the porch was a stack of firewood for the fire.  One night we decided to have a fire and I couldn’t find any fire starter, so I called the office.  Within 5 minutes someone arrived in a golf card and started our fire for us!
A southwestern living room with leather sofa and chairs
The living room with plenty of seating, the two murphy beds and a great fireplace.
The sleeping arrangements are key to a successful spring break with teen girls. Photo shows two queen size murphy beds pulled down.
Two queen murphy beds — perfect for our teenage girls
View of the mountains from the primary bedroom.
The view from the primary bedroom
  • The Property is Gorgeous – Tanque Verde is a true ranch that dates back to the 1860’s when it was a working cattle ranch.  You enter the main building, which has the dining hall, through what was the original house. The main room has a huge fireplace and leather sofa’s.  A smaller room off the living room houses many historic photos and artifacts as well as a piano, games and a game table. Beyond these old buildings is a green lawn and the corral’s with over 200 horses.  And beyond that, mountains in every direction – beautiful at sunrise and sunset.
View of a green lawn with trees, surrounded by out buildings.
The main lawn with buildings around the perimeter of the property.
View of a green lawn with horse corrals in the distance, with mountains beyond.
This photo was taken from the porch of the main building with the dining room. Beyond the lawn is the horse corral with the mountains in the distance
  • The Mountain Views are Amazing — The property sits between the Rincon Mountains and the Saguaro National Park and the Coronado National Forest.  Truth be told, I was not a fan of cacti prior to this trip. And especially not the iconic Saguaro. I’m more of a water person. But, as I took in the beauty of thousands of majestic Saguaro’s and learned more about them, I can now appreciate them in a way I didn’t before.
View of rolling mountains, blue sky and cacti in the foreground at the dude ranch spring break vacation.
View of the mountains with some Saguaro cactus in the foreground at the dude ranch spring break trip.
View of the mountains from a porch with lounge chairs.
The view from the porch of our room.
  • The Activities – In addition to the horseback riding, they have a multitude of activities including mountain biking, tennis, fishing, hiking, art projects etc.  You can see the list here. We did one horseback ride a day. which turned out to be plenty given that we’re not big riders. We did trail rides, corralling (where you work in teams to get cattle into one of three pens. The breakfast rides are very popular (this is one that filled up) and it culminates in a pancake breakfast in an area above the property, by the original homestead (which is now a ruin).  We did a guided morning hike that ended up at the same pancake breakfast.  It was very informative about the history of the property and the breakfast was amazing.  The pancakes were cooked over an open griddle, heated by a mesquite fire.  If you have younger kids, they also have a kids club with riding and other activities.  Many families seemed to do this – with adults doing the rides we were on while their kids were part of the Kid’s Club.
Woman sitting on a horse during the perfect spring break trip.
Sign that says "Horse Turnout Time".
Time the horses will be released to eat and rest. It’s quite a site!
Family taking a tailride through the mountains at sunset. The perfect activity for spring break with teens.
The “Sunset Trail Ride” on our last night.
Woman walking by a pool with a coat and hat on.
Woman sitting on a porch mapping out the weeks activities for the spring break with teens, with the sun setting in the background.
Elizabeth mapping out our week of activities.
  • The Food – Each and every meal was wonderful.  At breakfast you can order off the menu or they have a buffet with fruit, homemade granola, yogurt, etc. and some entrees which vary each day (eggs, sausage/bacon, pancakes/French toast, potatoes, etc.).  For lunch and dinner, they have a salad bar with different soups, and you can order off the menu for sandwiches, burgers, etc.  The dinner menu changes every day, and they have amazing entrees with a variety of delicious options including pasta, fish, shrimp/scallops, chicken, steak and some vegetarian options. On Saturday’s and Wednesday’s they do a “Cowboy Cookout” at the “Cottonwood Grove” on the property.  It’s a short walk away from the main resort and it’s an area set up with picnic tables, fire pits, a dance floor, etc. It was very fun and the food (burgers, brisket, ribs, etc.) was excellent. 

The Property is Authentic “Old West”

Starting in the mid-1800’s Tanque Verde was a working cattle ranch. All around the property you will find typical “western” artifacts — hitching posts, wagon wheels, etc. These are not props–they are actual items that were in use on the ranch over the many years.

Photo of a pink stucco building with old wagon wheels leaning against it.

If you are looking for the perfect family vacation I can’t recommend Tanque Verde Ranch highly enough.  It did turn out to be the perfect spring break trip for us. You will be well-fed and well taken care of.  Every member of your family, no matter what age, will find something to do at this amazing location.

WETSU! WETSU!

XO JT

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