Ripley's Davy Crockett Mini-Golf

We've been taking our kids to Ripley's Davy Crockett Mini-Golf for years, and it's one of the few tourist attractions that hasn't gotten worse over time. They actually added new spinner challenges recently, which was a nice surprise. The two 18-hole courses have this frontier theme with animatronic bears and talking raccoons that still crack up the kids, even though some of the props are clearly showing their age.

The Fort Crockett course on the left is definitely the better one — that working cannon alone makes it worth playing. You can do both courses for a discount if you've got the time, but honestly one course takes about an hour and a half with kids, so plan accordingly.

Here's what nobody mentions: get there right when they open at 9 or 10 AM, depending on the season. After lunch, the lines at the popular holes with all the animatronics get ridiculous. We made the mistake of going on a Saturday evening once and spent more time waiting than actually playing.

The $25 per person pricing is steep for mini-golf, but the theming is actually pretty well done compared to some of the other Ripley's stuff in town. Plus they've got free parking in the back lot, which saves you from the Parkway parking nightmare. Just know they close when it rains, and summer thunderstorms hit fast around here — we've gotten soaked more than once.