#10 Jackson Hole, Wyoming

  Jackson Hole, Wyoming

In Wyoming, you're bound to experience the Old West. But if horseback riding isn't your thing, or if the traditional dude ranch experience isn't quite enough, here's another way to bring a true pioneer feel to your family vacation - try experiencing the Rocky Mountains from a real wagon train.

The Jackson Hole area is one of several in Wyoming where wagon train excursions abound, and that's a good thing: the renowned Oregon Trail, traveled by the actual pioneers in the mid-1800s, runs right through the state. So it's no coincidence that some of the nation's most historic sites are along the trail. And the people who operate the wagon train tours are generally quite well-versed in the period style and dress, and well-read on the many journals kept by the original pioneers as they traveled this area.

A typical tour might bring you to Fort Bridger, named for and once operated by Jim Bridger, the trader and adventurer who discovered Utah's Great Salt Lake. You might experience Independence Rock, a sudden mountain in the prairie whose stone surfaces were message boards for the early pioneers. And getting to these places is most of the fun - the covered wagons are authentic (with a few "extra" materials including rubber tires and padding added for modern comfort).