Texas

How to Handle Spring Break in Texas

March 8, 2011 By admin

Texas is a great place to spend Spring Break for the whole family! There are plenty of different attractions to visit, from super awesome zoo exhibits to fine restaurants on the beach. However, the difficult part is getting the whole family to agree on where you should spend the week. Here are some helpful tips to help you handle spring break in the wonderful state of Texas.

Let everyone do one thing on their list. This is one of the easiest ways to make sure everyone has a great time – just make sure the list is evenly distributed. It would not be fair to allow one person to do several things off of theirs and another zero from their list. However, this should be managed within reason – after all, you are the one paying for the trip.
Try to pick events and attractions that offer educational value. There are a lot of great places to visit in Texas. You can check out the famous zoo, the state aquarium, or even some of the rodeo events. You can even go camping or fishing. Save the movies and fast food for when you get home!
Don’t forget to feed everyone! Children will never be easy to manage if you leave them hungry – make sure everyone remembers to eat while you are busy checking out all that Texas has to offer. After all, they have some really nice restaurants too!
Don’t stress about your plans. The best vacation is a fluid one – not one that has its plans set in stone. Things change, accidents happen – for this reason you should probably just outline what you would like to see happen instead of creating an itinerary.

The week of Spring Break doesn’t have to be a horrible experience for Mom and Dad – everyone can enjoy what the state has to offer. For instance, there are plenty of beach destinations that can provide entertainment for the children while you spend some time relaxing under the sun with a Margarita.

Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: Spring break, Student, Texas

Tips for Staying Safe in Texas Weather

March 4, 2011 By admin

Image via Wikipedia

Texas is just like any other desert state – it gets the extremes of both sides of the temperature spectrum. The winter has the potential to get well below freezing, and the summer months quickly rise into the three digit numbers. Because of this, you should plan accordingly for any trip that you take to Texas. Here are a few tips to help keep you and your family safe during your trip through the huge state of Texas.

Always have water with you. It is very important to always have a source of water with you – even if the temperature is very cold out. However, the water is even more important when you are travelling through Texas during the summer – especially if the car breaks down. There are a lot of open roads in the state and you may not see another car for several hours at a time.
Keep a spare blanket and some food in the back. This is very important to keep in mind when you are travelling during the winter months – yes, it does snow in Texas! Because of this you should always make sure that you have a couple of blankets that can keep everyone warm and some food in the event something happens to the car. Icy roads can be very unpredictable to drive on and it is not impossible to land in a ditch where the other cars cannot see you.
Always let someone know where you’re going. Before you leave for your trip to Texas you should always let someone know when you starting out and what you estimated time of arrival will be – of course, if you do this you should also check in with them and let them know you got there okay!

The above tips are not meant to deter you from visiting Texas – rather, the sole intent of the list is to make sure that you are well prepared in the event that anything does happen because of any unexpected extreme weather conditions.

Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: Texas, Texas Forest Service

Tips for Staying Safe on Your Next Texas Camping Trip

February 24, 2011 By admin

One of the best parts about visiting Texas is that there are endless possibilities to what you can do – especially if you enjoy being outdoors or looking for interesting critters. However, along with this abundance of outdoor activity and wildlife comes a certain degree of responsibility. Here are a few tips that will help keep you and your family safe on your next camping trip in Texas.

Know where everyone is at. This is a very important thing to remember – you should always establish some sort of buddy system. If someone gets hurt during your trip this will be one of the only ways to find out, especially if they can’t call to you for help. At the very least, bring along a set of walkie talkies that everyone can use.
Keep a look out for the native wildlife. While the wildlife in Texas is one of the best parts about it, there are also a few precautions that you must take. For instance, there are all kinds of creepy crawlies that are on the ground – from venomous rattlesnakes to scorpions. However, as long as you are aware of your surroundings and you aren’t purposely messing with them you’ll be fine!
Don’t forget to drink plenty of water. One of the most common things that campers fail to bring with them is enough water for the entire trip – don’t make the mistake of underestimating the amount that everyone will need to drink to stay well hydrated. Just remember soda and juice won’t cut it!

Aside from the above tips, you should also make sure that you bring a camera along with you – you’ll definitely miss out on some breathtaking landscape pictures if you don’t! There is no reason why the whole family can’t have fun during your visit to Texas, just use common sense and be safe while you are out in the wilderness.

Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: Camps, Texas

Top 3 Cities to Visit in Texas

February 18, 2011 By admin

If you are traveling across the southwestern corner of the United States you simply cannot miss out on Texas – in fact, it will probably be the state that has your kids whining in the background about how the road never ends! At any rate, the state is definitely big, but there are a lot of amazing things to see in it as well. Here are the top three cities that you have to visit while you are passing through Texas.

Houston, Texas. This is essentially the heart of Texas. Here you will find a wide variety of restaurants, museums and a thriving night life. Depending on the time of year you are visiting you can also check out the rodeo – there are two every year in Houston. If you get a chance to see a rodeo you’ll be able to participate in all kinds of family fun, including musical events.
Galveston, Texas. This little town is right next to some of the most amazing beach fronts. You can enjoy beautiful dinners watching the sunset, or head out for some fun at one of the many theatres. However, it is worth noting that this is more of an adult-oriented city.
Corpus Christi, Texas. If you or your children love animals then you cannot afford to miss out on Corpus Christi! This city is the home of one of the most well-known state aquariums in the United Sates. It features a huge array of fish, as well as reptiles, birds and some mammals.

There are of course other great cities that are left for you to explore, but the above three have some of the most interesting and well-known tourist attractions that the state of Texas has to offer. Next stop, the Arizona desert!

Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: Corpus Christi Texas, Texas

13 Year Old Texas Murder Case Finally Ends

February 5, 2011 By admin

Thirteen years ago a 19 year old woman was killed on her way to work at a local grocery store by two men in North Texas – Michael Hall and Robert Neville. The part that completely outraged the state was the fact that 19 year old Amy Robinson was mentally challenged – she had no way of determining that her killers were going to harm her.

Robinson worked at a local grocery store with both of her killers – this probably was the reason why she was so willing to get in their car. After all, they were supposedly offering her a ride to work since she was stuck riding her bike. Instead of driving to the grocery store, Hall and Neville took Robinson out to an empty field and shot her multiple times until she died. Sadly for her, Robinson was not even the person that they were out to target that day.

The first man that was found guilty in her murder was convicted and executed almost five years ago. However, that still left her second killer, Michael Hall, to face the jury and receive his sentence. Fortunately, the horrible story for her family is finally coming to an end. As of right now Hall is scheduled to be executed by the state of Texas on Tuesday, February 15^th. If everything goes as planned he will be the first to receive the Texas death sentence this year – his lawyers are still trying to claim that he was not mentally stable at the time of the killing.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Amy Robinson, Crime and Justice, Murder, Texas

Steak Dinner on your Vacation

January 20, 2011 By admin

: Image via Wikipedia

A vacation is a time to enjoy new places, from restaurants to landmarks to tourist attractions. While on a romantic vacation, one of the more pleasurable things to do is enjoy new restaurants. If you don’t have a visit to a steak house on your agenda, here are a few reasons you should:

Atmosphere – Steakhouses can provide a number of settings, whether you’re looking for an approachable, relaxed atmosphere for you and your date, or an intimate setting for private dining.
Good Food – Who doesn’t love a delicious steak? Some of the best rated restaurants in the country are actually steakhouses, so if you want great food, head to a steak house.
Locale – Many good steakhouses are located in the heart of the city, so you’re surrounded by plenty of things to see and do following your romantic meal.

So where do you find a good steak house? If you’re visiting Texas, you’re in luck; Texas has a number of excellent steakhouses for private dining. A few places online that will help you choose the perfect one include:

Urbanspoon.com – This popular website allows you to enter a city, then search for steakhouses in the area. It also includes reviews from other diners as well as bloggers and food critics. It also lists helpful information such as atmosphere and price range.
Yelp.com – Similar to Urbanspoon, this site also features reviews from other diners. Hop on Yelp to learn more about steakhouses in the area you are vacationing.
Google Maps – If you type in the address of your hotel or place you’re staying in Google Maps, a “search nearby” option allows you to find steakhouses in the area and then displays them on the map. Many Google users also review the steakhouses as well.

A steakhouse is the ideal romantic and private dining destination.

Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: Google, Restaurant, Steakhouse, Texas

Most Popular Things to Do in Houston

January 16, 2011 By admin

Houston is one of the largest cities in Texas, and as such it is also one of the most popular ones to visit during a vacation. Fortunately, there are plenty of things to keep a wandering tourist busy! There are hundreds of restaurants, museums and natural wonders to visit before leaving the state. Here are some of the most popular things to do in Houston, Texas.

Go to one of the popular rodeo events. You simply cannot go to Texas and not see a rodeo! After all, Texas is the cowboy state! There are all kinds of competitions and music events that are held during the yearly rodeo – it’s definitely a one of a kind type of fun that’s great for the family!
Check out big cats at the zoo. Houston, Texas is known for having one of the largest zoos in the United States – it’s definitely a stop that you can’t afford to skip if you love big cats. Texas is well known for all of the qualified zoo professionals that train in the state to work specifically alongside big cats, like Tigers and Lions.
Visit one of the many museums Houston has to offer. There are quite a few interesting museum exhibits on display for tourists to see – even the native’s love visiting them from time to time! You can even schedule a viewing both in the daytime and at night.

There are so many places to go and cool new things to see in Houston alone, you should definitely plan on staying for at least a few days – one day would barely give you enough time to see a fraction of all that Houston, Texas has to offer!

Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: Houston, Texas

The Most Romantic Things to Do in Texas

January 4, 2011 By admin

Image via Wikipedia

While Texas is definitely well known for its cowboys and cattle, there are still plenty of romantic countryside getaways and activities that you can participate in as a couple. For instance, Houston has many upscale restaurants that you can eat at. Here are a few of the most romantic things to do while you and your significant other are passing through the state of Texas.

Visit one of the beaches. While a beach is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Texas, there really are quite a few very nice ones – the water is warm since it is practically on the Gulf of Mexico. They are not overly crowded, and most of them have some very nice restaurants and hotels close by that you can visit as well.
Check out an Opera house. If you travel to Galveston, Texas you can pick from quite a few very nice dining options. The town is perfect for a night at the Opera house, closely followed up by dinner at a fine restaurant and then brought to a close with a short cruise.
Watch the sunset over wine together. Texas is always talked about for its wide, open spaces – and what better way to take advantage of being able to see for miles than by watching a beautiful sunset? You could even combine this with number one, and watch a sunset on the beach!

There are plenty of romantic possibilities in Texas – you just have to get creative! After all, quite a few of the great romance novels have been set in this very state. There is something to do for every couple, whether you are an outdoorsy type or a night on the town couple. Don’t forget to bring your camera!

Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: Galveston Texas, Houston, Texas

Visit the Cowboy Capital of the World

December 21, 2010 By admin

If you happen to love the old spaghetti westerns, or even if you were just a fan of Jack Palance in “City Slickers,” then you will love the small town atmosphere surrounding the lands of Bandera Texas. Located just one hour from San Antonio, the Bandera offers small town friendliness with bigger than life adventure. Touted as the “Cowboy Capital of the World,” Bandera gives you the opportunity to live out your wild west dreams or just appreciate the simplicity of the cowboy way.

Covering close to 725 square miles, Bandera County offers a variety of distinctive lodging facilities. Bed and Breakfasts are available for the pampered, personal touch, traditional hotels for comfort and efficiency, and dude ranches for an authentic Texas stay. A Texas hallmark, the dude ranches in the Bandera area offer daily rides, cabins, and the peace and quiet found only under a star studded Texas sky.

If you are looking for an interactive vacation experience, then Bandera has several options for you; Ranch tours, horseback riding, rodeos, and hunting are just a few of the rugged, outdoor activities you can participate in. But if you are looking for something less hands on, Bandera also offers a historical walking tour, shopping at Old West Imports, and nightlife at the 11th Street Cowboy Bar.

The Bandera Music History Project Hall of Fame offers visitors a chance to listen to old time Bandera music as well as current offerings. And the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum provides the public with an opportunity to admire Bandera area’s collection of motorcycles. The museum also offers pre-arranged tours for motorcycle aficionados.

For the kids, rodeos are held during the Spring, and from March thru December the family will enjoy Cowboys on the Main, the living history project from the Frontier Times Museum; featuring western entertainers, horses, trick ropers, and chuck wagons.

Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: Cowboy, San Antonio, Texas

The History and Art of Boerne, Texas

December 20, 2010 By admin

The city of Boerne is where you find the charm and comfort of small town life and discover the hidden treasures of outstanding art produced by the local artists of Boerne Texas.

Founded in the 1800s, the city is named after Ludwig Boerne, who inspired several of his German countrymen to leave their homeland for the New World. Settling in Texas, this group of German men and women grew the original settlement into a thriving town, with a post office, stage coach routes, saloon, and saw mill. Eventually a private school was established, providing educational opportunities to residents of the growing town.

Interestingly, the city of Boerne did not allow any churches to be built within the city limits until the late 1800s. Because the original settlers were free thinkers, religion was not practiced or allowed within the city limits.

Situated within the beautiful Texas Hills Countryside, the town grew with settlers looking to find the peace and prosperity of small town living. At one time, Boerne even became known for its recuperative powers, and individuals suffering from various illnesses flooded the city hoping to find relief and new health. Still today, the city has a relaxing and rejuvenating effect on its visitors.

After World War II, the city experienced an exodus of inhabitants, with many seeking opportunities in the larger cities of Texas. For those who remained, Boerne became a peaceful haven of art and agriculture.

Today, the city is known for its antique shops, art galleries, and historic buildings. On a quiet afternoon, you can browse the offerings of Boerne’s local, professional artists at the Carriage House Gallery, or purchase antiques and snack on Fickle Pickles at Carousel Antiques and Pickles. Afterwards, visit the Kerrville Performing Arts Society, and enjoy one of the year round performances performed for the visitors and citizens of the Texas Hills area.

Filed Under: Community Tagged With: Boerne Texas, Texas, World War II