Saturday, April 25, 2015

Trippin' with Grandma - Part 4 - Conroe/Lake Conroe & Montgomery plantersville

Conroe, Lake Conroe & Montgomery, Plantersville


As I'm organizing the many lists and charts I realize that I have too much information on my hands to make a general list of everything, which gave me the idea that I should organize the lists by area. In other words, places that can be visited on a single trip. The town of Montgomery is only about 15 minutes away from west side of Magnolia, making it an easily accessible destination. Conroe, and the Lake area are a short trip further. Here is a general list of things to do that can be combined to make a full day of fun. 
Of course, I'd love to do everything, but realistically we will only be doing a few things in one day trip, with the remainder of the list being things we have on our wish list for another time. We do already have one full day of this page planned with reservations made.. and that part is the beginning of the list. enjoy!


Suggested Day Trip-
Montgomery Texas

Purrs, Howls & Whines Day



morning/early afternoon--- Purrs

600 La Torretta Blvd
Montgomery Texas, 77356
936-448-4400
Reservations@LaTorrettaLakeResort.com
A beautiful resort with full spa services. 

we'll be enjoying facials and massages, followed by lunch in their "Restaurant 157" The Resort has several restaurants, as well as some wonderful amenities like golfing, water sports on the lake, and an an aqua park, but most of those amenities are only available to hotel guests, or club members. 
Each room comes with 4 aqua park passes, so an overnight, even for a local family, is a great get-away!








Late afternoon (3pm - 4pm)--Howls


2757 Beulah Chapel Road
Montgomery TX 77316
Enjoy a one hour guided tour
and meet a wolf-dog 
Adults $10 suggested donation
By Appointment ONLY
936-597-WOLF
Info@WolvesofSaintFrancis.org




evening-- 5 pm -- Whines

9043 County Road 204
Plantersville, Texas 77363
(936) 894-9829
Taste and Tour 
$10 per adult 
Tuesday thru Friday 12 to5
Saturday noon to 6
Sunday noon to 5
Summer Sunset Concert series
Sunday evenings, 6 pm
$10 per Adult over 18
enjoy a sunset lawn concert with wine
picnic appropriate food and snacks are available for purchase, and its also ok to bring your own picnic, but you cannot bring outside alcohol.
Bring your own lawn chair, or blanket. We'll be seeing The Fab 5, on May 17th. The list of Bands can be found on the winery website.


Additional Area Attractions --
Home of The Montgomery County Performing Arts Society
Enjoy a Live Show in an Historic Theatre
234 NorthMain Street
Conroe, Texas 77301
936-441-7469
See Website for shows

"In The Woods" Brewery
12470 Millroy Lane
Conroe, Texas 77301
Tours every Saturday from noon to 5 pm
$8 half pint
12 full pint
tours include 3 pours and a souvenir glass 
Picnics allowed, no outside alcohol
kids and dogs ok, but must be on leash.
(no, not the kids, just the dogs)

1506 I-45 North Feeder
(Next to Candy Cane Park)
(936) 539-6873

Open 9:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.

Wednesday thru Saturday

Suggested Donation at the Door:
Adults: $1.00
Children: $.50
or more if you desire

Showcasing Montgomery County as the
 birthplace of The Texas Flag
(adjacent to Montgomery County Library)
104 I-45 N
Conroe, TX 77301



Lake Conroe

Boat Rentals at Conroe Boat Rental
12947 Lake Conroe Hills Dr.
Willis, Texas 77318
936-448-1600
Exit 94 Off of Interstate I-45, go west on FM 1097 4 miles to Northshore Marina. We are located on the waterfront side of marina.

Fishing Lake Conroe
Website for Texas Parks and Wildlife general information

Scott's Ridge Swim Area

Montgomery --Birthplace of The Texas Flag 

Explore some of the oldest remaining structures within Texas
Clepper Street
Montgomery, Texas

Experience Downtown Montgomery
Antiques, Boutiques, and Restaurants and Winerys
Reinfair Road
Plantersville, Texas
off of 1774
The Nations Largest Renaissance Themed Park
800-458-3435
8 weekends from October thru November
see website for details and ticket prices





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Trippin' with Grandma - Part 3 - Huntsville - Day Trip

Trippin' with Grandma 
Part 3
Huntsville, Texas




Huntsville, Texas is about an hour drive from the west side of Magnolia.Its Home to Sam Houston State University, The famous Sam Houston Statue, and the Huntsville Prison Museum as well as a hot spot for antiquing and shopping on historic Main Street. A trip to Huntsville would be an all day event, so we'd combine several options with shopping and lunch to make a Day Trip. 

Huntsville Tourism Page 
Huntsville Downtown Shopping
Huntsville Groupon 



Huntsville Prison Museum
This looks like a fun and quirky museum that would interest my husband as much as my mother. I think we'll be doing this for sure!

491 SH75 North
Huntsville, TX 77320
Monday - Saturday 10 -  5
Sunday 12 - 5 
$5 a person 
$4 seniors




Sam Houston Memorial Museum                                        
1402 19th St
Huntsville, TX 77340
(936) 294-1832
Tuesday - Saturday 9am - 4:30
Sunday 12 - 4:30
Closed Mondays
Adults $5
Seniors $4
kids $3


7600 Highway 75 South
Huntsville, TX 773407600
Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.


located six miles southwest of Huntsville off of Interstate 45 on Park Road 40.
Adults $5
Camping, fishing, boat rentals, hiking

 Scuba Diving
Blue Lagoon Scuba Diving on Lake Conroe
649 Pinedale Rd
Huntsville, TX
936-438-8888
call for prices and reservation

 Historic Main Street Shopping
1203 University Avenue
Huntsville, TX 77340
Schedule of Events

 Blue Bonnet Square Antique Mall
1110 11th Street
Huntsville, TX 77340

Restaurant Recommendations


The Farmhouse Cafe
1004 14th Street
Huntsville, Texas 77340
936-435-1450
Monday thru Thursday 11 am to 8:30 pm
Friday & Saturday 11 am to 9 pm
Closed Sundays


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Trippin' with Grandma - Part 2 - The Woodlands and Spring

Trippin' with Grandma - Part 2
 - The Woodlands & Spring


One of my favorite places to visit, The Woodlands, Texas, is about 30 minutes east of the west side of Magnolia via FM 1488. When I asked for ideas for things to do and places to visit near Magnolia, I knew my neighbors on BBB Magnolia would have a lot of ideas for this town! The Woodlands is the closest place we know to find a nice mall, or a fancy restaurant. In fact, if I ever need anything at all that is fancy I know I can find it in The Woodlands.
 I could not possibly begin to list each excellent or notable restaurant, each place of interest, or unique find. or fun activities that is available here, but I can give you a complete list of the ideas suggested to me, and the research I did thereafter. 
I hope you will think of my lists as starting points to get your mind thinking, and of course, develop your very own plan and itinerary. As I'm hinting, don't count on ME to plan your Texas trips! For God's sake, I am from New Jersey and I am the the tourist! Better yet, get with a Texan for some stories to go along with some local culture, then you can tell the stories while you're taking your visitors here and there. Be a tourist AND a tour guide! 

The Woodlands-

Quick Links -
The Woodlands Groupon Deals 

The Woodlands Mall
What can I say? Its a mall. Its a really nice mall. It has a carousel. I come from the Mall capital of the world. There are more malls per square mile, in New Jersey, than any other place in the country. So, we do like malls, by nature, us Jersey Girls. So this is a touristy type of thing to do. We've been there many times, and mom has been there with us. I highly recommend The Woodlands Mall for a few hours of indoor, air conditioned shopping and dining. Its a Mall.




Adults $5
on the waterway bus with my kids
Seniors and Children $2.50
According to the comments section of their website, other visitors found the ride entertaining, but not very reliable as far as the boat actually showing up at scheduled times. I can vouch for the same as we have been on the boats a few times and they are fun but, are a mildly anti-climactic experience. I guess I'm suggesting there could be a little more to it to make it more interesting, but I don't regret having experienced it. Also, we saw a blue heron there, and that is always worth a short wait and $5 to me!

An outdoor venue that hosts live concerts and symphonies.
We saw 3 Doors Down, Alter Bridge, and Shine Down there. Its a beautiful amphitheater, with clean bathrooms and a tidy lawn.
see website for calender of events.

Free Concerts on Sundays thru the summer
see website for calender of events

nice restaurants and shopping as well as live music during their Spring Concert Series. 


A first time flight costs between $60 and $80, and is considered "safe for all ages"
Yes, someone suggested I take my 81 year old mother sky diving. albeit, indoor sky diving but still, it was meant to be funny, but the truth is you would probably find my mother sky diving long before me, she is much more adventurous and active. Anyway, in the spirit of the project I did the research and am providing you with the information, but I am in NO way suggesting that you will ever catch me doing this, if any of you ever do it yourself please let me know and I'll update this page with YOUR review, and give you due credit! 

Painting with a Twist
about $35 per adult, bring your own wine.
This is a neat Adult-only activity, of Painting while drinking wine. An art teacher will guide you in the project. A schedule of classes, along with a picture of each project painting, can be found on their website. The paint, canvas, and lesson are included. I am really looking forward to doing this, if not with my mom then hopefully with a friend. How about you? want to go?

Eagles Nest -- I don't have a link, and there is no webpage or address for this fun thing to do in The Woodlands. I am simply letting you know, as an avid birder, that I happen to know there's a bald eagles nest near the mall, and there are spring chicks in it right now at the time of me writing. As both my mother and I are avid birders, we will likely spend some time trying to locate it. 

Kayaking at Riva Row Boat House
single kayak - $15 first hour then $5 each additional
double kayak - $20 first hour then $5 each additional
2101 Riva Row
The Woodlands, TX
281-210-3965

The Woodlands Children's Museum
When I was doing my research on The Woodlands I saw the museum mentioned a few times and thought it must be old information,as I knew the museum located at the mall had closed. What I didn't know is that it has not closed, but moved to the new location of 4775 W. Panther Creek,

The Woodlands Resort and Spa
This is a wonderful Resort set on a beautiful lake and golf course, surrounded by the gorgeous and lush piney-woods that ARE The Woodlands. We first became aware of this vacation destination before moving here, when we flew out to go house hunting, we checked in. The hotel has a restaurant there called The Woodlands Dining Room that serves daily Brunch.You get 2 tickets to brunch with the price of a room and its absolutely incredibly, deliciously indulgent! My favorite thing to do is to secure a table out on the veranda over the lake and watch the birds of the lake while we enjoy stuffing ourselves silly with made-to-order omelettes or fresh carved roast beef.

The other really huge thing about the resort is the Forest Oasis Waterscape. with the cost of a room you get free admission to the private water park type pool. There are 2 fun slides, music piped into the pool that you can hear while you're under water, and even activities there, like a "dive-in movie night" where they project a movie above the pool, you can swim while you watch!
The cost of a room, depending on your needs, is a little pricey, but in my opinion very worth the cost because of the use of the pool. We have spent a few mini-vacations there with the kids, checking in on Friday night and checking out on Sunday. That's 2 nights, but 2 full days at the pool, where they have a nice bistro for lunch, and for bloody mary's! That with the free breakfast buffet makes this a great starting point for a weekend in the woodlands.

My Twins at PF Chang's The Woodlands
Restaurant Suggestions

Surprisingly, not a single restaurant in The Woodlands was offered in the original thread, but that's not to say The Woodlands are lacking in restaurants, rather the opposite, with an over abundance of sort of expensive chain type restaurants. If you don't mind spending the money, you can find The Cheesecake Factory next to PF Chang's in front of the Mall.

I will not leave you without a place to eat though, my friends! Don't panic! Instead of providing recommendations from me or my Magnolia neighbors, I will pass you off to Urban Spoon for theirs!
Urbanspoon-The Woodlands







Spring, Texas



Spring Texas is a short drive south from the Woodlands on Interstate 45, and about an hour from the west side of Magnolia, via 1488. The Historic area of Old Town Spring, and the waterpark, Splashtown, make the drive worth it!

Old Town Spring
 Antique shopping, dining, and community events.
 see the website for calender

Splashtown Water park
Adults $39.99 at the gate, but discount when purchased on line
Seniors and Children $30.99
Fun times, but sometimes a bit crowded.



When I decided to jump into this project called Trippin with Granma I knew that there would be no definite end to it, that it would be a journey and and adventure and an ever growing and evolving project. With that said, you should by no means consider this page or project done as I will be adding things to this list as I learn of them. If you've made a suggestion to A Jersey Girl in Texas via the facebook page, I will definately write something, at some time, I promise!


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Trippin' with Grandma - Part 1 - Tomball Atractions

Trippin with Grandma
 Part 1 -- Tomball, Texas

Tomball is about 20 minutes south of the west side of Magnolia, and one of the closest places for us to do our regular shopping. We often spend Saturday afternoons browsing thru Lowes, grocery shopping and grabbing lunch, but we rarely make a point to visit the antique shops along historic Main Street. This would be a great place to take Mom, for browsing. When I asked our neighbors on Magnolia Beg Barter and Buy for ideas, the list for Tomball really surprised me! An entire day of touristy type things is more than possible. This is not a complete list, but rather a suggested starting point for you to begin to plan your own Tomball day. 

 Quick Links -

 Tomball is Texas for Fun!Tomball's Facebook Page
Old Town Tomball  FB Page
Tour Texas - Tomball
Groupon -Tomball 
Parks





Kleb Woods
2920 passed Mueske on the left
& off of Mueske on the right.

Our favorite place to hike with the dogs.
Birding, Bird Blinds,  Geocaching, walking trails, Picnic tables & grills in first park, Kleb House in second park. 

 There are 5 Geocaches in the park

 Burroughs Park
9738 Huffsmith Rd
Tomball, TX 77375

Shopping

Shopping, Antiques, Restaurants
Main Street

201 Market Street

22019 Decker Praire
Tomball, Texas

Fun

Three Dimensional Visions
learn about glass making
classes by reservation
17442 FM 2920
Tomball, Texas 77377
281-734-0366
Wednesday - Sunday 10am to 5 pm


Stone Moves Indoor Rock Climbing
6970 FM 1960

Drive-In Movie Theatre
22422 FM 2920
Hockley, Texas 77447
Gates open daily, at 6:30
Adults $6 Kids $4

Easel Street Tomball
Paint and drink wine!!
See the calender for events
832-422-7961
reservations required

Paint with Jan Art- see schedule

Reservations Required

Restaurant Recommendations 


24814 Stanolind Road
Tomball, Texas 77375
281-255-MELS

Goodson's Cafe
27931 Tomball Parkway
Tomball, Texas 77377
281-351-1749

107 Commerce Street
Tomball, Texas 
281-255-2455


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Trippin' With Grandma

Trippin' with Grandma
My Mommy is Coming!
- Planning Moms Trip

Me & Mom Cooking
"Looking for things to do that will tire out a very active grandma, but won't kill fat, inactive me.."
This was the challenge I posed to my neighbors via the FB group, Beg, Barter & Buy, Magnolia, TX.

What a ton of chatter from one Facebook post! Literally, hundreds of neighbors responded with suggestions. I was surprised to see so much attention to the thread, but reasoned that others were just as interested in having fun, either with visiting house guests, or on their own, as we are. Some of the suggestions were silly, some were fun, some were absolutely not appropriate for an 81 year old woman, but were really great ideas for kids.

At first, the suggestions were pretty tame, take her to bingo, take her to get her nails done, take her to the senior center for activities... Well yes, that's what you'd do with a normal old lady, right? But let me tell you something, my Mother is NOT a normal old lady! I doubt she ever played bingo in her life!

Tanzania, Africa
As I explained to my responding neighbors, my mother is quite fit for her age. Shes well traveled, brave, independent, well educated and interested in history and culture. Shes an avid birder, and casual hiker. She does Pilates and Yoga. She travels to countries that you'd never expect, like Turkey, Ecuador, Chili, Tanzania, and Croatia. However, a recent trip to the Galapagos Islands left her with a cracked rib. She also suffers from extensive hearing loss, a disability that she's struggled with since childhood, but nothing that holds her back from living life! She achieved a masters degree with hearing aids, she has never acted like a disabled person in any way, in fact she is very, very able indeed. She does not go to the movies, however, she can't hear them. Music is another story, she can hear it enough to enjoy it without having to understand the context of the words. Music is acceptable. So is wine. Have you seen my mother? shes very well preserved. A nice glass of wine, or a bottle, helps keep her looking young!

So, with that information shared, my neighbors began to think creatively, suggesting fun actives like indoor sky diving, out of the way museums, and hidden natural treasures that an appreciator of ecology and the earth would enjoy. Someone even suggested I try to arrange a ride-along for a night with an HPD officer.. um, no. LOL!

I never expected to get such a tremendous response! Literally hundreds of locals shared their favorite restaurants, their secret back-street bargains and out-of-the-way spots, little known or well known places where they love to go, and take their visitors.

 What started as a quick gesture to get some ideas morphed into a gigantic amount of information that I just couldn't fathom loosing to "the scroll"

My Mom with her friend Ruth visiting London
Others agreed that a compilation of the data, and a little organization would be helpful. A place for anyone to readily attain the info, and since I asked the thread question, and um, ya know, since I do write a blog about living here and all.. I volunteered.

 I spent 4-5 hours taking notes from the list. Even though I've lived here for 10 years, I am still essentially an out-of-towner, so this is a bit of a challenge for me to figure out. I spent the next few hours going through 14 pages of notes, separating each suggestion or idea by area, then I took each area and carefully researched them for links and tips. As an added bonus to this research I am learning a lot about Texas!

Following is the beginning of the master list of ideas, separated by area. As I complete research I will publish additional "areas" As I comb through emails, Facebook messages, and blog comments I will be adding and adjusting the information here, so check back for updates any time. Also, I am counting on my neighbors and visitors to help me add destinations. Please feel free to get involved in this project with me, I will be happy to give you credit for your additions. You can participate by contacting me on facebook at the community page, A Jersey Girl in Texas, or by email to me at AJerseyGirlinTX@AOL.com.

I hope to continue the series, Trippin' With Grandma, with some personal reviews from my Moms visit, as well as some things we might do as a family or just me and my husband. Hope you enjoy the series, and find the list useful.

Trippin' with Grandma - Master List

See Blog Menu for Links to these:

Tomball Attractions - Part 1 -  Published April 25, 2015
The Woodlands and Spring-  Part 2 - Published April 25, 2015
Huntsville Day Trip - Part 3 - Published April 25, 2015
Montgomery & Plantersville Part 4 - Published April 25, 2015

Magnolia & Waller - coming soon
Brenham & College Station- A Day Trip up 290 - coming soon
Downtown Houston
Galveston & Kemah
Conroe & Lake Conroe

Katy& Cypress


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