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