Travel

If you’re like me, you can’t wait for Spring Break to get here – a whole week of relaxing with your sweet children. You can relax and have fun, take picnics, play games, and just love each other. But then, memories of past Spring Breaks full of bickering siblings come trickling back. “He took my toy. It’s my turn to be Mario. She keeps touching me.” Now that you think about it, 10 whole days with your children at home may have you running for the hills. Lucky for you, we have some tried and true inexpensive day trips to break up the monotony, keep you sane, and your kids happy without breaking the bank.

I had seen the signs advertising Capital of Texas Zoo as we whizzed along Highway 71 East toward Bastrop several times. My curiosity piqued, I consulted the wisdom of yelp.com, where the few reviews glowed. So on a beastly hot Sunday afternoon, our family bestirred itself to the zoo.

My previous zoo experiences have been almost entirely urban and large – the San Antonio Zoo, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, the zoo in our former hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. To get to Capital of Texas Zoo, however, we turned off of 71 in Cedar Creek and drove four serpentine miles into what seemed like the middle of a horse pasture. “Is this a zoo for ranch animals?” my oldest inquired.
The answer turned out to be “not exactly.” This zoo, which in the last couple years has expanded its hours to 365 days per year, now houses five hundred animals. It’s a childhood dream come true for owner Michael Hicks, who runs the place with help from two full-time keepers, a corps of volunteers, and four teenaged Junior Keepers. Mr. Hicks designed the place to fulfill a dual mission of conservation and education, and he takes his Zoo Show on the road throughout the year.

If you grew up around Austin, you may remember Aquarena Springs, in nearby San Marcos, as a theme park whose array of visual delights included Ralph the swimming pig, a cable car ride, underwater clowns, and synchronized swimming shows performed by costumed mermaids. Visit the area today, however, and you’ll find an entirely different sort of place. Depending on whether your tastes run toward the more natural or the more visually entertaining, you’ll be either pleasantly surprised or faintly disappointed. For our family, the nature center offered a relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Wimberley is one of those towns whose considerable charms keep unfolding, and taking the time to uncover those charms makes for the perfect weekend or day trip.

For years I have longed to attend the Texas Renaissance Festival, but always chickened out when it came time to load four kids in the car for the trek to Plantersville.