Searching out the right ranch for your kids can be a little daunting, thanks to an amazing range of choices. And you can’t just Google up the perfect spot for your family. Fortunately, there’s a lot of help out there. Our partner website, Ranchweb.com offers several special features to help narrow your choices.

With moms, finding the ranch that makes the kids happy often means they’ve found the ranch that will make everyone in the family happy. First, profile your kids: perhaps your child has a love for the outdoors and wants to learn something about nature by spending time on a ranch. Or maybe their idea of fun is learning how to fly fish, draw, take photographs, swim, practice archery, identify birds, or, yes,  ride a horse. And maybe Mom just wants to give her kids a chance to put down the Gameboy and have some quality time with Mom and Pop.

Okay, so how to find that ideal ranch? First, ask yourself some key questions. Are you interested in a child-oriented ranch or one where child care is provided? How important is the kind of riding program available (and how much of your visit do you want to spend in the saddle)? Then, if finding a focus on learning fishing, nature walks, photography, or other sports are on the family’s list, you’ll want to scope out each ranches’ level of offerings in those activities.

One question every kid will ask his parents about the ranch they choose to visit is: ‘Will there be any kids my age there?’ Just ask. The ranch will be able to tell you right away. There are some ranches that are designed especially for families with kids. And Ranchweb.com has a section listing those ranches with special facilites, menus, and programs designed for kids.

Remember, you can’t push a kid into a program, just give them choices. Finding people who really enjoy working with kids is the secret to success at any ranch. Try to find out how the ranch works in hiring young staffers—from wranglers to baby sitters— who have a passion for working with children and teenagers. But be careful what you wish for—your child could try his hand at a little fly fishing with a ranch guide and end up wanting his own waders and angling gear!

And if there’s a kid who just can’t unplug from the Internet or cell phone, you’ll want to check out the ranch connections (they’re not all as remote as you think). Whatever you want, there’s sure to be a dude ranch perfect for your needs, and it’s just a click away!

Ranchweb’s exclusive Space Availability Finder & Dude Ranch and Guest Ranch Search Engine lets you find ranches and lodges that meet your preferences (for example, choose by price range, ranch activities you want, or whether or not you will be traveling with children). Narrow the list by selecting a specific state, province or country, then click one of the resulting ranches or lodges to find details on activities, accommodations, rates, food, kid’s programs and more, plus photographs.