Need help planning a Texas spring break trip!

[JennCa]

I haven't been to Texas since I was a kid and I just booked airline tickets for our family March 27th-April 4th to Austin and now need help deciding what to do. Can anyone recommend a website that might help me decide?

I figure we would spend 1 day in Austin (want to see the capital and the bats if they are out), then 3 in San Antonio (Seaworld,, Almao, Riverwalk and maybe a daytrip to a ranch place where you get to feed animals) and then not sure if we should check out Houston or check out the Hill Country or the beach area. I'm inclined to check out the beach, but not sure if the water would be warm enough to get in. Even though it is spring break there seems to be no problem getting a hotel in the beach areas. I was thinking Galveston, Corpus Christi or Rockport or am open to others.

Also, Houston's NASA center sounded interesting, can anyoen compare it to the one in Florida, we've been to that one.

We have a 7 year old who wants to swim A LOT so I figure hotels with pools, my hubby who wants sightseeing, a baby who is along for the ride, but doesn't want to be in his carseat for too long and a mommy who just is hoping for warmer weather!!!

Any thoughts?

Jenn

 

[dallastxcpa]

If it were me I would just stay in the Austin/San Antonio/Hill Country area. Texas is a really big state and it is quite a drive from San Antonio area to Houston or the beaches.

There is a ton of stuff to do in the Hill Country area. You have the capital, Gruene (pronounced Green; eat at the Gristmill overlooking the river), San Antonio (sea world, fiesta texas, river walk), San Antonio has a world class zoo.

Try this website:
http://www.hill-country.net/

 

[Kirby]

Too bad you're not planning a trip when Schlitterbaun was open. Your family would love that.

Corpus is a couple of hours south of San Antonio. They have a small aquarium there.

Houston is about three hours east. It has some good museums. I've been to the space center twice. My kids enjoyed it but they were a little older than yours. The boardwalk at Kemah is a nice place to spend the afternoon/evening. Galveston is within an hour south. Not sure what the beaches are like but I've heard that they are working hard on getting everything back to normal.

I think that the Natural Bridge Caverns is next to the animal place you are thinking of. Both are fun places to go. San Antonio also has the Spanish Market or whatever it's called and a Ripleys Museum that fun to go to.

I agree with dallastxcpa. I'd stick around the Austin/San Antonio area. There's tons to do.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Gosh, I've lived in Texas and I can't imagine taking a week's vacation to Texas, unless you want to spend a week at the beach (and those beaches aren't as nice as FL beaches - except for maybe Padre Island and that will be swarming with college kids on spring break.

We've done a weekend here and there (mostly visiting friends/family or heading to a race), but what you are looking at is driving a whole bunch of miles for not much of a vacation. But that's just my opinion.

 

[apnep]

We're from Dallas area and took the kids to Austin and San Marcos on a small weekend trip. They had a ton of fun.

If your kids love to swim, you can take them to the Barton Springs watering hole. It's a natural spring swimming area.

Don't miss the bats. I wouldn't spend any money on a boat ride, just walk under Congress bridge and sit on the grass or go up on the bridge and watch them fly up.

Stop in San Marcos which is about 1.5 hours away and go tubing in the Guadelupe river. It is SO much fun. The water is cold, but the sun will keep you warm. the kids can jump off their innertubes as you all float downt he river and the scenery is beautiful! The kids LOVED this. You can even get someone to cater a lunch for you and let it float with y'all so you can lunch and drink in the water. (Yes, please get out to use the restroom. )

Texas Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Reserver is pretty.

http://www.riversportstubes.com/
http://www.thingstodoinaustin.com/austin-attractions.html

LOTS of great places to eat and music to listen too. Have fun!

Angela

 

[ekatiel]

It is a bummer that Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels will be closed, but the indoor part of the Schlitterbahn in Galveston (houston area) will be open on the weekends while you are there. I'm not sure that, in itself, is worth a trip to Houston, though. The space center is fun, and the Houston Children's Museum was recently remodeled and is supposed to be really cool now, but we haven't made it there yet (we're hoping to take the kids on President's day, so I can report back about that one soon!). Kemah boardwalk is a fun time in the houston area, too. It just depends on how much driving you want to do. There is probably enough cool stuff to keep you occupied in the Austin/San Antonio area. I definitely recommend seeing the bats in Austin . Tubing would be great, too-- you might want to try tubing the Comal instead of the Guadalupe, though. The Comal is a calmer river and a shorter trip (plus you get to do the tube shoot, which is super fun!). In San Antonio, you've got the Riverwalk/Alamo, Sea World and Fiesta Texas to keep you busy. Have a fun trip! --Katie

 

[mom2val]

While in Austin don't miss the LBJ museum.

 

[Kirby]

You might consider posting your question over on the community board also.

 

[Planogirl]

I agree that it might be best to stay in the Hill Country area. We are from Texas but can spend several days in just San Antonio depending on what is open for the season. You might want to look into floating the Guadalupe and Comal Rivers. That's a lot of fun.

There are plenty of caverns and wildlife parks in the area. There are a lot of great small towns with things to do too. You can order a travel guide here: http://www.traveltex.com/downloads/travel-guide/order-travel-guide

Here is a website about the San Antonio area: http://sanantoniotourist.com/attractions.cfm

Here is another: http://www.visitsanantonio.com/index.aspx

 

[branv]

That sure seems like a lot of driving, especially when there is plenty in the Hill Country corridor to take up all that time. People don't realize just how many springs dot the landscape over here. You can visit Krause Springs in Spicewood (also offers camping), Hamilton Pool (natural spring+hiking), Barton Springs (not just the pool, there's quite a large hiking area), Wimberley, and that's just off the top of my head. There's tubing on the Guadalupe and Comal, etc. And then there are the LAKES: Lady Bird Johnson (Town Lake), Lake Austin, Lake Travis, further out are the highland lakes. You can go to Lake Buchanan and take the Vanishing Texas River Cruise that visits the falls and habitats of bald eagles (this also leaves from near the Canyon of the Eagles, a really neat resort, with star viewing parties, etc). Regarding all this water fun: the good thing is that we've had enough rain to make up for the devastating droughts that killed the rivers. The bad news is that we've had a colder and wetter winter than normal, so not sure how warm things will be.

There's hiking at Enchanted Rock, strawberry picking at Sweet Berry Farms near Marble Falls. And for mommy and daddy, the whole darn area is full of wineries

And goodness, that's all without touching the ranches in Bandera, the caves (Longhorn, Inner Space, Natural Bridge), or visiting Gruene, New Braunfels, Fredericksburg, Austin & SA!

The drive alone is gorgeous, always fun to take visitors out past the major cities and see them go , "this is TEXAS?!"

Though I do think it's too early for the bats. You might see some, but they're in peak during the heat of the summer. Though I do personally think the boat ride is worth it just for the fun of going on the boat. Don't forget, FYI: that you can rent canoes and paddles boats on Lady Bird Johnson/Town Lake...plus the little train at Zilker Park.

Oh yes, and downtown is the flagship/corporate store of Whole Foods. Best place to grab just about any type of food you want (lots of stations), best desserts EVER, and you can carry them to the rooftop where there are tables and even a playscape for the kids. Nice city view, nice breeze, nice food

 

[mom2val]

San Antonio Zoo is nice also!

 

[JennCa]

Thanks for all the info. The cities look so close together on the map, but I just looked at the scale and now I get what y'all are saying!

I've never been to an indoor waterpark, any comments? Is it really warm inside? I have heard of the world famous water park, I just figured it would be tooooo cold that time of the year.

Has anyone hiked at Enchanted Rock State Park? Wondering if we can do it with a baby in a pack.

Do most people who visit the Hill Country do it as a day trip from Austin or San Antonio?

I will check out those links. We are going to Florida this summer so I think I will get my hot weather fix then.

Jenn

 

[HannaBelle]

Tons of great ideas here!

I love San Antonio and I guess I just don't think a three hour drive is a long drive.

I would definately do a split stay. I would skip the beach though! They will all be crazy with half naked college students on spring break.

 

[sk!mom]

Gosh, I've lived in Texas and I can't imagine taking a week's vacation to Texas, unless you want to spend a week at the beach (and those beaches aren't as nice as FL beaches - except for maybe Padre Island and that will be swarming with college kids on spring break.

We've done a weekend here and there (mostly visiting friends/family or heading to a race), but what you are looking at is driving a whole bunch of miles for not much of a vacation. But that's just my opinion.

I live in Texas and I completely agree.

If it's already booked then I would spend a day in Austin seeing the capital. The Bob Bullock Museum is entertaining.

Then head to San Antonio for a few days. Maybe stay a night on the Riverwalk to see the downtown stuff- Alamo and such. Then move to the Hyatt Hill Country resort for2 or 3 nights- great pools for your DS. From there you can visit Fiesta Texas and Sea World for a day each. I really love San Antonio but it's not really a week long town.

After that, I would consider Corpus Christi. The negative- Spring Break will likely have Texas beaches overrun with drunk college kids. Fun if you are a drunk college kid but not so much with young kids. The positive- it's a nicer beach (imo) than Galveston.

If you do decide to do Galveston, there's the beach, though not a very nice one, The Kemah Boardwalk, and Houston. Personally, I hate Houston and even the Space Center isn't really worth a visit there to me.

We've had a really cold, nasty winter (by comparison for us) in TX this year. I'll hope that it leaves us in time for Spring Break.

 

[disneymom2one]

Gosh, I've lived in Texas and I can't imagine taking a week's vacation to Texas, unless you want to spend a week at the beach (and those beaches aren't as nice as FL beaches - except for maybe Padre Island and that will be swarming with college kids on spring break.

We've done a weekend here and there (mostly visiting friends/family or heading to a race), but what you are looking at is driving a whole bunch of miles for not much of a vacation. But that's just my opinion.

Several years ago, we spent a week in the Texas Hill Country area. My daughter (who has been all over the country) still talks about that trip. We had a blast.

 

[rangermom]

Everyone has given you great ideas for the Hill Country area. I don't think you will have any problems finding anything to do. I second Barton Springs and Marble Falls. San Marcos and Wimberly are very nice also (DH husband has lived in both towns).

San Antonio is actually a good area to fly into. It is centrally located to some prety cool cities and there is a lot to do just in that city alone. We used to have annual passes at Sea World adn really enjoyed it, but you can easily do it in one day. The same for Six Flags Fiesta TX. There is also a lot of history in that part of the state, The Alamo and many other missions. The Alamo is run by the Daughters of the Texas Republic and there are the San Antonio Mission that are operated by the National Park Service.

The zoo is really great ant there are several musuems there.

I would recommend taking the drive to Corpus Christi. It is 2 hrs from San Antonio on I-37. We lived there for 9 nine years and loved it. The weather is very nice. Some of the nicest beaches in TX are in the Coprus area. Go to Padre Island National Seashore. It does not get as crazy over spring break and is more of a family beach. It is 67 miles long, with most of it being beach driving. You can either drive on teh beach or visitr tha Malaquite Visitor Center area and there is a beach that is closed to vehiclular traffic. You will also be there at the beginning of the sea turtle nestin season. There is a major recovery project at Padre Island NS for the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle. Nesting has seen a major increase, so there is a possiblility that you could see a nesting turtle (though keep in mind nesting there is not yet in the same numbers as the Florida beaches for the Loggerhead sea turtle).

You are also going toward the end of spring break. The main week for spring break in TX is the week of March 14. There are some schools that get out the week before or the week after that. So hopefully you won't get to crazy of crowds.

Have fun what ever you decide to do. Texas is a great state. (I'm actually a native Texas, just displaced right now in AZ)

 

[carj]

There is not a chance I would take my kids to the beach in Texas during Spring Break, luckily your trip does not coincide with much of the state's spring breaks. I agree with the previous poster. Most of our schools have Spring Break the week of March 15-19. Our spring break is never over Easter. A lot of schools have a day off for Good Friday and/or the Monday following Easter. In our district though, those are bad weather make-up days.

Be sure to check the park opening days for whatever attractions that you want to visit. Sea World and other places may not be open on weekdays because our kids are in school that week.

It is about a 2 hour drive from Austin to San Antonio. One word of advice, Austin traffic can be bad. Of course every city can have traffic but for some reason though it seems like rush hour starts earlier there. (Or maybe I just have bad luck!)

We live in the Fort Worth area. Some of my favorite things to do in San Antonio are: visit the Alamo, take the boat ride on the Riverwalk, eat outside on the Riverwalk, visit Sea World (2 days), Fiesta Texas (we have Six Flags passses so that is a cheap day for us) tour a cavern or 2.

I hope you have a great trip.

 

[branv]

I wanted to add on here after a poster mentioned the Hyatt Hill Country -- this really is cool resort. Of course it's also quite pricey. But if you can afford it, that hotel is nice, and the Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop (just east of Austin) is also very nice. They're both centered towards family activities, have lazy river pools, even a night time fire pit with s'mores . Plus golf and nice spas for mom & dad. Lost Pines even has horseback riding.

 

[JennCa]

All these Hyatt hotels with the awesome pools, are they heated or open late March?

I checked the schedule for Seaworld and they ARE open for some of our weekend dates and am planning to go. I noticed they have a waterpark inside, is that heated or would anyone go late March? It appears to be open then. Just as a side note, if anyone ever wants to buy the Busch Gardens/Seaworld Platinum 2 year pass, San Antonio Seaworld is MUCH cheaper than the Florida locations or even my Southern California deal. I am going to buy the 2 year pass at Seaworld San Antonio and use it this summer in Florida and in Virginia. We are very excited about that!

I am going to spend today looking at the links and check out prices for hotels/ car rentals.

I will definitely check out Whole Foods, we go to it at home quite often and in Orlando we go there to pick up dinner : ) With kids I like getting good quality food and fast so it fits the bill. The gelato is to die for!!!


It looks like there are 2 animal park places in Hill Country, one you drive though with your own vehicle and the other is in Johnson City called the Exotic Zoo and they take you through on their vehicle and you feed animals from a bucket and have a petting zoo. Has anyone done either or both? I was leaning towards the Exotic Zoo in Johnson City since I didn't really want to take my rental car through a drive through place. Any thoughts on that?

Jenn

 

[Deb & Bill]

Other things to think about. While it may only be a two hour drive from Austin to San Antonio, it will be a hour or so in each city just to get from point A to point B. I used to live in Houston and it would take 1.5 hours to get from the southern part of Houston to the northern part of Houston. And if you get struck in traffic, add a couple more hours.

I hate driving in Houston and Dallas. I lived in Austin many years ago when it was still kind of sleepy and quiet. Not so any more. I think I will hate driving there in March when I go to a wedding there.

Should you decide to go to Galveston, I'm not sure how much it has recovered from the hurricane in 2008. It was pretty much destroyed along the coast line. But the last time I went to Galveston (maybe 10 years ago), the beach was not the best, too many tar balls from the offshore drilling operations and not sugar sand like on the Gulf Coast of FL.

But then again, I'm pretty antisocial anyway. Keep me away from traffic and crowds.