This was my 3rd visit and just as great as the last times. We took the kids and they loved it. 8 can ride by themselves and under that can ride tandem. The room was cute. It has a covered wagon and the kids loved it! The food was wonderful. I need more of that strogonoff and deep fried avocados! Excellent time with the horses.
Cant wait to go again!
And watch out for Bob the cat, he likes to go in your room for cuddles..not that we minded :)
Everyone is very nice!
We just returned from several days at the ranch (our 6th? 7th? stay). While we were hesitant to leave our homes, the governor had lifted the stay at home, we wanted to celebrate a special occasion and we trusted the Ranch to take care of us. Well, it exceeded our expectations! Everything was super clean and the housekeeping staff was frequently seen disinfecting surfaces. In room housekeeping was suspended except as requested to limit contact in your personal space (that was my preference anyway). The dining staff took great precautions to limit contact (and the food was amazing as always!!!). The dining staff as usual did an excellent job of accommodating our dietary needs. The barn was handled professionally as always. So even though the inside (and exterior surfaces) was impeccably maintained, you spend your time at the Ranch outside anyway. Except for sleeping and the choice of inside dining, we were outside enjoying the beautiful weather and property. Lots of fresh air and space. We honestly felt safer at the Ranch than we feel going to the grocery store at home. If you are considering a getaway, don't hesitate to visit Southern Cross Ranch. You will be glad you did!!
Thank you for sharing your experience. We are delighted that you had such a great time. We have, in fact, suspended mid-stay housekeeping to prevent any cross contamination between rooms and guests. This is just one of the many, many changes we've implemented to keep both guests and staff safe. Thank you for your vote of confidence, its very much appreciated by our family and our team members in these crazy times!!!
My husband and I had talked about vacationing at a dude ranch for a few years now. We finally had the oportunity and while reading other reviews of Southern Cross Guest Ranch, decided this was the place.
We had the best experience from start to end, starting with speaking with Karen to describe the rooms and the ranch/guest house to Ingrid and Will in the dining hall. and Lance, Wes and Abby with the horses and trail guides.
Reception: Karen was wonderful, she greeted us and showed us a couple of rooms that we could choose from, as well as showed us around the guest house. There are several gathering rooms that you can hang out in to read a book, play games or work on a jigsaw puzzle or just hangout by the pool.
We choose the Scarlet O'Hara room, and loved it! It was spacious, clean and very comfortable. It featured a king size bed, oversized chair, super comfy sofa for watching tv, plenty of storage and large bathroom.
Dining: One of the best surprises was the food. It was amazing! And, it wasn't just hamburgers, hot dogs and ribs. Each night we had something different, from steaks to spaghetti to fish to yes, wings and ribs. And lunches, they were hearty and again, such a great variety of meals.
Guides and Horses: We've only been horseback riding 2 times, so we are still beginners. Lance sets you up with a horse he feels is the best match, and he hit it on the nail with both mine and my husband's. But this wasn't just about riding, we also got to bond with our horse by brushing them before and after our walk. I was fortunate enough to get Sailor, he was so gentle and awesome.
The guest house is a quarter mile walk to the barn and horses, which we would do 3 - 4 times a day. We loved being able to walk to the stables and seeing the horses, including 3 foals - too cute!
This was by far our most relaxing vacation and we were never board. We will definitely be back.
This was a family trip over Spring Break.
The ranch was easy to get to off of I-20 and they provided excellent directions.
The grounds are gorgeous, pastures with grazing horses all around you. Walk out, interact with them, it’s ideal for horse lovers!
The rides are generally nose to tail in groups but they do allow skilled riders to break off on their own. The horses in general are nose to tail trained.
The trails are enjoyable and even if you are off on your own, you can’t get lost... the horses know their way home.
A big shout-out to wranglers Kyla & Libby & Haily who were very pleasant, super helpful with kind encouragement and instructions.
We were there at the beginning of the Pandemic and our only concern was while the kitchen staff provided very good food, they themselves were not taking protective precautions. The staff did not wear latex gloves when handling food, utensils or cleaning up dirty dishes. The food was served buffet style, which the cruise industry learned a long time ago, spreads viral outbreaks quickly.
Overall it was a great experience and we would recommend for families.
We are delighted you had a great birthday stay and enjoyed the food at the ranch. The changes and impact of the pandemic were certainly unprecedented, and as we all know, changes were rapidly developing nationwide by the day or even by the hour. Your visit was indeed early in the pandemic and so much has changed since. During the time of this visit, cruises were still in operation, international travel was permitted, there were no reported cases locally or in any of the surrounding counties, and millions of children were still going to school.
We too were adapting day by day, hour by hour. Before, during and after your stay, we were in direct frequent contact with Public Health Authorities. We had already implemented multiple proactive protective measures long before they were subsequently included in new official guidance. The self service buffet was closed shorty after your stay and remains closed.
As for the gloves, we continue to adhere to the health authority's recommended guideline of only wearing gloves when necessary to handle ready to eat foods. Any properly run restaurant knows it is not recommended to use gloves when using utensils or handling dirty dishes. Gloves must remain clean. Utensils, and most certainly dirty dishes, can contaminate gloves. It's the same logic as a fast food employee who should remove gloves to handle money or touch the register. We hope this information is helpful to you and others. Thank you!
Southern Cross Ranch is not only beautiful but is lush in every way. The pasture with the beautiful horses is worth a visit. The staff and food is amazing. I would highly recommend this experience !!!!! If you love horses and a very comfortable accommodations give this lovely place a try.
