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School’s out for summer! We’re kicked off the kids’ summer break and hit the road on the last day of school to embark on our first ever camping trip in Texas.

We were avid campers when we lived in the Pacific Northwest, but have not had the opportunity to explore any Texas campsites since we’ve moved here until now.

Huntsville State Park, nestled in the Sam Houston National Forest, offers an idyllic setting for an unforgettable outdoor adventure. With its diverse range of activities, including fishing, hiking trails, and abundant wildlife, this state park is a perfect destination for families seeking a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. In this blog post, we will delve into the exciting activities and attractions that make Huntsville State Park a great getaway for families with kids.

 

Fishing Fun

Huntsville State Park boasts a great fishing dock accessible from the campsites via a short trail to tranquil lake that’s teeming with fish, making it an ideal spot for a family fishing expedition. Pack your fishing gear and enjoy some quality time with your kids on the water’s edge. Common catches include largemouth bass, catfish, and crappie. Don’t forget to obtain a fishing license, available at the park office, and familiarize yourself with any size or bag limits. Engaging in this classic outdoor pastime is a fantastic way to teach your kids patience, the art of angling, and the importance of conservation.

 

Hiking Trails Galore

Exploring the beauty of nature through hiking is a must-do activity at Huntsville State Park. The park offers a variety of well-marked trails that cater to different skill levels, ensuring there’s something for everyone in the family. The Prairie Branch Loop Trail, for instance, is a beginner-friendly trail that winds through the park’s diverse ecosystems, offering glimpses of towering pine trees, peaceful meadows, and serene lake views. The Chinquapin Trail, a moderate-level hike, presents a slightly more challenging terrain and rewards hikers with breathtaking vistas along the way. Encourage your kids to become nature detectives as you discover unique plants, animal tracks, and hidden treasures during your hike.

Wildlife Encounters: Huntsville State Park is a sanctuary for a wide array of wildlife, presenting countless opportunities for your kids to marvel at nature’s wonders up close. Keep your eyes peeled for the park’s resident white-tailed deer, squirrels, and rabbits as they meander through the forest. Birdwatching enthusiasts will be delighted to spot an array of feathered friends, including woodpeckers, warblers, and even the elusive bald eagle. Remind your kids to observe these creatures from a respectful distance and to refrain from feeding them, as maintaining their natural behaviors is vital for their well-being.  We did see a couple of alligators in the lake so be sure to watch out and take precaution while in and on the lake!

 

Fun On The Lake

Huntsville State Park Boathouse rents canoes, kayaks and paddleboats by the hour, all day or overnight.

Huntsville State Park Boathouse rents canoes, kayaks and paddleboats by the hour, all day or overnight.

 

Our Campsite

We got lucky booking our campsite so late in the season as we got a really good site facing the lake with lots of trees.

Camping Delights: After an eventful day of fishing, hiking, and wildlife encounters, unwinding at one of Huntsville State Park’s campsites is the perfect way to cap off your adventure. The park offers a variety of camping options, from tent sites nestled in the shade of towering trees to RV sites with modern amenities. Gather around the campfire to share stories, roast marshmallows, and bask in the tranquility of the outdoors. Our kids enjoyed the simplicity of nature, stargazing, and simply enjoying the peaceful ambiance of our campsite.

Conclusion: Huntsville State Park is a family-friendly haven that offers an abundance of activities for kids and adults alike. From fishing escapades to invigorating hikes and memorable wildlife encounters, this Texas gem has it all. So, pack your camping gear, don your hiking boots, and embark on an adventure that will create cherished memories for the whole family. A trip to Huntsville State Park is a gateway to reconnecting with nature, fostering a sense of exploration, and creating a bond that will last a lifetime.

What are your favorite state parks and campsite in Texas?

 

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Happy Earth Day 2023!

Photo courtesy of Gather and Gab

With the lovely spring weather in Texas and Mother’s Day around the corner, there’s no better time to enjoy a picnic outside!

Earlier this month, I took my youngest kid to the park for a park playdate and doubled the fun with an Easter Mommy & Me pop-up picnic, hosted by Gather and Gab. Gather and Gab is a Dallas based luxury picnic business designed to help women cultivate their closest relationships.

Gather and Gab also hosts a few seasonal pop-up picnics throughout the year, so you’ll definitely want to snag a ticket to the next one! These pop-up picnics are a great way to experience Gather and Gab’s services on a smaller scale. Since the pop-up picnics are ticketed events and open to the public, anyone can purchase seats and join in the fun. The pop-up picnics are not only adorable, but they are a budget-friendly activity you can enjoy with your kids and friends! Tickets for this picnic included admission for 2, charcuterie boxes for 2, one activity, one craft, a private Easter egg hunt, and a gift basket. A great value for a curated event!

Our little picnic was a delightful experience and perfect down to the last details. Whitney of Gather and Gab thought of everything and all the little touches and attention to detail made for a special morning out with my kiddo.

When we arrived, a beautiful table setting for our group was already waiting for us at Heritage Park as the perfect location and outdoor environment. We had a large grassy field all to ourselves surrounded by large mature trees for shade and breeze. Our table was decorated with an Easter theme and festive spring elements. Next to the grassy field was the stellar playground so kids could play there after. The picnic started with a slime making activity for the kids using fun spring colors, followed by a DIY bird feeder craft that us moms could participate in with our kids.  While we let our painted crafts dry, picnic foods were served with individual charcuterie boxes by Board and Brie!

 

Our hostess Whitney also had a couple of lawn games set out so kids could get up throughout the picnic and play. After grazing and crafting, our kids were treated to a surprise Easter egg hunt with eggs filled with little toys and trinkets strategically hidden throughout the park. This worked out very well with our small group as each kid was given a limit of finding and keeping 12 eggs and wandering at their own pace. No competition, no racing for eggs.

 

The finishing touch; we loved the gift baskets filled with Easter activities for each kid to take home!

Photo courtesy of Gather and Gab

Gather and Gab also specializes in other luxury picnics (without kids!) if you are looking to host a special gathering with girlfriends, family members, or even a date! You can customize and add-on other services to any of their packages.

Check out their packages here: (pricing and availability can be found on their website)

 

If you simply want to attend one of Gather and Gab’s pop-up picnics, which are ticketed events, check out their Facebook and IG pages for upcoming events around DFW!

Thank you Whitney for a lovely morning!

 

 

 

 

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We recently got back from a Colorado Winter Vacation to Breckenridge and it was a great experience to travel to Colorado and the Rocky Mountains for the first time.  The kids haven’t seen snow since we moved to Texas from the PNW and snow was one of their wishes for Christmas. We loaded up the truck, kids and snow gear, and we were off on our first long road trip. 13+ hours to be exact.  Needless to say, I was beyond excited for snow, a cozy cabin, fires, and winter mountain vibes.

This trip, we headed to the ski town of Breckenridge, located at the base of the Tenmile Range, with an elevation of about 9,600 ft above sea level. Breckenridge is an authentic mountain town with tons of charm and attractions on Main St. which we were lucky enough to experience during Christmas.

 

Airbnb Cabin

We arrived to our Airbnb, and our cabin was just as charming and lovely as the pictures shown in the listing. The Swiss Chalet style a-frame cabin tucked high above the mountains has a spectacular view of Peak 8. The cabin was cozy, warm, inviting and decorated in vintage ski decor.

It was so nice to have a warm and cozy cabin with all the amenities to come back to after a day on the slopes. We enjoyed cooking some of our meals in the cabin’s fully stocked kitchen, and the kids enjoyed baking cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve night in anticipation of Santa’s arrival on Christmas morning.

View of Peak 8 from the deck

Breckenridge Nordic Center

On Christmas morning we went on a family snowshoe hike at the Breckenridge Nordic Center. The trails offer magnificent scenery of the Ten Mile Range and Breckenridge Ski Resort surrounded by beautiful spruce forests and spectacular views.  The Nordic Chalet at the trailhead area houses equipment rentals, retail, snacks, drinks, and a wood burning fireplace that is the perfect spot to warm up with a beverage after your snowshoe adventure.

John and I have loved snowshoeing since our first snowshoe adventure date in the Olympic National Park in 2006 and we’ve tried to continue snowshoe hikes every year as our schedules would allow. We wanted to share this snowshoeing experience with our family too and found it to be a great Christmas Day activity to enjoy the great outdoors and exercise.

Children’s igloo at the start of the trails

 

 

 

 

At the end of our hike, ready for a hot drink!

 

Peak views from Breckenridge Overlook

Outfit Details: Beanie: Rossignol, Jacket: SAM, Base layer and Pants: TopShop Sno, Boots: Danner from 2016
Get The Look: Ski Weekend Style Inspo

Breckenridge Ski Resort

The gondola ride was a highlight for the kids. You can ride up to Peaks 7 and 8 to dine at the restaurants and take in the mountain and town views.  Unfortunately Baron got altitude sickness halfway up on the Gondola after the photo above was taken. Mom tip: carry barf bags and extra wipes!

Ski School

Jonah had his first snowboard lesson here at Breckenridge Ski School. The staff were incredibly helpful, so friendly and passionate about what they do, and it shows!  The check-in process for ski school was smooth and well-organized. There are two places you can choose to have lessons – The Village and Peak 8. We chose Peak 8 since the location was convenient for us and we knew we would be dining on Peak 8 later in the day.

Jonah, happy and tired after a full day of learning and riding!

With this being our first time to Breckenridge, we had no idea just how huge and majestic this ski resort was. Breckenridge has 5 peaks, 187 trails, 2,908 acres and the highest lift-served terrain in North America – WOW!
The mountain stats are so impressive that they even have a new trail map created by trail map artist James Niehues.

Photo courtesy of Breckenridge Ski Resort

Dinner at Robbie’s Tavern

After a long day on the slopes or in the cold, there’s nothing better than hot comfort food. Robbie’s Tavern is conveniently located slope side on Peak 8 just a few minutes walk from Jonah’s snowboard lessons. The restaurant has a cool outdoor patio with heatlamps and fire pits for apres ski and drinks.  It started to snow so we opted to sit inside and after a full day or riding, Jonah did not want to be outdoors any longer.
I ordered the lamb gyro and it was perfect.
John got the chili cheese fries
I wish I would have gotten the hot chocolate! They look like this:

Photo by Robbie’s Tavern

Description: Robbie’s Peppermint Patty is a delicious beverage mixed with Peppermint Schnapps and a rich hot chocolate mix.  It’s topped with a mountain of whipped cream and a sprinkle of crushed peppermint candy.

 Main Street

Downtown Breckenridge’s Main Street is the quintessential mountain town filled with charming boutiques, shops and restaurants, with all the Christmas feels, like a scene from a Hallmark movie 😉

Main Street at night is like no other. Every single Victorian building home and business is beautifully lit in Christmas lights. This one was my favorite you can spot from miles away.

A family trip wouldn’t be complete if someone didn’t get sick.

Travel Tips: (for Colorado first-timers combatting altitude sickness)

  1. If you’re from a low-land region like us in Texas, you’ll need time to adjust to the altitude. We didn’t take the time to adjust and just went straight to 10,000+ ft above sea level and half of our family got altitude sickness during our trip. Don’t do it.
  2. Pack and drink a ton of water. More water than you normally drink at home.
  3. Eat lots of carbs. This helps with preventing altitude sickness and improves overall wellness.  This is the one time when you can eat carbs to your hearts desire and it is highly encouraged! Lots of carbs like kettle chips, bread, bagels, fries.
  4. Pack mini oxygen tanks.

 

Leaving Breck

Overall, despite the temporary altitude sickness, we enjoyed our winter vacation with our family and our kids had the most fun and made some amazing memories on our first visit to Colorado during Christmas. We would love to come back to this beautiful state and experience more ski towns and see the many other family-friendly ski resorts. What are your favorite family-friendly ski resorts you recommend in Colorado?

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Paved walking paths lined with pumpkins leading all the way to the Pumpkin Village

One of the great things about visiting/moving to a new city if the chance to discover and explore new places. I’ve had the Dallas Arboretum on my bucket list and with great timing, September through November is also when they host their annual Autumn At The Arboretum festival. There are family events throughout the season, but Autumn at the Arboretum is their most elaborate production. The Autumn Festival has been named one of the best pumpkin festivals in the country, and it is right here in North Texas.

When we arrived my jaw dropped. The Dallas Arboretum is absolutely stunning. There is beauty in every direction you look with bursts of color everywhere. The flowers, trees, native plants and wetlands are beautifully landscaped and maintained. Compared to the arboretums and botanical gardens in Washington, this one is massive in size.  I’ve never seen anything like it. I could come here every day to bask in all the natural beauty and feel like it’s a new experience each time.

Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum has a “Wizard of Oz” theme this year. You follow a yellow brick road to the Emerald City house built out of pumpkins, making your way to the Witch’s house and an enchanted forest where you come upon the Tinman and the Lion. This also isn’t your typical pumpkin patch — it’s a pumpkin village, using more than 90,000 pumpkins, gourds, and squashes to complete the display.

 

Taking a break from crowds at the DeGoyler House. Designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the DeGolyer Estate is available for private events. I’d love to host a dinner here one day.

 

Outfit details: Sweater: Who What Wear | Loafers: A New Day for Target | Cropped flares: Levis

Jonah and Baron’s Outfits: Tops: Cat and Jack (similar here) | Pants: Cat and Jack |

Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden

There is a dedicated and separate children’s garden on 8 acres overlooking the beautiful White Rock Lake. We could have easily spent the entire day here just in the children’s garden.  There is so much to do, see and explore here.  The boys especially loved the maze and the STEM learning area. It was hard to pull them away but we let them roam and explore their surroundings. What I love most at the children’s garden is how it was designed with children in mind connecting them nature where education is the focus.

The Arboretum’s version of a bounce house in the air, a 32-foot fabricated tree lends itself to ‘sky-walking’ suspended over the trail below. Photo credit: Dallasarboretum.org

What I’m most excited about and look forward to on our next visit is the newest feature that just opened this month at the arboretum, A Tasteful Place.  Coming from a foodie town, I am excited to see the sustainable food movement make its way to parts of Texas.  According to recent media, A Tasteful Place is a productive working garden that is also visually beautiful, influenced by European gardening principals and artful arrangement. The Pavilion is a 3,600-square-foot building with 180 degree views of the garden, lagoon and walkways, with event space and teaching kitchen to showcase chefs who will demonstrate preparation of garden-to-table cuisine. It’s also a site for cooking classes, educational programs and special events.
We definitely want to visit the Dallas Arboretum regularly and are considering becoming members. In reviewing membership benefits, a few visits would pay for a family membership in itself. Aside from value and cost savings, there are also special members-only events and experiences throughout the year. If it’s this beautiful in the Fall, I can’t wait to see what the Dallas Arboretum looks in the spring!