The kids are home all summer. It’s hot. Money is tight. Patience is wearing thin. What is a parent to do?
Check out the list of summertime fun below. We bet you will find something on the list that gets you out of the house and spending a fun day – or evening – with the kiddos. Or at least gives you a place to drop them off while you enjoy some “me time.”
We organized these activities by price to make it easy to see which types of adventures are in your budget.
Free activities for kids:
•Kyle, Buda and San Marcos library summer reading programs and other fun activities
•Lake Kyle for fishing
•Play disc golf in Steeplechase in east Kyle
•Swim at the Kyle pool
•Bird watching – some inexpensive or homemade feeders attract all kinds of native Texas birds
•Landa Park in New Braunfels
•Austin Symphony’s Children’s Day Art Park – every Wednesday at 10 a.m.
•Letterboxing –
www.letterboxing.org
Free or cheap movies:
•Movies in the Park in Kyle, Buda and San Marcos
•Kyle Pool also has “dive-in” movies
•Alamo Draft House movie camps
•$1 movies at theatres in Austin (Westgate and Tinsel Town)
Area Farmers Markets
Head out early to beat the heat and find the best local produce, foods and artesian offerings:
Boerne – every Saturday
Brenham – every Saturday
Buda – every Saturday
Dripping Springs – every Thursday
Fredericksburg – every Thursday
New Braunfels – every Friday
San Marcos – every Saturday
Historical:
•Central Texas Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (at the San Marcos airport)
•First Sundays at the Claiborne Kyle Log House
•San Marcos Court House
Vacation Bible Schools
•Kyle United Methodist Church July 12
•Manchaca United Methodist Church
Jumping, moving, shaking and fast cars:
•The Jumpy Place in Kyle
•Jumpoline in Austin
•Austin Skate in Manchaca
•Bowling (Sunset Lanes in San Marcos or Westgate Lanes in Austin)
•Peter Pan putt-putt in Austin
(coolers allowed)
•Horseback riding
•Central Texas Speedway
Zoos:
•Austin Zoo
•San Antonio Zoo
•Capital of Texas Zoo in Bastrop
Caves, caverns and natural formations:
•Wonder World in San Marcos
•Inner Space Caverns in Georgetown
•Natural Bridge Caverns and Safari in New Braunfels (be sure to check out the twin baby giraffes)
Tubing and other aquatic adventures:
•Several tube rental companies operate in San Marcos, New Braunfels and Gruene
•Aquarena Center in San Marcos
•Join the Y Hays branch and swim all day
Theme & water park adventures
•Shlitterbahn Waterpark in New Braunfels
•Volente Beach on Lake Travis
•Austin’s Park
•ZDTs Adventure Ark in Seguin
•Sea World San Antonio
•Fiesta Texas San Antonio
•Wimberley Zipline
Feel like hitting the open road?
Day/long weekend trips to consider:
•Corpus Christi
•Navy ship, aquarium
•Great Wolf Lodge near Dallas
•Dallas Zoo
Swimming holes:
•Jacob’s Well in Wimberley
•Blue Hole in Wimberley
•Hamilton Pool in Dripping Springs
•Krause Springs in Spicewood
Museums:
•New Braunfels Museum of Art
•Childrens’ Museum New Braunfels
•Austin Children’s Museum
Theatres and movies:
•Corral Movie Theater in Wimberley (it’s outdoors)
•The Emily Ann Theatre in Wimberley
•Shakespeare in the Park at Zilker Park in Austin
