Affordable Texas Get-A-Ways for Your Next Mini Vacation
By vernon, September 9, 2011, Travel
Just because school’s back in session is no reason to stay at home. With warm September weather still around, there’s great opportunites available for some affordable mini-vacations in Texas, even kid-friendly ones, too. Some of the best values and low cost attractions in Texas are its museums and parks which have admission prices well below $20. You can’t find an amusement park and sometimes a movie for less than that. Plus, if you’re not a fan of being out in the heat, museums are air conditioned. They also contain some great surprises. For example: the French had a colony in Texas. Oui, mon ami! Ze pulling of your leg, I am not doing!
In 1685, Robert La Salle, who had set up New France far to the north in Illinois and Canada, organized the French colony of Fort Saint Louis on what is now the Keeran ranch a few miles south of Inez, Texas. The colony only lasted until 1689 —but France did not abandon its claim to Texas for nearly a century. In November, 1762 it ceded all of its territory west of the Mississippi River to Spain in the Treaty of Fontainebleau.
One of La Salle’s ships, the La Belle however, sank in Matagorda Bay. In 1995, the ship was discovered and excavated. Its hull has been reconstructed and is undergoing chemical treatment to preserve it at Texas A&M’s Conservation Research Laboratory. Artifacts from the ship, including bronze cannon, are being exhibited at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin on the first floor of the museum.
North of Austin in the Texas Hill country is the town of Burnet. Not far to the southwest are the Longhorn Caverns, a cave limestone cave system that has been around since the last ice age. Opened as a state park since 1932, it holds beautiful and amazing under ground geologic features, such as flow stone, columns, and crystals. Admission is Adults $12.99; Teens $11.99; kids (2-12) $7.99.
If you’re not down with the underground, just southwest of Burnet is Fort Croghan. From 1849 until 1853, Fort Croghan protected US pioneers on the edge of the frontier and helped establish the town of Burnet. Today, the fort serves as a living history resource about the American old west.
A great place to wind down a busy day is the nearby Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. This is one of the best bird sanctuaries in the state. About five miles of foot trails at Doeskin Ranch Public Use Area is open year-round from sunrise to sunset (except during a few weekends in the fall for public hunts). Three of the trails are half mile long or less and offer a great chance for children to get out and stretch their legs and learn about nature.
Ever want to just change your name and job description to “Bob” and then go float down a lazy river? You can. Ride the Guadalupe River on an inner tube as it decends from the Texas Hill country at Canyon Lake and flows down towards the coastal plain. Canyon Lake is centrally located between Austin and San Antonio and just minutes from New Braunfels. A good place to start is at River Tube Sports at New Braunfels. Tube rentals are cheap (only $15) and they can get you briefed on the local safety regulations for high or low river-flow days and local container rules. There are also several hotels in New Braunfels right off I-35, running from $60-$125/night.
If you’re not into venturing too far afield from an urban setting, San Antonio has some great spaces for you to explore. Check out the famous Japanese Tea Garden, an 11 acre park styled after Japanese garden architecture. Not far off is the Spanish Governor’s Palace, the residence of the representative of the King of Spain dating from the early 1700′s. It was restored in the 1930′s and is now a National Historic Landmark.
Apart from being home to a very cool Texas energy provider, Houston boasts a great many urban attractions. But have you thought about the harbor? Spend a few hours aboard the Sam Houston for the boat tour of the Port of Houston. What’s so great? It’s free! Reservations on a first-come, first-serve basis are required at least 24 hours in advance. Register online any time, or call 713-670-2416, Mondays through Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Don’t forget to also see the Battleship Texas (BB35). A veteran of both the First and Second World Wars, this ship is the last of her kind. Though currently in danger of rusting away, an audacious project to dry berth the ship is underway to store the ship out of the water. What’s more, it’s a state park! Adults (age 13 and above); $10, children — free.
Most kids like trains and as a “big kid”, I’m no exception. In Dallas, the Museum of the American Railroad has some of the biggest and coolest-looking railroad engines that thundered down the track in the US…including a one-million-ton Union Pacific “Big Boy” steam engine (for you wanna-be steam geeks, that’s a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement). Admission is Free for Members; $7.00 for Adults; $3.00 for Children 3-12; Children under 3yrs are Free!
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