My family and I recently drove up 10 hours (yes, 10 hours in a car with 2 kids!) to Rapid City, South Dakota for a little family reunion. If you’ve been a loyal reader, you know my parents currently live in Germany so it’s always a big deal whenever they can come out to the states.

As soon as we knew the destination, my mom and I began researching the best places to stay in the area.

No surprise, Canyon Lake Resort immediately went to the top of the list.

Keep reading to learn all the reasons we loved staying at the resort and in the Cattail Lodge specifically!

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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Canyon Lake Resort, but all opinions are my own.

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#1: Lakeside

The whole resort is placed right next to Canyon Lake and you can see it pretty much everywhere you go. The Cattail Lodge in specific has a great view of the lake!

If you wake up early enough in the mornings, you can also see a gorgeous sunrise over the water. I highly recommend you don’t miss it!

#2: Paddle Boats

The resort has paddle boats that anyone can rent. Fortunately, if you’re a guest they’re free!

To use a paddle boat, simply go to the front office and sign up. It’s first come, first serve so maybe double check that there are boats to use on the dock first. Then paddle your way all around the lake! When my husband and I went out, we saw a turtle and its baby!

@mariahafrench

It was the perfect place for our family reunion! #canyonlakeresort #familyreunion #familyvacation #fyp #summervacation #familyfriendly

♬ swing lynn – lovdfilmz

#3: Laundromat

What’s great about staying at a resort like this is that there is a laundromat on-site! Since my parents were staying away from their house longer than the rest of us (they planned to visit my dad’s family in Maryland afterward) they used it and it was very helpful.

It’s nice to be able to do laundry on vacation and have it close enough that it doesn’t take time away from other family activities 🙂

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“We absolutely loved the space in this place and the view of the lake from the living room.  The dining table was large which was perfect for us since our family loves to play games.  Sometimes a few of us would play games on one end of the table while someone worked on their laptop on the other end.  The game room was a favorite of ours and whenever there was down time in our “touristing” activities for the day, we would play pool or ping pong. This lodge is an excellent place to stay!” – My mom, mother of 3 & grandma of 3

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#4: Laundry Service

No, they don’t do your laundry for you. But they do provide you with a laundry basket!

Since the lodges comes fully equipped with towels, blankets, and the like, they understand that they will get dirty. Should you need to wash them, just put them in the basket and set the basket outside the front door. Each day the workers will come by, replace the linens, and wash the old ones for you. Isn’t that so nice??

#5: Playground

For those with little kids, “playground” is a glorious word! The three grandkids loved going on the playground and making the adults run after them 🙂

Parker’s favorite is the slide and he literally would go down and down again a hundred times. It’s a very nice way to get out energy before bedtime.

@mariahafrench

Cattail Lodge tour at Canyon Lake Resort! #housetour #hometour #hoteltour #familyvacation #rapidcity #foryou

♬ Sunny Day – Ted Fresco

#6: Pool

Canyon Lake Resort even comes with a heated outdoor pool – what more can you ask for?

It is small and goes from 3 feet to 5 feet, but it is good for kids and adults to cool down in. There were always plenty of other guests enjoying it too.

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“Cattail Lodge is a great place to gather as a family and enjoy the attractions of South Dakota. It has the space and activities that families require to have a great time.  The view of the lake and sunrises are very memorable. A great place to gather.” – My dad, father of 3 & grandpa of 3

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#7: Basketball Hoops

There are multiple basketball hoops set up throughout the resort. There is even one in the Cattail Lodge driveway so you can play whenever you want!

It was in the 100s when we were there so we didn’t play a lot, but my husband definitely tried to improve his jump shot 🙂 And yes, they do provide basketballs as well.

#8: Space

Due to our growing family (kids and grandkids) we needed a place that was big enough to fit everyone. Ideally, we wanted 4 bedrooms. The Cattail Lodge has 5 bedrooms, 6 beds, and a futon!

Each little family could have their own room with an extra for anyone who just needed some “alone” time (which was mainly used by Nate to do homework haha).

@mariahafrench

Cattail Lodge at Canyon Lake Resort – Part 2 #hometour #hoteltour #foryou #vacationmode #familyfriendly #rapidcity

♬ Sunny Day – Ted Fresco

#9: Long Dining Table

I can’t talk about space without talking about the ginormous dining table at Cattail Lodge! It easily seats 12, but you can add more if you need to.

And as a family of board game lovers, this table was so convenient to have multiple games going on at a time, or just to have one big game completely take it over.

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“5/5 – The Canyon Lake Resort delivered. It was only about 15-20 minutes max from any of the places we wanted to visit (Mount Rushmore, the Dinosaur Museum, the WaTiki Water Park, Bear Country USA, horseback riding, downtown, along with a few other places). It’s tough to beat – definitely a safe bet if you’re worried about where to go on your South Dakota vacation. Especially with kids – there’s enough fun things to keep everyone busy.” – My brother, father of 1

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#10: Game Room

As far as I know, Cattail Lodge is the only building that has this. They converted the garage into a game room!

It comes with ping-pong, pool, foosball, basketball, stereo, kitchenette, and even a piano! That was hands down my siblings favorite room to be in 🙂 The lodge also has a couple board games inside so you never have to worry about being bored.

#11: Books

One of the first things I noticed when entering the lodge is a small basket of books in the corner. Other than the standard Holy Bible, I also saw fantasy and historical books.

I just think it’s so thoughtful to really have everything anyone would want! There is definitely no lack of entertainment available.

@mariahafrench

Cattail Lodge at Canyon Lake Resort – Part 3 #hometour #familyvacation #hoteltour #vacationdestination #fyp

♬ Sunny Day – Ted Fresco

#12: Full Kitchen

Yep, just as you thought it couldn’t get any better, the Cattail Lodge has a fully equipped kitchen. They have everything from pots and pans to cutting boards and teacups. Because we stayed for 4 nights, we planned to cook meals “at home” and boy, was it easy!

Nate and I cooked ham fried rice for dinner in one of their giant pans. My brother and sister-in-law cooked tacos another night, and my parents made us delicious breakfast. In case you didn’t know, cooking at the hotel is a great tip for saving money on vacation 🙂

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“What I liked most about the lodge was there were so many different things to do inside while also having space to be alone if I wanted (or needed for studying). It didn’t feel cramped, just inviting and fun!” – My husband, father of 2

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#13: Kid & Baby Friendly

Other than everyone I met (shoutout to Deb and Sandy!) being so genuinely nice and happy, Canyon Lake Resort also has several kid-friendly and baby-friendly amenities.

The two that we loved the most was being able to grab a playpen for my nephew to sleep in and using the high chair that came in the Cattail Lodge. They really do think of everything!

 

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