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Thank you to White Stallion Ranch for hosting our stay at your beautiful luxury family-friendly dude ranch in Tucson Arizona. All opinions and photographs of the property are ours.
Saturday we rode off into the sunset for another adventure.
Actually, we got up super early in the morning, and we were off and driving to Arizona at 6 am. The whole riding off into the sunset sounds so much better, though. After a pretty quick 7 hour drive (we stopped five times, don’t ask) we drove through the gates of White Stallion Ranch in Tucson Arizona. Ever since we rode horses in Hawaii a couple of months ago, we have all wanted to spend more time riding. That was Pete’s first time riding a horse, and I was so happy when he shared how much he loved it. I was even a little surprised, and I wasn’t sure what he would think. I’ve been riding here and there since I can remember, and Maddie and Ashley took lessons for a few years when they were younger. This was also a new thing for Emmy because she has never ridden without someone holding her lead.
Em was so excited about everything here at the Dude Ranch. She had been telling people we were going since the day she found out… and she even talked Pete and me into buying her a whole new wardrobe for the trip. Thankfully cowgirl clothes are a big thing at Target, so that was taken care of really quickly. PS. Target is not a sponsor of this post; I just had to share in case you have a little one at home too that loves this type of clothing.
Speaking of Emmy, she was our self-proclaimed tour guide around the ranch, so I’ll be sharing a lot of her thoughts while we are here.
While you are on the ranch, you feel like you are far away from the everything and in a different world. Gone are the pressures of everyday life. It was like we all did a heavy exhale as soon as we passed through the gates and saw nothing but mountains and cactus. In reality, you are about 10 minutes from all the modern conveniences that you could need. Although you really won’t need anything. Since this is an all-inclusive resort, you never need to leave.
Our first two days were filled with riding, eating, relaxing and fun!
Since we arrived mid afternoon on Saturday, we were able to all go on a slow ride for almost two hours into the foothills. Everyone regardless of past riding experience goes on a slow ride first, and then you are tested for the ability to handle the fast rides. You don’t have to have much experience to qualify for the faster rides; you just have to know basic riding commands for safety. You also have to be over 8 to go on those rides. The first day Emmy, Pete, and Ash went on the slow ride and also the sunset ride. The pictures that Pete took for me from the sunset ride are just breathtaking.
Earlier in the day when we all went riding, we were each introduced to our horse for the week. They try to pair you with a horse for the entire time of your stay which is cool. They also match you to the horse that fits your riding experience and needs.
I love that Pete still wore a CrossFit shirt with his cowboy hat!
I stayed behind to take pictures during the golden hour. That is my absolute favorite time to take pictures, and it was even better than usual because of the golden color of the hills and buildings.
During our visit to the ranch, we are staying in a family suite. It consists of a bedroom for the girls with three twin sized beds and a bedroom for Pete, and I with a huge king sized bed. There is also a bathroom off our bedroom for us all to use. We have found that we are not spending much time in our suite at all because there is just so much to do on the ranch. To facilitate the true relaxing nature of the ranch, there are no TV’s in the rooms. Instead, there is a TV in the lobby for everyone to enjoy. However, there is really good internet throughout the ranch!
Here is a quick look at our suite…
Meals are all served in the dining hall.
They ring a huge bell when the meals are ready for the full dude ranch experience, and they also share the times at check in. Throughout the day there are always snacks and drinks available. Nobody goes hungry here! The food is pretty fantastic too. Very fresh and homemade tasting. They have been more than accommodating with our vegan and vegetarian food needs too. They pride themselves on being able to cater to the needs of those with special dietary concerns. They even had almond milk for me to add to my coffee each morning. You guys all know how important my morning coffee is. I’ve been drinking it on our front porch… I need to remember to get a picture of that to share tomorrow because it is just about the most peaceful scene ever!
Here is the dining room and a picture of my breakfast yesterday. That’s a vegetable breakfast burrito. Delish!
In the afternoon we went swimming. The water was the perfect temperature to cool us all off from the Arizona summer heat. We’ve had highs over 100 degrees since we have been there, but the ranch handles this perfectly. The days are broken up with early rides and late afternoon rides to miss the hot mid days. The mornings and evenings here have brought us perfect weather!
I was hoping to put my feet up and rest a bit since it was a Sunday afternoon, but this little dame below had other plans. She wanted to head to the petting zoo… yep, they have one of those too!
They have the sweetest animals here, and they are so well cared for.
I finally got to kick back and take in the sights while these two went off to explore again…
Here is our day One and two recaps:
I’ll be back with day three tomorrow!
See our full White Stallion Dude Ranch adventure here.
It is my dream to take my family in a ranch. When I was a kid, I used to have fun in a ranch and I want my son to have the same fun as I have.
That is awesome! I grew up in Oklahoma and horse ranches were all over the place. I never went to one though.
This looks like soon much fun!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sounds like a very fun vacation at Dude Ranch. I would like to be on this place!
I love dude ranches! After I graduated University, I went to Yellowstone and stayed at a dude ranch beneath the Grand Tetons. Such a beautiful, relaxing time!
That sounds like such a great adventure. I loved that my husband and I took time to go on adventures before we had kids.
What an awesome looking place and a what a lovely little cow girl she makes! x
Arizona is such a beautiful and diverse place. It looks like you had a great time and your daughter’s cowboy outfit is adorable! Thanks for sharing.
This is too cool!! I would be right at home at a place like that. Love the hats and smiles 🙂
That looks like SUCH a blast! Also, how cute is she in that little cowgirl outfit? Dying!
OMGosh she looks so cute!!! Reminds me of all the kids back in Oklahoma where I grew up. I have always wanted to go to a Dude Ranch. I have some family in AZ , maybe I should visit them and check out the ranches too!
Aww, little Emmy looks too cute! I love that you are not somewhere so tropical and are exploring different areas.
I love Em’s outfit! She looks very happy. I’m sure you all had a wonderful time.
I love that peaceful feeling but love the convenience of only going 10 minutes. What a wonderful place to vacation.
What an adorable little cowgirl! It looks like a perfect place to vacation.
Emmy is adorable! I have always wanted to visit a Dude ranch. It looks like a lot of fun!
I have never been to one but it looks like a fun place. My mom visited Arizona a few years ago and stopped by here and said it was awesome.
My daughter would love this. She’s been fascinated by horses since she was a toddler.
I have never been to a dude ranch. That looks like so much fun. I would love to go to one someday.
Wow! white stallion ranch looks amazing! I used to love riding horses, reading your post has ignited that motivation! This might make a great stop on our summer road trip!
So sassy! She definitely looks the part of a cow girl! So cute. 🙂 And your weekend looks like so much fun too.
Ooooo how fun!!!!!! I have always wanted to go to a dude ranch!!!! Sounds like a total blast.
I’ve never been to a ranch, but it looks like so much fun! I would much rather visit there than at a stuffy, super-fancy hotel. I’d feel much more at home at this ranch 🙂
You captured the beauty of the ranch effortlessly, the ranch looks out of this world and I can imagine it is a great source of meditation.
This looks like so much fun. I haven’t been to a dude ranch since I was little
Now that would be a dream trip for me. I wopuld love to horse back ridelike that.
Looks like such a fun trip1 I have always wanted to vacation in Arizona!
Looks like a great trip! Beautiful pictures. I will have to go back to visit Arizona one day soon!
We took a a dude Ranch vacation with my extended family when I was growing up. One of the most memorable vacations ever!
THIS LOOKS AMAZING! I have always wanted to give a dude ranch a try. It looks like you guys had a great time.
Your little girl is so adorable & these pictures are quiet amazing enough to know that you have had a wonderful time out there as a family. One such fun vacation in Dude Ranch is always on my mind & hope we get to make it sometime soon.
Oh my goodness how cute! This sounds like so much fun
I’ve never been to a Dude Ranch but I have always loved horses. This is such a wonderful place to get back to basics and nature with the family.
Those cactus plants looks gorgeous! I would like to take a picture of myself in those, just have to be extra careful with the thorns!
Oh my goodness, what a peaceful and relaxing place! I love riding horse, so this place would be like a dream to me!
Your baby girl looks really happy. I want to see a happy face on my son too. I will bring him to the Dude Ranch!
I would love to take my kids out west. Beautiful pictures that you shared! Hope had/have fun on your vacation! Sounds like this was a big hit for your family.
This sounds and looks like a lot of fun. I haven’t ridden a horse in a long time and this brought back those memories easily.
Sounds like a very fun vacation at Dude Ranch. I would like to be on this place! I think my son would love there!!!
That’s a beautifulplace! Never been to a dude ranch. Wish there’s one close to us. I would surely go ASAP. 🙂
I think this would make for such a fun trip and a great time for creating memories. I hope to go to a dude ranch one day.
This is a nice place to stay. I like to have an adventure here and so as my whole family.
What a truly amazing vacation experience. So love the pics you posted here.
The ranch is gorgeous and I would have loved the horseback ride. I haven’t been riding in quite some time. So glad you had a great day.
SO MUCH FUN!!! I would Love to take my kids here. They would love the opportunity to ride horses and the like.
such a cute little girl with her cute outfit. my daughter miss the horse back in the farm too! she always looks forward to go and visit in australia for horses =)
I have never been to a dude ranch, but I must say that the scenery is gorgeous! I know they say Arizona can be unbearably hot, but I wouldn’t mind visiting there someday.
That outfit is stunning. Never visited this place before but I did hear a lot about it. Can’t wait to travel some more. 🙂
What a fun moment you had! I have always wanted to ride a horse!
Loved this post and the outfit of your daughter. The instant video play with sound was a little distracting though.
Loved this post and the outfit of your daughter. The instant video play with sound was a little distracting though.
love your family trips! it gets me excited and can’t wait for the summer school holiday to be relaxing and enjoy it with my family