Destination: Ft. Worth, Texas, Flinn Family Reunion, June 25, 2011
“Are we there yet?” “Are we getting close?” “When are we going to be there?” “How much further?” These questions can only mean one thing: You are traveling with kids!
Almost 800 mile one-way, from Denver to Ft. Worth, and I was trapped in a mini van with 2 anxious kids. Even the busy bags I packed for the trip couldn’t entertain them enough, so they turned to seeing how fast they could drive mommy crazy.
Turns out it was a short trip.
Don’t let the cuteness fool you. This was our first night stop in Amarillo, Texas. This is where I threatened to rent a car and drive back home…oh, yeah, I did! Did you know the most annoying noise to the human ear is a whining child? It’s true. Someone got paid big bucks to conduct a study on the subject…lucky them.
Big Texas waffle in Ft. Worth. Finally, we arrived at Springhill Suites DFW, no thanks to MapQuest. FYI, MapQuest does not account for road construction, so we got lost. Glenn’s cousins, Karen and Becky, planned the family reunion and worked their tails off. Their hard work paid off big! I saw a billboard that read: “Hospitality – Texas Style” and the hotel staff was just that…friendly, ya all! Actually, everywhere we went in Ft. Worth people were friendly.
The suite at the hotel was one of the nicest we have ever stayed in. Springhill Suites has an indoor pool, which is the only thing the girls cared about, and it also across the street from Grapevine Mills. Grapevine Mills is a super-mall complete with LegoLand, Sea Life Aquarium, a skate park and an ice rink. You’ll be surprise to know we did not ice skate…there was just too much to do! The mall is huge, so pack your patience.
Speaking of patience: LegoLand. If you MUST go to LegoLand in Ft. Worth, may I make a few suggestions:
- Buy your tickets online. You cannot use coupons if you buy online but you do get a slight discount anyway. And, more importantly, online tickets gets you a FastTrack to the front of the hour or more line to the ticket counter. Saving 20% on tickets is not worth me waiting in line for over an hour with cranky kids. But don’t think you still don’t get to wait in line…it was another hour before we got into LegoLand itself.
- Again, Patience, Patience, Patience. This place is like Chuck E. Cheese on steroids. A Valium might work too.
- Bring your wallet. The Gift Shop, the only way to get out of this place, ain’t cheap. No discount shopping here.
First, we are herded into a small room to watch a Lego video, then into another small room to see how Lego bricks are made. I swear I read online that we would get a sample Lego brick to take home, but we did not. Then, wait some more in a winding line to get on a life-sized laser game, then, only then, do you get into LegoLand. Don’t say you weren’t warned.
Cool Fact: Did you know the U.S. is the only country that calls them Legos? Other countries call them bricks. Lego is the brand, bricks are the product. Silly Americans.
Our last night in Ft. Worth we ate at Cozymel’s. My mother-in-law and I ate the BEST chicken enchiladas with a sour cream sauce. I don’t even want to know how many calories were in this dish!
Even with the Texas heat…102 degrees every day…we had a good time (except when we were on the road).
On the way home we stopped at Capulin Volcano in New Mexico. Always a good stop, and cheap, $5 per car.
Have Faith Everyday 