Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Gator Country

This past weekend, these Louisiana girls decided to go west and get touristy in nearby Texas, specifically Beaumont. My family is a fan of a show on PBS called The Daytripper. After watching the episode on Beaumont, we had a new found respect for Jason's Deli and a desire to check out Gator Country.

So, here's the thing about Gator Country:  There's a website. There's even a FB page. There is not, however, a sign to tell you which exit to take when you're traveling eastbound I-10. It is, however, right off the interstate, and if you pass it up, you'll see it just north of the interstate--if you're paying attention. I'll confess right here that I've traveled this particular stretch of I-10 countless times and never noticed Gator Country.

To get to Gator Country from Louisiana, take I-10E to exit 838. Take a right (head north) after you exit. Then keep an eye out on the left. It's not far, and there are signs where you turn.

Here's a tip: bring swimwear & towels, especially for any children. And be aware there's a gift shop with stuffed animals, soft drinks, and various Gator Country memorabilia.

Upon walking through a plywood cutout of a gator's mouth, we walked onto a boardwalk. Alligators were abundant in the water below. On the front porch, there's a large, fake gator, perfect for taking pictures--just be sure not to sit on its head. There are also a couple of, well bored-looking, raccoons. They had a pool, some food, and an LSU hammock for the raccoons. And their keeper may have been hanging out just out of view, but they really did look bored and like they were trying to get out.





Once inside, we payed--for 2 adults & a 4-year-old, and a small brown bag of dog food to feed the gators--it was a little over $40. This seemed a bit high to me, especially considering you can visit a zoo and see a live animal show for considerably less. However, they did have a snake collection to rival any zoo. They had several albino snakes, including a very large Burmese python. Gator Country is also home to an African Rock Python, one of the world's most aggressive snakes. Theirs is around 3 years old and was probably under 6 feet--they grow up to around 20 feet. They had two venomous snakes that I saw--a copperhead and a water moccasin (cottonmouth), several lizards, and alligators (of course) and two crocodiles. Their labeling could use some attention as not everything was labeled, though. They also had a couple mammals, namely hedgehogs & a chinchilla.

We missed the beginning of the 2:00 show, but did see most of it. The volunteers that were doing the show seemed very knowledgeable about and comfortable with the snakes they handled. I noticed a few bits of information they were probably misinformed about, namely the largest alligator on record (it was, in fact, 19 feet, caught in Louisiana in 1890s and not weighed). But on the whole, the show was very entertaining, educational, and informative.

After a brief intermission, the volunteer led us out to the pond to see the famed Big Al---the biggest alligator on property. I believe he also stated that Big Al is the heaviest alligator in captivity in Texas. Once again, the volunteer was entertaining and informative. And Big Al was Big Al. He's pretty impressive.

Once Big Al's part in the show was over, we headed to a concrete pool. This is the part that you need a swimsuit for; it's also the part we knew nothing about.

You can swim with alligators. Yes, you read that right. You can swim with alligators. The gators are small, probably 3-4 feet, and their mouths are taped shut. They seemed to only be used for one group of people and then returned to their inside enclosures. We were going to let our daughter join the throng of kids in the pool, right up until we saw that the pool was at least waist-deep for children who looked around 5' tall. They all got soaking wet--Gator Country does sell t-shirts if you want to dress your child in dry clothing once they're done swimming. But I had no desire for my child to get soaking wet and drive back to Louisiana. Swimming with alligators did make the entrance fee seem less steep. I mean, where else can you do that?

In between the inside and outside sections of Gator Country, there's a large playground. However, it was so hot the day we went, I was worried that the slides would be too hot for little legs.

We stopped along a couple of the raised walkways and threw dog food to the alligators. Once again, where else can you legally do this? The gators were used to this and, though there didn't seem to be any confrontations over food, they were all very interested in it. I can definitely see why this is illegal in the wild.

All in all, it was a pretty good experience, save for not knowing about the wet activity. Gator Country really should put some funds into a brochure or pamphlet for the Texas Tourist stops in Beaumont & Orange. It would definitely increase their traffic.

Now, just a word about alligators. If you want some reputable information about them, visit or contact a wildlife refuge, specifically Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Grand Chenier, Louisiana. The gators in the Baton Rouge Zoo and the world famous San Diego Zoo all came from Rockefeller.

Alligators in the wild are typically not aggressive to humans. The exception is a female with babies around. If a baby feels threatened and calls for help, any female around will respond. This is unusual for reptiles. The lesson here is that if you see a baby alligator, assume its protector is around and leave. Even Big Al, who clearly could've taken the volunteer, should he choose to, simply didn't choose to. The Houston Zoo has even managed to clicker train their white (leucistic, not albino) alligator Blanco. They feature a neat video featuring their training sessions in the reptile house. Blanco is pictured above.

Here's the link to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge.
Gator Country's website
Gator Country's Facebook Page

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Moody Gardens--Palm Beach & the Aquarium Pyramid-- Galveston Island, Texas

Going to Galveston for the weekend means a visit to Galveston Island's newer landmarks, the pyramids @ Moody Gardens.  We found out that when you stay at the Hotel at Moody Gardens, you get passes for Palm Beach, which was awesome, since I'd planned on bringing my daughter there anyway. 

So, thanks to Maw Maw & Paw Paw, my daughter & I were able to partake in some of the water activities Palm Beach has to offer.  Now, if I haven't said it before, my daughter is a water baby.  She loves water and always has.  We have gone to the local mini-water park a couple times a week during the summer for the past couple summers.  Moody Gardens is like a mini-water park on steroids.  It isn't Schlitterbahn or a Six Flags Water Park, but it is more than the community water parks that seem to be springing up everywhere.

It also doesn't hurt that it is on Galveston Bay, so you can also do a bit of nature watching.  We saw countless seagulls fishing, but what was really exciting was the brown pelicans we saw searching for a meal. 

For a beginning of the season Saturday, it was surprisingly uncrowded.  We did the lazy river a couple times, played in the wave pool, and enjoyed the slides for the shorter kids, as my daughter didn't meet the height requirements for the two big slides.  We also ate lunch at Palm Beach.  I'm not sure if we were just really hungry, but the shish-ka-bobs we got were delish.

After a couple hours we were ready to go.  Palm Beach isn't really an all-day thing for young kids.  So, here's the low-down.  They have bathrooms, complete with showers, so if you're not staying at the Hotel, go ahead and bring shampoo to get that chlorine out. They also have lockers for rent.  And they have free (first come, first served) life jackets for kids.  Lockers are rented and life jackets are available in the gift shop, near the entrance. 

Here's the Palm Beach page on Moody Garden's website:
http://www.moodygardens.org/seasonal_fun/palm_beach/

The next day, before heading out of Galveston, my daughter, mother, & I checked out the Aquarium Pyramid.  I was the only one who had ever been before.  Both Mom & my daughter seemed to have a really good time.

Their penguin and their seal/sea lion exhibits are both multi-storied, letting you get different views of the animals.  The animals in both of these exhibits came right up to the glass and seemed interested in the humans on the other side.

There were all the usual suspects you'd expect in an aquarium, including several species of sharks, which kids were encouraged to find.  My daughter was given a handout with all the species of shark and a box next to them to be stamped when we located that particular species.  Even at 3, she really enjoyed doing that.  Or at least, she enjoyed the stamping.

Another exhibit we both enjoyed was the touch pool.  We both got to touch a sea star, and I got to tickle a pencil sea urchin.  It was a truly unique experience and one I highly recommend.

It took a couple hours to see everything, but again, not a full day event. If you do plan to stay at Moody Gardens for a full day, there are passes available that let you partake in all that Moody Gardens has to offer.

Here's the Aquarium Pyramid page:
http://www.moodygardens.org/attractions/aquarium_pyramid/

And here's the ticket info:
https://secure4.gatewayticketing.com/MoodyGardens/Content.aspx?Kind=LandingPage&merchant=OC&CG=TI&C=Aquarium&__utma=1.1566542156.1369835063.1369835063.1370446212.2&__utmb=1.2.10.1370446212&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1370446212.2.2.utmcsr=moodygardens.com|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/&__utmv=-&__utmk=264279055

Moody Gardens is a definite must-see spot on Galveston Island!

Pleasure Pier, Galveston Island, Texas

This past weekend we had a mini-family reunion of sorts.  My cousin graduated from UT Medical School.  His proud parents rented a huge house in Galveston for the event.  While it couldn't contain everyone (my parents stayed at the Moody Gardens hotel), my daughter & I stayed with the rest of the family.

The house was a couple blocks away from the Gulf of Mexico and 7/10 of a mile away from one of Galveston's newer attractions, Pleasure Pier.

Our day had already been eventful, especially for a mom & a 3 year old.  We'd gotten up early and headed over to Moody Gardens, where we'd spent the morning at Palm Beach.  Then we went back to visit with family and rest before heading to the famed Sand Castle Contest on East Beach in the afternoon and early evening.

So, it was around 8:30 that we started the walk to Pleasure Pier.  My mother came with us, and we ambled along Seawall Boulevard, stopping in a couple stores, before reaching the pier.

There were a couple rides my daughter was just too short for, but I'd done my research and visited Pleasure Pier's website.  I knew there were several rides she was the required height for, so when it came time to purchase a ticket, I bought her the pass.  Some rides I would have to go on, as well, so I bought myself a pass, too.  Here's the thing--to go on the pier, you must have at least a walk-on pass.  Walk-on passes start at $10 for adults (over 48"), $8 for kids (under 48"), and $7 for seniors (must have ID).  Rides start at $4.  But the unlimited ride passes are $26.99 for adults, $19.99 for kids, no senior discount.  We got there late, but my daughter still got to ride everything she was tall enough to ride.  In hindsight, I probably could have gotten away with a walk-on pass and tickets to ride what I need to ride with her.  Lesson learned.  However, it was much cheaper to do the unlimited for her, especially since it allowed her to ride her favorite--kid-sized bumper cars--three times in a row.

Most of the rides are lit up, but the icon of the pier is definitely the ferris wheel. It's all the way at the end of the pier and definitely not something to miss. It was nice to sit down for a bit, though we spent more time hanging in the air, waiting for others to get on or off, than we did making rotations.  Because it was at night, I can only imagine how amazing it would've been during the day, over the water, that high up.  They also had a pretty good band playing (I thought it was recorded music until I saw the musicians). 

Pleasure Pier had typical carnival games--Guess Your Age or Weight, Ring Toss, etc.  We bypassed all of these in favor of the rides.  We also did not eat at Pleasure Pier, though besides typical carnival foods, it is also the location of Bubba Gump's.  They even had a Gump's on the Run (to-go orders).  You did not need to purchase any kind of pass to get food from Bubba Gump's. 

All in all, I'm glad we decided to check out Pleasure Pier. My daughter had a fabulous time. One warning--watch out for Pirate's Plunge.  Even walking too close could leave you soaked. 

Here's the website.  I definitely recommend checking it out before you go. 
http://www.pleasurepier.com/index.html


Monday, May 20, 2013

The Houston Zoo

So...these Louisiana girls packed up and headed to Texas for a couple days.  We had not been to the Houston Zoo since right before my daughter turned two...we were overdue for a trip.

The Houston Zoo has upped its prices in recent years, but with good reason.  It really is an awesome zoo.  Some things haven't changed.  The reflection pool and the lion water fountain are favorites from my youth that can still be found.  But Houston has also dome some major upgrades.

After entering the zoo and donating an extra $4 for bracelets that read LION (my daughter) and TIGER (me), we headed to the Ethel G. and Allen H. Carruth Natural Encounters Building.  My daughter had a fabulous time in here.  She got to duck into dark caves and crawl through tunnels that were surrounded by water.  Some of the exhibits were closed for "remodeling" and there was an odd front porch that was just kind of there.  But overall, it was a nice building that I am sure is very popular during the humid Houston late spring, summer, and early fall.  We went on a weekday in January, and it still had a fair number of people looking at exhibits.

Because of the temperature and because it was a weekday, we were able to see everything we wanted to in just a few hours.  All in all, it was an enjoyable experience.  Houston has a world-class zoo.  The zoo has a FB page that updates daily.  They also have a youtube channel, and, of course, a website.  This summer my daughter is going to be attending a half-day camp (they start at age 4), so I'm sure I'll post some more about the zoo then. :-)
Houston Zoo on YouTube  The Houston Zoo website