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
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| 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
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.
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.
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| 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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7600 Highway 75 South
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