Spring Break in San Antonio

What's the first thing you think to do when it comes to San Antonio?  If SeaWorld San Antonio comes to mind, than this post is for you.  Not that I don't like SeaWorld (I love it, really I do!!), but there is so much more to do in San Antonio than just meeting Shamu.  Here are 5 Great Ideas of Things to Do in San Antonio this Spring Break.

If Spring Break plans have you heading south to San Antonio with the family, for the sake of all your 4th graders learning Texas History this year, please make a visit to the Alamo.   "Non-native Texans", here is the short version of what happened there and why it is so important to our state: The Alamo is a Spanish Mission built in what is now San Antonio, Texas.  In March of 1836, a small group of Texans defended the Alamo against Mexico and were defeated.  Because of this loss, Texans came together and won their independence against Mexico a month later under the leadership of Sam Houston. A visit to the Alamo is historical and fun for all ages.  Before you go, take in the movie, " Alamo: The Price of Freedom" at the IMAX at the RiverCenter Mall a block away.  It's a great way to refresh yourself on the story.

While you are downtown, a short walk to the San Antonio Riverwalk is a must.  There are several ways to get down to the Riverwalk level and once you descend the stairs, it is as if you are in a different world.  The lush green trees, calm river, and jolly mood gives you the full San Antonio experience.  Take a river boat cruise or just stroll up and down the river banks enjoying the restaurants, shops, and various mariachi bands.  The River Center Mall, La Villita, and San Antonio Museum of Art are all located there as well. You can't go wrong with any of the Mexican restaurants that line the river - a great place for lunch or dinner!

Take in a sky-high view of San Antonio from atop the Tower of Americas.  Located in downtown as well, the 750-foot-tall Tower  built for the World's Fair in 1968, provides guests the most spectacular view of the Alamo City. We all really enjoyed taking our time seeing the c360 degree view of the city from the Observation Deck and then experiencing the thrilling 4D Theater Ride.  It sits in the heart of Hemisfair Plaza that has the Institute of Texan Culture and a terrific park for the kids to burn some energy at.

The San Antonio Zoo is celebrating 100 years in 2013 but certainly doesn't look like a 100 year old zoo.  WIthin the last few years, the Zoo has opened it's 20 million dollar Africa Live Exhibit and is the only Zoo in the country to have a separate children’s Zoo area, Kronkosky’s Tiny Tot Nature Spot, designed for kids 5 and under.  Our favorite part of the Zoo is the Nature Encounters, where zoologists hands-on teach you about the animals.  Last time we visited, we learned to walk like a gibbon, held a hog-nosed snake, and learned what eagles like to eat.  While you are there, enjoy the quiet Japanese Tea Gardens next door and take a train ride around Brackenridge Park.

The last "must-see" place is the new all-abilities park located in north San Antonio.  Morgan's Wonderland opened in 2010 and this colorful and ultra-accessible 25-acre family fun park serves as a haven not only for those with special needs but also for their families, friends and the entire able bodied and disabled community. Filled with rides, playgrounds, fishing, hands-on experiences, and more, my children loved this park.  It is built in an old quarry and you can easily spend a whole day here.

In all honesty, it is hard to narrow San Antonio down to just 5 places to see, so if you are interested, I have a whole collection of Things to Do in San Antonio for you.  It is an amazing city, one of my favorite to visit, full of culture and rich experiences.  Take your time, enjoy the sites and smells and food and fun!

Special Events: The Perot Museum of Nature & Science

The new Perot Museum of Nature and Science is full of fun opportunities and more in their 5 floors of amazing hands-on exhibits. We now have the chance to soar like an eagle, feel the earth move and shake right under our feet and race against a T-Rex!   We were able to spend the day there eariler this month and were delighted with how much there was to do for all ages....toddlers up to adults!

I was very impressed with the long list of programs the Perot Museum offers as well.  The list is long and includes scout programs,  day camps, and even adult happy hours!  Here are just a few of the fun things the Perot Museum has going on:

Discovery Days

Every second Saturday of the month, the Perot Museum presents a new topic of learning for families. Free with admission, Discovery Days include live demonstrations, hands on experiments, performances, creating art, and presentations from local experts.  The next Discovery Day is "Circuits, Blueprints, and Robots: Discover Engineering and Innovation" on February 9, 2013.

Day Camps for Little Ones

There are numerous day camps for children ages 1 -5.  Scribbles and Dribbles for ages 1-2 (45 mins), Little Leonardos  for children ages 3 -5 (1 hour) and Budding Scientists for ages 3-5 (3 hours) are all fun classes for adult and child.  Pick from 3 different times once a week and engage your child in a fun & innovative combination of both art and science. Classes vary in price for the 8 week session.  Registration for the Spring session "Plant Path" will open in February.

Museum Sleepovers

What? Who wouldn't like to see if the museum comes alive at night?  You can with a Sleepover at the Perot Museum.  Designed specifically for children ages 6 -12 and adult chaperones, sleepovers include after-hours access, a late night snack, a 3D movie and a light breakfast.  FUN!

Social Science

It's a new kind of date night! The Perot Museum offers an exclusive, adults-only  evening of learning and fun....with a cash bar! For $15 ($10 for members), you will get to tour the museum kids-free, see dynamic performances and hands-on demonstrations, and see "sneak-peeks" of current research and inventions with guest scientists.  The Social Science nights are fun and engaging.  The next one will be on April 5, 2013 from 7 pm -11pm.

Additionally, the Perot Museum offers engaging programs for both Boy & Girl Scouts, Schools, and offer both Spring Break and Summer Day camps for Elementary kids.  Those are filling up fast, so check into them quick if you are interested.  What a great resource we have with the Perot Museum, truly fulfilling their mission, "Inspiring minds through nature and science" in every way possible!

Perot Museum of Nature & Science

Downtown Dallas has a cool new building with a box hanging off the side of it.  Know what it is??  It's the new Perot Museum of Nature and Science and it is one of the best new museums for kids in the entire state of Texas!

Perot Museum of Nature and Science opened in December 2012 and saw an overwhelming response from the community.  This hands-on museum excels at helping kids learn in the most unique ways.  Children like to touch things, experiment, see themselves in different ways, use all 5 senses and laugh.  They call it fun, we call it learning.  No matter what you call it, this museum does it well.

Word has gotten out how great of a museum it is, so much so that admission is selling out each day.  Your best bet is to buy your tickets online in advance.  Tickets are sold in timed increments, so as the museum-goer can have a pleasant experience and get to try all the hands-on experiments without having to wait too long.

As I have mentioned, the museum is full of hands-on experiments, many of which are easy to follow and understand what you are doing for most ages.  What I liked the most was that there were several wandering "educators" on each floor, that would just right in and explain to the kids what they were doing (i.e. lifting a bowling ball on each planet) and why it was important.

There are 5 levels to the museum, each full of fun.  We especially enjoyed the third level, where we were able to feel an earthquake, touch a funnel cloud, and forecast the weather.  There are loads of interactive exhibits for all ages, from traveling through the Solar System, to donning a pair of 3D glasses and flying like a bird (my little guy's favorite).

As it's a new museum, everything is so bright and colorful.  You find each exhibit incredibly engaging.  On Level 2, your senses are taken to a new level as you walk through the Discovering Life Hall.  Fully sense the Texas Blackland Prairie by hearing the prairie dog call, feeling the prickly pear cactus and smelling the desert marigold (or coyote urine, if you dare!).

My little engineer spent a good 30 minutes on programming a robot to go through a maze.  He worked diligently on one of two stations and was successful on his first try.  The other kids roamed around the Texas Instruments Engineering and Innovation Hall making music, learning how to dace, playing in front of a geo-thermal wall, and more while he plugged away.  I was able to sit on a set of steps and relax a bit, able to see them taking their time to master whatever they were trying.

For little ones (5 and under) the museum offers the Moody Family Children's Museum on the Lower Level.  This area has a giant Dallas skyline to climb, slide, and play on that really caught my 3-year old's fancy.  He also donned a Dallas Farmer's Market apron and organized fruit for a while.  There is also a water play station, craft area, and camping site to capture all interests.  It is a great place to allow your little guys to run and play.

My kids loved every bit of the museum, but the one place they enjoyed most and stayed the longest was in the Sports Hall.  Here, you can race against a professional athlete, a cheetah or a T-Rex. The line for this was the longest we encountered all day yet it only took less than 10 minutes to go through.  It's fascinating to watch person after person sprint it out to beat a football player or a gymnast.  Another really cool exhibit here involves you comparing a kick, twirl, or throw to a professional athlete.  My little soccer gal enjoyed seeing how she measured up to a FC Dallas player.

Simply put, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science is amazing.  We were able to take our time on what we found interesting and never feel rushed.  My kids learned so much that they talked about later...even weeks later!  We can't recommend a visit enough.  And we can't wait to go back ourselves!

Teach Kids to Pay It Forward

It's always easy to see how very blessed we are around the Holidays.  We have oodles of family, tons of great food, and lots of very generous presents at each Holiday Gathering.  My children have come to expect this way of life.  But I can't help but think, they need to see just how fortunate they are and learn to pass along all the blessings they have.

So this past Holiday season, we implemented a "Pay It Forward" Day.  I wanted to teach my kids exactly how easy it is to "Pay it Forward".  My kids woke up thinking I had something fun planned for them.  And indeed I did. It just wasn't quite what they expected.....

After breakfast, I broke the news of the day -  "Our "fun" outing today will be to try to make as many people smile today as possible, brightening their day, in an effort to pass along that smile or kind act to someone else.  It's called Pay It Forward and  I can't wait to teach you how."

My 11 year old daughter was on board immediately.  My 10 year old son took a while to warm to it, but was soon joining in the brainstorming. And their ideas were great!  I am so glad that I involved them into planning our day and didn't just do it for them, as they had so many great ideas.

An apartment complex in our school district had burned down the night before and my daughter saw they were accepting donations of clothing, toys, and household goods on the tv.  So we cleaned out our closets and dropped off our donations.

My son adores the Fire Station near us and wanted to bring them cookies.  We took it a step further and delivered cookies to all the public employees we could find .  I hope the police station, the post office, our mailman, and the fire station near us all enjoyed the peanut butter cookies my son baked.

We wanted to see strangers smile, so we handed out candy canes at the Post Office, the local Starbucks, and the corner drugstore for a few hours.  Most people smiled back, stopped and told us thank you, and one gentleman burst into song "The Christmas Song", showing my kids a direct result of their kindness.  That alone was worth our efforts.

We spent less than our $20 and my kids spent all day seeing and feeling the joy that comes with giving to strangers.  No amount of money in the world could pay for that. And they asked to do it again! Success!!

Ideas to Pay It Forward with Kids:

• Look for opportunities to show a random act of kindness - hold the door open for someone, help someone with their groceries to their car, allow someone with a child to jump ahead of you in the line, etc.


• Drive-thru Pay it Forwards (I love this one!) - Pay for the meal or coffee of the person behind you, pay for the toll/parking fee for the person behind you


• Leave a BIG tip for a deserving waiter/waitress


• Clean out your closets and donate them to someone in need


• Go out of your way to Thank someone for doing their job - tell the garbage man thank you, write a note of thanks to your banker, or even better, take the time to seek out a supervisor and tell them about their great employee


• Write an encouraging note to your chid's teacher


• Stop at a Kid's Lemonade Stand and buy a glass


• Tape exact change onto a soda machine


• Look for opportunities to volunteer in your area - Use Volunteer Match to help you find an opportunity.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit (Fort Worth Museum of Science & History)

The Fort Worth Museum of Science & History has a very special exhibit currently. "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit"  is only here through March 24, and I encourage you to get on over there and see it before it's gone!

The Titanic exhibit begins with the planning & construction of the ship. See actual plans, hear ship-workers accounts and learn all about Captain Smith. The sad story is that he was retired yet asked to lead the Titanic's maiden voyage.

As you walk thorough recreated rooms, from First Class Staterooms to the third class bunkrooms, you learn all about how they traveled across the ocean.  It's a stunning reality to see the gorgeous private bedrooms and smoking rooms and ballrooms for the rich and then find out that third class passengers had 2 bathtubs for the 700+ passengers on their deck.  See personal artifacts from recovered jewelry to dinner ware to tiles from the Grand Ballroom.

The exhibit takes you down to the "boiler room", where the atmosphere is dark, cold and you hear the engine sounds.  It's a vast change from the light and happy one a few decks up. Actual tools and coal recovered from the ship can be seen here.  Learn about how the ship was powered across the Atlantic, even during a coal shortage.

As you walk through the timeline of events that occurred that fateful April night, you can't help but see how this horrific accident could have been avoided. A cold room is recreated to make you feel as if you are on the ocean and you can even touch a big block of ice, the temperature of an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.

What we enjoyed the most about the exhibit was how passenger's stories are told - it brought the exhibit to life for us.  When you see the tickets, shoes, jewelry, etc. of a passenger and then hear who they were and why they were on the ship, you can't help but feel sorrowful for their fate.  As you enter Titanic, you are handed a "passenger card" that details who they were, what class they were in and their personal story.  At the end of the exhibit, you can locate your passengers name to see if they were rescued and survived or not.  Very happily, 3 out of 4 of our families', "passengers" did in fact survive.

This exhibit was perfect for my 10 & 12 year olds - they were drawn to the artifacts and hearing the stories.  It enabled them to really understand the history better by seeing actual pieces, touching the cold iceberg, and learning about their passenger's fate.

The museum has timed entries to the exhibit, which I happen to love, as it doesn't get too crowded.  And it is an additional cost to see the exhibit. Also, no photography is allowed.  Audio tours are offered for $5 and there is a comprehensive gift store at the end of the exhibit as well.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is at the Fort Worth Museum of Science & History thru March 24, 2013.  The exhibit costs $10-26.  There is special pricing for the Fort Worth Stock Show (Jan 18 - Feb 9, 2013) - $11-15.

Gaylord Texan's Lone Star Christmas

Right down the road from us sits a wonderful Christmas adventure for the whole family.  The Gaylord Texan hosts Lone Star Christmas each holiday featuring holiday events, productions, and meals like no other you will find in the DFW area.   This year, the Gaylord Resorts have teamed up with DreamWorks Pictures to present, " Merry Madagascar" for their ICE! production this year.

 40 artisans from China are brought in starting in September to design the colorful ice sculptures and 20-feet tall ice slides.  It is carved out of two million pounds of ice y'all!! You can see all your favorite characters from Madagascar - Alex the Lion and his friends tell the story of how they saved Christmas after Santa crashed on the island of Madagascar (pulled from the DreamWorks animated Christmas special).  Everything is so bright and cheerful, you almost forget they are carved out of ice....that is, until you are reminded by the chilly 9 degrees the display is kept at.

But don't think you have to dress for the North Pole!  All guests are provided with hooded winter coats to keep them warm through out the display (including infant & child sizes). Long pants and closed-toe shoes are required and we brought hats and gloves as well.

Another fun event at Lone Star Christmas was the Kung Fu Panda Awesome Snow Tubing. This eight-laned tubing hill is covered in REAL snow and is not for the faint-hearted. I went with the 3 year old in a double tube but both of my big kids enjoyed tubing by themselves, trying to spin as they flew down the hills. You can get a combo ticket for ICE! and ten runs down the hill for a pretty decent price.

Make sure to sign up for Gingy's Gingerbread Decorating too!  Gingy - the famous gingerbread man from Shrek! gets the whole family  involved.  You can choose to decorate a Gingerbread Cookie Family (complete with family pet), a Train, a Christmas Tree, or a traditional House.  The price includes all the materials and time you need to create your masterpieces.  And you even get to meet Gingy and pose for a photo.

The Gaylord Texan itself is beautifully dressed up for the holidays, with a gorgeous 52-foot rotating Christmas Tree in it's atrium - the perfect place to take that family Christmas card photo.  Santa Claus visits the resort for photos, see the miniature trains, and look for singing cowboys and stilt-walkers to entertain you.  It is a fun place to spend an evening with the family.

Pricing for ICE! featuring DreamWorks' Merry Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda Awesome Snow Tubing, and Gingy's Gingerbread Decorating can be found here.

Breakfast with Santa at Neiman Marcus

Remember when we were kids and the ONLY place to tell Santa what you wanted for Christmas was at the mall?  The long lines, crying babies, and artificial bearded-Santas are out the window!  Our kids have new & fun opportunities to meet Santa! Now Santa shows up on trains, he reads stories at parties, and he even has meals with your family! One of our absolutely favorites times we have ever spent with Santa was Breakfast at Neiman Marcus.

For a classic time with Santa, you must book a Breakfast at Neiman Marcus. This was a tradition in our home for many years and was one of the events we looked forward to each year.  Seeing the wonder and awe in our kids' faces as they chatted with Santa made for a memorable experience.

In the downtown Neiman Marcus, Breakfast with Santa is held in the Zodiac Room on specific dates (see below). The meal begins with a preset breakfast for parents & kids and table-side entertainment. Santa's Elves roam the floor, visiting with the children and creating fun holiday balloons. Excitement is in the air as Santa arrives, everyone in the room (moms & dads included) are giddy. What I love most about this meal is that Santa spends quality time with your children, asking them questions and engaging them in conversation. My kids really felt as if they had a great visit with him.

Once Santa has made his way around the room and the meal is over, Neiman Marcus presents another treat! Dallas premier children's entertainer, Eddie Coker does a set for the kids. A private concert with Eddie Coker is a treat! He will have all the moms and dads doing the Woo!Woo! Dance in no time!

Neiman Marcus makes Breakfast with Santa a "must-do" each Holiday season. All three area Neiman Marcus stores have events (see below for details). If you can't make it this year, definitely put it on your calendar for next season. The memories you make for your family are priceless.

Downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus: December 22nd & 23rd at 8:30 am and 9:30 am 1618 Main St, Dallas, TX 214-573-5800

NorthPark Neiman Marcus: December 15th & 22nd at 9:00am 8687 North Central Expressway, Dallas, TX 214-891-1210

Fort Worth Neiman Marcus: December 15th & 22nd at 8:30am 2100 Green Oaks Rd, Fort Worth, TX 817-989-4650