slofamilylife's Passport
 | Been to 222 Attractions |
 | 201 Reviews |
 | 102 First to Review |
 | 232 Photos |
 | 138 Helpful Votes |
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Send a ComplimentAbout Me & My Family
I am a mom of 3 wonderful little boys (one with special needs), a beautiful baby girl, and am married to the man of my dreams. I am very interested in incorporating learning into activities that we do, so a trip to the beach turns into a school field trip. Recently, we moved back to California after a brief move to Texas and feel blessed to be able to be involved in all facets of Christian Camping. Because my husband and I serve in full time ministry, we're lucky to be able to spend a lot of time around each other and our family, having exciting adventures and just living life, day by day. :)
Our Family's Travel Personality
adventurous, curious, structured, relaxed, independent, energetic, spontaneous, easy_going, scheduled, artsy
We Just Got Back From
Japan, Lake Tahoe, Camp! (Not on the same trip though) :)
Our Favorite Vacation Spot
Anywhere new where discoveries can be made! We're pretty frugal, so budget traveling is definitely the way we go. However, occationally, we do love to splurge too! :)
A Place We'd Love To Visit
Austrailia to scuba dive the barrier reef, a zero-gravity flight to experience weightlessness, ziplining and exploring a rainforest, exploring the vast glaciers in Alaska, just to name a few!
Favorite Vacation Memory
It's completely simple, but watching our 6 year old get selected to be a Jedi Knight at Disneyland. It's his "lifelong" dream and still today when someone asks him what he's going to be someday, he proudly answers, "A Star Wars Guy!"
Worst Travel Moment With My Kids:
Right after checking into our hotel, my 4 year old threw up in the middle of the floor on the carpet, all over his jammies, his lovey, and on his little brother. Thankfully, the hotel we were staying in had a laundromat that was open late, so a few hours later, and after some carpet scrubbing, everything was cleaned up and like new.
Websites I Like:
21 Ways To Beat The Heat In Texas!
Even these incredible heat waves can't keep Texans down! Nationwide travelers and Texas's residents alike can beat the heat with the unique and vast options Texas has to offer.
South of Corpus Christi at the end of Park Road 22
Corpus Christi, Texas
Comment:
South Padre Island National Seashore "protects the longest undeveloped stretch of barrier island in the world" according to their website. Families can find themselves playing on the beach, boating, fishing, and wildlife viewing. There are programs that are offered throughout the year like beach walks and star parties that are fun for the whole family. Kids ages 5-13 can become a Junior Ranger by completing a booklet about the Park's plants, animals and history then be sworn in by the Park Ranger and given a badge to "officiate" the completion of the program.
14901 Farm Road 3005
Galveston, Texas
Comment:
Damaged by Hurricane Ike, this park has slowly been recovering. Despite some of it's wounds, Galveston State Park is a beautiful and popular beach with swimming (no lifeguards), fishing, mountain biking, and camping.
On Park Road 53, 14 miles west of Port Aransas, just north of North Padre Island off Highway 361
Port Aransas, Texas
Comment:
Take a break from day-to-day living and camp, swim, kayak, and play with your family at Mustang Island State Park. The island is rich in history and also has guided tours, hiking, biking, and 35 ft. tall sand dunes.
35 miles north of Corpus Christi on Farm Road 1068; Box 1167
Corpus Christi, Texas
Comment:
Take advantage of the cool waters of Lake Corpus Christi State Park and swim, water ski, go boating, fishing, and more. Campsites are available as well as picnic sites and pavilions for rent.
622 East Market Street
Rockport, Texas
Comment:
Families will love Rockport Beach Park! There is a small pirate ship play area, a pier, picnic areas, a saltwater pool, clean restrooms, and more!
San Marcos, Texas
Comment:
Swim, kayak, float, or raft down the crystal clear waters of the San Marcos River. Visit the Texas River Center to see the newly remodeled hotel, to take a ride on a glass bottom boat, or to visit the aquarium and exhibits that teach about San Marcos Springs and River. There are also campgrounds and outfitters that can help you explore the river even more!
Boerne, Texas
Comment:
The Guadalupe River is a tourist magnet in the heat! If you've never floated down the river yourself, it's definitely something you should try. Bring your own tubes or rent one from a local outfitter as well as a tube for your ice chest, dog, kids, whomever! There are also places nearby to camp or rent a room for a few nights.
10500 Sea World Drive
San Antonio, Texas
Comment:
Check out Sea World San Antonio's new Sesame Street Bay of Play, an interactive exhibit where kids splash and play their way through 2 acres of rides, shows, and play areas. Bathing suit a must!
33261 State Park Road 100
South Padre Island, Texas
Comment:
Known for their famous uphill water coasters, Schlitterbahn also has an amazing Rio Adventura where families can float along a wild river and exit at the wave pool, uphill coasters, or more!
2026 Lockheed Road
Galveston, Texas
Comment:
Schlitterbahn Galveston Island is a thrilling indoor waterpark with rivers, a kid play area, waves, and thrilling uphill coasters!
3600 I-35 North
San Antonio, Texas
Comment:
Splashtown USA in San Antonio has the ultimate 5 story corkscrew tower that has thrilling drops, twists, and turns. For the milder-at-heart, they have tube slides, a lazy river, wave pool, and kid's cove.
1101 South Blue Bell Road
Brenham, Texas
Comment:
You haven't tasted ice cream until you've had Blue Bell. I didn't believe people when they told me it was the best, but after trying it myself, I completely agree. At the Blue Bell Creamery, you can see how they make this amazing treat and even sample some yourself!
2201 Barton Springs Rd
Austin, Texas
Comment:
If you like chilly water, this place is for you! Located in Zilker Park, this natural waterhole is a big hit. The mossy rocks and grassy hillsides are a perfect place to stretch out after taking a dip in the non-chlorinated 68 degree water. Barton Springs Pool has clean dressing rooms and bathrooms and if your kids get tired of the water, there's also a playscape for them to climp around on.
3333 Camp Bowie Boulevard
Fort Worth, Texas
Comment:
For families with older children, the Kimbell is a fun way to beat the heat and learn something at the same time! Family guides are available upon request and provide fun tidbits of information. Check the program for art camps for kids as well as workshops!
Grapevine Mills Mall
3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway Fort Worth, Texas
Comment:
My kids love Legos. They love building towers, cars, people, whatever they can dream up. Fortunately, Texas now has a LEGOLAND Discovery Center of it's own. Families can visit the new center in the Grapevine Mills Mall and ride rides, build creations, take part in workshops and so much more!
4400 Paige Rd
The Colony, Texas
Comment:
I love Hawaiian Falls. It's a great family park with clean slides, clean water, bright colors and a tropical feel- even in Texas! Older kids will love their Hula Bowl slide, wave pool, lazy river, Torpedo Slides, and tube slides. Kids will have a blast at Keiki Kove, a large playscape with pulleys, a very large water dump bucket, kids slides, and more.
reviewed on: August 11 2011
"Dive Into Family Fun!"
Let me start off by saying, I love this park! Hawaiian Falls, The Colony has everything families could want, 11 twisty slides or tummy hurtling thrill rides, the perfect kid's play area, a fabulous water walkway, a lazy river, and wavepool all set amidst a Hawaiian style village with tropical plants and landscaping. The park was clean and the staff was friendly (I think they have a lady who's only job is to keep the restrooms clean- she was there cleaning every time I took the kids to the restroom, which was often)! One of the things I loved best about this park was the kid's area, or Keiki Cove. It was relaxing and set back away from some of the other rides, so families with younger kids had a place to ditch their stuff and play in the blue "river" path in front of the play structure with their babies. It would be an excellent spot for a mom's group to go to, the kids could play on the play structure and slide down the slides while mom's with babies can sit by the river and let the little ones splash away. There is plenty of seating and shade which ads to it's welcoming appeal. The lifeguards are friendly and did a wonderful job supervising everyone's safety. They were friendly too and smiled, you could tell they liked what they do.
My family and I had heard a lot about the outdoor movie nights, so we had to check it out. We came specifically to watch the Dive-In Movie playing that night which was Kung Fu Panda. The staff set up a humongous movie screen beside the shallow edge of the wave pool. The lifeguards create a human barricade keeping everyone in the shallow end where they're welcome to float on tubes or sit in chairs and watch the movie under the stars. It is the absolute perfect way to end a phenomenal day!
Food & Beverages:
Pineapple Pete’s Island Cafe serves up the standard American fare like hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, nachos, a brisket sandwich, french fries, soda, and bottled water. They also have combo meals and kids meals, and have a few snack items like cookies, candy, cotton candy, and ice cream. If the outdoor grill is open, I would recommend getting lunch there- it's yummy! If you have a child with special dietary needs, or would like to provide your kids with healthier options, I would suggest bringing sandwich or snack items from home and paying the inexpensive $5 cooler fee to bring your own food into the park (no fast food, restaurant food, or pre-packaged meals allowed).
What To Bring:
I would highly suggest the following items for your day trip to Hawaiian Falls: sunscreen, swimsuits, towels, sunglasses, water shoes or sandals (the sidewalks get hot), and swim diapers (if needed). I would also suggest bringing your own children’s life jackets if you have them. The life jackets they provide are the bright orange ones that we’ve always felt were a little uncomfortable, even though they work well.
Best Bang For Your Buck:
Check the website at hfalls.com to find deals at the park of your choice. A lot of times they have big discounts such as free kids tickets with the purchase of an adult ticket (a $16.99 savings)!
Overall:
Overall, Hawaiian Falls The Colony is a fantastic, family-friendly waterpark. I would come back here everyday if I could, it was that much fun!
*This review was based on a complimentary visit to Hawaiian Falls. They did not ask me to express a particular point of view, it is 100% my own opinion.
4550 North Garland Ave.
Garland, Texas
Comment:
The North Garland Hawaiian Falls park is not only clean and inviting, but has some of the best lifeguards around- really, they've won competitions! My absolute favorite thing at this park is the lazy river. It is a quick-paced river with mild rapids...who wouldn't love that!
reviewed on: July 06 2011
"Fabulolus Waterpark For The Whole Family!"
King Kamehameha, the Former King of Hawaii, would have been proud of this waterpark! Hawaiian Falls, North Garland is decked out with a Hawaiian motif, achieved the highest rating from the National Aquatic Safety Company (NASCO) for it’s water safety program, and has water slides and activities for kids of all ages, making it the ultimate family-friendly waterpark. You won’t be sitting still for long, but the park has multiple seating options for you to leave your belongings and enjoy the activities. Whether in a shady spot under a tree, spread out on the grass, at a covered picnic table, or lounging in a reclined chair by Kiddie Cove, there are plenty of spots to relax between adventures. If you want to be treated like a queen, I would highly recommend renting a new fabric-covered Cabana for the day. Not only do you get a large ice-packed cooler filled with water bottles, but you receive you’re very own “Cabana Boy” that you can page with a push of a button to bring you drinks and food. With a Cabana rental, your admission tickets are also discounted from the original price by about $6 per adult. It is a HUGE treat that’s definitely worth the extra cash!
Hawaiian Falls has a variety of different activities like the Maui Mom’s Club, Dive-In Movie Nights, Radio Disney Days, Entertainment Stages and more. They also have a Connections ‘11 program that offers support for the Hawaiian Falls Staff, and a video jingle contest to win prizes and more!
Slides, Wavepool, and Rapids:
Hawaiian Falls nailed the lazy river idea on the head for familes making it faster than the normal lazy river with a few surprise elements mixed in. We spent hours racing our kids in inner tubes as the quick-paced current propelled us over small rapids, and around large boulders. I saw mom’s with younger kids sleeping in their laps floating peacefully along as well as kids in life jackets popping in and out of unoccupied tubes. This is definitely the best lazy river I’ve ever been in!
Keiki Kove is perfect for little kids. Keeping with the Hawaiian theme, the large play structure is built like a fort with different obstacles for kids to climb and play on with water squirting and dumping from many different places. My three year old and I repeatedly climbed up the small net to the different slides pretending to be super hero’s chasing “bad guys”.
For the thrill seekers, you should definitely ride double down one of the tunnel slides, or cross your arms and pray as you're shot down the torpedo slide when the bottom suddenly drops out beneath you, leaving your stomach at the top!
The large wave pool at Waikiki Beach has non-stop waves that are gentle enough for even the youngest kids. My seven year old loved diving over each wave, my three year old preferred body surfing, and my five year old with special needs enjoyed splashing at the water’s edge. Off to the side of Waikiki Beach is an entertainment stage with different contests, including dancing, throughout the day.
You also don’t want to miss riding the Pineapple Express, a head first 4 lane slide, or free falling down Waikiki Wipeout (fondly known as the wedgie maker). I’ll never forget the thrilled look on my husband and father-in-law’s face as they screamed like little girls on the 40 foot back and forth drop, Hawaiian Halfpipe!
Staff & Safety:
The staff at Hawaiian Falls is friendly and courteous (the lifeguards actually smile here)! And they have good reason. On a recent audit, the park's lifeguards scored in the World Class rank, which less than 3% of water parks worldwide achieve. While we were there we watched as they did a surprise rescue of “Timmy” their fake dummy. The lifeguards were alert and quickly snatched him out of the water following protocol acutely. I was very impressed and felt confident that if anything happened to my family, we’d be in good hands.
Food & Beverages:
Pineapple Pete’s Island Cafe serves up the standard American fare like hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, nachos, a brisket sandwich, french fries, soda, and bottled water. They also have combo meals and kids meals, and have a few snack items like cookies, candy, cotton candy, and ice cream. If you have a child with special dietary needs, or would like to provide your kids with healthier options, I would suggest bringing sandwich or snack items from home and paying the inexpensive $5 cooler fee to bring your own food into the park (no fast food, restaurant food, or pre-packaged meals allowed).
What To Bring:
I would highly suggest the following items for your day trip to Hawaiian Falls: sunscreen, swimsuits, towels, sunglasses, water shoes or sandals (the sidewalks get hot), and swim diapers (if needed). I would also suggest bringing your own children’s life jackets if you have them. The life jackets they provide are the bright orange ones that we’ve always felt were a little uncomfortable, even though they work well.
Best Bang For Your Buck:
Check the website at hfalls.com to find deals at the park of your choice. A lot of times they have big discounts such as free kids tickets with the purchase of an adult ticket (a $16.99 savings)!
Overall:
Overall, Hawaiian Falls North Garland Park is a fantastic, family-friendly waterpark. It is one of the best waterparks I’ve ever been too and I would recommend it to every family looking for a fun way to beat Texas’s summer heat!
*This review was based on a complimentary visit to Hawaiian Falls North Garland. They did not ask me to express a particular point of view, it is 100% my own opinion.
290 W Byron Nelson Blvd.
Roanoke, Texas
Comment:
The newest member of the Hawaiian Falls Parks, Roanoke offers the best kids programs, hands down! From the arts and crafts at Maui Moms Club to the Dance and DJ Competitions everyone is included and has a good time. My family and I found that the best place to sit was actually behind the mega playscape, where there are a few smaller slides and a much calmer play area for the little ones.
reviewed on: August 11 2011
"The Park That Rocks!"
This is the best waterpark for families, hands down! Bordered by Hawaiian style flora and fauna, Hawaiian Falls Roanoke is a clean, safe, family-oriented park filled with different activities for kids of all ages! The Park:
All of the slides are a part of a new Mega Waterworld (the largest aqua play structure in the world), with water cannons, a 500 gallon and 1000 gallon water dump buckets, spouts, and of course, slides that drop, swirl, twist and even race! My family and I had a blast walking on the different levels of the structure and finding hidden slides. We also had fun watching my son's face from above as he went down the "Hula Bowl" ride himself and dodging water attacks from kids intent on spraying you with a water cannon or dropping a bucket of water on your unsuspecting head!
Grab an inner tube at the wave pool and float over the rhythmic waves, or toss a life jacket on your non-swimmers and curl up in a tube as the not-so-lazy river carries you around boulders or through a waterfall. To keep from burning your feet, the water walkway is perfect for some mild splashing and playing.
For kids that love music the Dance Party Stage is a must! The charismatic DJ will have your kids rockin' out to current teen pop artists while participating in contests and games. The winners receive the coveted prize of cotton candy or other special treats from Pineapple Pete's Island Cafe. Also, you definitely don't want to miss free craft time (on Tuesdays) where kids can decorate crafts like pirate eye patches or sand/art sculptures!
Hint, Hint:
If you have younger kids with you, sneak around to the back of the Mega Waterworld. It's hidden from site and very few people ventured back there. There are chairs and a few canopy areas for shade. Also, the slides for younger kids are on that side, so it really is the best place for families with youngsters to set down their stuff!
Food & Beverages:
Pineapple Pete’s Island Cafe serves up the standard American fare like hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, nachos, a brisket sandwich, french fries, soda, and bottled water. They also have combo meals and kids meals, and have a few snack items like cookies, candy, cotton candy, and ice cream. If the outdoor grill is open, I would recommend getting lunch there- it's yummy! If you have a child with special dietary needs, or would like to provide your kids with healthier options, I would suggest bringing sandwich or snack items from home and paying the inexpensive $5 cooler fee to bring your own food into the park (no fast food, restaurant food, or pre-packaged meals allowed).
What To Bring:
I would highly suggest the following items for your day trip to Hawaiian Falls: sunscreen, swimsuits, towels, sunglasses, water shoes or sandals (the sidewalks get hot), and swim diapers (if needed). I would also suggest bringing your own children’s life jackets if you have them. The life jackets they provide are the bright orange ones that we’ve always felt were a little uncomfortable, even though they work well.
Best Bang For Your Buck:
Check the website at hfalls.com to find deals at the park of your choice. A lot of times they have big discounts such as free kids tickets with the purchase of an adult ticket (a $16.99 savings)!
Overall:
Overall, Hawaiian Falls Roanoke is a fantastic, family-friendly waterpark. I would come back here everyday if I could, it was that much fun!
*This review was based on a complimentary visit to Hawaiian Falls. They did not ask me to express a particular point of view, it is 100% my own opinion.
8687 N. Central Expressway
Dallas, Texas
Comment:
Calling all shoppers! This mega-mall has high-end shopping mixed with art in downtown Dallas! Kids love Bookmarks, a children's public library right inside the mall, as well as the turtle and duck pond, art and sculptures. Check out their online calendar for special events.
3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway
Grapevine, Texas
Comment:
Besides shopping, this mall is excellent in offering entertainment for children and families. Walk or run inside a giant ball on water or visit LEGOLAND Discovery Center or the new Aquarium. The food court has a few good, healthy and not-so-healthy options, and often times you'll find classes and demonstrations for kids in the main walkways around the mall.
