Cooling off this Summer at Splashtown San Antonio #SplashtownSA

Disclosure: My family was provided with free tickets to Splashtown San Antonio for review purposes. No other compensation was received. All thoughts, opinions and pictures are all my own. 

Summer has already started with its harsh sun and high temperatures here in San Antonio. With a little one at home off for summer vacation I need places to go that are fun for kids and family friendly but most importantly a great place to cool off and Splashtown has it all. 

I will be honest and say I cant believe I have never been here before! I was under the impression that it was all water slides and mostly for teens and older so I was nervous about going. What if there was nothing fun for my kiddo to do?

We get here and from a distance all you see is high water slides and I get worried. But as soon as we get closer and step inside I see water fun everywhere! 

This guy right here is Tube Tyler! Hes going to be your friend today since he is everywhere and will be important for picking out what areas are best for your family. 

As you can see from the map there is plenty to do! With over 50 rides and attractions you'll have a hard time being bored. 

A major positive I saw as we got close to the kids water area was life vests! Bunches of them in various sizes on racks around every corner. Perfect to keep your little ones safe.

When my kiddo saw Kids kove he was so excited he ran right in! 

Just look at this beautiful sight! Water fun everywhere!

As you step into Crystal falls the water starts getting deeper and the slides start getting taller! 

 While you are there at crystal falls be sure to stop and have a fun game of water basketball. A little too deep for my kiddo but definitely fun! 

Around the corner there are plenty of picnic tables and covered areas and seats plus snacks! Actually there is plenty of seating areas everywhere you look and all with good cover from the sun. 

 I was surprised to find that they have a basketball court outside plus a sand volleyball court.

But dont worry because they also have a water volleyball court which comes in handy during this heat!

 Check out all the water tubes for the fun rides! They even had pool noodles which all come in handy when you are floating down the Siesta Del Rio!

 It was my sons first time getting into a tube and he did awesome! So awesome we decided to try our luck out at the wave pool and there we had a blast!  

The waves were super strong and fun! The splashes were hilarious and extra fun on a tube. 

I cant wait to go back to check out a Dine in Movie! Coming up this month of July is Iron man, The amazing Spiderman, Thor, Teen beach movie and to start off August is The Lego movie! 

While I could post tons more photos {Trust me my water camera is full of them} you really just have to come over and check it out on your own. There is a ton of tall and wacky water slides plus more fun for all ages. I like that it has everyone covered from little to big.

Be sure to check them out for Birthday party packages, day care days, youth days, and they can even accommodate corporate group events. So there are many possibilities for fun!

Hope you are having an awesome summer and keeping cool! Have you checked out Splashtown before? 

Planning our Summer fun with the San Antonio Childrens Museum Discovery Camps

Disclosure: This post is being sponsored by The San Antonio Childrens Museum. All thoughts and opinions are still all my own.  

Schools almost out and that means our kiddos will be home all day and we need to find something fun to occupy them in NOW before summer sneaks up on us! But I know that for many parents its not just about ways to occupy them but also ways to stimulate there minds with fun and creative new things. 

This is where the San Antonio Childrens Museum comes in. This summer they are offering STEM based Discovery Camps that are different every week. They offer ways to Discover, Explore, create and Learn while in an air conditioned safe environment which is a perfect way to escape the summer heat that we Texans know all too well. 

For parents who work and struggle with camp schedules they are also offering before and aftercare to make this experience go by even more smooth!

They have special promotions going on such as A 10% sibling discount, a 10% discount when you sign up for 5 or more weeks of camp and a 10% refer a friend discount. They are even running a contest starting mid-May for a free week of camp so be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop! 

Heres a bit more of information on these awesome summer Discovery Camps: 

What plans do you have for this summer? Have you ever been to the San Antonio Childrens Museum with your little ones or done any of there camps? Hope you check them out and Happy summer planning! 

I leave you with this video introducing The Do Seum! What is the Do Seum? Why its the next phase in the San Antonio Childrens Museum coming in 2015. Be sure to check it out and get just as excited about it as I am, because me and my kiddo cant wait!  

The Do Seum :: Discover, Explore, Create, Learn from The Do Seum on Vimeo.

San Antonio Symphony's Halloween Spooktacular {Giveaway!}

San Antonio Symphony Presents

Halloween Spooktacular - The Composer is Dead

by Nathaniel Stookey with text by Lemony Snicket

When: Sunday, October 27, 2013 

Time: 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Where: Alamo Heights High School Auditorium, 6900 Broadway St.

Special feature:  Pre-Concert Activities for Kids and Instrument Petting Zoo at 1:30 p.m. Its an opportunity to experiment with and play orchestral instruments, hands-on musical arts and crafts stations, a visit from Count Bassie, the Symphony's beloved mascot, and a Halloween costume contest encouraging children to dress as their favorite composer for a prize.

About: The Composer is Dead is a riotous collaboration between composer Nathaniel Stookey and children’s author Lemony Snicket that combines two elements of great story-telling:  music and suspense. In a special Halloween-themed concert, San Antonio Symphony Associate Conductor Akiko Fujimoto will lead the orchestra in a gripping murder mystery where every member of the orchestra is a suspect. 

Family concerts are designed for children ages 4-11, but can be enjoyed by people of all ages and are a lively and informative approach to concert-going. 

Tickets: Individual concert tickets range from $8 for children, $16 for adults and are available at the Symphony Box Office or by calling 210.554.1010 or visiting  www.sasymphony.org. Patrons can also visit any Ticketmaster location, www.ticketmaster.com or call 210.224.9600 for concert tickets. Tickets can also be purchased at the venue on concert day. A family pass (a $144 value for a family of four) is available for $99 for all three 2013-2014 Family Concert series performances.

Other 2013-2014 Family Concert series performances include:

• December 22, 2013, Holiday Magic! A Family Holiday Celebration - Laurie Auditorium
• April 13, 2014, Peter and the Wolf - Laurie Auditorium

And now for a Giveaway... 

Enter to win a Family Four Pack to the Halloween Spooktacular "The Composer is Dead" through rafflecopter below! Please give it a moment to load. Good Luck! Winner will be notified by email and has 24 hrs to respond or another winner will be chosen. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to increase your odds at winning? The following blogs are also holding ticket giveaways of there own so Good Luck! Seven lovely Things, San Antonio Charter Moms, Hott Mama in the City  , Que means What? and Geekette Bits. 

Nationwide Fall Festival deals!

Ready for some Fall Festival Deals! I've got a great list of Corn Maze Coupons and Fall Festival savings nationwide. You can download valuable coupons for Corn Mazes, Pumpkin Patches and Fall Family Activities.

Enjoy! And Happy Fall guys!

  

Arizona
Schnepf Farms - Queen City
Tolmachoff Farms- Glendale, AZ

California
Forneris Farms - Mission Hills

Colorado
Anderson Farms - Erie
Flat Acres Farm - Parker
Fritzler Maze - La Salle
Sunflower Farm - Longmont
Mile High Farms - Bennett
Wishing Star Farm - Calhan
Harvest Farm - Wellington

Texas
Devine Acres Farm - Devine
Fiesta Farm - San Antonio  <-- For the local Readers!
Yesterland Farm - Canton
South Texas Maize - Hondo
Dewberry Farm - Brookshire
Brazos Valley Maize- Brenham

Louisiana
CM Farms - Dry Creek

Georgia
Lane Southern Orchards - Fort Valley
Poppell Farms - Odum

Florida
Harvestmoon Farm- Masaryktown FL

Michigan
Farmer Charley's Corn Maze Adventure - Monroe

Indiana
Amazing Fall Fun - Waterloo
Harvest Tyme Pumpkin Patch - Lowell
Hobson's Fun Farm - Rockville
Guffey Acres- Kokomo

Illinois
All Seasons Orchard - Woodstock
Kuipers Family Farm - Maple Park
Odyssey Fun Farm - Tinley Park
Siegel's Cottonwood Farm - Lockport

Maryland/DC
Summers Farm - Fredrick County

Massachusetts
Sauchuk Farm - Plympton

Missouri/Kansas
KC Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze - Gardner
Shuck's Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch - Pleasant Hill

Mississippi
Seward Farms Maze - Lucedale

Minnesota
Afton Apple Orchard - Hastings

Montana
The Maize at Grandpa's Farm - Billings

Nebraska
Camp Fontanelle - Nickerson

NewJersey
VonThun Farms - Monmouth Junction
Sahl's Father Son Farm - Egg Harbor City

New York
Wright Family Farm - Warwick
Harbes Family Farm - Mattituck

North Carolina
Patterson Farm Market and Tours - Mount Ulla

Ohio
The Corn Maze at the Sharp Run Market - Millersburg
Meadow View Growers - New Carlisle

Oregon
The Maize at The Pumpkin Patch- Portland

Pennsylvania

Hurricane Hill Farm - Coatsville
Triple B Farms - Pittsburgh
Reillys Summer Seat Farm - Pittsburgh

Rhode Island
Confreda Greenhouses & Farms - Hope (Western Cranston)

Virginia
Cows-N-Corn - Midland
Wayside Farm Fun - Berryville
Belvedere Plantation - Fredericksburg

Utah
Cornbelly's Corn Maze & Pumpkin Fest - Spanish Fork

For Daily Updates on these coupons and coupons for other family attractions please visit and bookmark: http://www.usfamilycoupons.com 

Come visit South Texas Maize!

The South Texas MAiZE is a 7 acre maze carved into stalks that tower over your head! An all outdoor, fall recreational activity appropriate for folks of all ages. In addition to the maze enjoy our hayride, the children's play area, the mini-mind maze and UNLIMITED jumping on our 2 a'maze'ing Corn Poppers! Extra fees apply to the Corn Cannon and our NEW Cow Train. 

Pick that perfect fall pumpkin during the month of Oct. from our pumpkin patch. Come to Hondo and see why getting lost means finding fun! 

Attention all active duty and retired military come visit visit us at the South Texas Maize and receive Free Admission for you and your family! - Click and Print coupon here.

Sting ray Interaction at Seaworld San Antonio Aquatica

Remember How I shared about all the fun we had at Aquaticas first Birthday? (If you missed it you can check it out here) Well during that awesome day I won a Free Sting Ray Interaction for me and my kiddo! Yep, I know... wow! We picked a date and well we had so much fun during the interaction! We made lots of great memories from that day that I would love to share.  

Here's a glimpse of our Sting Ray Interaction at Aquatica:

We got there early to Aquatica and I was so nervous! I had seen others do the interaction from afar and have even had a couple of blogger friends do it so I had seen plenty of pictures before. But I don't think anything can prepare you for what you will feel when you actually do it. 

My munchkin who is 4 was going crazy waiting for it to start. He had been already touching them by the pools ledge. Its free to touch them from the ledge and you can even buy fish to feed them!

They get as close as possible to you when food is involved.

When it was now time to start the interaction we stepped on to the soft sand and we were told a couple of important safety rules. We walked over to the opening and stepped in to a new experience! 

You look out and you see stingrays and fish swimming around. For safety they have a life guard, But don't worry the water is not too deep even for a 4 yr old. And of course for all the guests safety the sting rays have all had there barbs trimmed. The nice employee who went in the water with us (who is also a school teacher) made us all feel safe and comfortable and ready for what we would experience. He even mentioned Mr Ray from Nemo for the kiddos in the group. 

We walked in (well actually scooted our feet on the pool floor so we wouldn't risk stepping on the sting rays) and the employees handed out fish so off we went to feed the sting rays! This was intense! They really come up against you. So much so that you can barely walk around them because you are so crowded by them. It takes a little while to get use to this feeling. But they will eventually move along to others and follow the food source. 

My munchkin did not like this feeling and pretty soon he was in my arms. Yep, Mr. Brave was not feeling so brave after all. I took him over back to sand where he would go back and forth from the edge of the water back to the sand. But he wouldn't let go of the fish he had been given. When asked why he wouldn't feed the fish to the stingrays he proudly told everyone "Fish are friends! Not food!". 

After a while and me telling him he couldn't take the fish home he started to feed the stingrays the best he could from the edge. 

Once the employees alerted us that our groups time was up it seemed to tell my son well now let me go back in the water. He walked back in and wouldn't leave now. Yep, there came the tears! 

But its ok. He cheered up soon and quickly shared with others his experience in the water with Stingrays. Plus we had pictures! So he made sure to show them off and how brave he was in the water. It was such a fun and unique experience that I will never forget. I mean really, how often do you have the chance to get in the water with a pool full of stingrays and feed them? 

Be sure to check out Aquatica on your next visit to Seaworld! And in case you missed some of our favorite Seaworld Trips be sure and check them out here:

Seaworld San Antonio Howl-O-Scream
Seaworld San Antonio Christmas Celebration
Seaworld San Antonio Wild Days! 
Imagination Movers at Seaworld San Antonio
Seaworld San Antonio's Aquatica

75 Days of Summer Fun ideas!

There's only a short number of days before my kiddo heads off to school for the first time. Actually its so small that its less than 80 now! I am a mixture of feelings right now. I am grumpy, fearful, happy and sad and many more all balled up in one. To know that my munchkin will soon be walking through his schools doors for the first time is too much emotion at once but I know its meant to be and good for his future. 

So to make this summer all it can be I have made a list of all the fun things and places we want to go and see before he starts school.

1. Play at our neighborhood park              

2. Collect Sea Shells                             

3. Cool off in the water at Aquatica           

4. Fly Kites

5. Explore The Alamo

6. Head out to the Missions

7. Take a train ride

8. Have fun with friends

9. Catch some fireflies

10. Hang out with Pets

11. Have fun at The Tower of The Americas

12. Stay cool at the local Childrens museum

13. Paint Outside

14. Explore Morgans Wonderland  

15. Lay on the trampoline at night &watch the stars come out

16. Go to the carnival

17. Hang out with Shamu at Seaworld

18. Play Basketball

19. Make some Nature Art

20. Have a Dance Party!

21. Do a stingray interaction

22. Have a picnic in the Park

23. Put on a show with your own theater

24. Take a walk on the Riverwalk

25. Get on A boat

26. Have fun in the Garden planting

27. Go to the Beach

28. Make a beach memento 

29. Make a sand castle

30. BBQ! BBQ! BBQ!

31. Go Bowling

32. Take a nature walk at the Botanical gardens

33. Blow Bubbles!

34. Go see Dinosaurs at the Witte

35. Make our own Banana Splits

36. Take a hike on a nature trail

37. Enjoy some fireworks

38. Go to an aquarium

39. Ride a carousel

40. Have an animal adventure at the zoo

41. Go bike riding

42. Eat some ice cold watermelon

43. Watch caterpillars turn into butterflies

44. Read some books at the library

45. Catch a movie in the theater

46. Eat Raspa!

47. Head out to Splashtown 

48. Chalk up the driveway

49. Go fishing

50. Have fun with water balloons

51. Have a  scavenger hunt

52. Watch the sunrise

53. Have fun in the Kitchen

54. Make your own Pretend Garden

55. Take lots of photos of our adventures

56. Make up a new game

57. Complete a summer reading challenge

58. Make a collage

59. Make a dream catcher

60. Watch a movie outdoors

61. Find buried treasure

62. Go on a road trip

63. Jump on the trampoline! 

64. lay on a blanket outside and Read under the shade

65. Have a glow stick party

66. Make music of our own

67. Go to a local festival

68. Write our names in the Beach sand

69. Make our own Playdough and create things

70. Make a sun catcher

71. Get out of our comfort zones

72. See A rainbow

73. Do a good deed

74. Feed the dolphins at Seaworld

75. Make a summer fun scrapbook of everything we did this summer! 

I know it might seem like a lot but I want to have plenty of fun options to do in our area. Things that are memorable and will make this final summer before he heads off to school all that more special for us all! After we do each item I will add the link to to the list so you can click on it and check out the fun we had! 

Hope you guys have a good summer and make lots of happy memories. Hopefully some of these ideas help you plan out your summer of fun! 

For more ideas check me out on Pinterest!