I have gotten A LOT of requests about our trip. Where we went, where we stayed, how cold was the water really, which swimming hole was our favorite. So, to answer everyone's questions I'm putting it in one blog post.
We left Thursday morning as soon as the kids woke up. We live in Conroe, Texas and our main goal was Ft. Clark Springs but it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere so I mapped out a fun pitstop on the way there and on the way back hitting up THREE swimming holes total. I've also been asked how I find these spots. I follow TX parks and wildlife on Insta so when they (or anyone else I follow) posts interesting travel destinations I bookmark it. When it's time to plan a trip I look through my insta, FB, and Pinterest saved items to look for inspiration! Simple. Ft. Clark Springs was featured in Texas Monthly a while back and that's how I found it.
On the way to Ft. Clark Springs our first stop was Blue Hole Regional Park. This was probably my favorite spot along the way although my family will disagree. Two things to note: dogs are not allowed and you have to make a reservation. You make a reservation and pay on the city website. It is super easy. Bring chairs and food and find a shady spot and you could easily spend the afternoon there. I didn't even put sunscreen on my kids. They were in total shade the entire time. Not my family's favorite because it was really cold but I didn't swim because I stayed with the dog. Hands down the prettiest and right in the middle of town so super easy to clean up and head to lunch or dinner after a good swim.
For lunch we went to Creekside Cookers BBQ and Pho-Lisha's. Both were food trucks. While I was sitting in the car with Penny I googled "Best BBQ in Wimberley and that's what came up. Food trucks are great when traveling with dogs. It was all super yummy.
After lunch we headed to Ft. Clark Springs. We got there on Thursday evening and an important note is that it is emptied and cleaned every Thursday. (Natural spring fed pool) When we got there I was super bummed because we didn't know that and the pool was only about 2/3 the way filled back up. BUT they say the best time to get there is late Thursday (7:30 PM estimated to be full by that time) or early Friday because it is at it's cleanest. SO VERY COLD. I did get in here but didn't last long. It was perfectly clear and so pretty. Jonathan and the kids loved it despite it being super cold. Motel accommodations are basic at best but it was a place to sleep for the night. They turned some of the former barracks into a motel and that's where we stayed because that's really the only option.
Your food and lodging here is super limited because you are literally in the middle of now where and very close to the Mexico border. (Their entire ISD is on one campus and their graduating class was 25 kids) On our way back we were stopped by border patrol. No biggie. We were in the Big Bend area as well. They asked if we were US citizens and sent us on our way. We ate at the local pizza place. Jonathan just brought it back to the room and it was OK. Nothing to write home about as my grandmother would say.
The next morning the fam got up and went swimming while I packed up the car. After they swam we changed our trip up a bit and headed to San Antonio to walk the river walk, stay in a nice hotel, and eat some yummy Mexican food. When we got to San Antonio we ate at Tycoon Flats because it was the best rated kid friendly/dog friendly place. Lots of yummy (featured on TV) burgers to choose from and a huge shaded patio. I very much recommend. Our hotel let us check in early and we just relaxed the rest of the afternoon.
After we had some down time we walked the river walk for a good while before we headed to dinner. After dinner they swam in the rooftop pool and then we went to bed for the night (most of us).
The next morning we got up and ate breakfast and headed north to Blanco State Park. Super cool park. Much more crowded than the previous ones but we all had such a great time. I didn't swim here because we had Penny. We had a metal tether thing for her but I didn't really want to leave her with so many people and dogs all around. Also, the rocks were very slippery. People were falling all the time. Not getting hurt but still being knocked off their feet from not walking carefully and being pregnant I just didn't want to risk falling that bad so I stayed put and watched the fam have fun.
After we packed up we went to Pig Pen BBQ in Dripping Springs. It was another food truck area (google is my friend, I tell ya!). They had a huge covered area, a play ground, and a snow cone truck. They also had big screen TVs playing our favorite show, The Grand Tour. Wins all around. So super yummy! After that it was a 3.5 hour drive home. Longest drive of the trip and Milam talked the entire way. Oh goodness my ears hurt.
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