Hubby
and I started an annual travel tradition six years ago. Every year we take a
New Year trip, around New Year’s Day, to a fun location! We typically seek a
domestic location that doesn’t require much travel time via car or air to
reach. Usually, the trip lasts about 3 or 4 days and serves as an excellent
kick off for the New Year! This year, as new parents, we had a 10 month old baby, Jaxon, to join
us in our annual tradition. My mother tried to convince me that we should leave
Jaxon with her while we went somewhere fun but Josh and I were both determined
that we wanted this to become a family
tradition.
The Destination
So
the planning began, where would we go, what would we do, how would Jaxon
react?? The first objective was to choose a location. We needed to find somewhere that would be a
short flight (less than 2 hours) or drive (less than 4 hours), was baby
friendly, and offered plenty of indoor fun to protect us from the cold winter
weather. We tossed around several ideas and eventually settled on Austin. Josh
and I have visited Austin several times together but never visited as
sightseeing tourists together. We thought there would be plenty of great
opportunities to create memories.
The Drive
Jaxon
has never been extremely fond of riding in his car seat but he will tolerate it
when necessary. We chose to leave early in the day to take advantage of Jaxon’s
pleasant morning attitude. It took us a
little over 4 hours to make it to Austin and baby boy slept for about 3 hours
of the drive! When he woke up, we promptly took a break to grab some lunch,
stretch our legs and change his diaper. He started to get fidgety during the
last 30 minutes of the drive, so I sang songs with him and made silly faces.
Honestly, I must say that the drive was a piece of cake!
The Hotel
I
was delighted to find a great deal on a very unique hotel, Habitat Suites. This
all-suite hotel is a former apartment community that has been converted into a
hotel! Each suite has a separate living area, bedroom, and kitchen. The
absolute perfect setup for a family, especially with young kids. The service
was good and they even provided a free hot breakfast each day that was
delicious! After our stay here, we decided that in the future we will always
stay in suites when Jaxon is traveling with us. It is so convenient to put him
to bed in another room and then relax on the couch and watch TV as a couple.
Not something we could have done, with our light sleeper, in a regular hotel
room.
The Adventures
Our
first stop was the Hope Outdoor Gallery. Parking was a challenge but well worth
the effort. This place is constantly evolving and you can watch the artists
work! Definitely take the time to stop by the next time you are in town and
snap a few fun pictures.
The following
morning, I had a walking tour of the Capitol area scheduled. It was quite
chilly outside but we decided to bundle up and go anyway. The tour was a 90
minute walking tour that started right outside the capitol building. Well, Josh
and I were willing to brave the cold but our little guy wasn’t having it! We
made it about 2 blocks away from the capitol, less than 30 minutes into the
tour and politely departed from the group to seek a warmer activity. We headed
to the capitol and took a tour. The guided tour was quick and informative.
However I must say the highlight of the capitol was taking an adorable picture
of Jaxon in the main foyer area! Hopefully he will appreciate my forethought
someday when he’s able to use it for a grade school Texas history project!
On
day two Josh went to stand in line at Franklin’s BBQ at 8:30 in the morning!
Jaxon and I stayed and played, ripped up paper, in the hotel room. Josh arrived with lunch around 12:30, that’s
right he stood in line for 4 hours! Was it worth it? In my opinion, no but then
again, I’m not a big BBQ fan to begin with. I’ll share this… The pulled pork
was the best I have ever had, the ribs were peppery and delicious, and the
sausage was absolutely disgusting!
After
lunch we headed to the Lyndon B Johnson Presidential Library and the Bullock
Texas History Museum. The Bullock museum
was very child friendly and it is FREE on second Sundays! We stayed at the
Bullock museum for a little over an hour and then headed to the LBJ Library. We
really enjoyed how the exhibits made history come to life! My favorite part was
the phone call recordings throughout the library. There were telephone’s dispersed around the museum
that you simply picked up to hear the recorded calls of President Johnson
speaking with celebrities, politicians, and family members. It was really neat!
On
our last morning we got up early, had breakfast, and packed up to leave town.
We stopped by the Texas State Cemetery. It is a beautiful, peaceful place.
Unfortunately, it was just too cold to truly enjoy a stroll across the entire
site with a baby. We were able to see a few headstones of very influential Texans
including Stephen F Austin and Barbara Jordan, and took a stroll through the onsite
exhibit center. I would like to go back
perhaps in the spring when the weather is milder to explore a bit more.
After a brief visit to the Texas State Cemetery we
headed home. Overall, it was a calm and fun first mini vacation as a family of
three! We had the opportunity to explore our home-state capitol, laugh, relax,
and create a few memories that will last a lifetime. Here's a few highlight pictures from the trip!
Have
you visited Austin, Texas? What are your favorite places to visit while in
town?
