Vacatrion Ideas

I'm always for going to New Braunfels!

If you get bored with Schlitterbahn or tubing you can always take a day to go visit San Antonio (about 30 min. S. of New Braunfels) or Austin (about 45 min. from New Braunfels) or go to Fredricksburg (about 1 hour).

http://www.gruenemarketdays.com/ (Cute little town on the border of New Braunfels) They have great hotels & B&B places & you're a small walk from the river.

http://www.hill-country-visitor.com/ (site helps with getting to know the Hill Country area)

http://www.newbraunfels.com/

This is just a small portion of sites but gives you an idea of the area.

port aransas is also a good, close beach alternative. i went for the first time last year and didn't expect much. however, i was pleasantly surprised by a clean, uncrowded beach. we rented a 4 bedroom house for next to nothing per night and enjoyed the restaurants also. it's not beautiful white sand...but it's close and very inexpensive.

Hyatt Hillcountry outside of San Antonio was great for our family. Golf, spas and tons of kids activities at Camp Hyatt. Lazy river, hayrides, roast marshmallows, movies and popcorn on the lawn are all included, but you can also pay for the kids to participate in a kids' program with more activities that will give you and your hubby time together. This one is right across the road from Sea World.
I've heard there's a new one outside of Austin that is probably closer....
Might be worth checking out online.

South Padre is a fun beach. The water is not as beautiful as FL but the atmosphere,reatuarants,condos and hotels are great. Also, Mexico is a short cheap flight from TX. Cancun is always affordable on worryfreevacations.com.
Lake Travis in Austin is fantastic. So is Canyon Lake outside of San Antonio. You can rent a boat and stay in a cabin. :)
Barton Creek park in Austin has a natural spring that feels great to swim in.

Last October we took a few days at Lake Murray State Park in Oklahoma. We rented a cabin for $70/night. The lake was beautiful. We were off season so it was very quiet. There were trails, horse back riding, fishing. We also went to the Arbuckle Wilderness where you drive through and feed exotic animals. We also went to Turner Falls and enjoyed walking trails and climbing through caves. Turner Falls also has cabins for rent. They looked pretty new, log cabin type. The area is less than 2 hours away. It's not the beach but it's very different than this area. We would like to go again.

G.,
I am also new to Texas and have had a week on the Florida beaches every summer since I can remember. I don't know how far away it is, but we vacationed at Schlitterbahn one summer. It's a large water park in Texas near San Antonio. Maybe that is kind of far. . . But it was a fun week!
L.