I am a Mother of 3 children. A 10yr old son and 5 yr old boy/girl twins. I was remarried in October of last year and my husband has two girls, ages 10 and 5. We really want to do a family vacation with all of them this summer, but are looking for something that won't cost and arm and a leg. We would really like to take them to a beach somewhere, possibly a house right on the beach. I thought about driving us all to Galveston and finding something down there, but just not sure. Does anyone have any suggestions??
My family would go with another family to South Padre Island when I was younger. We stayed at Suntide III - right on the beach and a good pool there as well. I'm looking forward to going back with my family! I would highly recommend it.
There are cruises that leave right out of Galveston. may want to look into that. People think that they are expensive, btu when you start to add up your place to stay, food (3 meals a day and snacks), entertinment and so on, a cruise is a great bang for your buck. There are soooo many FUN things for kids to do on the boat....pools, shows, kids camp for kids 2 or 3 and above depending on the Crusie Line. You can stop and see multiple islands. Kids only need a birth certificate. Adults have to have a passport OR passport card (this is less expensive, but you can't travel the world with it....it's what we went with). For adults, there are Casinos, shows, adult only pool areas. 24 hour food services, free in room service food wise. Somethign to at least think about. Our kids are 3 & 5 and LOVE it!!!
We've rented in Galveston. I suggest renting as west of the island as you can. More privacy, less trash, cleaner beaches but sparce when it comes to restaurants/gas stations (some peeps don't mind that). 1st row is right on the beach. Try considering 2nd row, whcih is right behind 1st row and could be up to $100+ less than 1st row and you would still get beach view.
Camping in the hill country could put you by a river/lake and provide fishing and hiking activities. State parks have 24 hr security and water/electric hookups and some provide tent sites w/their own covered eating areas.
Jellystone in Waller, TX is very family friendly. 3 pools, water slides, mini golf, a movie every night, fishing at the lake, karaoke, arcade for older kids, petting zoo activity center for babies and preschoolers, craft cabin, art classes for kids, etc. Kids can bring their bikes and balls. I think Yogi Bear comes out every morning to raise the flag and take pictures. They have AWESOME family cabins. They are fully stocked w/furniture, appliances, and air conditioning/heaters. You can either rent a cabin for $185/night (or something like that) w/a bathroom, $65/night w/o a bathroom (but the community bathrooms are very close, and very well kept - not gross at all), bring an RV or bring your tent for even cheaper rates. You and your kids will NOT be bored at Jellystone.
GL
Matagorda the town is somewhat near there. I once went out to Matagorda Island which is right off Matagorda with a friend and it was pretty neat. We camped one night and had dolphins playing right next to our campsite. This was when I was in college and we caught a ride there and back on someone else's boat. I personally think a beach house is the BEST kind of family vacation - nice and relaxed!
Turner Falls just over in OK is beautiful too! Lots of playing in the river, waterfalls, hiking etc to tire out all of those kids! I think you can rent cabins there? Or rent a pop up or rv and drive there. Personally, I'm against camping on the ground where poisonous critter live!
And if you haven't been to Glen Rose to see the dino prints, you should do that sometime too!
What about Padre Island?
Wow - God bless you and your blended beautiful family! Not familiar with anything in Texas i can only suggest renting ahouse near attractions. We have found that for our kids mountains/lake areas are preferred to beach/ ocean areas. Maybe becuse we live only a short distance from beach/ ocean and have had many beach days as they grew up? but we found that mountain/lake areas offer shade and coolness that you can't generally get near the beaches. It also offers beaches for the sun/sand lovers and mountain trails for those of us who want to escape it. Be sure to go somewhere that has rainy day alternatives & have fun planning!
We go to Galveston every Father's Day weekend. We have always found vrbo.com very helpful. We rent a condo or house and save money by buying groceries and cooking all of our meals there. The West End of Galveston is very pretty and the beaches are clean. The Strand is a nice visit for the shopping and dining. Schlitterbahn Water Park and Moody Gardens are there as well. We have always found that 4 days has been a good trip...couple of days on the beach and a couple to roam around. We are a blended family as well with two teenagers and two preteens.
What about Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels, TX? You can rent a house there, the water park is loads of fun for all ages, and there is lots of other stuff to do nearby.
Have you searched on www.vrbo.com?
You can rent a house directly from the owners and save some money vs. using a real estate service, etc. You can search by state, city, zip code, region, etc. Good luck!
