Thursday, November 8, 2012

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Friday Daydreamin': Thankful for Texas #'s 3 - 9


Happy Friday friends! Time for Friday Daydreamin'! My favorite day of the week as I get to armchair vacation through all of your lovely photos!!

This month, I will be sharing all the places in Texas that I am Thankful for.  Take a few moments to learn a little more about this great state that I call home....and love so dearly.

One of my absolute, hands-down favorite treats that is made right here in our home state is Homemade Vanilla Blue Bell Ice Cream.  This past summer, we had the chance to tour where it is made and get a free scoop at the Blue Bell Creameries in Brenham, Texas.
I grew up in San Antonio, so I always feel right at home when I am strolling down the Riverwalk.  Tucked between all the tall buildings in downtown San Antonio, the hustle and bustle of the busy streets seem to disappear once you are down on the Riverwalk.  Take a wonderful boat ride, eat a scrumptious meal, or just stroll, the San Antonio Riverwalk will always be a favorite of mine.
Texas has many incredible zoos and each one of them are vastly different.  And though I can't pick one as being my absolute favorite (each one has uniques things I love about them!), the zoo that best represents Texas is the Fort Worth Zoo.  Their Texas Wild! exhibit takes you on a quick tour of all the regions of Texas, featuring plants & animals - you actually feel like you are on the Gulf Coast of Texas!  
I may be completely biased with this, but I think the Texas Capitol is the prettiest in the nation.  Constructed out of gorgeous pink granite from the Hill Country, it is also one of the tallest Capitols as well, rivaling the nation's Capitol Building.  History is abundant and tours are free.  And I still get chills every time I drive down Congress Ave. and see it.
Texas is known for a lot of things, but beaches always seemed to get overlooked.  Did you know that Texas has over 600 miles of shoreline? And while it may not have the whitest of sand or the bluest of water, families have a blast playing in the Gulf of Mexico year round!  We adore the fact that we are less than 3 hours away from a beach!
My family really digs History.  And we love to expose our kids to as much as we can find.  Texas has many unique museums that bring History to life, like the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas.  Originally a museum dedicated to Admiral Chester Nimitz, the museum has expanded to include the George H. W. Bush Gallery and a Pacific Combat Zone which performs re-enactments throughout the year.
Living in this hot state, we need unique ways to cool off - I bring you Schlitterbahn Water Parks. Named "World's Best Waterpark" for several years, Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, Texas is one of my kids absolute favorite places to go.  My kids love all the sides and rides there are at the park, I love the fact that the majority of the park is covered with great big oak trees and nestled right next to a spring-fed river.  It's a relaxed, fun water park that we are blessed to have right down the road from us!

You can view last week's Thankful for Texas installment here.

Post your favorite Friday Daydreamin' pictures on your blog and link up with us below!


Hungry for more travel photo adventures? Please visit Travel Photo Thursday from Budget Travelers Sandbox and Delicious Baby's Photo Friday.

11 comments:

Lisa said...

I'm loving your "Thankful for Texas" posts, Becca - it's so nice to appreciate home! There seems to be so many beautiful places in Texas and I'm enjoying getting to know more about your state. I have always wanted to visit the San Antonio River Walk but now I know that there is so much more that I want to do. I'll be setting foot in Texas for the first time over the Christmas holidays - only for one day but hopefully we'll be able to see a bit!

Mary {The World Is A Book} said...

I love how much you appreciate your homestate and what a great series of posts, Becca. I've only been to Houston and Dallas airports and really need to venture beyond the layovers. You've shown me so much I want to see and do in Texas. The Alamo and the Riverwalk are still high on our list. Have a great time in Dallas this weekend!

Michele | Malaysian Meanders said...

You're making me homesick. I'm thankful that I'll be calling Texas my home again one day.

Nancie said...

Texas looks like a fabulous place to visit. I'dn be standing in line for that free ice cream.

coolnewz said...

That's a great idea: I will also think about a "Thankful for Romania" series! :)

Eileen @ FamiliesGO! said...

Love your Texas pride. A Texan once told me he could relate to NYers (as radically different as we might seem) because we have a similar (overdeveloped?) sense of pride and identity in being from NYC that Texans have about being from Texas.

Steve said...

Do you really live that close to Schlitterbahn? That's right at the top of my kids "want to try" list. It keeps showing up on reruns of "The Greatest Waterparks in the World" on Travel Channel. I think they're fascinated with the uphill slide. Anything to avoid climbing stairs.

InACents said...

I am pained everytime I see the beautiful Riverwalk. For some reason, our City can not come up with a plan to monopolize on our rivers and the beautiful opportunities they present.

Cathy Sweeney said...

Those are 9 great reasons to be thankful for Texas. One of these days, I'm going to get to a Texas beach! I haven't seen much of the state beyond Houston and the panhandle yet.

Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista said...

I've always had a great time when visiting Texas, well except the time we were in Waco! Still need to get to the beach though.

Sonja said...

Never been to Texas! Looks like a nice place to visit.