Category Archives: Austin area

Everything’s Bigger in Texas

  By Anne Patrone | July 15, 2011 - 9:00 am | , , , ,
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People always claim that Texas has to have everything bigger and better than everyone else. Perhaps they’re right . . . after all, the Texas Capitol Building is square footage-wise the largest state capitol in the country. Only its inspiration, the US Capitol Building in Washington DC is bigger . . . and the Texas State Capitol is still 15 feet taller!

US Capitol in Washington DC

Texas State Capitol

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LBJ Ranch and the Texas White House

  By Anne Patrone | July 13, 2011 - 10:25 am | , , , , , ,
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The Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park is divided into two sections. The first part, located in Johnson City, has a museum and several restored buildings that belonged to his family (like the Johnson Homestead). The second half, a few miles down the road (closer to Stonewall, TX), is co-managed with the State of Texas and where we headed next.

The LBJ Ranch, also known as the Texas White House, is where you really get a sense of the man who shaped our country during a turbulent period. After a quick stop at the LBJ State Park and Historic Visitor Center to get a driving permit, map, and an auto tour on CD, we were off.

The first stop was the reconstructed birthplace of LBJ. It’s a simple shot-gun style house with a separate kitchen. On the day we visited, the docents were making jam and cooking lunch over a wood burning stove.

LBJ’s Boyhood Home at the LBJ Ranch

As we sweated in the over-heated kitchen, I tried to explain to my guys that this rather primitive set-up was pretty common up until the 1940s in Texas and that their grandmother had lived in a house similar to the one they were walking through.

Then it was back to the car for a drive over to the one-room schoolhouse where LBJ went to school.

One-room Schoolhouse on LBJ Ranch

It was in front of this schoolhouse that LBJ signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965  providing funds for “educationally deprived” children, money for textbooks and libraries, and money for research centers. We stared at the tiny school that was the starting spot for a future President.

The next stop on the audio tour was the gravesite of LBJ and his wife, Ladybird, located in a grove of live oak trees. 
Johnson Family Cemetary

The self-drive tour took into the main section of the ranch and past the landing strip . . . 

LBJ Ranch 

before a quick stop at the livestock barns.

Cattle belonging to the LBJ Ranch
We zipped past the Texas White House, but since we were running late, weren’t able to tour the home . . . 
Texas White House on LBJ Ranch

And as we exited the LBJ Ranch, I again heard LBJ’s favorite song, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” from our car’s speakers, reminding me of my trip here so very long ago.

Fifty-seven places visited, 443 to go. 
LBJ Boyhood home photograph courtesy of jimbowen0306 via Flickr

LBJ Ranch: Home of a Texas President

  By Anne Patrone | July 12, 2011 - 9:30 am | , , , , , ,
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LBJ National Historical Park

One of my earliest childhood travel memory is bumping along a trolley-like tour bus through the LBJ Ranch while listening to B. J. Thomas’ “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head.” The tour guide would play LBJ’s favorite song as he led groups through the grounds of the LBJ Ranch explaining the history, background, and personal tidbits of our nation’s 36th President. Being as it was the . . . ahem, early 1970s, LBJ was still considered to be an unpopular President, but I always remembered the LBJ Ranch and that song.

Fast forward a couple of decades and I knew that visiting the LBJ Ranch and National Historical Park would be one of our stops on our between-the-grandparents-trip to Texas. And what luck – it was also in Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up.

The LBJ National Historical Park is an easy trip from either San Antonio or Austin, so it made sense to visit it as we transitioned from our San Antonio family vacation to the Austin grandparent visit.

Touring the LBJ National Historical Park is actually a two-step process. We began at the National Park Visitor Center in Johnson City.

Inside the visitor center is an excellent museum detailing LBJ’s early life and his political career. We saw memorabilia from the White House and learned about the many social reforms LBJ was responsible for signing into legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Head Start, and a ton of other bills that made up his “Great Society.” We also learned he was a big supporter of wildlife and nature, signing a Clean Air Act and designating loads of land for the National Park System.

Then it was time to walk around the grounds of the Johnson City section of the LBJ National Historical Park. Through dry Texas grass we ambled over to the Johnson Homestead . . .

Johnson Homestead at the LBJ National Historical Park

. . . then said hello to the Longhorns kept in a nearby field.

A “small” Longhorn

The kids were a little wary of the Longhorns and even more impressed when I told them that these were “babies” compared to the really big ones.

Then it was back in the car for a drive over to the second half of the LBJ National Historical Park – the LBJ State Park and Ranch . . . 

Tubing Texas Style

  By Anne Patrone | July 11, 2011 - 10:07 am | , , , , , , , ,
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Tubing the Comal River 

As a former Texan, I’ve certainly done my share of “tubing” (pronounced “too-bing” with a heavy drawl) along the Guadalupe and Comal Rivers. When I discovered that tubing these Texas Hill Country rivers was also included in Frommer’s 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up, I was thrilled to relive my youth.

My hubby, however, was leery. He’d only tubed with a full cooler of beer floating along for the ride. How on earth would this activity be fun for the kids if they . . . ah, couldn’t partake of the beverages?

OMG!!!!! Tubing the Comal River (the Guadalupe River was too low due to drought) was probably the best day of our vacation!

Texas Tubes in New Braunfels, TX

We headed up to New Braunfels from San Antonio late in the morning and headed to Texas Tubes because they seemed the easiest to get to, they had a nice website, and were very helpful on the phone.

We got our tubes (which are basically large inflated inner tubes) and headed to the river. The kids stared at the river a wee bit hesitant and asked . . . uh, what do we do?

I told them to jump in and arrange themselves comfortably in the tube.

And then what? they asked.

Then, I told them, you just float.

Really?

Really. Sigh. Sometimes I wonder about our over-scheduled lives . . .

Relaxing on a beautiful summer day

With tubing, you can be as energetic or as relaxing as you want to be – that’s the beauty of the activity. Since the water was low, the rapids were pretty tame, but still fun . . .

Coming out of a chute on the Comal River

. . . and the kids got out and repeated them a couple of times until they wanted to move on.

Heading back up to ride more rapids

We continued to float past Schlitterbahn, a great outdoor water park that unfortunately was closed (one downside from the lack of crowds I recently mentioned) until we got to the pull-out point after spending about 2 1/2 hours on the river. A few minutes after we arrived at the Texas Tubes bus station, our ride appeared and we headed back to our car.

Relaxed, happy, and satisfied that we had “tubed” Texas style!
Fifty-six down, 444 to go!