Dear Clare: Do you know any good places (within 5-8 hours driving distance) that would be good for a family trip with children? I would prefer something that is not a normal “tourist” attraction. ~ Leah
Dear Leah: I’ll give you three options in opposite directions, that way you can choose what suits your interests.
Visit New Braunfels & San Antonio Texas
If history, caves and watersports sound appealing, look west at New Braunfels. Skip the waterpark and go straight to the river for tubing or kayaking. Look at Texas State Tubes in San Marcos for a less crowded experience. The Natural Bridge Caverns are a popular attraction, but they’re worth it in my opinion and they offer aerial rope courses, zip-lining and a maze. If this sounds too pricy or crowded, look at the Cave Without a Name in nearby Boerne. If old ruins are your thing, hop over to San Antonio for a day. Walk or bike the Missions Trail which is 16 miles roundtrip and about 2.5 miles between each stop. If you can squeeze it in, stop at Hot Wells of Bexar County, a free walk through an abandoned resort hotel. Find lodging at Airbnb or Vrbo or stay at Holiday Lodge on Canyon Lake.
Mission Concepcion, San Antonio. Photo by LeVan Smith III on Unsplash
If hiking and the beautiful gardens are calling, look north to Arkansas. You can stay put in one area, like Hot Springs, or hit the hotspots with a road trip. If I had 6 days, this is what I would do. Start in Hot Springs to visit Hot Springs National Park and stretch your legs by hiking the trails directly behind the park. Make sure to go inside Fordyce Bathhouse. End the day at Garvan Woodland Gardens, which has something fun for all ages whether it be beautiful nature walks, a giant tree house or fairy houses. Stay at Gold-Inn Hot Springs or rent an Airbnb. We did this as a multi-generational trip and you can read about it at What I Learned on a Family Trip.
Garvan Gardens
Head north toward Dardanelle and take your pick of hiking at Petit Jean, Mt. Nebo or Mt. Magazine State Parks. Petit Jean and Magazine have affordable lodges (including yurts). Extend more nights here or keep on going to Bentonville. Stretch your legs at the free Devil’s Den State Park along the way. In Bentonville, visit Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, an architectural masterpiece with 4 miles of trails through 120 acres of forest. Not into art? Skip Bentonville and stay at Buffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca so you can hike or canoe the Buffalo River (my personal favorite). It’s an 8.5-hour drive home from Ponca, so consider reversing this trip if you prefer the long drive at the beginning.
Buffalo River, photo courtesy nps.gov
Visit Florida’s Emerald Coast
If this all sounds too hot or exhausting for family trips, look east to Florida’s Emerald Coast which stretches from Pensacola to Panama City. Look at quieter beaches at one of these state parks: Gulf Islands National Seashore, Grayton Beach, Henderson, Deer Lake or Topsail Hill Preserve. If you want real dunes, go with Deer Lake or Topsail Hill. If you want to truly escape, drive to Shell Island. This hidden gem near Panama City is a local favorite for those who can do without restroom facilities. For non-beach activities, look at Man in the Sea Museum or Air Force Armament Museum. You may also like trail riding with Western Pleasure Riding Stable, a great way to see wild Florida with some safe distance from snakes and gators. Your challenge with this trip is finding affordable lodging. Expect to pay around $250/night, unless you get lucky and find a campsite available at one of the state parks. This trip is best planned far in advance so you have more lodging options.
Photo by NATHAN MULLET on Unsplash
For quick family trips, visit Mississippi Coast
If looking for a quick beach getaway, look at the Mississippi coast. The water isn’t as pretty but the beaches at Pass Christian, Long Beach and Gulfport are pretty and have great boardwalks for biking or rollerblading. You can rent kayaks to add some adventure or visit the Mississippi Aquarium. Long Beach is my favorite beach and Ocean Springs has the best food scene, including the famous Tatonut (where people wait an hour in line for a donut). You can read more about this getaway at Why We Love the Mississippi Coast.
If you live in Louisiana (especially in the north or west), keep reading because these state parks are a perfect weekend getaway for you!
Now that Eric and I have three-day weekends twice a month, we can explore hiking options a little further out. The ideal driving distance is no more than 6hrs, something we can do on a Thursday night after work. This gives us two full days of adventure and enough time to leisurely return on Sunday. We already have at least one favorite (see Texas Hiking Weekend Getaway), but recently we added a new state to our list: OKLAHOMA!
We stumbled over this rock while hiking in Oklahoma. Perfect shape, don’t you think?
I’ll confess, I had some preconceived notions about the state. After all, I grew up memorizing the lyrics to the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical. I visualized flat, dry land with cowboys and Indians. I did NOT expect pristine mountain waterways, lush forests, and a town called Hochatown packed full of women driving BMWs touring wineries and distilleries. My personal favorite was the hot pink Girls Gone Wine shuttle bus…
Hochatown is just a short stretch of rural highway on the Southeastern border of Oklahoma. It’s just a blip on the map, but it packs in some great eating options and activities in just a few miles of road. What draws the tourists here isn’t the food & beverage scene, however, it’s Beaver’s Bend State Park. This park has EVERYTHING, including plenty of hiking along diverse terrain. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves…
IF YOU GO…
Stay @ Cabins 36-39 in Beaver’s Bend State Park (beautifully situated directly on the river) OR choose from the many options available on AirBnB (we found a cozy cottage in Hochatown).
I’ll conclude this post with photos from Cossatot, along the Harris Creek Trail & a portion between Cossatot Falls & Sandbar Bridge. The Harris Creek Trail is now one of my favorite hikes in Arkansas. Hope you enjoy…
Yes sir, I can assure you it is a weed free room. ~ Hotel Desk Clerk
That conversation is essentially how a recent hiking trip began. Eric and I had a quick getaway in Arkansas and Oklahoma last weekend, and it was full of surprises!
Our adventures began in a Texarkana hotel, where upon entering the lobby we saw a middle-aged woman in knee high black boots and a red lace teddy. For those unfamiliar with lingerie terminology, this is it:
She was having a relaxed argument with the desk clerk, saying “we weren’t smokin’ anything. I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.” Eric and I were frozen in front of the door like deer in the headlights. Another clerk motioned us to approach the desk, so we sidled up next to the red Bathsheba. As she argued her case, we checked in and Eric couldn’t help himself — he cheekily asked the clerk if it was a “weed free” room and the clerk responded stiffly (but with an appreciative twinkle in his eye) that yes it was. As we approached the elevator, we could smell the “medicinal” haze and it only became stronger in the elevator. The doubts were definitely creeping in about those high Booking.com ratings and reviews. Our room was on the top floor, quiet and haze free. The bathroom, however, smelled like mildew and the shower had about 10″ of mildew all along the bottom walls with poorly caulked cracks all over the shower floor. Eric wanted to find another hotel but it was 10:00 at night, the room was very clean (except for the mildewed shower), and the drama downstairs had escalated because there were now police cars in the parking lot. Plus, we were hiking the next day and didn’t need to shower. So we stayed.
To the hotel’s credit, they WERE undergoing a remodel and were open about that. But I do feel betrayed that a hotel with an 8.7 rating in Booking.com could put people in a room with showers that nasty. Apparently the ratings were high because the staff and breakfast were so wonderful. I can attest to the wonderful staff, but I’ll be honest — I couldn’t stomach eating anything after having seen the condition of that shower.
We went hiking that day and completely forgot about the hotel, until later that night. In our clean, cozy Oklahoma cabin as I was getting dressed for dinner, I realized…
I LEFT MY BOOTS AT THE WEED HOTEL!!!
And not just any boots, my FAVORITE waterproof leather Merrell boots that I bought in Santa Fe! I tried calling the hotel several times and couldn’t even get an operator to pick up. I emailed, no response. A full 48 hrs later I was able to get someone to answer the phone and they did have my boots. So yes, we re-visited that hotel on our way home. Yippee!
