| Road Trip! |
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| Written by Christina | |
| Sunday, 22 June 2008 11:02 | |
 The heat is starting to get to all of us. Its one thing when your kids are needy, but when they are needy in the summer and want to hang all over you it’s like having a 50lb. warm Jell-O mold dumped on your lap. You’re already burning up, then here they come… hot and sweaty and dirty and sticky and smell like cheetos and popsicles. We need to cool off and not in the local pool…I am so OVER the neighborhood pool!! We need more stuff to do! Before getting started you HAVE to check this website out, Texas Twisted..How The West Was Weird. It is HILARIOUS! Great ideas for visiting the strange and unusual in Texas! On to the fun...
ROAD TRIP! Here is what I (and you) came up with: Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch - an African Safari, Texas Style! (located between San Antonio & New Braunfels) Zebras, Giraffe, Rhinos, OH MY! Do this from the a/c of your vehicle! Can I get an AMEN?!?! Let the animals come to you and feed them from the comfy seats of your car, way fun!
Hyatt Regency Lost Pines - this place is fantastic! Located near Bastrop, it has everything you need for a weekend get-a-way with the family (or just the two of you). Lazy river, horseback riding, waterslides, golf, you name it! Check out the photos and amenities!!
Hideout on The Horseshoe - killer cabins on the Guadalupe River! Very family friendly, tons for kids to do! Hop in the river from your front door! GREAT place!
Laurie P. wrote in with these two awesome ideas near in Grapevine/Dallas: Great Wolf Lodge - this place looks AWESOME! We are SO going here for our next trip! Laurie you ROCK for the tip! UPDATE (7/17/08) - Got an email from local Mom about Great Wolf: "Hi - I am emailing my entry for the GC giveaway but also wanted to let you know that after discovering Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas on your site, we went and had an amazing time. Keeping 3 young boys (3,5,8) intersted is difficult - but they loved every minute at Great Wolf. We saw tons of people coming in with coolers and bags of food so we stocked up at the Kroger just right around the corner (turned out the on-site food was a little pricy). We will definitely be going back there soon! We stayed in the Kid Kabin - it was nice, they loved it! Thanks!" Kim C. American Girl Boutique - how stinkin' cute is this? Located in the world class shopping mall Galleria Dallas, this place is a girls dream come true! Have brunch, lunch or dinner, celebrate a special occasion or just drop by for a girls day out! Want a little closer to home? How about Galveston:
By The Sea Condo - We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place! Best condo for the $$$ in Galveston. Located on the seawall, ocean view, very clean, vibrant rooms, BIG kitchen, and huge balcony! Can’t beat the location!! Please tell Cat Cazatt that Nina Loca sent you!
The Strand - my husband had no idea this place existed in Galveston. He had been coming here all his life and never knew. Maybe some of you didn't even know! Now that Galveston has major cruise lines docking in its ports it is now an official boom town on The Strand! The shops, the food, the fun! We never go down to the beach without visiting the strand, it is the BEST place to go shopping on the island! Mosquito Café - Our new favorite Galveston Restaurant. Totally off the beaten path, a local hot spot! Everything on the menu TO DIE FOR! Best breakfast on the island, hands down! Be sure to tell them Nina Loca sent you! Schlitterbahn Galveston - OK, most of you know that the Padre location is my fave (you never have to leave the water to ride one ride…so fabulous) but Galveston is as close as we get so I will take it! More fun then the neighborhood pool that’s for sure! Go after 3pm and get a discount on your tickets AND the lines won’t be as long! WOOHOO!
Moody Gardens - cool off with the penguins, sharks, tropical fish, 3-D IMAX, reptiles, & tropical rainforest, then take a dip out in the cool water and white sands of Palm Beach! Great fun!!
Galveston.org will give you $200 in coupons when you book your room with them! I am still a big fan of Cat's condo (listed above) but if you need other arrangements this website might be your place. OK, so you want something in your own backyard and you want to do something different and not get wet? Local babies! Here we go:
Hotel Icon, Family trip: Weekend rates in July and August drop to as low as $109 per night at the Hotel Icon, a beautiful renovation of a downtown bank building. What’s more, the boutique hotel offers a "Destination Drive" program, giving you a $25-per-night credit for gas, as well as an online-only offer in which you get a 50 percent savings on a second-night stay. See offers and particulars at www.hotelicon.com; 713-224-4266. (by June Naylor) <<check her article out, GREAT travel tips and deals around Texas! She ROCKS! Omni Hotel, Westside - is offering a Summer on Sale Package of $99 a night plus breakfast! Love that! Love the Omni! Call a friend/Mom to help you chaperon; Let your little one grab 5 friends for a summer slumber party! Charge $25 per head and have them bring sleeping bags and head to the Omni. Lounge by the pool, give each other mani/pedi's (or have a video game tourney if they are boys), order room service, sleep in! Have fun! Do something different! Burke Baker Planetarium - so flippin’ cool! So many options! So fun! Sit down, lean back, and watch the sky above! Hey bloggers, check out the HMNS blog!! Waugh Bridge Bat Colony - lights out, wings spread, teeth showing, and thousands of bats a flutter! SO COOL! Houston has its very own bat colony. Visit this fun location at dusk when the sun GOES DOWN!
The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston - you never know what will be in this place! Something to talk about around every corner! Way cool! I love getting a ‘kids perspective’ on art…from the mouths of babes. Current exhibition: The Old, Weird America. How perfect is that for some silly youths? Try something different in your summer routine and expose your kids to why Houston is so awesome! At one point they had an exhibition that included Elephant Dung….you talk about hysterical laughter from our group! I thought the kids would pee their pants they laughed so hard at the fact that some artist would have elephant poo in his artwork. Why he did it? Who knows…but it got us talking (maybe that was his only point of doing it) and by the end of the day we all came up with our own story for why he did it! Too weird!
Tour-O-Chocolate - got a sweet tooth? Have a light breakfast then just go for it! EAT CHOCOLATE ALL DAY then just don't eat dinner! Do the chocolate tour and hit my favorite spots: The Chocolate Bar, Sugar Baby's Cupcake Boutique, Candylicious (it is a candy shop next to the chocolate bar), Empire Cafe (order the chocolate peanut butter cake..OMG), Barnaby's (best apple pie or brownie ala-mode), Crave Cupcakes (Houston's version of Sprinkles), Amy's Ice Cream (Mexican Vanilla...there is no substitute), Ouisie's Table (pot de'creme. love it. They serve Amy's Ice cream on their brownies...so does Barnaby's....teeheehee...good times.) Have big plans this summer or any time of the year? Call This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it of Once Upon a Time Vacations! She Rocks! Best Travel Agent in Texas! .jpg) OK, so there are some last minute ideas for ya! Be sure to buzz around the website for more great ideas and please write to us if you have some great ideas of your own!
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Stay cool by sprinkler on the booty Nina says!!  |
