San Antonio Riverwalk

Thrills, Wheels and Deals: Six Flags in Fiesta, TX

Planning something for everyone meant that EVERYONE was able to plan one place that they wanted to visit, but that didn’t necessarily mean that EVERYONE wanted to go there. Though my husband had already requested that we stop at Crater of Diamonds State Park, when I gave him a run down of our agenda, he didn’t think there was quite enough FUN involved. He suggested that we add an amusement park to our list. So grudgingly, I looked into it. It’s not that I don’t enjoy amusement parks, it’s just, well…let me just say I don’t enjoy them as much as I did when I was a teenager but that’s not the only reason I’m a bit hesitant. In case you haven’t already figured it out, I’m cheap. And amusement parks are not.

However, we’ve been so busy working at paying off our debts that we decided we could splurge just a bit. So I did what my husband asked and found that there just happened to be a Six Flags in San Antonio. Perfect. I was pleasantly surprised to find that when you purchase a one day ticket for $49 you can visit any Six Flags park for the season at no additional charge. Sounded like a good deal to me.

But then I found a better deal and the thrifty side of me was happy! If you purchased your tickets in advance online, you would save $15 per ticket! This price wouldn't include admission to other parks at a later date, but there isn't one near us or where we plan to travel to this year so we decided to take the addtional $75 in savings. We even postponed our trip one week so we could be there for opening weekend!

We had season passes to a Six Flags one summer several years ago when the kids were smaller and really enjoyed it. Everything but the crowds that is. This time, we didn’t have any crowds to deal with. We didn’t even wait in line. We bounced from ride to ride to ride. Sometimes we didn’t even get off the ride, we just stayed in our seats and away we went. There are certainly benefits of not traveling during the peak seasons!

Of course the downside of not traveling during peak season is that not all the attractions were open and my kids would’ve loved to have spent time at the water park section of the park.

Here's a glimpse of our incredibly fun day:

First stop, the front row of GoliathThe coloring didn't quite turn out right when I scanned this picture, but you get the point.


We thought it was warm until we got wet...brrrr...



My husband, out to get my daughter. She's very frightened!



The view from the top of the Ferris Wheel. See how empty the parking lot was? More fun for us!!!



Old time Wheels



Last ride of the day, The Rattler. The 4th largest wooden roller coaster in the world that reaches the top speed of 65 miles and hour and an portion of it tunnels through the rock quarry walls. Just close your eyes when you're going down the first hill and the rest of the ride is a breeze. Not the best picture, but we wanted to show you how huge this coaster is.



What do you think is the best amusement park you've ever been to?

Field Trip Friday: The Alamo

It's Field Trip Friday, a chance for you to get involved and tell everyone in the blogosphere about an exciting field trip you went on this week or one of your all time favorite field trips!

Of course, if you already posted a fun field trip on your blog you're welcome to link that too.

We drove and drove and drove to get there but when we finally arrived, we loved it! Welcome to this week's Field Trip Friday: The Alamo! Woo hoo! My kids were so excited to go they didn't even complain about the drive from Alabama! And believe me when I tell you it was a loooooong one!

Last year the kids took a history class about Texas gaining their independence and when the teacher suggested visiting the Alamo, the wheels in their heads began to turn.

Since we'd already spent time learning about this period in history, I didn't feel we needed to go everything again but we did enjoy this YouTube video by Marty Robbins. The boys loved it and watched it several times.

Battle of the Alamo - Marty Robbins | Music Videos | SPIKE.com

We also enjoyed watching several movies including the 1995 miniseries based on James Michener's novel, Texas, the story of how Texas became a state.

When we arrived in San Antonio, it was too late to tour the Alamo but my friend, Melissa of Discovering US, another family on the road, had suggested that we stop anyway just to see it lit up at night. We had intended to, but something was going on downtown and the police had one block closed off so we had to take a detour and our GPS kept routing us back to the same spot which was a bit frustrating. By the time we arrived, we'd pretty much lost interest and just wanted to get to the hotel.

The following morning we got an early start and arrived right at 9:00 a.m. when the doors open. After taking the customary picture, we began our visit to the Alamo in the Shrine. No photos were allowed here as it is a memorial to the men that lost their lives in the battle. We enjoyed listening to a guide describe the details of the battle over a diorama that depicted what the mission looked like at that time. We also saw a Bowie knife, items that had belonged to Davy Crockett, and the room that housed the women and children during the battle. None of the women or children were injured during the fighting and Santa Ana ordered their release after the battle and instructed them to go and tell everyone they met about the battle that took place. That's how the saying "Remember the Alamo" came to be.

After stopping by the gift shop and walking around the grounds we stopped in the barracks to watch the short 15 minute movie that was shown. We found it interesting to learn that the barracks were where the final battle took place, not the Shrine. The remainder of the barracks is also a museum which details that battle.

If you are able to visit the Alamo, I'd highly recommend that you allow 2- 2 1/2 hours, which will give you plenty of time to enjoy the Ranger led discussions and programs and thoroughly explore the grounds. I'd also encourage you to go as soon as it opens, it looks as though it gets busy rather quickly. If you have children between 5-10 they can participate in the Young Couriers program.

Well, there you have it...the lo down on the Alamo. Now it's your turn. Have a field trip to share? Link up below and remember to stop back next week and I'll post about the stop we made in Louisiana. Until next week...Happy Field Trippin'!