Summer Activities in Tyler for 2012

May 30th, 2012

Nearly every summer we, here at Tyler TX Directory, put out a list of summer activities as suggestions for East Texas parents. Keeping the kids busy and maybe even learning a little something, during the summer months can be a challenge. Family vacations are generally more difficult than years past, due to financial concerns, so the trick is making the summer fun and memorable without going overboard on expenses. So our suggestions are as follows:

The Caldwell Zoo is always on the list, but hey it’s always fun educational and is ever improving. It remains an area favorite. The Brookshire’s Wildlife Museum looks from the outside like an odd place for a family museum, but trust us, it’s a great stop. (It’s graced our site on numerous occasions already, so feel free to scroll through the attractions column on the right for more info). Discovery Science Place is located in downtown Tyler and is a growing attraction in our area. Admittedly it’s been a while since I’ve checked it out but I’m hearing it mentioned more and more by local parents. This summer the museum is welcoming a traveling exhibit called Predator and Prey. And here are the summer activities schedule for the Caldwell Zoo:

ZOO MEMBERS’ ONLY EVENING AT THE ZOO

Come enjoy a special evening at the zoo! ZooMembers are welcome to bring a picnic supper or enjoy food from our Chakula Cafe. There will be behind-the-scenes looks at our newly refurbished cat enclosures as well as keeper chats throughout the evening. Of course, you will want to stop by the concession stands for a complimentary small sno-cone and have fun feeding the birds at Wild Bird Walkabout with a complimentary seed stick

June 8 5:00-8:00 p.m.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE AT THE ZOO

Celebrate our country’s birthday! Caldwell Zoo appreciates our country’s military personnel! On July 4th, the zoo will give one free admission with a valid military ID.

DON’T STEP ON A BEE DAY

July 10th is set aside each year as “Don’t Step on a Bee Day.” Don’t bee left out–make a beeline for the African Huts where we’ll have a hive-full of fun activi-bees.

July 7 1:30-4:00 p.m.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Bring your small fry to the African Huts for some swimming-good fishy fun.

August 25 1:30-4:00 p.m.

ELEPHANT APPRECIATION DAY

There will be a trunk-load of elephant fun on the African Overlook.

September 22 1:30-4:00 p.m.

One area attraction that is often overlooked in our area is the Hudnall Planetarium. The Planetarium is located at Tyler Junior College, and to my surprise, has actually begun advertising on local television. Hudnall has really great programs running this summer, including IMAX films. Visit their web page for more information. http://www.tjc.edu/cesse/ I love making trips to the Gulf Coast, in fact I hope visit the beach at some point this summer. Now I may or may not be able to make that happen, but I know a visit to Tyler State Park,is always a possibility. Great campsites and a sandy beach are never more than an hour away for most Tylerites. For older students and or children, The Historical Aviation Memorial Museum, and The American Freedom Museum,are two of my documented favs.

The popular Faulkner Park splash park is a great free option for the summer time. This is a small water based park inside of Faulkner park which is known for mainly being a softball and tennis court park with some biking and hiking trails. I think you will find the splash park to be a fun place to bring the kids and there are two playgrounds at this park as well when the kids want to do something not water based.

Many local churches are holding Vacation Bible School programs this summer as well. Most use a standardized curriculum which allows potential students multiple opportunities to get on board at some point over the break. Christ Episcopal Church is holding theirs from June, 25ththrough the 29th. https://www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/CEC/gpgs/Home.aspx, www.christchurchtyler.org I’m no doubt leaving off some good stops and events, but for those of us wanting to fill the kids summer days with something other than Xbox and Boomerang, I think these are a good start. As a parting note I should also remind readers that we are living through a golden age of Ranger’s Baseball, so if the cost is affordable, what better summer memory then a family outing at the ball park?

Tags: American Freedom, Brookshire, Caldwell Zoo, Challenge Family, Discovery Science Place, East Texas, Family Vacations, Favs, Financial Concerns, Flickr, Free Admission, Freedom Museum, Gulf Coast, Historical Aviation, Hudnall Planetarium, Imax Films, Odd Place, Picnic Supper, Popu, Predator And Prey, Sno Cone, Texas Parents, Tjc Edu, Tx Directory, Tyler Junior College, Tyler State Park, Tyler Texas, Tyler TX, Valid Military Id, Walkabout, Wild Bird, Wildlife Museum, Zoo Members, Zoo Zoo
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Texas Outdoor Family Workshops

June 3rd, 2011

Whenever I travel outside our state I’m barraged by the same old questions: “Do y’all still ride horses down there?” or “Isn’t it all deserts and cactus where you’re from?” Of course we here in Texas, know nothing could be further from the truth. In fact we’ve got everything from woods and forests to sandy coast lines to lakes, prairies, rolling hills and plains. And in our state, we’re blessed with a great park system in which we can experience the countryside. I know of no better way to break the old stereotypes about Texas, than to visit a few of our parks and see for oneself how beautiful and diverse our state’s typography really is.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has an interesting summer program going. It’s called the Texas Outdoor Family workshop (TOF). It’s essentially a way to promote the state park system, and get our young people outdoors. For sixty five dollars per family, a park ranger provides instruction to families and young people on things like: how to set up and break down a camp site, start a camp fire, cook outdoors, and participate in any number of nature activities. Events like fishing, kayaking and wildlife watchingare part of the program as well, where conditions exist.The park furnishes the necessary equipment to those who require it. Children as young as two are permitted, but five is recommended as the minimum age. Six campers per site are permitted.

The program is running throughout the summer, and new dates are being added regularly. In our immediate area, Tyler State Park is holding a workshop Saturday, June 4th. On the same weekend Eisenhower State Park, in Dallas will be holding their own version of the program as will Guadalupe River State Park, in San Antonio. More Events are scheduled for June 11th, including at one of my favorite Texas Parks, Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose. For more info on the workshop visit the following website at http://beta-www.tpwd.state.tx.us/outdoor-learning/texas-outdoor-family/ . Interested readers can also call the state office at (512) 389-8903.

Tags: Cactus, Camp Fire, Deserts, Dinosaur Valley State Park, Eisenhower State Park, Family Workshop, Family Workshops, Five Dollars, Kayaking, Nature Activities, Necessary Equipment, Park Ranger, Parks And Wildlife, Prairies, Rolling Hills, Sandy Coast, Stereotypes, Texas Parks And Wildlife, Texas Parks And Wildlife Department, Tyler State Park, Tyler Texas
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Tyler State Park

September 24th, 2010

If you are looking for some good family fun that does not include a man dressed up in a giant mouse, or sitting in a dark room glued to a giant television screen, I recommend spending the day at Tyler State Park.

At Tyler State Park there is so much to do for the whole family. If you love to spend time on the water, here you can rent a canoe, or paddle boat, or bring your own. The park has an area that you can swim. Usually the beach area and swimming area are pretty crowded. The swimming area is roped off but it is easy to get to the rest of the lake, so you have to watch your kids closely while they are swimming. If you enjoy biking and walking, Tyler State Park is known for their great mountain bike trails. Some of the trails are pretty hard to ride and some trails are much easier. The walking trails are great for family hikes. It is great to have a place that is fun to take family walks and enjoy the out doors.

On a nice cool night there really is not anything that compares to sitting under the stars and around a warm camp fire. Tyler State Park has some really nice camp sites that include camp fire pits and grills so you can cook hamburgers or hotdogs. The camp sites are either shelter, areas where you can park your RV, or areas where you can put up a tent. The sheltered area is basically an empty building with screen windows, and cement floors.

At the park there are all different animals. The last time I was out at one of their camp grounds we were visited by a very curious fat raccoon. It was pretty scary that the raccoon would not run away after people chasing it away and throwing things at it to get it to get off our camping area. It is against park rules to kill the park animals. The raccoon was use to people and was really well fed. I recommend that you keep your trash bags off the ground while you are sleeping or away from your camp grounds, or else animals like raccoons will get into your trash and make a huge mess that you are responsible for.

So instead of putting your kids in front of the television, enjoy time with them playing on the playgrounds, camping, cooking marshmallows over the fire, or having a picnic at Tyler State Park.

Tags: Camp Fire Pits, Camp Grounds, Camping Area, Cement Floors, Cool Night, Family Fun, Giant Mouse, Giant Television Screen, Grills, Hamburgers, Hotdogs, Mountain Bike Trails, Paddle Boat, Park Animals, Raccoon, Raccoons, Screen Windows, Texas State Parks, Trash Bags, Tyler State Park, Tyler Texas State Park, Tyler TX State Park, Walking Trails
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Tiger Creek Lion and Tiger Refuge

June 14th, 2010

I have lived much of my life in East Texas, and like many other Tylerites, have been known to complain now and again about the lack of general interest, attractions in our area. But after spending the first month or so of my summer break writing about the things to do here, I may have to eat my words. The more I look around, I’m finding far more entertaining and educational opportunities in our area about which to write than I ever expected. One such is the Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWF) on highway 14 north of Tyler State Park.

In 1995 the Tiger Missing Link Foundation was established. The not for profit organization was formed for the purpose of raising funds to open the Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge, as well as conducting scientific research aimed at preserving endangered tigers. The founders of the park have owned and operated it for fifteen years, even living in very primitive circumstances and making great personal sacrifices in order to build the park into the model it is today. In the last ten years the refuge has been featured in nearly every major newspaper in the country. It has also been the subject of programming on the Animal Planet and Discovery Channel.

The Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge provides a home to displaced and mistreated cats of all varieties. The Refuge now consists of more than twenty acres of land and has more than forty rescued animals including: bobcats, leopards, cougars, numerous varieties of tiger, and lions. The park is open to the general public six days a week from ten in the morning to five in the afternoon. Entrance fees are reasonable and of course all proceeds go either to the refuge itself, or to rescue big cats in need of a good home. There is also an intern program where students can learn about animal care, dietary preparation and training. The interns duties involve cleaning facilities, conducting guided tours, and speaking to visiting school children. The program is accredited and the park partners with colleges and universities to extend credits to participants.

If you’re looking for an exciting and educational visit for the kids this summer, check out this unique Tyler area stop. For more information on the TCWF visit their website at www.tigercreek.org. To learn more about the research conducted by the Tiger Missing Link Foundation, check out their web site as well at www.tigerlink.org.

Tags: Animal Planet, Big Cats, Cats In Need, Conducting Scientific Research, Creek Wildlife Refuge, Discovery Channel, East Texas, Educational Opportunities, Endangered Tigers, Entrance Fees, Intern Program, Last Ten Years, Leopards, Lion and tiger refuge, Missing Link Foundation, Park Partners, Personal Sacrifices, Summer Break, Tiger creek, Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge, Tiger Missing Link Foundation, Tyler State Park
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Rockin C Ranch a Fun Good Environment for Your Kids

March 3rd, 2010

Rockin C Ranch

5300 CR 325
Lindale Texas 75771
903 858 3308
www.rockincranch.org

Do you want to give your kids an incredible experience this summer? Then check out Rockin C Ranch!

Rockin C Ranch is a working ranch not far from Tyler State Park which runs Christian camps for kids during the summer. There are day camps for 5-10 year olds and overnight camps of a week long, for ages 7-16. They also run retreats for groups and outdoor education field trip experiences for 4th- 6th graders during the rest of the year.

The camps are simply wonderful. The children are well looked after by a team of trained counselors and have the chance to help out on the farm and learn about nature as well as enjoy water sports, zip lining, shooting, horseriding and other activities and crafts. This makes the camp really special. My kids adore collecting the eggs and feeding the calves and had a sense of satisfaction at helping out by painting a fence or whatever. This camp is all about building character, teaching life lessons, experiencing Jesus and having fun.

Your children are well cared for at Rockin C. There is a camp nurse who attends to all their scrapes or stings and the food provided is plentiful and remarkably good quality. The staff insist on a quiet rest time every day which prevents the kids getting too worn out and overstimulated. The cabins are warm and cosy and the playground and water facilities are clean and fun, fun, fun. Transport from central Tyler is available every day on the Rockin C bus.

At the end of the week there is an award ceremony and each child is given an award for a character trait they have shown during the camp. With pride my little girl received her certificate for compassion and my son was commended for ‘going the extra mile’ This means the world to them. For the older kids, there is rodeo to take part in – what an amazing opportunity! For the last 3 years we have watched with wonder our children grow in maturity in their faith and have a blast at camp. They love every minute of every day. It is great how they learn team work and how they are willing to step out and do new things with the encouragement of others.

Rockin C Ranch is a non profit organization helped by donations from the community. This means that it is actually affordable to send your children to camp. Scholarships are available for those in financial need. There are also opportunities for kids to work at Rockin C in order to have reduced fees for camp. As I said before – they are all about building character at Rockin C.

One thing not to miss is the open day, usually around Easter time. You can go with your whole family for a day of free activities and sign up for camp at a slightly reduced rate. Watch the newspaper for details. We had fun canoeing, riding and Grandad even went down the zip line (at 72 years old!) It was such fun and gave us a glimpse of what our kids were going to experience.

There are probably some negative things to say about Rockin C but I can’t think of anything at all! Our children look forward to going so much and can talk of nothing else for weeks afterwards. We’re blessed to have such a great place so near to us.

Tags: 10 Year Olds, Building Character, C Bus, C Ranch, Camp Nurse, Character Trait, christian camps, Education Field, Experiencing Jesus, Field Trip Experiences, Fun Fun Fun, Horseriding, Lindale Texas, Overnight Camps, Painting A Fence, Quiet Rest, Rest Time, Rockincranch, Tyler State Park, Water Facilities
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