Follow photojournalist Ashley Landis as she spends 24 hours in Texas towns, cities and state parks.
Frohe Weihnachten!
That’s Merry Christmas in German! I learned that recently while checking out what the German town of Fredericksburg has to offer for the Christmas season.
I stayed at the Main Street B&B, which is exactly where you think is. It’s a perfect location for exploring the down town shops, museums and restaurants, and it has a balcony that overlooks Main Street.
It’s that special time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas when the To Do lists pile up with gift shopping, meal preparing, house cleaning, party planning, seeing family and friends, traveling, eating and generally stressing.
When I go “home” for the holidays, I exhaust myself trying to see as many people and do as many things as I possibly can. That was the case during the Thanksgiving holiday and I came back feeling completely overwhelmed.
Fortunately central Texas heated up for a few days, just long enough for me to have an escape to Buescher State Park near Smithville, TX.
A few years back I almost got a job at the Waco Tribune-Herald. I went to Waco for an interview and Rod Aydelotte, the photo chief, showed me around and told me Waco is the smallest big city you’ll ever see.
That’s so true. Waco has a major university, multiple museums, a zoo, historic buildings, a sprawling park that lines the Brazos River, among other attractions, all inside of a 95 square mile town.
Waco is also home to a handful of B&Bs. I found the Spencer House, which is a bed & breakfast owned and operated by Dan and Viviann Capps.
Sometimes the weather just doesn’t cooperate.
Austin is an outdoors city. There are so many hike and bike trails, kayaking, boating, swimming, fishing; pretty much any outdoors activity you can think of is represented in the Austin area. But what do you do when it’s raining?
There was a 90 percent chance of rain in the forecast when I set out to answer that question.
First I stopped by the Bob Bullock State History Museum. This is a fabulous museum that chronicles the full history of Texas. It also has an IMAX theater and a beautiful terrazzo floor depicting a campfire scene in the entry way.
Fall has definitely come to Texas. The air is getting cooler, rain has returned to the forecast and the leaves are changing. Wait, what? Leaves don’t change in Texas.
So I thought.
I heard about this place called Lost Maples State Natural Area, a park full of maple trees that change colors vibrantly in the fall. I had to check it out!
Pedernales Falls State Park is fairly close to home for me, but the short drive doesn’t make it any less spectacular.
The main attraction at the park is, of course, Pedernales Falls. It’s a massive area in the Pedernales River that’s packed with giant boulders, pools and rushing water, and it’s all accessible to the public.
I’ll tell you more about that in a minute. First, if you’ve been following this blog, you’ve probably thought, “I wonder how Ashley sets up camp.” Well you’re in luck! I have the Readers’ Digest version right here…
If you haven’t noticed, I love my state! Texas is in my blood. My family has been here for over six generations – on both sides.
I’ve heard a tale or two about Texas history, and I thought I knew all about the Battle of Gonzales and the “Come and Take It” mantra. Turns out there’s always more to learn about the toughness of Texans. Read more
