Deep in the Heart of Texas... Day #4

Wherever the Road Leads- San Antonio Zoo and Texas Exploring 

Wednesday, July 29, 2015 

The morning started bright and early for me as I woke up early and decided to go jogging in the hotel workout facility! This proved to be difficult as the temperature and humidity in the room were high and it felt like running in a sauna BUT I did it! Chris also ran several miles before we made our way to the San Antonio Zoo.

Since we are members at the Houston Zoo we received discounted tickets to this zoo which turned out to be a great thing since we were very disappointed in the San Antonio Zoo this time. The hippos exhibit (one of their main attractions) was closed for cleaning (we later went back and saw the hippos after the cleaning was finished), the giraffes were completely non-existent and closed due to construction, most of the elephants were on loan to other zoos and several other minor exhibits were closed. On top of all of that there were millions upon millions of birds all over the place which made for a lot of well...POOP! I hate birds so this was just awful for me! We noticed while taking an AC break that teachers were FREE in July and August so since I was so disappointed in the zoo anyway I asked for a refund as we left and got our $25 back! This was the most disappointing part of the trip! 

Natalie and I in front of the Black Bear exhibit! Those little guys were so cute! 

Inside Africa LIVE! 

Time for some hippos! 

There was only 1 tiger but at least he was active! 

Most of the Elephants were not there this day or locked up in their cages so Natalie posed on one for us! 

It wouldn't be a trip to the zoo without a ride on the carousel! 

Inside the Little Tots education area of the zoo! 

Luke was able to go "fishing" and didn't want to leave! 

The hippo exhibit opened back up so we went back to see them!
WOW... they are BIG! 

We then headed over to a recommended BBQ place called Two Brothers BBQ which also featured a MASSIVE playground for the kids! The food was really good here but we misunderstood the menu and ordered a family meal for what said 2-4 people but really meant 6-8 people! The food was INCREDIBLE but we barely put a dent in it and being on vacation didn't save any of it! The kids LOVED the playground... so much that Luke forgot to tell us he needed to use potty and left him mark on that playground... Ooops! If you like BBQ and have younger kids, be sure to check out this place!

Hidden on the outskirts of town this is a place NOT TO BE missed! 

We then set out to go to the San Antonio Children's Museum downtown. We went there in 2011 with Natalie and she LOVED it! It was also indoors and at this point in the trip Luke especially was feeling the 100* temps and wanted to be inside! Come to find out this museum had moved and was about 20 minutes away on the outskirts of town. It closed at 6 and it was already 3:30PM so we didn't think it was worth the $11/pp it would cost to get in so we headed back to the hotel pool! 

We swam for about an hour before Luke lost interest and we got out. Chris really wanted to explore the Texas hill country so we got in the car to explore. We headed south in the direction of Laredo and West down I-10 before deciding to go north on I-35 to New Braunsfel and Gruene. We stopped at the largest Buc-ee's in New Braunsfel which featured over 150 gas pumps and 68,000 square feet... That is a LOT of Buc-ee's! The town of Gruene was incredible and we loved it all! This was a true hidden gem and we wished we would have got there hours earlier. It is literally 2 miles off of I-35 in New Braunsfel and is well worth the trip to see this beauty of a town! 

Welcome to Gruene, Texas! 

Gruene Hall... the OLDEST dance hall in Texas! 

We got into the Guadalupe River and picked up sea shells as well as skipped rocks before heading into downtown Gruene and seeing Gruene Hall, the oldest dance hall in Texas. Natalie and Luke do not like loud noises so they were not impressed but Chris and I wanted to dance... NEXT TIME! We also explored several shops in downtown including a local winery! It was a great experience and we are already planning a trip back! 

Really wish we would have come here SOONER! 

Natalie LOVED walking and splashing in the river! 

River Selfie! 

Natalie found her some sea shells too! 

We got back to San Antonio and our hotel around 11:30PM and once again fell asleep quickly as we knew the next day was our last day of vacation so we had to rest up! 

Next up... Our Last day of our Family Vacation 2015... More Texas Exploring! 

GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME!