Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa Family Activities

Pools attract children, especially in the desert. At the Wild Horse Pass, four of them spread out on a patio area facing the mountains. Children can play in all but the adults-only pool. The highlight of the waterscape for kids is splashing down the twisting, 111-foot water slide. Since children and their families hang out at the pools, the kids' counselors show up there in the afternoon to involve children in watermelon-eating contests, water-balloon tosses and other activities. Lifeguards do not patrol the pools, but the counselors are CPR certified.

The Sheraton Adventure Club operates daily for ages 4 to 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ($75). Half-days run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. ($40). Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance. If you cancel within 24 hours, you pay a 50 percent fee. Kids fashion rain sticks and other Native American crafts, race each other down the water slide, play Nintendo Wii and enjoy other activities.

The resort newsletter lists water balloon toss times and other complimentary children's activities. From Memorial Day to Labor Day and during Easter, Christmas and other holidays, the resort offers additional complimentary children's activities.

At the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort, you and your children will have plenty of opportunities to play together. You can watch complimentary movies around the pool on Saturday evenings (Memorial Day to Labor Day), go on a Sunday scavenger hunt, take a wagon ride through the desert and, on Friday nights, enjoy complimentary S'mores and Songs, accompanied by a Native American flute player. Winter, when the animals hibernate, is the traditional time for tribal storytelling; listen to Native American tales while roasting s'mores.

On a stroll along the 2.5-mile Interpretive Trail that edges the man-made waterway symbolizing the Gila River, signs name the plants, labeling them in the languages of the Pima and Maricopa. It's a refreshing walk, but go only in the early morning, especially from April through October when temperatures rise quickly. Always bring plenty of water, and wear a hat since the path offers little shade.

Hit the trail on a guided horseback ride with the resort's Koli Equestrian Center, housed at a 1,000-acre facility. High in the saddle on paths away from the resort's buildings, you have the best chance of catching sight of the famous wild horses. Kids 6 and older can saddle up. You and your wranglers at least 13 years old can "get them doggies rollin' " on a cattle drive, usually held twice a month.

Keep humming that cow poke song because you'll hear it when you enter Rawhide, the re-created 1880's frontier town and long-time Arizona tourist attraction that has been transplanted to the reservation. The Old West sagas come to life with street theater shoot-outs, trick gun shows, stagecoach rides, gold panning and even two-step dance lessons. Although Rawhide rates as a definite eye-roller for 'tweens and teens, grade-schoolers tend to like the somewhat hokey but fun "Wild West," not to mention the souvenir ten-gallon hats. The Sheraton Wild Pass Resort's boat can ferry you to Rawhide and back again.

Want to get your older teens' attention -- and maybe even their adulation? For teens who have had a driver's license for at least six months, book a lesson at the nearby Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. You and your teen are both likely to feel more confident after the new driver in the family learns accident avoidance and skid control at a one day course.

Phoenix is just 15 minutes away from the resort. Float above the Sonorant Desert in a hot air balloon, get hands-on with clever exhibits at the Arizona Science Center, or admire Native American art at the noted Heard Museum.