Well Traveled, Well Read

Austin, Texas is one of my favorite cities. I spent four years in college there and another three years for graduate school, and my husband and I have frequently taken weekend trips there over the years to attend Austin City Limits, visit family, enjoy the lake views, and pretend we are young enough for the night life scene. More recently I have enjoyed experiencing Austin with my daughter, and I have to say Austin is a perfect destination for the tween set. So here are my top suggestions for Austin with tweens. What to Do: We loved renting boats at Zilker Park Boat Rentals (bonus that it’s right next to a playground if younger kids are with you and the Barton Springs Pool for a dip) and paddling around. It’s so fun to be out on the water, and it’s a nice way to get some exercise in. This was also a great opportunity for people and dog watching – people jumping into the water, people playing music, dogs in life vests, people paddle boarding, etc. Bonus points that it was a super e...

Last summer we dropped our daughter off at camp for a week right in the heart of the Texas hill country. Deciding that we could best capitalize on this time together by not spending it with more time in the car, we rented a house in Fredericksburg, Texas and spent the week there.  I confess, we were tired, and this was our first kid-free trip since before COVID, so we spent a lot of time napping, reading (me), playing the guitar (my husband), and napping some more. I went out to breakfast one morning, polished off four cups of coffee then went back to our rental, crawled back in bed and went right back to sleep. That said, we were there for a week and got out every day to explore, stretching out what would otherwise be a fun and relatively busy weekend trip into a slow-paced week. If you are planning a visit, I have you covered on what to do, where to eat, and of course, what to read. What to Do… There are lots of vineyards and tasting rooms in the Fredericksburg area, so this...

My dad and I did our first solo father, daughter trip this winter. We chose Big Bend National Park and surrounding areas as our destination.         Getting There & Where to Stay… Pop at the Gage Hotel bar with his new friend We flew into Midland International Airport and then drove a little over two-and-a-half hours to Marathon, Texas. Marathon is a dusty little town (population of less than 500) and doesn’t offer much except the lovely Gage Hotel. I suggest the Los Portales section of the hotel with rooms opening out into a little courtyard. The pueblo-style rooms feel like you are in your own private ranch house with rustic wooden doors and shutters, tile floors, small corner fireplaces and Mexican and western-style décor and furnishings. The hotel bar and restaurant were also bustling every night while we were there. I loved coming back and reviewing the day over margaritas in the bar followed by dinner in the restaurant. It’s Texas, so it’s a very beef f...