Our family would like to take a long weekend (3-4 day) trip. Can anyone suggest something within driving distance of DFW? We are not really into "roughing it" so we would like to stay at a nice hotel. Our children are ages 11 mos up to 8 yrs. All and any suggestions are appreciated!
The Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine is a GREAT weekend getaway for families. There is a waterpark INSIDE the hotel and the rooms are designed for kids, too. My brother took his family there for a weekend and said it was the best!!
We really enjoy the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort near Austin. An easy drive from Dallas and lots to do for the whole family. Good warm weather vacation, they have a lazy river, water slide, bike riding, golf, etc. The food is not wonderful, but other than that the resort is great.
San Antonio! There's Sea World, the riverwalk, and lots of other fun stuff without having to drive too far or spend loads of money. Hope you have fun, whatever you decide!
Dear R. C,
I highly recommend the Rough Creek Lodge outside of Glen Rose, Texas. The same sounds rustic, but it is anything but that. My husband and I have taken our grandchildren as well as our grown children and even our parents to "The Lodge". There are lots of family activities, and there is a 5 star restaurant onsite. It is also very near the Dinosaur Valley State Park and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. Check out their web site at www.roughcreek.com.
Grannie Bebe from Keller
Oh, I have the perfect place for the entire family! We vacationed at the Hyatt Resort in Lost Pines, right outside of Austin (this side). It is awesome- pony rides, bikes, smores at night, outdoor movies, lazy river, tons of kid activities, especially for the ones your age, plus a spa and golf course for mom and dad. My husband and I went when my daughter was 12 weeks old and we loved it! We'll go back each year. Hope you enjoy if you go. Have fun!
Hey Rene, go to Beavers Bend OK. it's a 3 hour drive. you can rent a cabin (nice ones with granite countertops, wrap around porches, hot tubs, games). I couldn't find the card but i think it's www.beaversbendgetaways.com
They have state run cabins also but those are dumps. we took our family of 5 and cooked, fished for fresh trout (lots of stocked ponds) and just hung out. Much better than a stuffy hotel.
Also, in Granbury there is a best western near the animal park (you drive through the animal park). they have indoor pool. My daugther's Y Princess group travels there periodically. they have a ball.
Lastly, there is Galveston Mood Gardens which is alot of fun and there is a water front place on the way that's a big boardwalk with ferris wheel and the works. It starts with a K (can't remember now!) but it's a good family place. Finally the Wolf Creek Lodge in Grapevine is opening up and looks like indoor fun if you like water.
Oh, and San Antonio is 5 hours but manageable for a 4 day trip. Seaworld and the Riverwalk, Fiesta Texas are all fun. We go every year. Try out the Drury Suites properties (excellent value and on the Riverwalk). Closer to Sea World there is a Radison that has marshmellow roasts every night and live entertainment and bus rides to the parks. The service is terrible but the hotel is nice. If you have bucks, spring for the Hyatt Hill Country. Unbelieveable beautiful. Hope that helps!
Check out The Westin La Cantera in San Antonio. They cater to families. They have a wonderful spa and golf course and provide shuttle service to Sea World and Fiesta Texas. Here's their web address:http://www.westinlacantera.com/
There's a new indoor waterpark in Grand Prairie and you can stay at the park. Not sure how age appropriate it would be, but I think there are reasonable price options that include park and hotel.
Granbury. Rent a house. Check out www.vrbo.com. Or Fort Worth, there are many things to do there.
G
Have you done Austin or San Antonio yet? Both have lots of family friendly things to do with nice places to stay and good restaurants.
Check out the website for the Lost Pines resort in Austin. It was really nice, they have horse back ridding, pools, campfire activites and more. Tons of stuff for the kids and mom and dad to do.
You can go to Sea World in San Antonio and then you can come back through the Hill Country (the best part of Texas in my opinion.) Most people like Fredricksburg, you can see Lukenbach. Wimberley is great also.
We went to Great Wolf for a couple of days, the hotel water-park in Grapevine. The kids loved it, I was cold the whole time (it's indoors and supposed to be 80 or so degrees, but I was still cold.)
Check out Moddy Gardens in Galveston. It's about a 4 1/2 hour drive from Dallas. They have a manmade beach with great sand, and aquarium, and rain forest, and an IMAX. About 20 minutes away is a darling boardwalk town called Kemah with an amusement park. Also NASA space center is about 30 minutes from Galveston. Those are fun day trips. We did all of this in 4 days last summer and LOVED it! At the time my 2 boys were 3 and 6.
Hello I am also from California and live in the southlake Texas area. Great getaway is to the hill country near Austin. There is a really great hotel there called La Quentera ( sp?). Anyhow it is great for the kids and nice that it is not like kiddie land for the parents and I believe it is about a three hour drive! Beware though I think they are really crowded on spring break. Also there is sea world right close to there too about 20 minutes form the hotel! Have fun and let me know if you need any other things.
K. From southlake
SAHM of two boys 4 and 7!
There is a lot to do in San Antonio. Get on tripadvisor to see where others have stayed and what they've done (Sea World is real popular; staying on or visiting the River Walk is lots of fun, especially taking a boat ride; there are a couple of resort hotels in the area; there is also a theme park whose name escapes me).
Ft. Worth can actually be a fun town to explore. They have a wonderful zoo, and the stockyards can be interesting.
There may be some fun things to do in Oklahoma City - I haven't been there, but you could check tripadvisor for opinions.
Lots of places in the Hill Country can be fun. Bandera has cowboy/ranch type interests, Fredericksburg has wonderful B&Bs, antique shops, and other cool German type shops and restuarants, Austin may have something fun to offer, as well as an educational trip to the capital...Google Texas Hill Country and you should find lots of information.
Galveston is always fun, and the Space Center in Houston has some great things for kids. Google those two names or again, check tripadvisor.
Fossil Rim in the Granbury area might be interesting for your kids, as well as the dinosaur park (can't remember the name - thank heavens for Google and tripadvisor!).
These are the things off the top of my head - good luck and have fun! And - welcome to Texas!!
Howdy,
I don't know where you live, but if you are interested, there is the new "rustic" hotel that opened in Grapevine. It has cabin-like decor in the rooms and an INDOOR WATERPARK!! My husband and I have thought that it would be a fun, cheaper way to "vacation" when our daughter is born. Just an idea. Good luck.
San Antonio, near the river walk, Sea World is a blast for all!!
The great wolf lodge in Grand prairie is now open. It's a family friendly water park resort. I've not gone but checked out the website and it looks like fun for the kids.
Houston! Go to the USS Texas, a great WWI and WWII battleship, we were able to go throughout the ship to see and touch everything! Then there's the San Jancito battlegrounds where Texas won her independence, conveniently located next to the USS Texas. The Children's Museum is excellent, worthy of an entire day. If the weather is nice there is a small riverwalk, nothing like San Antonio, but very nice nevertheless. Downtown Houston is fun to just walk around. If you pick the right weekend the Shriners have a terrific circus, it was the best circus we ever went to - and I'm comparing it to Barnum and Baily's! Hmm, that's just off the top of my head, a quick internet search will turn up a lot more to do with kids in Houston - and at a very reasonable price. Have a terrific time where ever you go!
Glen Rose is a great place to go and it is pretty close to here (within about 2 hours). Fossil Rim would be a lot of fun for your kids! If Rough Creek Lodge is not affordable, there's a nice bed and breakfast we stayed at called Inn on the River (innontheriver.com). If I remember correctly, they have rooms that can accommodate families.
Hi,
We really like the Westin Stonebriar Resort in Frisco at 121 and Legacy.
http://www.westinstonebriar.com/
1549 Legacy Drive · Frisco, Texas 75034 ·
Phone: ###-###-#### · Fax: ###-###-#### ·
Special Offers Reservations: 1-866-716-8137
They have a heated pool with a small slide, a putting green, and great food. You can eat in the lounge area for lunch and have it all to yourself practically. And it feels like you are eating in your family room without the guilt of making too much of a mess. I have 3 kids, a 13 mos. old, 6 yr. old, and 8 yr.old. The older 2 especially enjoy going there even if we do not stay the night.
We also like the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, TX near DFW airport. It is really grand and fun to explore. We have not stayed there though. http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylordtexan/
If you are up for a longer drive (about 4-5 hrs). The Woodlands Resort in the Woodlands, TX (just outside of Houston near Lake Conroe) is really wonderful for families.
http://www.woodlandsresort.com/
They have a great pool, movie night at the pool during the warm months, and have activites for the kids all day (e.g., games and prizes). We liked it so much, we are going there again and meeting my parents, my sisters, and their families there. Hope that helps and good luck.
Try Great Wolf Lodge. I hear it is a blast. Indoor water park and fun restaurants.
S.
Rough Creek Lodge is very nice (higher end) and fun for families...it is close to Fossil Rim preserve.
San Antonio is a great place and its about 4.5-5 hours from DFW.
My son who is 8 loved the River walk. We did Sea World and the best part is right across the street from the Alamo they have this old time photo place. Highly recommend it. My son LOVED it!!! We all got to change clothes (they had many to choose from) That was probably his favorite part of the trip. He keeps telling me he wants to go back when his brother is born so he can be in the next photo.
Have you thought about the new Great Wolf Lodge Resort in Grapevine?
http://www.greatwolflodge.com/Locations/Grapevine/
3 - 4 days might be too long, but might be a great place to check out for a 2 - 3 day weekend. I have some friends that have stayed there and they loved it. There are a ton of things to keep kids happy and occupied (waterpark, games, crafts, other activities). The rooms are also supposed to be fun...some of them are like log cabins, some are like teepees (sp?).
For adults, they have a spa, fitness center, etc.
I have some friends that stayed at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX. Said it was a wonderful local getaway. Maybe try that? Good luck to you!
great wolf lodge in Grapevine.. Its the world biggest indoor water park.. And there is a ton of other things for the kids to do.
Check out the grand opening specials at The Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine TX http://www.greatwolflodge.com/Locations/Grapevine/
N. G.
Hi R.,
Take a drive to Nagadoches. Interesting town - important in Texas historically...nice ambience - close to Dallas. We stayed at the Hampton Inn which is fine - pretty new facility, nice breakfast comes with the room. Free internet. And, of course, there's a pool (I think - indoor).
Close to Nagadoches is the Davy Crockett Forest.
Another suggestion is going to San Antonio with all the attractions for the kids, good food, etc.
Have a fun week end!
Hi! Have you heard about the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine? I received some promotional information in the mail advertising specials and there have been lots of ads on tv as well. It's got a giant indoor waterpark that only guests who stay at the lodge can use, fun activities like bonfires and cowboy storytelling at night. The rooms look fun too, with rustic bunkbeds for the kids and big comfy beds for mom and dad. You should check out the introductory rates--might be something fun for your family and definitely not far away. It's near the Gaylord Texan I think. Good luck!
The Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine is a very fun place to spend a few days with your kids. It is very family friendly, and our kids LOVED it! They have a huge indoor water park that includes slides for the bigger kids as well as a play area for small kids.
OKC or Austin. Tons of stuff for all ages.
The great wolf lodge in grapevine would be a great place. It is an indoor water park
I love going with my family to San Antonio. We hit Sea World for a day and there is a Wildlife Ranch where you can feed zebras, ostrich, etc out of your car as you drive around. Those are my two favorite things, but they also have a water park and the River Walk with cool boutiques and great food, sometimes even festivals! It's about a 5 hour drive for us.
