Siouxland Families

I love Taco John's and trying their new items and items that will only be available for a limited time, so I couldn't resist the brand new OMCheese Quesadilla Taco , which is available beginning January 6th, 2025.  The new OMCheese Quesadilla Taco from Taco John's is basically a taco made inside of a quesadilla. So instead of one tortilla on the outside of the taco, there are two soft flour tortillas, and there is a melted four-cheese blend in between them. I'm not sure whether prices vary, but at our Taco John's, it was about $4, which I felt was a fair price for how much food you get.  Inside the taco, there is meat (it's advertised as having grilled chicken, but in the Taco John's app you can also choose from ground beef or sirloin steak) topped with fiesta sauce, shredded lettuce, and pico de gallo.  The OMCheese Quesadilla Taco is available on its own, or as a combo with Potato Oles and pop or bundle with Potatoe Oles, pop, a Nacho Crunch Be...

Ready to plan your summer fun? Here are all the summer day camp opportunities I have found in the Sioux City area for this year, in alphabetical order. I'll put the basic info here and link to the host's website or Facebook page where you can find more details. This page will be updated throughout spring and summer 2025 as new day camps in the Sioux City area are announced, but I also encourage you to contact your favorite camp organizers directly for the most up-to-date information. *2025 update in progress!!* Summer Camps in Sioux City, Iowa Camp High Hopes Camp High Hopes offers all-day camp for all ages and abilities, 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. This inclusive camp is welcoming of kids with special needs and has high staff to camper ratios  and adaptive equipment on camp to let everyone participate in lots of classic summer camp activities like crafts, canoeing, campfires and swimming! Sleep-away camp sessions also available.  For more information, visit Ca...

Whether you're doing a "no spend" January, a whole "no spend" year, or you just want to be frugal in general/this weekend (really who doesn't love free fun?), there are plenty of great options in Sioux City for FREE fun with your family. In this post, I am only going to focus on places within Sioux City, Iowa. I'll work on another post about FREE venues in other Siouxland communities to post soon. So for just Sioux City, Iowa, here are some of my favorite places for free fun: Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center and Stone Park Learn more about Sioux City's natural environment at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center and Stone Park. The Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center includes fascinating exhibits inside and a nature playscape outside, along with hiking trails and other fun. The center is known for hosting great programming for all ages. Stone Park has even more hiking trails, along with camping cabins and tent camping areas, picnic areas, and a large shelter availa...

As part of the Shop Iowa Squad , I received from them several different gift ideas this past holiday season, including some treats from Purple Ribbon Beef, based in Britt, Iowa. I tried the beef summer sausage, and the cheese they sent me, and here is my full review: What is Purple Ribbon Beef? Purple Ribbon Beef is a family-owned beef farm in Britt, in north central Iowa. They have a Purple Ribbon Beef storefront on ShopIowa.com , they have their own physical farm store, and they sell at the Ames and Clear Lake farmers markets. They are known primarily for their delicious cuts of beef, but they also use many parts of the cattle to make innovative products, including beef tallow candles and soaps, and cowhide purses and bags. And they sell some fun items from other local producers, like cheese from WW Homestead and spices from Saltlickers, both on their Shop Iowa page and in their farm store. Beef Summer Sausage from Purple Ribbon Beef The star of the show from Purple Ribbon Beef was t...

If you're looking for a unique gift for your loved ones this holiday season, here are some ideas I love which you can get from ShopIowa.com. I'm on this year's "Shop Iowa Squad" and I received most of these items for FREE as part of that program--thanks Shop Iowa!! But some of them I bought myself, and the ones I received as a gift, I would definitely buy. I've written before about how much I love Shop Iowa , which is an Etsy-style marketplace website for Iowa makers, brands and stores. And I think it's so fun that they sent their squad these great gifts so we can see for ourselves how awesome they are. So without further ado, here are some great Christmas presents that I would buy for my friends and family (or for myself), all available on ShopIowa.com: Magnetic Bookmarks from  Iowa Paper Farm These cute bookmarks are great for the readers in your life. How fun would it be to pair one or more of these bookmarks with a great book by an Iowa wr...

2025 is almost here! Are you looking for a fun way to spend New Year's Eve with your kids? I personally love playing board games, eating junk food, Netflix countdowns, and other New Year's fun at home, but going out can also be a really special way to celebrate the end of the year and the start of the new one too. So here are the local events I've found to celebrate the new year, and I'll update as soon as I see details and confirmation of additional things to do in Sioux City and beyond for New Year's Eve 2024! New Year's Eve 2024 falls on Tuesday 12/31/24 and New Year's Day 2025 is on Wednesday 1/1/25 and all events in this post are on those days unless otherwise noted. You might also enjoy my post about Five Things to Look Forward to in Sioux City in 2025 or my post about  Christmas events in Sioux City . New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Activities In Sioux City Sioux City Musketeers Hockey vs Fargo Force at the Tyson Events Center, 7:05pm ...