A Week in San Antonio/New Braunfels - Day 3

The third day of our trip was truly a "kid pick," day.  This past school year, our son learned about the Alamo.  When he came home from school, he immediately began to proudly tell us all about the battle.  He also informed us that we had to see the Alamo this summer.  We have been going to San Antonio every year for three years.  I think the last time I went to visit the Alamo, I was in middle school.  We woke up bright and early, not that that is really any different from our normal routine as our kids are both early risers.  This actually works in our benefit.  We get up and get going to not only beat the heat, but to beat the crowds.  We arrived at the Alamo shortly after it opened.  We only had to wait about 5 minutes to enter the building and begin our self-guided tour.  There is not charge for admission to the Alamo, but they do ask for a donation to maintain the property.  There are also a variety of tour options including an audio tour and guided tour.  We opted for the self-guided, do it our self tour.  Our purpose was more about showing our son a historic place that he studied rather than learn every little detail.

It was interesting to hear the different reactions from our kids.  Our son remarked about how awesome the Alamo was, and pointed out every hole in the rock calling it a bullet hole.  He was
fascinated by the cannons, the replica models, and the artifacts throughout.  Our daughter on the other hand kept saying, "this is so horrible."  My wife an I were very confused.  She was not upset about being there, and enjoyed looking around just like our son.  After asking her several clarifying questions, what was so "horrible," was the fact that so many people lost their lives and there was a big battle.  In my opinion, this was a very deep, inspiring thought for a 3-1/2 year old.

We finished the Alamo in about an hour, then made our way north on I-35 to New Braunfels.  Our next destination was Natural Bridge Caverns.  We have been to Natural Bridge Wildlife Safari several times, but never the caverns.  Prior to our trip, both of our kids told us they wanted to go see the underground caves.  This was also my first trip to the caverns.  I have been to caverns in other locations, but never to the Natural Bridge Caverns.  After looking over all the tour options, we decided to take the original Discovery Tour.  We also added on the family maze for a small price.


This tour is 3/4 of a mile long, and takes a little over an hour to complete.  You travel 180 feet below ground level to the original caverns that were discovered in the 1960s.  It was amazing to see the beauty underground that nature created over several hundred years.  Traveling that far underground was like being transported to a different world.  Everything was so pristine.  Each tunnel and room we journeyed through has a new magnificence.  I was glad to see that both of our little travelers made it the entire way on their little legs without any complaints.

 

After going through the caverns, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at the General Store on site, then
made our way to the maze.  The maze is one of the best things we have done as a family in a long time.  We had to work together to find the four checkpoints, then find our way out as quickly as possible.  We had the kids lead the way while Shana and I followed.  This activity provided an opportunity for our children to be true adventures and problem-solvers.  It was not until the very end that I provided some assistance to get us to the finish.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were fortunate enough to stay with family.  We decided to get a baby-sitter for the kids, and the adults went on our own adventure.  After getting the pizza ordered and setting expectations for the little ones, we loaded up and headed to Top Golf.  If you have never been to Top Golf, I highly recommend you make time to go.  The best way to describe Top Golf is bowling meets golf.  When we arrived, we were given our "lane."  It was a pub table with chairs, clubs, TV, and game console.  There are several types of games to play, but the basic premise is the same.  Hit the ball as close to any target as possible to get points.  Now I am not an avid golfer.  In fact, I am very intimated by the game.  Every time I have played in the past, I got frustrated.  Here, all the pressure was gone.  The four of us were playing for fun, with friendly wagers on the side.

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