I wish I had known more about the South Padre Island Dolphin Research and Sealife Nature Center before our Family Friendly Trip to South Padre Island. We definitely would have made arrangements to join one of their educational Dolphin Research Tours. $25.00 a person and only 6 guests on a tour. Rave reviews about these educational dolphin tours on Trip Advisor.  I usually shy away from these types of activities but this one sounds fabulous.

Additionally, we would have devoted more time to their Sealife Nature Center. We visited the center on our way out of town. Big mistake! While the center is small (and not fancy) the children could have spent hours touching and observing the sea animals. The Sealife Nature Center exhibits rescued sea creatures from the local waters and educates the public on how to be an eco-friendly tourist.The volunteers were very helpful in answering the children’s questions.

The children gained an immediate appreciation for the sea creatures on display at the Sealife Nature Center. This poor stingray was a new residence recovering from an Eco-Tour. His barb was cut off during the Eco-Tour! What? We seriously considered taking one of these Eco-Tours. The educational Eco-Tours take visitors out into the bay and gulf. They scoop up sea creatures and bring them onto the boat for children to touch. The tours teach children to respect the local sea life. My children were very disturbed that the tours cut off the stingrays’ barbs to make them safe to touch. In fact, they were outraged. They decided if animals have to be hurt in the process, touching them is not worth it! Apparently there is a right way and a wrong way to cut off the barb. The Eco-Tour did it the wrong way!

Sealife Nature Touch Tanks

On the other hand, the volunteers at the Sealife Nature Center children how to gently handle the native sea creatures in the touch tanks.

Careful, careful that is a giant hermit crab!

I know you don’t want to move along . . . But we have to keep moving. There is so much more to see . . .

Gulf Toadfish

Sargassum Fish

Puffer Fish

Sea Anemone (otherwise known as “A House for a Hermit Crab”)

Trigger  Fish

Stone Fish?

Lucky for us, MacGyver could identify all of the above fish. We confirmed them in his field guide book or on the web. This crazy guy was the one fish we could not confirm. (Yep, I know. We should have written down the names while at the Sealife Nature Center.)

Sea Horse

My Faaaaavorite! MacGyver wants to contact Tanked so they can make Mommy a Sea Horse tank. I have to admit, that would be totally awesome!

All of this for a $3.00 donation! How can you beat that?

South Padre Island Dolphin Research and Sealife Nature Center

• Touch tanks allow children hands-on experiences with ocean life from local waters.
• Location: 110 N Garcia, South Padre Island, TX 78578
• Phone: 956-299-1957
• Open Daily : 10:00am to 4:00pm
• Donation – $3.00 per person

Also worth a visit . . .

Sea Turtle Inc, Nonprofit Rescue and Education Center

• Up close interactions with rescued sea turtles!
• Location: 6617 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island, TX  78597

  Phone: (956) 761-4511

  Hours: Open from 10 am-4 pm Tuesdays through Sundays (Closed Mondays). In the summer months, hours are extended from 10 am-5 pm.

  A donation of $3.00 for adults and $2.00 for children over the age of 4.

Warm, more accurately HOT, weather has hit South Central Texas. That means one thing to my family . . . it’s time to hit the water! We will spend much of our time this summer at Aunt Joyce’s River and then it will be time for our annual family beach vacation. Hallelujah!

How does a beach vacation to South Padre Island sound? Alrighty then, let’s get busy planning . . .

South Padre Island is located off the southernmost Gulf Coast of Texas. The wide, expansive beaches and the warm gulf water are the main attractions. The beach is FREE so grab a chair, sit back, relax and watch the kiddos play in the surf.

There are sea creatures to catch . . .

And hours of observation . . .

The kid’s fishing nets and large buckets are some of the best purchases we’ve ever made! Day after day, hours upon hours of fun!

There are trenches and damns and tide pools to engineer . . .

There are waves to ride . . .

And fish to catch!

Each relaxing day ends with the boys fishing right on the beach. But let it be known to all that MacGyver runs a strict catch-and-release operation!

More Budget Friendly Activities for Kids on South Padre Island

Resort towns often mean budget busting activities. What is nice about South Padre Island is there are amazing low-cost activities for families beyond the beach. (And don’t tell the kids, they’re also educational!)

Sea Turtle Inc, Nonprofit Rescue and Education Center

• Up close interactions with rescued sea turtles!
• Location: 6617 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island, TX  78597

  Phone: (956) 761-4511

  Hours: Open from 10 am-4 pm Tuesdays through Sundays (Closed Mondays). In the summer months, hours are extended from 10 am-5 pm.

  A donation of $3.00 for adults and $2.00 for children over the age of 4.

Sea Turtle Inc. is an operational rescue center. The $3.00 donation is well worth the educational value. Our kiddos did not want to leave. Miss Enigma continues to talk about returning to visit the sea turtles. I’ll do a more in-depth post on Sea Turtle Inc. in the next couple of weeks.

South Padre Island Dolphin Research and Sealife Nature Center

• Touch tanks allow children hands-on experiences with ocean life from local waters.
• Location: 110 N Garcia, South Padre Island, TX 78578
• Phone: 956-299-1957
• Open Daily : 10:00am to 4:00pm
• Donation – $3.00 per person

The Sealife Nature Center exhibits rescued sea creatures from the local waters and educates the public on how to be an eco-friendly tourist. We visited the center on our way out of town. Big mistake! While the center is small the children could have spent hours touching and observing the sea animals. The volunteers were very helpful in answering the children’s questions.  I’ll do a more in-depth post on The Sealife Nature Center in the next couple of weeks.

I wish I had known about the Dolphin Research Tours. $25.00 a person and only 6 quests on a tour. Rave reviews about these educational dolphin tours on Trip Advisor.  I usually shy away from these types of activities but this one sounds fabulous.

Andy Bowie Park to the North and Isla Blanca Park to the South

• If you want to get away from the hotels try one of the beach parks. The dunes are quite pretty (and very peaceful during the off season). Sadly, you may find a bit of trash washed-up at each location.
• To the north, Andy Bowie Park offers beach access to cars. Drive right along the ocean. Pick a spot by the waves and unpack your chairs. No hotels, just the natural coastline.
• There is a small fee per vehicle for both parks.

Planning all of the Details

Where to Stay

• VBRO (Vacation Rental By Owner) is always my first stop when planning an extended vacation!
• A condo rental is always your best bet for a budget friendly family vacation.
• Tips for finding the perfect condo rental for your family.

• Trip Advisor is my go to site when planning a short trip. I read reviews like crazy. Just because a hotel is popular doesn’t mean it is what I am looking for. The reviews help me find a clean, quiet, affordable hotel.
• Hilton Garden Inn South Padre Island is located at the north end. If you want to get away from the crowds give this hotel a try. Rooms include mini-fridge and microwave. You can easily pick-up groceries for a quick lunch in the room.

Money Saving Tip: Vacation during the off-season! Rates drop dramatically after Labor Day.

Family Friendly Dinning

• Gabriella’s Italian Grill & Pizzeria: A restaurant serving absolutely fabulous Italian dishes would technically not be considered a kid’s restaurant. Here’s the great thing,  grown-ups can enjoy delicious Italian plates such as Chicken Picatta or Shrimp fra Diava while the kiddos can order up a pizza. We shared an appetizer, ordered an extra house salad and actually shared our main dish. We had more than enough food and we loooooove to eat. The kiddos shared a pizza.

• The pizza at Gabriella’s Italian Grill & Pizzeria  was so good we ordered one for take-out one night and had a casual dinner in our hotel room.

• Blanca Whites: Has a great casual, open air location right on the water. A new restaurant on South Padre Island brought to Texas from the original restaurant in Mexico. The Shrimp Tequila and Garlic Fish were plate-licking-good. One of the more inexpensive meals we enjoyed on the Island.
• You can also find Grocery Stores and Fast Food restaurants.

What are your Family Friendly Vacation plans? I’m definitely dreaming of a little surf and sand!

Life with Jeannine

A few more Beach Getaways for You:

• Planning an Affordable Family Beach Vacation (Florida / Alabama)
  

• Planning an Affordable Family Beach Vacation: Part 2 (Florida / Alabama)
  

• Planning a Budget Friendly Family Beach Vacation: Okaloosa Island, Florida

• Budget Friendly Gulf Shores Family Vacation (Alabama)

• Affordable San Diego with Children

• More Affordable San Diego with Children

Come Win our Book of the Week GIVEAWAY: Sea Horse The Shyest Fish in the Sea by Chris Butterworth

One of our absolutely favorite spring time field trips is to The Natural Gardener in Austin, Texas. The Natural Gardener is one of the  most innovative garden centers I have seen. It truly rivals a botanical garden and it is absolutely FREE! Each time we visit I find myself in awe and inspired to get busy gardening!

As you can see, my children find it equally exhilarating!

Each time I drive up and park at The Natural Gardner, I am greeted by a rainbow of gorgeous pots. I can hardly drag myself away from the rich glazed colors. The colors are simply delicious! They make me say, “I love you so, I”ll eat you up!” If the pots are this fabulous aren’t you interested in the rest of the gardens? You can take a peek at photos from one of our other visits.

I love their rainbow of pots so much I made a little book about them!

Pots, Pots, Pots

FREE printable guided reading book

Pots, Pots, Pots

Pots, pots, pots! Pots everywhere!

Pots red like a strawberry.

Pots blue like the ocean.

Pots green like grass.

Pots, pots, pots! Pots everywhere!

Pots purple like grapes.

Pots white like cotton.

Pots brown like a tree trunk.

Pots yellow like a lemon.

 Pots blue like a berry.

 Even pots round like an orange.

Pots, pots, pots! Pots everywhere!

Print this book FREE: Pots, Pots, Pots

More Plant Theme Activities and Resources

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We love the San Antonio Botanical Garden! My children are crazy for all things nature, plants and butterflies. None the less, I was shocked at how much they enjoyed our trip to the Botanical Garden last fall. We are currently planning our Spring trip.

We began our field trip with a little study of the Garden map. Our field trips are the perfect hands-on application of mapping skills.

The San Antonio Botanical Garden covers 38 gorgeous acres right in the center of the city. The map guides you down the trails, through the Piney Forest, over to the Children’s Vegetable Garden, up to the indoor Conservatory . . .

The entrance to the Gardens is surrounded by pots overflowing with flowers . . .

Giant elephant ears waving you, “this way, this way” . . .

And trails flanked by bountiful flowerbeds.

The Formal Garden illustrates how to mix flowering plants, herbs, leafy greens and ornamentals. Newly planted, I know these formal designs will be splendid when fully grown and filled-in.

From the Formal Garden we caught our first glimpse of a dinosaur. At the time of our visit, the San Antonio Botanical Garden was hosting a Dinosaur Stampede. Life size prehistoric creatures where displayed throughout the gardens. You can check sabot.org, their education page and the up to date website calendar for special events and educational opportunities:

• Summer Camps
• Little Sprouts Monday
• Children’s Vegetable Garden
• Homeschool Class
• Starlight Movies in the Gardens
• Art in the Gardens

The Butterfly Garden was of course the favorite of my kiddos. My photos could not capture the abundance of butterflies that were flying from plant to plant in this area. The butterflies weren’t quite as thick as the movie Flight of the Butterflies, but that is what it reminded me of.

Butterflies everywhere drinking up nectar.

Thank goodness for the Pond Garden to draw my kiddos away from the butterflies. Stunning water lilies.

What Piney Woods right in the middle of the city! Amazing to find a small lake surrounded by a forest of trees. Snuggled within the trees are authentic Texas Pioneer Cabins moved on-sight. The one room cabins gave the children a much greater appreciation for how simply people once lived. Tied in perfect with our year long study on the founding of America, The American Revolution and Texas History.

The Conservatory houses quite a variety of habitats. The children were truly charmed by the rainforest.

I want this Wisteria Arbor in my yard! Peaceful and lovely windows looking out upon a secret garden world. Dreaming!

We couldn’t make it out of the San Antonio Botanical Garden without one more visit to the Butterfly Garden!

“15 more minutes and then we’re leaving. 10 more minutes and then we’re leaving. 5 more minutes and then were leaving. Okay, 5 more minutes and then we’re leaving. Really this time, 5 more minutes and then we’re leaving. Okay, this time we’re really leaving . . .”

Don’t miss the San Antonio Botanical Garden! Beautiful trails, wide open spaces for exploring and peaceful spots for gazing. Our photos only scratch the surface of what there is to see.

Things to Know Before You Go:

• Open Year Round, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Children $5.00. Adults $8.00
• 210-207-3250
• sabot.org
• San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, San Antonio, Texas 78209
  

Life with Jeannine

We’re Giving Away: Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert. Come WIN!

Aquarena Springs located in San Marcos, Texas was originally developed as the first amusement park in Texas. The amusement park’s main attraction were the glass bottom boats that toured the crystal clear waters of Spring Lake. When I was a kiddo, we were actually entertained by a swimming pig and an underwater show with real mermaids. Wow! Our 5th grade field trip was a blast!

Today Aquarena Springs is under the direction of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University-San Marcos. The good news is they continue to run the glass bottom boat tours. Spring Lake really is quite beautiful and worth a day trip for fun or for an educational field trip. Check the hours of operation before you go as they change throughout the year. They also offer glass bottom kayak tours which we hope to take soon. The area is also surrounded by trails making it a full day of exploration.

You can begin your day with a visit to the information center. It includes interactive computer screens that teach about the springs and the wildlife of the area. There is also an informational movie.

The information center also includes a number of observation aquariums featuring native spring life.

The springs are home to a number of endangered species including the famous Texas Blind Salamander. If your kiddos want to see the interesting creature in action they can view a video on the Aquarena Springs website.

Miss Enigma’s favorite. A tiny turtle with a shell about the size of a quarter. Adorable!

The excitement builds! It’s time to board the glass bottom boat . . . While the waters are crystal clear, I don’t have an underwater camera. So squint your eyes and use a little imagination . . .

Right out of the gates we caught a glimpse of a spotted gar.

We observed numerous types of fish. MacGyver was absolutely thrilled! I cannot emphasize this enough.

Half way through the tour, one woman asked another, “What type of fish are those big ones?” Her companion answered, “I have no idea. But that child over there appears to know all about the fish. Ask him.” MacGyver eagerly informed the ladies that the fish were large mouth bass.

Miss Enigma had her own perspective and asked our tour guide, “How did they make this big swimming pool. Why can’t we go swimming?”

We could easily see the springs bubbling both above the water . . .

and below the water. Very cool!

Again, one of Miss Enigma’s favorites. Turtles sunning themselves on logs.

Time to wrap up our day at the springs.

It was very hard to pull the kiddos away from the springs. Right from the side they could see fish and turtles swimming about.  Isn’t it wonderful to take the kids on a learning adventure and you have to drag them away?!

You can view an informational video about the history of Aquarena Springs and get a  peek at some of the things you might see on a glass bottom boat tour. Enjoy!

Things to know before you go:

• Teacher Resources, including FREE printables
• Aquarena Center website
• $6.00 children, $9.00 adults, $7.50 seniors
• Hours of Operation
• Directions
• 512-245-7570

Life with Jeannine

This Week at waddlee-ah-chaa: Life Cycle of a Frog

• Book of the Week GIVEAWAY: Growing Frogs by Vivian French
• word work and sentence writing
• FREE printable book: Life Cycle of a Frog Blank
• FREE printable book: Life Cycle of a Frog Illustrated
• FREE printable cards: Life Cycle of a Frog Illustrated
• FREE printable cards: Life Cycle of a Frog Blank

What spring adventures are you and your children enjoying? Any field trip recommendations?