We’re in Texas! From Hot Springs we headed south to Tyler, TX – the Rose Capital of the U.S. Although we didn’t see any roses in bloom, we did enjoy seeing some big cats, an awesome children’s museum, and a laid back local brewery.
We stayed at Tyler State Park, where we had the campground completely to ourselves. Although it wasn’t a huge park, there were numerous trails that were just the right distance for the kids to enjoy. This had the added benefit of allowing Rick to satisfy his compulsion to complete every mile of trail the park had to offer ::insert eye roll::.
Since we spent almost a full week there, we were able to explore the town of Tyler, which included Tiger Creek, a sanctuary for Big Cats whose owners finally clued into the fact that it wasn’t a great idea to keep a tiger as a pet. Liam and Cora Jean enjoyed getting up close to so many beautiful animals. The cats were all very well cared for in their new home, but hearing their stories was sad and a good reminder to everyone to consider the pets they are thinking about getting and the care they will need (this applies to everything from tigers to tabby cats).
We also checked out the local Children’s Museum, which was a big hit with the kids, particularly the life-size grocery store and café that they were able to play in. The museum also had a model court room that the kids were less interested in, though I caught Rick in it with a nostalgic look in his eye…
After Tyler we headed for a quick stop over in Davy Crockett National Forest, before heading south to the Houston area. The campground was beautiful and spacious and the weather perfect. We passed the weekend away biking around the park, canoeing on the lake, and letting the kids swim at the beach.
Liam continues to meet playmates at the different parks we stop at and has really come out of his shell, feeling comfortable introducing himself and leaving us to go play on his own with his new friends. We’ve really enjoyed watching his confidence grow with each new interaction.
Hot Springs has a population of about 30,000 and the town is centered around Bathhouse Row which is a series of ornately designed bath houses that were constructed in the early 1900’s. While only one of the bathhouses is still open for business, the rest are under the care of the Park Service, which has done a wonderful job restoring them to their opulent glory. With stained glass windows, rich wood doors, and marble throughout, you could see why wealthy people from across the US flocked to Hot Springs during the “Golden Age of Bathing.”
Our first month and a half has been spent in the sunny state of Florida and we’ve loved all our stops. The last two were some of our favorites though.
Floridians don’t get much love, at least not in Georgia, I’ve noticed. From sports, to fashion, to how redneck the residents are (which is a bit like the pot calling the kettle black), you would wonder why anyone would venture across the border into Gator territory. Well, after spending a month down here, I have to say, it’s a pretty beautiful state, and we’re just now getting to the coast.
Our first night in the Everglades we went on a ranger-led night hike along the popular Anhinga Trail which follows paved paths and boardwalks through a very pretty waterway full of wildlife. The ranger gave a wonderful tour and I continued to be reminded of something he told us throughout our visit to the park.
Our trip continues as we make our way down through the Sunshine State. We are so lucky to have such generous family members in such a pretty part of the state. Rick’s Aunt and Uncle live in Merritt Island where we stayed for three nights. While there, Liam scored another ranger badge at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. We saw lots of gators, shore birds, along with a raccoon and an armadillo! If you know our kids, you know they LOVE wildlife so this was a big hit with them.
hihosilvers 