Tag: Travel With Kids

Things To Do in Sedona with Kids: Astonishing Hikes & Epic Adventures
Sedona doesn’t normally top the list of family destinations, but there are so many things to do in Sedona with kids! Our family of five has been full-time traveling for over three years now, and Arizona is a place we keep coming back to. It has such diverse and amazing landscapes, and the weather from Fall to Spring is pretty lovely, too.

This was our first time in Sedona, though, and we enjoyed our time here a lot. The obvious downside to Sedona is that it’s crowded because everyone else enjoys it, too! But the worst of the crowds can be avoided or mitigated with some planning and utilizing off-peak hours. Plus, although I wasn’t a big fan of the shuttle system to some of the hikes (mostly because they don’t run often enough IMO), our middle child loved the shuttle ride more than the hikes. So if you have a bus-loving kid, there’s that!

Let’s talk about all of the wonderful things to do in Sedona with kids though!

Things to do in Sedona with Kids: Hiking

Most visitors to Sedona are probably here to experience the absolutely epic hiking. I’ve shared some hikes here that range from “not really hiking” to “moderately challenging even for our experienced hiking family.” If you’re new to hiking as a family, check out my 10 best tips for hiking with kids to get started!

Raven Caves

Raven Caves is a perfect very short hike for families that want to do some cave exploring. The caves are so amazing for kids to climb in and around, and they’re so close to where you park. It’s also way less crowded than the more popular Sedona hikes. Just be sure to hold onto little ones’ hands! And bring a headlamp.

Airport Mesa Vortex

You can hike a moderately challenging loop around Airport Mesa, or you can just watch the sun set at Airport Mesa Vortex. For the vortex, park at the lot on Airport Road and walk a few minutes to a perfect sunset view. Get there early because the lot is small and it’s a popular sunset spot.

Bell Rock

Bell Rock is another relatively short and easy hike that’s perfect for children and grandparents alike! The views are gorgeous, and the hike is less than a mile long. Do this one early or later in the day because the sun is relentless here.

Subway Cave

Now we’re on to the more challenging hikes! Subway Cave was probably the hardest hike we did for two reasons. One, it was just long at over six miles. Two, the scramble into the cave was the trickiest we’ve done so far as a family. We made it, though! Definitely wear toddlers. The view in the cave is unbelievable, but you’ll want to hold kiddo hands tightly. The cave is reached via Boynton Canyon Trail; use the map so you don’t miss the Cave Spur (turnoff)! Parking is challenging here, but there’s more parking on Boynton Pass Road. Your America the Beautiful Pass on your dashboard counts as paying for parking!

Devil’s Bridge

Devil’s Bridge

The Devil’s Bridge hike is one of the easier “iconic” Sedona hikes in my opinion. It’s 4 miles round-trip, and you can shave off half that with a 4×4 vehicle that you’re brave enough to drive on Dry Creek Road to the trailhead. We saw people doing it in older SUVs and trucks, but we also saw someone rip their truck’s step off. I wouldn’t take our F350, but I would definitely drive it in a rented Jeep! We just hiked to the official trailhead from Dry Creek Vista Parking, which is very small. There is more parking on Boynton Pass Road, or you can take the free shuttle. Just pay attention to when that last shuttle arrives!

Soldier Pass

Soldier Pass is another iconic Sedona hike (and the main picture for this post is from there!), and it’s one of the shorter ones. The round-trip hike to the cave is under 4 miles. You can also hike just 15 minutes to the stunning Seven Sacred Pools if you’re not up for a longer hike. This hike was probably the most scenic we did on the actual hike itself and not just the end destination. The parking lot is tiny, and it’s completely closed Thursday-Sunday when you have to take the shuttle.

Cathedral Rock

Cathedral Rock is one of the most famous Sedona hikes, and one of the more challenging vertical climbs on this list. It’s a short 1.5 mile hike, but it gains more than 700 feet of elevation and involves lots of scrambling. We turned around about 2/3 of the way through because I wasn’t comfortable with the kids, but it’s doable for the adventurous family with kids 7+! And the views are amazing. This parking lot is also tiny, and it’s completely closed Thursday-Sunday when you have to take the shuttle.

West Fork of Oak Creek

Oak Creek is just north of Sedona, and it’s different from the rest of these hikes for a few reasons. One, it’s not a “red rocks” hike, but the canyon is still pretty. Two, it would be a great hike for really hot days because it’s shaded and you follow the creek to splash in. And three, you can do less than the whole hike and still find enjoyable views. Similar to the other hikes though, the parking lot is busy. Go early because it only opens to allow new cars in a few times a day once it’s full. Parking is $12. I’ll be candid and say that this was by far not my favorite hike we did, but I did include it here because I think it’s a good option for hot days.

Things to do in Sedona with Kids: Sightseeing & Exploring

For those who don’t want to or can’t hike, there are still beautiful options for things to do in Sedona with kids. Here are some of my suggestions!

Chapel of the Holy Cross

The Chapel of the Holy Cross at sunset is not to be missed, in my opinion. We are not a religious family, but the sunlight streaming through these glass windows and the architecture of the building are both breathtaking. Respectful reverence is appropriate when entering, as with most places of worship. But it’s otherwise totally kid-friendly to walk in and sit for a few minutes. My kids enjoyed taking turns standing in the place where it appears the Jesus statue is looking at you.

Chapel of the Holy Cross

Jeep Tour

If hiking is too challenging or not your family’s thing, there are many Jeep tours in the area that can get you out to similar red rocks views. We didn’t take any to recommend, but the Pink Jeep Tours looked fun!

Grasshopper Point Swimming Hole

There are a few places around Sedona with fun swimming holes for hot days, and Grasshopper Point is one of the most accessible. A short walk takes you to a fun swimming hole, where you’ll probably want water shoes if you have them! This is also the perfect place for a picnic. $12 for parking.

Sedona’s Rainbow Trout Farm

The Rainbow Trout Farm is a fun excursion for kids who’d love to catch a fish! You pay by the fish you catch (and $1.50 per person to fish). You can grill them yourselves, or you can take them home. There is no catch and release.

Tlaquepaque Stroll Arts & Shopping Village

This is a charming upscale arts and shopping area that might be fun for families to walk around. They have really unique stores, art galleries, and outdoor sculptures, and the Spanish-inspired architecture is gorgeous. There are also really special outdoor events for things like Dia de los Muertos and a December lantern walk. Check for events during your visit!

Watch sunset from Javelina Cantina or Molé Sedona

These two Mexican restaurants are casual enough for families and boast incredible red rocks sunset views. Enjoy the view after a busy day and get some delicious food to go with it.

Oak Creek Native Goods Stalls

On your way back from the Oak Creek hike, stop in this parking lot and browse authentic Native arts and crafts for sale. My kids were enamored by the beautiful beadwork and immediately wanted hair clips and bracelets.

Oak Creek

Sedona Public Library

You know we love a library when we travel (have you read my library cards for non-residents post yet?). I’ve included the library on this list because it would be a great option to cool off or stay out of a stormy day!

Harkins Theatres Movie Theatre

There is a small movie theatre in Sedona that would also be a great option for inclement weather days. Or if your legs are too tired from all that hiking!

Things to do in Sedona with Kids: State Parks & National Monuments

Slide Rock State Park

Slide Rock State Park should top the list of things to do in Sedona with kids if 1. It’s warm enough to be in chilly water and 2. Your kids are big enough to swim. You can absolutely visit with smaller kids, but the rock water slides are the best part. Wear water shoes for traction, and be prepared for it to be busy in the summer. $20 for a car to enter.

Red Rock State Park

Red Rock State Park is one of the most beautiful state parks ever. There is a small visitor center, cool guided ranger programs, and lots of family-friendly trails with stunning red rocks views. Entrance fees are $7/adult, $4 for 7-13, and free for 6 and under.

Montezuma Castle National Monument

Montezuma Castle is a neat national monument site in Camp Verde, not too far from Sedona. Check out the massive cave dwellings of the Sinagua People and an educational visitor center with a Junior Ranger program. $10/person or free with an America the Beautiful Pass.

Tuzigoot National Monument

Tuzigoot National Monument is another Sinagua pueblo dwelling in Cottonwood, and it makes for a quick, uncrowded stop. Really interesting museum with the indigenous history of the area, and a pretty view of Jerome in the mountains. $10/person 16+ or free with an America the Beautiful Pass.

Palatki Heritage Site

Palatki Heritage Site is another cliff dwelling that also features petroglyphs. You will need a reservation to visit, and it’s down a rough 6 mile dirt road. But it is stunning! Tours are free.

Camping on the road to Palatki

Things to do in Sedona with Kids: Day Trips

If you want to stay in Sedona on your Sedona trip, I wouldn’t blame you. But since we stayed in the area for months, I feel it would be irresponsible of me not to mention the other fun family activities around here! Here are some things to do within 90 minutes of Sedona if you’ve exhausted all of the things to do in Sedona with kids.

Jerome

Jerome is such an adorable little ex-mining town in the mountains. You can visit Jerome State Historic Park, stroll the artsy downtown, and take in the breathtaking views. For more Jerome ideas, check out my friend Mel’s post on one day in Jerome.

Verde Canyon Railroad

For your train lovers, the Verde Canyon Railroad in Cottonwood is not cheap, but it is a fun (and scenic!) excursion. Some say it’s more scenic than the Grand Canyon railroad, and there is a December holiday train.

The Science Vortex

The small but fun Science Vortex is an affordable outing for families who love science or need an indoor break. It’s only open on Thursdays and the weekend, but if you can catch it, it’s a blast. Family admission is only $15, or free with an ASTC reciprocal membership.

Out of Africa Wildlife Park

The Out of Africa Wildlife Park is not a cheap experience, but may be worth it for animal lovers. It’s a walking or driving safari style zoo in Camp Verde that also features a zip line for older kids and adults. Tickets start at $28.

Flagstaff Snow Park

If you’re visiting in winter months, Flagstaff Snow Park looks like a blast. Tubing starts at $25 a person for a half day.

Meteor Crater

Meteor Crater

This amazing Meteor Crater is northeast of Sedona, and it really is an impressive natural wonder. Tickets are $27 for teens and adults, $18 for kids, free for 5 and under.

I hope this post helps you plan by giving you lots of ideas for things to do in Sedona with kids! If you visit, let me know in the comments 🙂

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December 26, 2023
Best Museums for Kids NYC: Insider Tips
We may be a nomadic family now, but we launched from Brooklyn! We lived in New York City for almost 15 years. So who better to share a list of best museums for kids NYC?

There’s a common misconception that NYC isn’t a great destination for families, but I think that couldn’t be further from the truth. True, there are certain transportation and crowd logistics to overcome. But it’s so worth it for the vast array of cultural experiences NYC has to offer!

This list encompasses my absolute favorite museums in New York City that I think are great choices for families. Some are children-oriented, but most are just amazing choices for anyone that happen to be interactive and kid-friendly. Those are the museums that are always my favorite anywhere — welcoming to children, but still fascinating for adults!

If you’re taking a vacation to NYC, let us help you plan! Learn how to have a fantastic trip from people who lived there:

NYC Made Easy

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NYC Made Easy quantity

Category: Destinations, Ebooks

Tags: Destination, Ebook, NYC

Now let’s get to the good stuff!

Best Museums for Kids NYC List:

American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History is world-famous for a reason: it is amazing. It’s also massive! There are dinosaur bones, a planetarium and butterfly garden, rare gems, all the animals your heart could desire, and even an entire blue whale sculpture hanging from the ceiling. This museum is the quintessential big-city museum for animal lovers (like most kids!). Bonus points for watching A Night at the Museum before your visit to get the family extra excited.

Admission starts at $28 for adults, $16 for kids (suggested admission for Tri-State area residents!). Advanced ticket reservations required. This museum is right off Central Park, which makes it perfect for before or after a park picnic.

Museum of the Moving Image

The Museum of the Moving Image is one of those museums that I would recommend to almost anyone visiting NYC. It’s the only museum in the country dedicated to the art, science, and technology of movies. They have Star Wars memorabilia and a hands-on Jim Henson exhibit, plus a bunch of programming for families. There are exhibits like a booth where you can practice recording your own voiceover. It’s a super fun place! Plus, tickets are more affordable than some of the more famous museums.

Admission is $20 for adults, $10 for children. If you head to Astoria for this museum, get some Greek food in the neighborhood while you’re there!

New York Transit Museum

New York Transit Museum

The New York Transit Museum is the *ultimate* destination for kids who love things that go! The basement of this museum is a decommissioned subway station filled with vintage subway train cars. You can walk through all of them and observe how subway technology and comfort evolved. It is fascinating! There are also interactive kid-friendly exhibits upstairs like a nearly life-sized play bus. This museum is a can’t-miss if you have a train loving kid (or grownup!) in your group.

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children. FREE if you have a museum membership with ASTC reciprocity! This would be a great museum to combine with a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Of all of the many children’s museums in NYC, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum is the best in my opinion. The Manhattan one is fun, but always absolutely packed. In Brooklyn, there are some small animals to observe, a giant bus to play on, a grocery store to pretend shop in, and rotating exhibits upstairs. My kids’ favorite part was always the water play section, though, where we have spent so SO many happy hours. Bonus is that parking is easy right outside this museum if you’re driving in.

Admission is $15 a person, free hours on Thursday afternoons. Consider adding on time in Prospect Park or at the Prospect Park Zoo to your day here.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Tenement Museum

The Tenement Museum is another super unique-to-NYC experience. It offers guided tours through historic tenement buildings to illustrate the history of immigrants in NYC. It’s a really interesting experience with paid actors leading the way. I would take mid-elementary kids and up, only because standing still and quiet might be challenging for the younger kids.

Admission is $30 per person. If you make it downtown to this museum, I highly recommend adding on time in Little Italy or Chinatown. Wo Hop is our favorite Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood.

The Morgan Library & Museum

The Morgan Library & Museum varies in its exhibits widely, but I’ve included it on the best museums for kids NYC list mostly because of the library. It took my breath away the first time I saw it because it truly resembles the library from Beauty & the Beast. If you have book lovers or Belle wannabes in your family, this museum is worth a stop. It’s also so conveniently situated near other outings you’ve probably planned in Midtown, unless the other museums on this list.

Admission is $22 for adults, free for 12 and under. This museum is right near the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, and 5th Avenue shopping you might already be planning.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is another one of those iconic NYC museums. It’s massive (you could never see it all in one visit or ten!), so there really is something for everyone. Some of the special exhibits are absolutely mind-blowing if you love art. Our kids always especially enjoyed the Egyptian rooms, where you can walk inside a whole temple. To help get your kids even more excited about visiting The Met, read The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The kids in that story live in the museum for a week!

Admission is $30, free for under 12 (suggested admission for Tri-State residents!). Afternoon tea at Alice’s Tea Cup would be the perfect combination with a visit to The Met.

The Cloisters

The Cloisters is an homage to all things medieval. Medieval art set in a building incorporating medieval architecture. Plus gorgeous gardens! What kid wouldn’t want to explore a castle and then stretch legs outside in a beautiful garden? This museum is a fun excursion way uptown where it’s a more relaxed vibe for anyone feeling overwhelmed by urban life.

Admission is $30, free for under 12 (suggested admission for Tri-State residents!). Explore Fort Tryon Park afterwards or hop across the river into the Bronx to tour Yankee stadium.

Queens County Farm Museum

The Queens County Farm Museum is a working farm that has been producing food for New Yorkers for over 300 years. There are livestock, seasonal events like hay rides, and an interactive children’s farm. This is the perfect outing for anyone looking to connect with local agriculture within the city limits.

Admission is free, except on certain ticketed days. Out of towners might consider combining a trip here with the New York Hall of Science or a delicious meal in Queens’ Koreatown.

New York Hall of Science

The New York Hall of Science is a fun and interactive science center for all ages. It’s packed full of hands-on exhibits that range from complex science to toddler play. My kids always adored the interactive bubble exhibit. This is the perfect way to end a trip through the best museums for kids NYC.

Admission starts at $22 for adults, $19 for children. FREE if you have a museum membership with ASTC or ACM reciprocity! Out of towners might consider combining a trip here with the Queens County Farm Museum or a delicious meal in Queens’ Koreatown.

Bookmark this post with the best museums for kids NYC from someone who lived there with kids for a long time! I hope it helps you as you plan your NYC visit. And let me know if you have any questions in the comments. If you’re interested in museums in other places, check out our best museums for kids list!

Disclaimer: Product links in this blog post may be Affiliate links, and I will earn a small commission for each purchase made through these links at no extra cost to you. Affiliate income helps fund our family travel and allows me to keep creating inspiring family travel content for you. I so appreciate when you use my links to make purchases you would have made anyway.

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December 20, 2023
Travel Journal for Kids: Instant Download Unique State Worksheet!
Today I’m really excited to share the printable travel journal for kids I designed! I’ve looked before for a state worksheet for kids that I felt captured the information I wanted my kids to journal about and remember. Since I never found one I loved, I designed my own!

This travel journal for kids / state worksheet is perfect for full time travel families who are roadschooling OR any family taking a family vacation! It gives kids the opportunity to document what they learned and reflect on the experience with questions like:
- What foods are special in this state?
- Who are the Indigenous people of this area?
- Did you see any new plants or animals?
- What was different about how kids live here?
- Share a random fact about this state?
- Share some topics you’d like to learn more about after visiting this state?
- Plus room to draw maps and tape souvenirs!
This travel journal has two different leveled options: one for young elementary kids who need more room to draw and less room to write, plus one for older kids with the ability to journal more in-depth. The other thing I’m excited about for this state worksheet is that it features two pages for parents or caregivers to journal about the trip, too.

I also love tying back what we visited and studied into our homeschool learning by reading books and watching documentaries. This journal includes space for you to log what you did in those ways, too.

State Worksheet / Travel Journal for Kids

$2.00

If you’ve ever wished for an easy way to capture what your kids learn as you travel, this is it! Forget other state worksheets that require boring, irrelevant details like the state flower. Let’s write about what we learned and experienced! This state worksheet digital product includes leveled worksheets for kids: one two page log…

State Worksheet / Travel Journal for Kids quantity

Category: Printables, Roadschooling

Tags: Homeschooling, Printables, Roadschooling

This kid travel journal is a digital download only. After purchasing, you can print as many copies as you want to right away!

I love the idea of kids keeping a log of what they’ve learned for years as part of an amazing homeschool portfolio or family travel keepsake.

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December 14, 2023

Free Library Card: The Ultimate List for Travelers

Image of hand holding free library card options | O'Phalen Adventures

It’s no secret that one of the best resources in the world is a free library card. Especially if you’re homeschooling! Our public library branch in Brooklyn was one of the hardest things for me to leave behind when we became a full time travel family. BUT that doesn’t mean we’ve given up on libraries!

And as I’ve spoken to a lot of traveling families, I’ve discovered that not everyone knows how easy and accessible it can be to get a non resident library card! So I’ve decided to put together a resource to help traveling families with information about where to get a free library card (or cheap library card!) as a non resident.

Why Get a Free Library Card as You Travel?

Libraries are an amazing resource just to visit, even without a library card. But when we’re in one place for a bit, being able to check out books for all of us is a gift. Libraries also offer some extra perks, depending on the library. California libraries, for example, offer a California State Park Pass to save you some money. Many libraries have discounted or cheap museum passes for their city, as well. And some libraries we’ve been to even loan household items like a leaf blower or Instapot!

Is Every Library on This List Offering a Free Library Card?

I included libraries that charge a small fee for non-residents. It’s often worth it to me to pay when we’re staying somewhere for a few weeks or longer!

Why Would I Bother With an E-Card?

Libby, Kanopy, and Hoopla offer electronic resources that are an invaluable resource. We check out hundreds of ebooks a year through the Libby app. I read the books on my phone and Kindle, and our oldest has her own Kindle that she can read library books on, too. Kanopy and Hoopla offer movies, music, and more! We love using them to check out a musical album to listen to for awhile or to watch an interesting documentary.

A few of these libraries even offer electronic cards that you can apply for online, meaning you don’t even have to drop by the branch to receive one.

Am I a Resident If I’m Staying Somewhere For a Month or Longer?

Keep in mind that libraries have varying responses to whether a campground address or bill is proof of residency. Libraries not included on this list may give out free library cards to “residents” of RV parks, but I haven’t included them unless someone has personally verified that or it is clearly defined on their website. Some libraries also give full borrowing privileges to people who work in the area, which doesn’t apply to us, but may apply to some traveling families.

Can I Buy You a Coffee for Putting This Together?

Yes, please! This list took over 40 hours to compile, and it is my absolute pleasure to share it with you. But if you want to buy me a coffee for my efforts, it would be appreciated!

Now, on to the library details 🙂

Free Library Card for Travelers Database:

Location	Non-Resident Policy	Cost	Virtual Card?	Ebooks?
Alabama

Gulf Shores Thomas B. Norton Public Library	Visitors with valid photo ID and home address can get card	$0	Must visit in person	Libby
Huntsville-Madison County Public Library	Non-residents can get card for a fee, photo ID required	$20 annual fee for individual, $35 for family	Must visit in person	Hoopla
Mobile Public Library	Residents only, but “rent receipt” qualifies, so may accept RV park receipt	Free for residents of Mobile County	Temporary cards for residents available via online application	Hoopla
Tuscaloosa Public Library	Non-residents can get card for a fee, photo ID required	$10 annual fee per person	Must visit in person, must renew annually in person	Libby

Alaska

Anchorage Public Library	Out of state visitors can receive 3 month card with 3 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Libby
Fairbanks Public Library	Yes, contact a branch for details	Contact a branch for details	Must visit in person	Libby and Hoopla
Homer Public Library	Temporary visitors can receive a 6 month card with 10 item limit	“A small fee”	Must visit in person, share proof of home mailing address	Alaska Digital Library
Juneau Public Library	Visitors staying for 28+ days may receive a temporary card with 2 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Libby
Mat-Su Library Network	Non-residents can pay for card	$10/4 months and 3 item limit or $35/annual and full privileges	Must visit in person
Seward Community Library	Temporary visitors can receive a one year card with 3 item limit with local temporary address	$0	Must visit in person and share local reference (“landlord”)	None for temporary cards

Arizona

Apache Junction Public Library	Easy Access card with 3-item limit for anyone with any photo ID	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy, Hoopla
Camp Verde Community Library	Temporary cards issued without residency proof, limited access	$0	Must visit in person
Flagstaff City – Coconino County Public Library	Non-residents can receive a 1 year library card	$0	Must visit in person, temporary cards upgraded after 1 year	Libby and Hoopla
Lake Havasu City (Mohave County)	30 day non-renewable card if address not verified, local business receipt with name and address accepted	$0	Can register online	Libby
Mesa Public Library	Anyone who lives in Maricopa County for 30 days a year is eligible for a free card, or non-residents can purchase a card	$0 or $40/year	Can register for an e-card online here or a full card in person	Libby, Kanopy
Page Public Library	Temporary visitors can receive a 6 month card, 6 book limit	$25	Must visit in person	Libby
Phoenix Public Library	Easy Access card with 3-item limit for anyone with any photo ID, non-residents can pay for full access card	$0 or $40/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Quartzsite Public Library	Non-residents can receive a 1 year card	$0	Must visit in person
Scottsdale Public Library	Visitors can receive a 3 month card, 10 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Hoopla and Kanopy
Sedona Public Library	Visitors can receive a 1 year card	$25	Must visit in person, provide photo ID	Libby

Arkansas

Bentonville Public Library	Visitors can receive a 1 year card, digital checkouts only	$0	Must visit in person	Libby
Fayetteville Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	Annual fee not disclosed, financial aid available	Must visit in person	Libby
Garland County Library (Hot Springs)	Non-residents can pay for an annual card	$30	Must visit in person	Libby and Hoopla
Texarkana Public Library	Non-residents can pay for an annual card	$20	E-cards for digital materials here	Libby, Kanopy, Hoopla

California

Anaheim Public Library	Anyone in the world can get a digital card to access digital resources	$0	~~Can apply online here~~, must apply in person as of 2025	CloudLibrary
Kern County Public Library	Non-residents can pay for an annual card (CA residents free)	$25	Must visit in person with photo ID	Libby, Hoopla, CloudLibrary
Los Angeles Public Library	Non-residents can pay for an annual card (CA residents free)	$50 (pricey, but great ebook selection!)	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy, Hoopla
Monterey County Free Libraries	Out-of-State residents can apply in person	Ask in person	Must visit in person	Libby
Palm Springs Public Library	Non-residents can pay for tiers of cards	$12/1 month, $24/3 months, $36/year	Must visit in person	Libby
Riverside County Public Library	Out-of-State residents can pay for an annual card, will accept RV park receipt for free card	$0 or $10 for Out-of-State Resident card	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, CloudLibrary
San Francisco Public Library	Visitors can pay for temp card (CA residents free)	$10/3 months	Must visit in person and provide temp SF address	Libby, Kanopy, Hoopla
San Diego Public Library	Non-residents can pay for an annual card (CA residents free)	$32.50	Must visit in person	CloudLibrary
San Jose Public Library	Non-residents can receive a 1 item/digital items limited card	$0	Can apply online for e-card here	Libby and Hoopla
Santa Barbara County Library	Non-residents can receive 3 item card	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Sunnyvale Public Library	Without proof of residency, instant e-card for e-books or limited 2 item card	$0	E-card available here, in person for physical materials	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Colorado

Boulder Public Library	3 week courtesy card with 5 item limit available	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Denver Public Library	Visitors staying for at least 1 month can apply for provisional card	$0?	Must visit in person	Libby and Kanopy
Mesa County Libraries	Temporary visitors may apply for a limited 3 month card or pay for full access	$25/3 months full access	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Ouray Public Library	Visitors staying 3+ weeks may receive temporary card with no item limit	$0	Must visit in persoon	Libby
Pikes Peak Library District	Limited cards may be issued when proof of address is unavailable	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Pitkin County Library (Aspen)	Full library cards issued with no proof of residency	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Summit County Library	Visitors can pay for a card	$10/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Connecticut

Ferguson Library (Stamford)	Visitors can put down a refundable deposit for a temporary card	$25/6 months, refundable	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Hartford Public Library	Without proof of residency, e-card is available	$0	Must visit in person	Libby and Kanopy
New Haven Free Public Library	Without proof of residency, e-card may be available	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Delaware

Dover Public Library	Non-residents can pay for an annual card	$25/year	Must visit in person, e-cards online with a Delaware address	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Rehoboth Beach Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/1 month or $25/year	Must visit in person, e-cards online with a Delaware address	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Wilmington Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a limited one-month card or full privileges annual card	$10/1 month and limited privileges or $40/year for full access	Must visit in person, e-cards online with a Delaware address	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Florida

Broward Public Library	Visitors can receive a free e-card or pay for an annual card	$0 or $38/year	In person for regular card, instant e-card online here	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative (Tampa)	Non-residents can pay for a card for physical items only	$35/year	In person only unless you have a local address	Not available for visitors
Miami Public Library	Non-resident cards are expensive, but e-cards for digital items are available with local address	$0	E-card online here	Libby, Hoopla
Monroe County Public Library (Key West)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$30/year	Can register online here	Libby
Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative (Destin)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$30/6 months	Must visit in person	Libby
Sarasota County Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$15/3 months, $25/6 months, $40/year	Must visit in person	CloudLibrary and Hoopla
St. Johns County Public Library System (St. Augustine)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$7/1 month, $15/3 months, $50/year	Must visit in person	Libby and Hoopla

Georgia

Athens Regional Library System	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/year	Apply online for an e-card here or get full access card in person	Libby
Cobb County Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$40/year	Must visit in person	Libby and Kanopy
DeKalb County Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card, “rent receipt” counts to prove residency	$35/year for non-residents	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Fulton County Library System (Atlanta)	Non-residents can pay for a card, homeschooling parents in the area eligible for free card	$40/year or free for homeschoolers	Apply online, but must pick up card in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Live Oak Public Libraries (Savannah)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Hawaii

Hawaii State Public Library System	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/3 months or $25 for FIVE years (!!)	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Idaho

Boise Public Library	Temporary cards are available for 3 months with a 2 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Coeur d’Alene Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$30/year	Must visit in person	Libby
Idaho Falls Public Library	Temporary cards available with a 2 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Libby
Lewiston City Library	Temporary cards are available	$0?	Must visit in person	Libby

Illinois

Champaign Public Library	Temporary resident card available, RV park may qualify, 6 month card/10 item limit	$0	Apply for an e-card here	Libby and Hoopla
Chicago Public Library	Visitors can use a Chicago address for an e-card or get full access by leaving cash deposit for items checked out	$0 or ???	Apply for an e-card here or visit in person for full access	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Lincoln Library (Springfield)	Temporary resident or non-resident card available	Call or visit for details	Can apply online here or in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Peoria Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	Call or visit for details	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Indiana

Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library	Temporary and e-cards available	$0, Visit a library branch to confirm eligibility	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Iowa

Cedar Rapids Public Library	Quick library card with no address proof, 3 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Davenport Public Library	Visitors can bring their home library card to borrow items	$0	Must visit in person	Libby
Iowa City Public Library	Temporary cards for up to 8 weeks available with 2 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Sioux City Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/1 month, $25/3 months	Must visit in person	Libby and Kanopy

Kansas

Kansas City Kansas Public Library	E-cards available to anyone within the library’s service area, digital items only	$0	Can apply here	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Lawrence Public Library	Temporary one year card available for campground residents, 3 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Libby and Kanopy
Salina Public Library	Cards may be granted to temporary out-of-state residents	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Wichita Public Library	E-cards available without proof of residency, digital items only	$0	Must visit in person	Libby

Kentucky

Boyle County Public Library	Visitors can receive renewable 30 day card, 10 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Libby
Louisville Free Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/year	Must visit in person	Libby and Hoopla
Mary Wood Weldon Memorial Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/year	Must visit in person	Libby and Hoopla
Nelson County Public Library	Non-residents receive a card	$0	Must visit in person

Louisiana

Calcasieu Parish Public Library	Temporary cards available for 3 months, 3 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Libby and Kanopy
Lafayette Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card, 10 item limit	$20/year	Must visit in person	Libby
New Orleans Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$50/year	Must visit in person or email librarian	Libby, Kanopy, Hoopla
Shreve Memorial Library	Non-residents can pay for a card, 5 item limit	$20/year	Must visit in person	Libby and Hoopla
St. Tammany Parish Library	Visitors can receive a free 1 month card or pay for a card	$0 or $30/year	Must visit in person	Libby and Hoopla

Maine

Jesup Memorial Library (Bar Harbor)	Visitor cards available	Ask a librarian	Must visit in person
Lithgow Public Library (Augusta)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$15/3 months, $30/6 months, $60/year	Must visit in person	CloudLibrary and Hoopla
Portland Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$20/year	Must visit in person	Libby
Wells Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/3 months, $20/year	Must visit in person	CloudLibrary

Maryland

Baltimore County Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$50/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Montgomery County Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Prince George’s County Memorial Library	Temporary residents can receive a free card	$0	Must visit in person for full access or apply online for 6 month digital access	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Worcester County Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/year		Libby, Hoopla

Massachusetts

Boston Public Library	Ages 13-26 can receive free Books Unbanned card for “frequently challenged” digital collection	$0	Apply online here	Libby
Springfield City Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$35/year	Must visit in person for full access or apply online for digital access	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Vineyard Haven Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card with a 10 item limit	$10/year	Must visit in person, card works at all Cape Cod libraries and Martha’s Vineyard/Nantucket	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Worcester Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/year	Must visit in person for full access or apply online for temporary digital access	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Michigan

Capital Area District Libraries (Lansing, etc)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/6 months or $50/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Gloria Coles Flint Public Library	Visitors can apply for a temporary e-card for digital access	$0	Apply online here	Libby, Kanopy
Peter White Memorial Library (Marquette)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$35/3 months	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Traverse Area District Library	Visitors can receive a 3-month card with 3 item limit (no digital)	$0	Must visit in person with hotel or campground receipt

Minnesota

Fergus Falls Public Library	Does not require documentation	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Red Wing Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$5/1 month, $10/3 months, $20/6 months, $40/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Scott County Public Library	Welcome cards for visitors, two item limit and digital access	$0	Must visit in person	Libby
Winona Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/3 months, $20/6 months or $40/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla

Mississippi

Hattiesburg Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/6 months (may apply for waiver due to need)	Must visit in person	Hoopla
Jackson Hinds Library System	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Laurel-Jones County Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10 one time fee	Must visit in person	Hoopla

Missouri

Joplin Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$12.50/3 months, $50/year	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Kansas City Public Library	Non-residents can receive a limited card for in-person items	$0	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
St. Louis Public Library	Without proof of residency, limited card available with 2 item limit and digital access	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Taneyhills Library (Branson)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$5	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla

Montana

Billings Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$20/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Bozeman Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Great Falls Public Library	Non-residents can purchase a temporary card	$10/3 months	Must visit in person	Libby
ImagineIF Library (Flathead County)	Visitors can receive a limited card	$0	Must visit in personn	Libby
Lewis & Clark Library (Helena)	Non-residents can pay for a card, temporary residents can receive free 3 month card	$45 for non-resident card (free in 2023)	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Hoopla
Missoula Public Library	Visitors may receive a temporary card	Ask a librarian	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy

Nebraska

Kearney Public Library	Library cards available to anyone regardless of residency	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Lincoln City Libraries	Non-residents can pay for a card	$5/summer, $15/3 months, $60/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Morton-James Public Library (Nebraska City)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/year	Must visit in person	Libby
Omaha Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$6.25/month, $25/3 months, $75/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Scottsbluff Public Library	Temporary cards available without proof of residence, 3 item limit for 3 months	$0	Must visit in person	Libby

Nevada

Las Vegas – Clark County Library District	Visitors can receive a free e-card, ask a librarian about full access card	$0	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Pahrump Community Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	“Small fee,” ask a librarian
Washoe County Library System (Reno)	Non-residents can receive a limited card	$0	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby

New Hampshire

Lane Memorial Library (Hampton)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$20/4 months, $60/year	Must visit in person	Libby
Manchester City Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$50/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Portsmouth Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$35/3 months, $55/6 months, $100/year	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

New Jersey

Atlantic City Free Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$30/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Atlantic County Library System	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/4 months, $60/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Long Branch Free Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$20/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy, Hoopla
Newark Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$50/year	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

New Mexico

Alamogordo Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$15		Libby, Kanopy
Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library	Non-residents can receive a limited card	Ask a librarian	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Las Cruces Public Library	Visitors can receive a 3 month card	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy, Hoopla
Santa Fe Public Library	Visitors can receive a 4 item card	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy, Hoopla
Taos Public Library	Visitors can receive a temporary card	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy

New York

Albany Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$50/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Brooklyn Public Library	Ages 13-21 can receive free Books Unbanned card for digital collection, anyone can receive Welcome card without ID for 3 items	$0	Apply online here for Books Unbanned, here for Welcome card	Libby
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library	Temporary residents of one month or more can receive a short term card	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Caldwell-Lake George Library	Temporary residents of one month or more can receive a short term card	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
New York Public Library	Visitors can receive a 3 month card	$0	Must visit in person	Libby
Plattsburgh Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/year	Must visit in person	Libby

North Carolina

Buncombe County Public Library (Asheville)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$20/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$45/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Fontana Regional Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$15/6 months	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Haywood County Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
New Hanover County Public Library (Wilmington)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$15/6 months, $30/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Wake County Public Library System (Raleigh)	Temporary cards for 60 days/3 item limit or Non-Resident card with full access	$0 for Temporary, $25/year for Non-Resident	Must visit in person	Libby

North Dakota

Bismarck Veterans Memorial Public Library	Free temporary cards or paid Non-Resident cards	$0 or $30/year	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Hoopla
Fargo Public Library	Card can be mailed to you as proof of residence or Non-Resident cards available	$20/year for Non-Residents	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Minot Public Library	Temporary and Non-Resident cards available	$10 for Temporary card, $25 for Non-Resident card	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla

Ohio

Cincinnati Public Library	Temporary cards for physical items only	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Cuyahoga County Public Library	Opportunity cards for those in transition, 3 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Dayton Metro Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/year	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Toledo Lucas County Public Library	Non-resident cards available, ask a librarian for details	Ask a librarian	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Oklahoma

Pioneer Library System	Non-residents can pay for a card	Ask a librarian	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Tulsa City-County Library	30 day / 2 item limit cards available for visitors	$0, ask about non-resident card fees	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla

Oregon

Astoria Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$18/3 months, $35/6 months	Must visit in person	Libby
Cannon Beach Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/year	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby
Coos Bay Public Library	Provisional cards for temporary residents	$0	Visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Eugene Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$11/month	Visit in person or call	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Hood River County Library District	Non-residents can pay for a card	$20/3 months	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Klamath County Library Service District	Temporary cards available with 2 item limit	Ask a librarian	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Multnomah County Library (Portland)	Homeschoolers may be eligible for a free educator card	Ask a librarian	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Tillamook County Library	Temporary and Non-Resident cards available	$20/3 months, $50/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Pennsylvania

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh	Non-residents can pay for a card	$30/2 years	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Erie County Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card for physical items only	$10/year	Must visit in person
Lancaster Public Library	Non-resident card options available, see the librarian	Ask a librarian	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Union County Library System	Non-residents can pay for a card	$20/year	Must visit in person	Libby

Rhode Island

Pawtucket Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$40/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Providence Public Library	Visitors can receive 2 month temporary card with hotel or other receipt	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Woonsocket Harris Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/year	Must visit in person	Libby

South Carolina

Chapin Memorial Library (Myrtle Beach)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$8/3 months, $20/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Dorcester County Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$35/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Florence County Library System	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/year	Must visit in person	Libby
Greenville County Library System	Non-residents can pay for a card	$45/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Spartanburg County Public Libraries	Non-residents can pay for a card, free 2 month Courtesy Card with 2 item limit	$0 or $35/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

South Dakota

Grace Balloch Memorial Library (Spearfish)	Non-residents can pay for a card, no digital access	$30/year	Must visit in person
Rapid City Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$9.25/month	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Siouxland Libraries	Non-residents can pay for a card, RV address not residency	$17/3 months	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Hoopla

Tennessee

Clarksville-Montgomery County	Non-residents can pay for a card	$20/year	Must visit in person	Libby
Chattanooga Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card or volunteer to waive fee	$50/year or 20 hours volunteering	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Hoopla
Collierville Burch Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$50/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Texas

Brazoria County Library System	Texas resident with local address	$0	Visit in person or apply online here and card can be mailed to you	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Corpus Christi Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$12.50/6 months, $25/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Denton Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/6 months, $50/year	Must visit in person	Libby
El Paso Public Libraries	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/6 months, $50/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Harris County Public Library (Houston)	Several options for temporary visitor cards and full access e-card with local address	$0	Full access visitor card in person or apply for e-card here	Libby, Kanopy
Pflugerville Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$25/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Waco-McLennan Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$30/3 months	Must visit in person	Libby

Utah

Grand County Public Library (Moab)	Free Introductory card with local address for 1 year / 5 items, or paid Non-Resident card with full acess	$0 for Introductory card, or $15/3 months, $60/year	Must visit in person	Libby
Park City Library	Non-residents can pay for a card, homeschoolers may be eligible for a free 2 year card	$20/6 months, $40/year	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby
Salt Lake City Public Library System	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/1 month, $20/3 months, $80/year	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Kanopy
Washington County Library System (St. George)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$20/6 months, $33/year	Must visit in person	Libby

Vermont

Ilsley Public Library (Middlebury)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$15/3 months, $25/6 months, $45/year	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Kanopy
Norman Willis Public Library (Woodstock)	Non-residents can pay for a card	$70/year, but can request reduction or exemption due to limited income	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Rutland Free Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$45/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Waterbury Public Library	Non-residents can pay a fee to receive an annual card	$25/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy

Virginia

Fairfax County Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$27/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Lynchburg Public Library	Anyone can receive a free card	$0	Visit in person for full access or apply online here for e-card only	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Mary Riley Styles Public Library (Falls Church)	Opportunity Card for temporary visitors, 1 year card with 3 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Libby
Newport News Public Library	Anyone with local address can receive a free card	$0	Visit in person for full access or apply online here for e-card only	Libby, Kanopy
Roanoke Area Public Library	Temporary residents can receive card with 2 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Ask a librarian
Virginia Beach Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$10/3 months, $35/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Washington

Bellingham Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	Ask a librarian	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
King County Library System	Temporary residents of 1-6 months can get a 5 item card	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
North Olympic Library System	Limted card available without residency proof, RV park may qualify for residency	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Seattle Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card, Ages 13-26 can receive free Books Unbanned card for digital collection	$25/3 months for non-residents	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Spokane Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$3.50/month, $42/year	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Timberland Regional Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$8/1 month, $25/3 months	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Yakima Valley Libraries	Provisional card for those without proof of address, 2 item limit	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy

West Virginia

Morgantown Public Library	Non-residents can pay for a card	$20/year	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Ohio County Public Library (Panhandle)	Temporary residents can receive 5 item card with hotel or campground receipt	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy
Raleigh County Public Library (Beckley)	Non-residents can pay a deposit to check out 2 items at a time	Ask a librarian	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla

Wisconsin

Kilbourn Public Library (Wisconsin Dells)	Temporary residents can pay a deposit to check out 2 items at a time	$20 refundable deposit	Must visit in person	Libby
L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library (Eau Claire)	Temporary residents can receive a 3 month / 2 item card	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla
Madison Public Library	Easy Access card doesn’t require proof of address, limit 3 items	$0	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby

Wyoming

Natrona County Library (Casper)	Temporary residents can pay a deposit to check out 3 items at a time	$25 refundable deposit	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Sheridan County Public Library System	Temporary residents can receive a 3 month / 2 item card	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Kanopy
Star Valley Library System	Visitors can receive a one month card	$0	Must visit in person	Libby
Teton County Library (Jackson)	Seasonal card available for 6 months / 10 items	$0	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla

Canada

Calgary Public Library	Local address accepted online, must apply from within Calgary	$0	Visit in person or apply online here	Libby, Kanopy
Halifax Public Libraries	Visitors can pay for a temporary card, may accept campground address for free resident card	$40/6 months	Must visit in person	Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy

Mexico

La Paz Public Libraries	Visitors can check out books with a local address	$0	Must visit in person

My plan is to continue adding and updating as I have time. Feel free to email me information to add or update at kateophalen@gmail.com.

And please link and share this resource widely!

If you’re interested in more full time travel tips, check out these posts:

Follow our adventures on Instagram:

Here’s where you can find all of these amazing things {SAVE & SHARE!}:

All these people on social media telling people DONT GO TO MEXICO WHATS WRONG WITH YOU and I can almost guarantee they don’t have a passport.

Maybe it’s just having a fair amount of practice, maybe it’s hard earned confidence in my ability to problem solve, or maybe it’s true what they say about New Yorkers: If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere!

Our family has been traveling fulltime for almost 6 years now. We didn’t set out to be nomadic for this long, but we’ve found that Anthony Bourdain’s advice to just *move* has been so valuable to our family.

With what’s happening in Mexico, it felt important to share.

We’ve been traveling fulltime together for almost 6 years now 🥹

Get an email when we post and never miss an adventure:

December 11, 2023

Family Holiday Travel: 7 Thoughtful Tips for a Happy Holiday
It’s that time of the year when visiting loved ones or taking a special trip often requires family holiday travel. It can be daunting taking small children on planes or a long road trip, but I promise you can do it!

After over three years of fulltime family travel with small children, we’ve learned a lot about how to maximize moods and minimize meltdowns. We’ve also learned a lot about setting our own expectations of ourselves and others appropriately.

Here are our 7 best tips for smooth family holiday travel:

1. Start small, practice now.

If you have young kids who have never traveled before or haven’t made a long trip in awhile, find ways to practice the skills they’ll need ahead of time. If the trip will require a long car drive, try to find a short weekend day trip to take now. Parents will get the chance to practice packing (and patience!), and kids will get the chance to practice their travel skills, too. Kids are remarkably flexible learners, and giving them the chance to get used to travel before the stakes are high for the holidays will set everyone up for success. We have some ideas for kid travel items linked here if you need some new options!

2. Download some family-friendly audiobooks.

We often start our long drive days listening to an audiobook together as a family. The Libby app on a smartphone connected to a local library will give you instant access to thousands of audiobooks that the whole family will enjoy. Bluetooth-enabled vehicles will allow you to listen through the car’s speakers, or pack headphones for a plane journey. We LOVE our Yoto players so each kid can listen to their own audiobook, too. Bonus points for audiobooks set in the place you’re visiting or written by a local author (we listened to Anne of Green Gables when we visited Prince Edward Island, for example!). Family-friendly podcasts are another great option, and I’ve written a list of our favorites.

3. Let go of some of the normal rules.

We’re generally a pretty low screen time and sugar family (no judgement, that’s just what works for us!). But we are way, way, way more flexible with the rules on things like screen time and sugar on long travel days. If an extra holiday movie on the iPad or a well-timed secret stash of lollipops helps everyone make it to their destination with less stress, go for it. It’s okay to abide by certain ideals at home for 98.5% of your kid’s life and let them go in high-stakes moments.

4. Plan extra time for every transition.

Nothing makes parents and their children more stressed than trying to get out the door or through an airport security line too quickly. Leave earlier than you think you need to for any flight with kids so that a blowout diaper doesn’t derail you. Add in extra time to cushion when you’re expected to make it to that second Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone will be more relaxed and regulated if there’s no need to rush.

5. Let kids have autonomy whenever possible.

There are some parts of family holiday travel that are non-negotiable — flight schedules and inclement weather, for example. Some things that may *feel* non-negotiable might have wiggle room that helps kids have some control over their own holiday experience. Consider allowing a tired child to skip out on that late night event that’s “tradition” if it helps everyone enjoy Christmas morning together more. Bring a safe food for selective eaters to have alongside an unfamiliar holiday meal. Schedule in quiet time for a sensory sensitive child who feels overwhelmed. The more a child can feel their own needs are respected and prioritized, the happier the whole family will be all season long.

6. Build in movement breaks for everyone.

Long holiday meals or formal family occasions might have everyone extra antsy. Add in intentional movement for everyone as a way of staying level-headed and sane. Maybe everyone takes an afternoon hike after opening gifts or maybe there’s a special playground that can be added to the itinerary. Little bodies will be grateful for the chance to be wild little kiddos, but don’t forget about the grownups, too. Even adults benefit from a quick walk outdoors in the fresh air, especially if family tensions are running high.

7. Prioritize family relationships, not others’ opinions.

It can be so easy to let cranky airplane neighbors or a judgy aunt affect the way we parent. Overstimulated and under-rested kids are more likely to have meltdowns or not be their best selves. But our job as parents is to do the best we can for our kids and tune out the societal noise. Our family dynamic and kids’ self-esteem are more important than avoiding that snarky comment.

If you’re traveling to a new state, consider printing out these kid travel journal state worksheets! They’ll be a beautiful memento of your trip and keep little hands busy:

State Worksheet / Travel Journal for Kids

$2.00

If you’ve ever wished for an easy way to capture what your kids learn as you travel, this is it! Forget other state worksheets that require boring, irrelevant details like the state flower. Let’s write about what we learned and experienced! This state worksheet digital product includes leveled worksheets for kids: one two page log…

State Worksheet / Travel Journal for Kids quantity

Category: Printables, Roadschooling

Tags: Homeschooling, Printables, Roadschooling

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December 7, 2023
Our Family Travel Adventures: Full Time Travel Family of 5!
If you’re new to our page, start here! I’ll continue to link new posts here so they’re always easy to access 🙂

Our family travel adventures have taken us to 49 U.S. states, 7 Canadian provinces, and 15 countries…so far! We had absolutely no idea what an epic adventure we were in store for when we left New York City “for the summer” in 2020 and became a full time travel family.

We lived in Airbnbs full time for a year and a half. Then we renovated a 2007 Keystone Raptor to live in. And now we’re sharing what we’ve learned.

Here are just a few of our family travel adventures from the past few years:

One of the main reasons for launching this blog was to inspire and assist families who want to set off on adventures together, whether those adventures are close to home or thousands of miles away. Family travel adventures don’t have to be blowout summers in Europe. Family adventures can look like visiting a new neighborhood to try a new restaurant. Or hiking a gorgeous trail that’s just 30 minutes away. Or taking a weekend trip to that wacky museum your kid would love.

Whether you’ve landed on our blog because you’re interested in full time family travel or you’re looking for resources that make family adventures seem more accessible, we’ve got you covered. I’ve organized everything I’ve learned and shared into categories here:

Traveling with kids lessons from our family travel adventures:
RV life tips and tricks we’ve shared:
Favorite travel destinations from our family travel adventures:
How we homeschool our kids:
Our life & lifestyle:
- Fun Things to do on Your birthday
- Matching Halloween Costumes
As I continue to share more of my thoughts on the blog, I promise to come back here and link everything so it’s easy to find in one place.

If there’s anything you’re desperate to learn more about, leave me a comment and let me know! Or book a personalized call on Buy Me a Coffee or reach out on my Instagram.

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November 30, 2023
Yoto Player Review: An Amazing Travel Accessory for Kids
I can’t stop talking about the kids’ Yoto players. For devices we’d never even heard about a year ago, they’re now such a big part of our life. So a bunch of friends and family have asked me about whether we like them. I figured it was time to write a detailed Yoto player review!

Here’s our experience with them as a family that travels a lot (all the time!), doesn’t do much screen time, and values low-lift educational opportunities in our homeschool life.

Yoto Player Review: how does the Yoto even work?

First things first — what even are these things? Essentially, a Yoto player is a fancy speaker. But what makes it really magical is that it works with Yoto cards that kids can control completely independently. Even our two-year-old can manage her own Yoto player.

These cards can play audiobooks, music playlists, kid podcasts, schoolwork, and even interactive games. You have the option to buy the cards from the Yoto store or to purchase “Make Your Own” cards. Make Your Own cards can have any mp3 linked to them, which really makes the possibilities endless.

You can purchase a Classic Yoto player (UK link!) or a Yoto Mini (UK link!). The main difference is the size of the pixel screen for the icons and a nightlight feature on the bigger Yoto player. We have three Minis, and I highly recommend them. They’re easy for little hands to tote around.

Yoto Player Review: the short version!

Okay, the short version of my Yoto player review is that I’m obsessed. Here’s why:
- My kids adore these things. Like truly adore them. We started with just one for my early reader and ended up with one for each kid within six months.
- They are the perfect family travel accessory. My kids will listen to them for a couple of hours of each travel day, and that is worth any amount of money to a frazzled parent towing an RV.
- They’re relatively affordable. The cards will add up fast if you let them, but our strategy for keeping them affordable was 1. To join the Yoto Club for $10/month and get two new cards every month that way and 2. Make a lot of our own cards with library content and recording ourselves reading the kids’ favorite stories. You also can connect any kid podcast to a Make Your Own card for hours of totally free content.
- They’re a screen-free way for our kids to be independent. We use them on travel days and at “quiet time” for our kids to have some quiet downtime by themselves. We don’t do a whole lot of screen time in our house (no judgement, just a preference), and this gives us tired parents a break.
- They’re so educational if you want them to be. Our kids like to re-listen to the audiobook version of whatever read-aloud book we’ve just finished reading together. I think it really helps cement the story for them. We’ve also used a Make Your Own Card for our oldest to listen to multiplication facts. And last year when she was going through a mythology obsession, I took a bunch of mythology books out from the library and read stories from around the world for her card. My middle child was reciting Shakespeare after listening to the Shakespeare card. Nothing more hilarious than hearing, “We’re under siege by the Scots!!” coming from your 5-year-old’s mouth.
- They help extended family and friends stay in touch. We’ve asked people we love to record themselves reading stories to the kids so they can hear their voices. And this year, we’re asking people to email us happy birthday greetings to put on a birthday card for them. This feature is especially lovely for kids who live far away from people they love.
Yoto Player vs. Toniebox

Some of you might have heard of a Toniebox (or even have one!). They’re somewhat similar to a Yoto player, but there are 3 reasons why I think Yoto is a way better choice for our family:
1. Yoto content is better suited to grow with children in my opinion. Tonies are great for toddlers, but won’t age with kids as well.
2. Tonieboxes are larger, and the characters that play stories and music are WAY larger than Yoto cards. For a family that needs things to be compact, Yoto wins by a mile.
3. Tonie characters are way more expensive than Yoto cards, which makes building a collection a much bigger investment.
What are some of your favorite Yoto cards?

First, you just have to get a pack of Make Your Own cards. You can swap out what’s on there at any time, which allows you to save money and always keep things fresh.

For Toddlers, we like Kids Bop, Daniel Tiger, and Who’s In Your Audiobook.

For Preschoolers, we recommend The Chicken Squad, Hotel Flamingo, and Funny Stories for 5 Year Olds.

For Older Kids, we love Esperanza Rising, Minecraft the Island, and Shakespeare.

Okay, what else should I know?

In my opinion, a case for the Yoto is essential if you’re going to be taking it anywhere. We have these. You’ll also definitely need headphones if you plan on using more than one Yoto at a time in the car.

There are a whole lot of options for how you can store the cards. Lots of people choose card storage like this, but I prefer to attach the cards directly to the Yoto. We use sticky tabs and rings looped through the Yoto case loop so that we can’t lose the cards.

One great option for getting audiobook content for Make Your Own cards is Libro. You can get a free audiobook when you first join:

I’ll end with the fact that Yoto has amazing customer service, which we’ve used several times. I’ve always been really satisfied.

Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments and I’ll write back!

Disclaimer: Product links in this blog post may be Affiliate links, and I will earn a small commission for each purchase made through these links at no extra cost to you. Affiliate income helps fund our family travel and allows me to keep creating inspiring family travel content for you. I so appreciate when you use my links to make purchases you would have made anyway.

If you’re looking for other gift ideas, check out these posts:
- RV Gift Ideas (Special Ideas For Traveling Kids!)
- RV Camping Gift Ideas: Unique Grownup Gifts!
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November 24, 2023
Full Time Travel Family: 10 Lessons We’ve Learned
Our family has always been what I’d describe as adventurous, but we kicked it up a notch in 2020 when we became a full time travel family.

We were professional theatre people in New York City for over a decade, then both parents made career shifts after starting a family — Kate got her MPA and Dan became a recruiter. The pandemic was difficult, but gave us the precious gift of remote work. Because of the shift to remote work, our family has never been closer and we are able to pursue our dream of becoming a full time travel family.

When we left NYC in 2020, we planned to be away for just the summer on the coast of Maine in a charming and remote coastal village. That summer turned into a year and a half of airbnbs all over the country, which turned into buying and renovating our own RV, which turned into a life as nomads for the foreseeable future!

Lessons we’ve learned as a full time travel family for over three years:

1. Adventure can be found anywhere. Yes, anywhere.

As a New Yorker, I definitely had preconceived notions about what parts of the country were worth a visit. I can say now after three years as a full time travel family and 49 states down, those notions were mostly unfair. I was surprised by how much I loved Tucson and Page, Arizona. I had a ball in Cincinnati and Lexington. And I was delighted by Kansas City. Those places would absolutely never have made it on my travel bucket list, but there was so much to see and learn in all of them. There are adorable local libraries and underappreciated national park sites. There are fantastic tiny restaurants and unique hole-in-the-wall museums (like Haines’ Hammer Museum!).

I know that not every family can become a full time travel family, but I promise that there is fun and adventure to be found wherever you are. Local attractions can be really fun with the right mindset. One of our favorite memories is when we had a spring break staycation in New York and checked off all of the places we’d never been to as if we were tourists in our own town.

Brooklyn in 2019

If expensive travel isn’t in the cards, what fun things are day trips from your home?

2. Staying at home with kids all day is almost as exhausting as adventuring with them, so you might as well go for it.

This is one of the parenting philosophies I picked up early on, but being a full time travel family has really cemented it. So many families don’t take the trip or visit the museum or find adventure because parenting is so all-consuming and exhausting. I get it. Truly. But I’ve always found that it’s exhausting no matter what you do all day, even if it’s just staying around the house. So you might as well get out and do the fun things! You’ll be exhausted still, but you’ll be fulfilled and satisfied. Plus, the house stays neater when you’re out of it all day. Just saying.

3. Kids may not remember the places you see or the things you do, but they will incorporate it into who they are.

This is one of my best arguments for traveling while kids are too young to remember it. I’ve heard from so many folks that they want to wait and travel when the kids are “old enough,” but truly they are always old enough. Even if they don’t remember the specifics of what you do or where you go, it will be impossible for them to remain unchanged by travel. Kids build resilience and courage and flexibility and empathy by exploring the world and meeting new people. I have watched it happen with my kids, and I promise that it’s the coolest.

Iceland in 2017

4. Reading about something in a book is amazing, but it cannot top experiencing it in person.

I know, I know…Kate is trash talking books?? Never. I love books. So much. We love books more than almost any family I know. Exploring through books is sometimes our only option, and it is a great one.

However, books do have limits. And there are some things that land differently through experiencing them. You can read about the life cycle of a salmon and understand it intellectually. Or you can watch how Alaskan rhythms move with the annual salmon run. See how both people and animals migrate to chase them. Spend hours perfecting your salmon catching technique, and then learn how to clean a fish. You can taste the difference between a pink salmon and a silver salmon. Watch how human made structures block their path upstream. Discover how subsistence living crosses cultures and borders. It hits different, I tell ya.

Fishing in Alaska in 2023

5. Most of us are so disconnected from the natural world, and finding our way back to it is healing.

I can honestly say that before we became a full time travel family, I could probably identify less than five types of trees. Or birds. Or wildflowers. For parts of our earth that are so necessary and abundant, it’s shocking to me how little attention I paid them. But I think it’s really common.

Now we have probably twenty types of field guides, and we spend a lot of time observing the world around us. My five year old correctly identified a juniper bush all on his own last week just using his books. We notice the small creatures and plants, and we speak to them with care. There’s something so healing about reclaiming the knowledge that we’ve lost through industrialization.

6. It’s scary going way against the grain, but it’s almost always worth it.

We’ve stepped outside of so many social norms to become a full time travel family. We’ve left the school system, we’ve insisted on remote work and created our own jobs, we’ve given up having a “sticks and bricks” house in favor of one on wheels. It takes a lot of courage to live life really differently (especially when kids are involved!).

But wow, has it been worthwhile for us. When people come spend time with us, they are always remarking on how close our kids are, how smart they seem, and how loved you can tell they feel. Not that all of that isn’t possible living a more traditional life, but I always feel validated in our life choices when people notice these things. The proof that our kids are thriving is in the proverbial pudding.

7. You will inspire people just by living unapologetically.

Relatedly, I know our life inspires a lot of people. We didn’t set out to inspire anyone, we just set out to live a life that feels good to us.

Larch hiking in Alberta in 2023

But people are always inspired watching others who live life on their own terms. It can be a hard thing to do with the way our world is structured, and it helps others to know that they can do it, too. The more of us who build our own lives, the more people will be inspired to do the same.

8. We are all capable of things we would never have imagined we are.

Listen, we didn’t own a car for a full decade. Living in New York means you just don’t need one most of the time. So for us to go from car-less to driving a super duty truck and towing a 37 foot trailer was a big change. You could say we leaped right out of our comfort zone.

I thought I’d never be comfortable towing our RV, but I really am a champ at it now. I backed it onto a ferry in Alaska this summer! If I can tow our house that’s almost as long as a semi, we’re all capable of more than we know.

9. You will take pieces of every place you visit and every experience you have with you for life.

It’s impossible to be unchanged by the travel you do. My perspective has been shifted by so many places we’ve been to and so many experiences we’ve had.

I never would have expected that I’d come to love Alaska fireweed flowers more than my beloved bodega peonies. I’ve learned to appreciate small towns and the Midwest. Our summer in Alaska inspired me to live off grid and sacrifice long showers for unbelievable views. It surprised me to discover that I find a saguaro cactus and a desert sunset to be incredibly relaxing. Camping on BLM land has made me more passionate about protecting our public land.

BLM land in Utah in 2023

I could go on and on about the places and experiences that have shaped my views over the past few years, but my point is this: it sticks with you. And it changes you at the core. And that is an amazing gift.

10. Becoming a full time travel family can be logistically challenging.

Full time travel is absolutely amazing, and it can be incredibly difficult. It’s not for everyone, but for those of you who are considering it, read on!

There are a lot of practical considerations when becoming a full time travel family. How to make an income, what method of travel works best, how to build community on the road, what travel pace will keep everyone from burning out, how to store everything in a small space…

If all of that feels overwhelming, we’re happy to help! You can book a call with us here. Take advantage of everything we’ve learned the slow, hard way 😉

I’m also available to answer quick questions about being a full time travel family on Instagram! Find me at @kateophalen any time.

For more RV Life posts, check out the other posts we’ve written about life in an RV:
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November 6, 2023