Having always wanted to go to Tasmania, I was very happy to receive a request to publish 4 Awesome Things to do in Tasmania! I’m hanging on every word, and trying to plan when I can go! Tasmania is an isolated island state off Australia’s southern coast, and is known for its vast, rugged wilderness areas, largely protected within parks and reserves. Sounds like a perfect vacation, doesn’t it?
[Read more…] about 4 Awesome Things to Do in Tasmania!
What a great trip to Vegas and Paris! I went off to Vegas two weeks ago with my daughter and a friend who were there for a photographer’s convention. I had a great time! I gambled and hung out in a Panorama Suite at Planet Hollywood while they were off networking and taking classes. I am a video poker player, and I receive a lot of perks from the Caesar’s Group, so I started out by requesting the Batman suite. It turns out that they redecorated, and there are no more themed rooms or suites. The suite was beautiful, yes, but truthfully, I missed the Hollywood flavor of the themes. I loved the Batman Suite! It was soooo cool with the 1960s Batman show memorabilia. Things change, and not always the way you want them to. Of course Planet Hollywood is an awesome resort with a great casino and miracle mile shopping, but I did miss the memorabilia! And I still miss the money I lost. Ouch! We did eat at the Paris Resort’s Eiffel Tower (unbelievably yummy, and no I didn’t photograph my food there) and also PH’s new restaurant, KOI. It was fantastic as well! Going to Vegas? Decide how much to lose, choose a great place to stay, and enjoy the show!
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I want to introduce you to two small towns with Texas Charm!
Texas has everything. World class cities, southern hospitality, amazing nature reserves, and history. One of my favorite travel themes in Texas is that of the small, hometown, downtown! Texas is full of small town gems, and I would like to share two of them with you! Don’t worry, there will be more!
First, Georgetown, Texas, just an hour north of Austin off I-35.
Carrollton, Texas surprised me with its renovated old downtown! It is full of fun shops and restaurants.
*All photographs of Carrollton, Texas were taken by Alexandra Minton, www.alexandraminton.com
Stay tuned for more Texas Towns!
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I had never heard of Monkey King Noodle Co until they contacted me on Social Media! As a matter of interest, I wanted to head over to Carrollton, Texas (a suburb of Dallas) and check out their old Main Street, which has been incredibly revitalized. Interestingly enough, one of the Monkey King Locations is in downtown Carrollton. I think it was meant to be, so I grabbed my daughter, a professional photographer (Alexandra Minton Photography and @SweetSweetDallas on Instagram), and we headed to Monkey King Noodle Co, camera and hunger ready.
My daughter informed me that it was her favorite noodle restaurant in its Deep Ellum location, and since she is a foodie, I was excited to try the Carrollton location. I was not disappointed!
Adorable customer drawings. Photos Courtesy of Alexandra Minton Photography
First, the building is adorable. It is in an old garage, a Mercedes business, and it couldn’t be any cuter. It has an indoor space, but in the summer or on warm days, they open the glass garage doors and they have an outdoor seating area with picnic tables and an ordering window. I was so impressed with its originality, it truly is one of a kind. We were greeted by Xitlalli, and my daughter ordered for both of us. Since I am a vegetarian, she ordered me Spicy Garlic Peanut Noodles, which are wok-toasted peanuts and garlic, house chili oil, super-fresh cilantro and green onions. My daughter ordered the pork version of Spicy Garlic Noodles. We also had their scallion pancakes and Edamame Dumplings. Everything was very tasty and perfectly served. Monkey King Noodle Co is a northern Chinese food based restaurant, with hints of Chinese street foods and Taiwan cuisine. Their noodles are hand pulled, and absolutely amazing. Obviously, we took plenty of food home!
Angela Pellacchia, Manager, tells us that they also have pint nights and awesome Happy Hours! There are locations in Deep Ellum, Legacy Plano, and Carrollton downtown, so be sure to go to one, or all, of them.
Thanks to Angela and Monkey Noodle King Company for hosting us!
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Have you ever heard of the Red Poppy Festival in Georgetown, Texas? It’s time you did! Make your plans now for three days of family festivities!
(GEORGETOWN, Texas) Georgetown, Texas, the “Red Poppy Capital Of Texas,” will celebrate spring and its signature red poppies with the 19th Annual Red Poppy Festival April 27-29th, in and around The Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas.
The town’s association with the red poppy started when Henry Purl Compton (aka “Okra”), who served in the American Expeditionary Forces, sent poppy seeds from Europe to his mother at the end of World War I. She planted them at her home near the square and they were eventually spread throughout the area by birds, bees and people.
In 1990, Georgetown was certified by the Texas Legislature as the “Red Poppy Capital of Texas.” Georgetown is one of the few places in the United States where red poppies grow naturally every year, and the town embraces their vivid blooming with three days of live music, a grand parade, classic car show, 5K run, contests, art, food and family fun.
WHAT: 19th Annual Red Poppy Festival; Admission is free
WHEN: Friday, April 27th starting at 6 p.m. through Sunday, April 29th; check website closer to date for specific daily times and full listing of events
WHERE: In and around Downtown Georgetown, along the historic town square. Directions available on festival website from Austin and Waco/Dallas/Fort Worth.
DON’T MISS IT!!!!!!!!!! I’ll see you there.
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I have never “rv’d” on a road trip, and I would love to! Here is the guide to doing it in Texas!
THE 2018 RV TRAVEL & CAMPING GUIDE TO TEXAS
HIGHLIGHTS UNIQUE FESTIVALS ACROSS THE LONE STAR STATE
265,000 copies of the coffee table quality travel guide are being distributed at RV shows, visitors’ bureaus and campgrounds
in Texas and across the country
CROWLEY, Texas, Jan. 9, 2018 — The 2018 RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas is now being provided to consumers at RV shows, visitors’ bureaus and campgrounds in Texas and across the country.
“Our theme this year is festivals, the most interesting of which we highlight in each region of Texas,” said Brian Schaeffer, executive director and CEO of the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO), which publishes the travel and camping directory.
Although the camping directory is available in a mobile friendly format at www.TexasCampgrounds.com, Schaeffer said printed directories remain in high demand, largely because they can be faster and easier to use than online directories and don’t require precious cellphone data.
TACO’s printing covers 265,000 users of the 2018 RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas, the first of which were distributed last weekend at the South Texas RV Super Sale in San Antonio and the Tarrant County RV Show in Fort Worth.
The guide will also be distributed at the All Valley RV and Outdoor Show, Jan. 11 – 13 in Mercedes, the Houston RV Show, Feb. 7 – 11, and the Austin RV Expo, Feb. 15 – 18. Anderson’s Brochure Distribution Service will also distribute the guide at 25 other RV shows across the country.
“Our biggest sources of distribution are the Texas Information Centers, the Points of Entry into Texas,” Schaeffer said.
The 2018 RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas not only includes detailed information on campgrounds, but lots of information about places to visit and things to do in Texas. The guide also includes a two-page section with information on parks and attractions in Oklahoma. The big focus this year, however, is regional festivals, which attract Texans as well as well as out of state visitors. Here’s a sampling of some of the festivals highlighted in the guide:
— Cajun Catfish Festival in Conroe: This annual event, scheduled for Oct. 12 – 14 includes Cajun and Texas music on three stages all weekend, plus a unique variety of food including catfish, boudain, gator, etouffe, jambalaya and crawfish pie. The event also includes arts and crafts vendors and a kid-zone area with activities for children and a special performance stage for local dance teams. www.conroecajuncatfishfestival.com
— Dickens on the Strand in Galveston: This annual holiday street festival takes place during the first weekend of December. Based on 19th century Victorian London, the festival features parades, non-stop entertainment on six stages, strolling carolers, roving musicians, bagpipers, jugglers and other entertainers as well as Victorian style crafts, holiday decorations and gift items. www.galveston.com
— Grape Fest in Grapevine: This annual event, slated for Sept. 13 – 16, includes grape stomp competitions as well as the “People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic,” the largest consumer-judged wine competition in the nation. www.GrapeFest.com
— Kerrville Festival of the Arts: This annual art festival, one of the largest in Texas, is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, May 26 – 27. www.kvartfest.com
— Lamesa’s Original Chicken Fried Steak Festival & Balloon Rally: This event, scheduled for April 27 – 28 at Forrest Park in Lamesa, features a chicken fried steak cooking competition, food booths, and decorative hot air balloons that take off each morning at sunrise. www.ci.lamesa.tx.us
— National Cowboy Symposium & Celebration in Lubbock: This annual event, slated for Sept. 7 – 9, features Western entertainers, storytelling, poetry as well as film and movie seminars, horse handling demonstrations, a horse themed parade, a youth Wild West Day and a national championship chuck wagon cookoff. The event also includes Native American presentations and exhibits of Western artwork and merchandise. www.cowboy.org
— Sand Castle Days in South Padre Island: This annual event in early October includes sand castle sculpture competitions, live music and a variety of entertainment for children, including children’s water slides, bouncers and mechanical bull rides. www.sandcastledays.com
— Shrimporee in Aransas Pass: This annual event, scheduled for June 8 – 10 at Johnson Community Park, includes live entertainment, dancing and plenty of shrimp as well as a parade, an outhouse race, carnival games, arts and crafts and a Miss Shrimporee Pageant.
https://www.aransaspass.org/shrimporee/
— Texas Onion Fest in Weslaco: This March 24 event celebrates the development of the Texas 1015 Onion in Weslaco. Activities include an onion eating contest, arts and crafts, food vendors, cooking demonstrations, live entertainment and a Miss Texas Onion Fest Pageant. www.weslaco.com
— Texas Rose Festival in Tyler: Activities included with this festival include the annual Rose Show, a display of more than 7,000 rose blooms; The Rose Parade; the Queen’s Coronation; and The Queen’s Tea. www.texasrosefestival.com
— Terlingua Chili Cookoff in Terlingua: The town of Terlingua is the site of two major chili cookoffs, including the CASI Terlingua International Chili Championship, which takes place Nov. 3. For more information, visit www.visitbigbend.com and https:www.casichili.net/terlingua-273604.html
— Winter Texan Expo & Health Fair in McAllen: This free event, slated for Jan. 16 – 17 at the McAllen Community Center, includes free health screenings, vendors, giveaways and entertainment. www.wintertexanexpo.com
Locator maps are provided at the beginning of each regional section of the guide, with numbered listings of the campgrounds for each region. Campgrounds are also alpha-indexed by city and park name.
Each campground listing includes a grid that lists the park’s facilities, services and amenities as well as driving directions, a miniature locator map and many parks have panoramic photos showing off what campers can experience. The directory also features a Texas Saver Card, which provides 10 percent discounts at participating parks and an entire page is used to highlight the winners of TACO’s park awards competition.
The guide, which was designed by Texas Advertising, also features display ads from every major campground chain, including Equity LifeStyle Properties; Jellystone Parks; Kampgrounds of America (KOA); Northgate Resorts; Quality Resorts and Sun Communities to name a few.
The guide also has a unique four-page rollout ad at the beginning of the book from the largest RV consignment dealer in the country PPL Motorhomes, which showcases its dealerships in Houston, Cleburne, and New Braunfels.
The guide also has a section devoted to parks with rental cabins and cottages and features ads from several park model RV manufacturers in Texas, including Athens/Champion Homes, Diamond Park Homes and Platinum Cottages. Camp with the conveniences of home!
RV and camping enthusiasts can order the directory online by visiting www.texascampgrounds.com. The 2018 RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas is also posted on the website in digital page-turning format.
For more information about the directory or camping in Texas, please call Brian Schaeffer at 817-307-0129 or visit www.TexasCampgrounds.com and www.TexasCabinRentals.net.
