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Summer activities w/kids

2300 Nueces

Well-Known Member
Sep 27, 2015
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Anyone have suggestions on summer activities for the family? I have 4 kids 6 up to 13. I am familiar with the canned stuff in Dfw but am interested in other cities. Never been to schliterbahn, decent or canned? Also advice on best pricing is appreciated.
 
Schlitterbahn is fun......... the kids can play.... you can drink booze in the adult pool. You'll need all the booze you can get btw. The whiskey tangos running around this town in the summer will drive you to drinking.
 
Clob.....back in the day you could haul your own ice chest filled with anything you wanted to eat or drink.....adult beverages included. Is that still a go?
 
Clob.....back in the day you could haul your own ice chest filled with anything you wanted to eat or drink.....adult beverages included. Is that still a go?
As far as I know, no drinks can be brought in.
 
Anyone have suggestions on summer activities for the family? I have 4 kids 6 up to 13. I am familiar with the canned stuff in Dfw but am interested in other cities. Never been to schliterbahn, decent or canned? Also advice on best pricing is appreciated.
Schlitterbahn is way overpriced for day passes in my opinion. My wife buys the family season pass which makes more sense even if your family just goes a couple of times a year.
 
Schlitterbahn is a great place to take the kids. The tickets are pricey, but there is free parking and you can bring your own food and drinks in. You're not allowed to bring beer in, but all you have to do is put your beer cans down horizontally at the bottom of the ice chest, put all of your "Cokes" on top of that and then your sandwich meat, etc and they'll never find the beer. Did this many, many times and they never saw it. Saves not having to buy Schlitterbahn's over priced beer there.
 
Central Texas:
Hamilton pool
Barton springs
Krause springs
Guadalupe river
Devils cove (inks lake)
Blanco state park
Garner state park

If you're ever out in west Texas, you gotta hit Balmorhea. That place is badass!
 
If you come to New Braunfels, consider Natural Bridge caverns and Bracken cave. Natural bridge is beautiful, cool, and moist. Only cave I've been to that has an airlock to keep the moisture inside. Moisture keeps the cave alive. Bracken, which is next to natural bridge, is the largest bar colony in the world. Bats are only here in summer. You have to join Bat Conservation international, then make a reservation. Comal river is good too. Float Inn is right by the tube chute. For a small fee you get umbrellas, lounge chairs. They have parking, food, drinks. If the kids haven't seen the aAlamo or river walk, its 45 min away.
 
Central Texas:
Hamilton pool
Barton springs
Krause springs
Guadalupe river
Devils cove (inks lake)
Blanco state park
Garner state park

If you're ever out in west Texas, you gotta hit Balmorhea. That place is badass!
Balmorrhea is closed for the summer. Repairs. Hard to figure from TPWD.the cabins, etc were being repaired, found a leak near diving board. Why not wait until September?
 
The largest bar colony????? How have I not been able to sniff out the largest bar colony so far??? I'm failing miserably at life.

If you come to New Braunfels, consider Natural Bridge caverns and Bracken cave. Natural bridge is beautiful, cool, and moist. Only cave I've been to that has an airlock to keep the moisture inside. Moisture keeps the cave alive. Bracken, which is next to natural bridge, is the largest bar colony in the world. Bats are only here in summer. You have to join Bat Conservation international, then make a reservation. Comal river is good too. Float Inn is right by the tube chute. For a small fee you get umbrellas, lounge chairs. They have parking, food, drinks. If the kids haven't seen the aAlamo or river walk, its 45 min away.
 
Hippies
Hipsters
Hippie hipsters
Drunk fat girls
Whiskey Tangos deluxe
Central Texas:
Hamilton pool
Barton springs
Krause springs
Guadalupe river
Devils cove (inks lake)
Blanco state park
Garner state park

If you're ever out in west Texas, you gotta hit Balmorhea. That place is badass!
 
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I agree Speed, Garner State Park is the place to be, gotta chk their Twitter feed to see when they are not full, they close to day visiters when they full
https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/garner

Hook'em
Your older kids may like Garner, also for the dances at night. And you can too or just get a lawn chair and watch them. Float the Frio and maybe catch a concert in Concan, if the timing is right.
 
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Your older kids may like Garner, also for the dances at night. And you can too or just get a lawn chair and watch them. Float the Frio and maybe catch a concert in Concan, if the timing is right.
Duuuuuude....... parents watching their kids at the dance makes it really hard for the dudes to scam some squirrel.
 
Let me recommend other vacation spots going the other way.

In terms of Texas beauty the best kept secret in the state is Palo Duro Canyon. The Texas Grand Canyon albeit a condensed version. Your family might enjoy exploring the Canyon. They also have a cowboy breakfast and a cowboy dinner. You ride on.a. stagecoach and eat with a beautiful view. During the summer they have a play Texas which your kids would probably enjoy. PDC is next to Amarillo. The panhandle isn't beautiful which makes PDC remarkable cause you ride through these flatlands and the canyon comes out of nowhere. And if you go there take your family to Cadillac Ranch. There are four Cadillacs buried upside down your kids would get a kick out of that. Dyk that Bruce Springsteen wrote a song about it?

I haven't been there in almost 40 years but Guadalupe Peak is another unknown Texas beauty. It's the highest mountain in Texas. And like PDC it comes out of nowhere. Because of its form mountain climbers have a hard time climbing it. There's a of history with the Apache Indians. The mountain water tastes great and it had the southern most aspen tree location in the United States. There's more to it then that but that's all I remember. It's on hwy 54 100 miles east of El Paso so it's not the easiest place to get to but you might enjoy it.
 
If you come to New Braunfels, consider Natural Bridge caverns and Bracken cave. Natural bridge is beautiful, cool, and moist. Only cave I've been to that has an airlock to keep the moisture inside. Moisture keeps the cave alive. Bracken, which is next to natural bridge, is the largest bar colony in the world. Bats are only here in summer. You have to join Bat Conservation international, then make a reservation. Comal river is good too. Float Inn is right by the tube chute. For a small fee you get umbrellas, lounge chairs. They have parking, food, drinks. If the kids haven't seen the aAlamo or river walk, its 45 min away.
Did you know: That geologically speaking, Natural Bridge Caverns is in an area that does not have good well water so they drilled a water well directly into one of those crystal clear deep reservoirs found in a portion of the cavern not traversed by everyday tourists. True story told to me by Daniel Kutscher, who drilled the well and also drilled my well
 
Wait.... wut?

You're telling me that there's an aquifer attached to NBC and people have sipped wells down into it and the state of Texas hasn't had a complete sh!t fit over this?

Also bell, why aren't you on city water? It runs right by your place.

Did you know: That geologically speaking, Natural Bridge Caverns is in an area that does not have good well water so they drilled a water well directly into one of those crystal clear deep reservoirs found in a portion of the cavern not traversed by everyday tourists. True story told to me by Daniel Kutscher, who drilled the well and also drilled my well
 
Wait.... wut?

You're telling me that there's an aquifer attached to NBC and people have sipped wells down into it and the state of Texas hasn't had a complete sh!t fit over this?

Also bell, why aren't you on city water? It runs right by your place.
I am told the water is deemed “undesirable” and not much of it where they are located. I’m not sure if it’s an actual bonafide recognized aquifer but it meets their needs. I’m cut off from the rest of the civilized folks of NB. I wouldn’t give up my well for anything at this point.
 
I am told the water is deemed “undesirable” and not much of it where they are located. I’m not sure if it’s an actual bonafide recognized aquifer but it meets their needs. I’m cut off from the rest of the civilized folks of NB. I wouldn’t give up my well for anything at this point.

It's expensive to power wash the inside of your trailer with city water.
 
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Just make sure you use it in the correct order! :)
I have a swimming pool now but I'm not going to lie, about 6 or 7 years ago before I had a pool, I was up on top of that holding tank in the dead heat of summer, working on the pressure switch. I had the lid off the tank and that water was about 72ish degrees and crystal clear and I damn near just went ahead and jumped in but I just couldn't do it with a clear conscience knowing my family would be drinking that water even though I have filters and reverse osmosis in my trailer.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. My in-laws live in SA so it will be easy to visit some of the places recommended.
 
I have a 2800 gallon concrete water well holding tank that serves as a bath tub and a swimming pool as well as a drinking source
So a few years ago I was hiking up towards canyon lake. It was super hot, I was sweating profusely, balls were sticking to thighs.... fumunda cheese was strong..... all of the sudden, I come upon this big concrete basin full of crystal clear water. It was like a sign from God. There was nobody around, so I took all my clothes off and hopped in. It was incredibly refreshing. I spent probably an hour in there just marinating.

I feel awkward now.......
 
So a few years ago I was hiking up towards canyon lake. It was super hot, I was sweating profusely, balls were sticking to thighs.... fumunda cheese was strong..... all of the sudden, I come upon this big concrete basin full of crystal clear water. It was like a sign from God. There was nobody around, so I took all my clothes off and hopped in. It was incredibly refreshing. I spent probably an hour in there just marinating.

I feel awkward now.......
When I first read this I thought, "oh hell, it sounds like he was swimming in my holding tank" but then I realized you didn't mention anything about having your nuts bitten off by 2 mean ass dogs or being shot at by a crazy homeowner. Whew, you almost had me going.
 
So a few years ago I was hiking up towards canyon lake. It was super hot, I was sweating profusely, balls were sticking to thighs.... fumunda cheese was strong..... all of the sudden, I come upon this big concrete basin full of crystal clear water. It was like a sign from God. There was nobody around, so I took all my clothes off and hopped in. It was incredibly refreshing. I spent probably an hour in there just marinating.

I feel awkward now.......

Bell's cistern.... sorry for the boobies in advance.

 
Lol that you think potato guns qualify as guns!


When I first read this I thought, "oh hell, it sounds like he was swimming in my holding tank" but then I realized you didn't mention anything about having your nuts bitten off by 2 mean ass dogs or being shot at by a crazy homeowner. Whew, you almost had me going.
 
Lol that you think potato guns qualify as guns!
I have one that will shoot a potato over 300 yards, I've done it on Landa Golf course in NB. I've put a hole through a 3/4" piece of plywood with it at close range. It may as well be a gun.
 
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Black's bbq just opened today in New BRaunfels. I'm not impressed.
 
Black's bbq just opened today in New BRaunfels. I'm not impressed.

Did you get brisket? Their sausage is awful, but their brisket is top notch. As with any new restaurant opening, sometimes it takes them a little time to perfect things.
 
Did you get brisket? Their sausage is awful, but their brisket is top notch. As with any new restaurant opening, sometimes it takes them a little time to perfect things.


Sometimes the smokers and/or ovens just aren't the same and aren't being replicated. We have a place in Ft. Worth, Railhead BBQ, that has awesome ribs but in the other location (Aledo) the ribs aren't the same.
 
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