Category Archives: Family Adventures

Congress Avenue Bats

Posted on by

Now is a great time to visit Austin and see some of the city’s unique, seasonal visitors. In fact, the city’s population swells by an additional 750,000 between March and October. It’s not a hoard of legislators or even lobbyists besieging the capital. These seasonal visitors north texas ramblings congress bridge batsare Mexican Free Tail bats, and their home of choice is beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge, just blocks from the Texas State Capital.

Bat Bridge

The winged mammals took up residence after a bridge modification in the early 1980s. The bats fit nicely into slots cut underneath the bridge. Each spring, pregnant bats arrive in March to give birth. According to Bat Conservation International, Congress Avenue Bridge is one of the largest urban bat nurseries in the United States.  The bridge can support as many as 500 bats per square foot!

Bat Moms and Pups

At dusk, the mother bats leave their individual pups up under the bridge and fly off to hunt. It’s this dusk flight that draws a different type of animal — tourists — to Congress Bridge. To avoid predators, the bat colony begins its nightly hunt in mass.  As the bats emerge, they form an aerial river of winged mammals flowing out from under the bridge. The bats head east to forage on bugs, nightly consuming 5 to 15 tons of insects helping to keep mosquito populations in check.  After an evening of bug hunting, mom returns to the bridge.  She finds her pup by its unique sound and smell.

Around July, the young bats join mom in the nightly flight. It’s a perilous endeavor for the little critters. Aerodynamically, the bats begin flight by dropping from their perch. If grounded, they are not able to get airborne again. Each night several of the little bats plop into Town Lake. The lucky ones get plucked out of the water with nets by the tour boats and placed on the bridge pilings. Here they can climb high enough to drop and attempt flight again.

Bat Viewing Tips. There are several ways to view the Congress Bridge bat colony. Capital Cruises Austin offers nightly boat excursions. This is a great way to see the bats up close. Reservations are required and can be made at 512-480-9264. You can see the bats from land, too. The east side of Congress Bridge just before dusk is an ideal viewing location.  You can also see the bats quite nicely along the Ann and Ray Butler Hike and Bike trail just below the Four Seasons hotel. Bat Conservation International’s website at batcon.org posts current time frames for the bats’ nightly appearances.

Waco Mammoth Site

Posted on by

Visit Waco Mammoth site and travel back in time 68,000 years. It’s the Ice Age but without the ice. Instead grassy plains cover Central Texas and ice age animals like the Columbian North Texas Ramblings Waco Mammoth Sitemammoth, camel and saber-tooth cat roam the grasslands.  A nursery herd of mammoth (cows and calves) peacefully graze along a creek bed until a flash flood buries the entire herd. Fast forward to 1978 when two teenage boys, looking for arrowheads, spot a bone embedded in the dry creek bed. That’s the story behind Waco Mammoth Site. The boys’ find became the largest nursery herd of Columbian mammoth (19 mammoths and a camel) to be discovered.

Baylor University paleontologists worked the site for years, uncovering mammoth from not just one flood event but a total of three separate floods that trapped these prehistoric animals over thousands of years. In total 28 mammoth, camels and a young saber-tooth cat have been found.

In 2009, Baylor University and the City of Waco opened the Waco Mammoth Site to the public. Docent-led tours give visitors fascinating facts about Ice Age Texas and its inhabitants. You also gain insights into a paleontologists’ world. While most bones have been jacketed and transported for further study, many have been left in place.A climate-controlled building surrounds the dig site and a boardwalk pathway winds through the building allowing visitors to see mammoth bones as they were found. Tiered excavations stair step the dig site displaying finds from the three major flood events. Wall murals illustrate the Colombian mammoths’ size and appearance.

The visitors center and dig site are located within a scenic parkland along the banks of the Bosque River. The Waco Mammoth Site (6220 Steinbeck Bend Road, Waco) is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children.

 

Interurban Railway Museum

Posted on by

People know Plano Texas as the headquarters for companies like Dell Services, Cinemark, J.C. Penney, and many more. Prior to the big corporations, Plano, like many other Texas towns, depended upon the railroads and railways.

The Interurban Railway Museum located on the edge of the old Plano downtown, tells the story of Dallas’ early mass transit system. Over 100 years ago, an electric railway linked towns from Denison in the north to Waco in the south.

Electric Trains. The Interurban Railway Museum is housed in the Plano depot for the Texas Electric Railway. Not only did passengers and mail pass through the depot, it also North Texas Ramblings Interurban Railway Museumserved as a transformer station, stepping down electric voltage so that it could be used by the railway. Hands-on exhibits in the museum give visitors, young and old, a chance to learn about the mechanics behind powering an electric train. Who knew physics could be so much fun!

Post Office on Wheels. Located outside the museum, you’ll find a fully restored rail car. Many interurban railways served as rolling post offices. Look at letters before 1948, and you may find the RPO cancellation stamp. That indicates the letter was sorted and processed in a railway post office. While not unique, the Texas Electric Railway did more than just sort mail. Its cars served as fully functioning post offices. You can explore the postal section at the rear of the rail car. Forward from the mail room, you’ll find the passenger section. The railway was a product of its time with segregated seating. The white section of the car was the smoking section, and the colored section was designated non-smoking. Ironic.

Sample Plano History. The Interurban Railway Museum also tells the story of early Plano. First settled in the 1840s, the city fathers named the town, using what they thought was the Spanish word for plains. As it turns out, the city founders needed a language refresher course as Plano, in Spanish, translates to flat. Corn was the region’s primary crop until the Houston and Texas Central Railroad came to town in the 1870s. Cotton became king with the railroad providing the means to transport the crop. By the 1930s, share croppers, growing mostly cotton, operated over 70 percent of the area farmland.

End of an Era. The share croppers and the Texas Electric Railway both struggled during the Great Depression. In fact, the company went through bankruptcy and reorganization in 1935 World War II saw a resurgence in the railway, but the end of the war also heralded the end of the railway. With steel and rubber no longer needed for wartime products, people could afford to buy automobiles. The railway, offering its mass-transit product, couldn’t compete with the auto. The last run of the Texas Electric Railway was in 1948.

When You Visit. The Interurban Railway Museum (901 E. 15th Street, Plano) is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and from 1 – 5 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free (donations are appreciated). If you visit on the weekdays, the museum docent will likely be a member of the Plano Conservancy for Historic Preservation. Conservancy volunteers are a wealth of information not only on the Texas Electric Railway, but also the history of this corner of Texas.

Paris Texas

Posted on by

Looking for a great day trip? Try Paris. Paris Texas, that is. Just 100 miles northeast of Dallas, you can take your picture at the Eiffel Tower, explore antique shops, and visit the Sam Bell Maxey historic site.

Eiffel Tower, Cowboy Style

Erected in 1993 by the Boiler Makers Local #902, the Texas Eiffel Tower is just 65 feet tall. What the tower lacks in height, it makes up for with its jaunty, fire engine red, cowboy hat. North Texas Ramblings Eiffel Tower at Paris TexasStart your trip to Paris with a picture next to the iconic city symbol. The Texas tower is located adjacent to the Love Civic Center, 2025 S Collegiate Drive.

Sam Bell Maxey Historical Site

Operated by Texas Historical Commission, the Sam Bell Maxey house gives visitors a glimpse at life in early Paris. Maxey had the home built following the Civil War. A prominent Confederate general, Maxey went on to represent Texas as a two-term senator. His family continued to live in the house, until it was donated to the City of Paris in the 1960s. As a result, all the household furnishings are original to the family. You’ll see period pieces from the post-Civil War era to the early twentieth century. In total, the home contains thousands of artifacts including Maxey’s impressive book collection. The Maxey house was one of just a few grand homes spared during the 1916 fire which decimated over half the city. Located at 812 South Church Street, guided tours are given on the hour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., daily (closed Monday).

Find a Treasure

Commemorating the great fire of 1916, the Culbertson Fountain anchors the city plaza. Surrounding the town square are half a dozen antique and gift stores. Some, like Lillian Kelley’s Design (4 North Plaza) combine a gift shop with antique store. Others like the Antique Mall (2 West Plaza) host independent dealers. Four times a year at the Paris Horse Auction grounds, area vendors hold the Horse Flea, a market of antique, vintage and handmade items. Check for upcoming dates on the Horse Flea Facebook page.

Paris Bakery

All that antiquing works up an appetite. Before returning home, grab a bite to eat at the Paris Bakery. The café offers sandwiches, salads, soups, and baked goods. The small café prides itself on serving fresh food made with locally produced ingredients. Take advantage of their daily specials. There is no children’s menu, but staff are happy to accommodate youngsters with off-menu items. Paris Bakery is located across from the courthouse at 120 North Main.

The Kimbell and Dallas Museum of Art

Posted on by

Beat the summer heat with an outing to one of the area’s free art museums — the Kimbell in Fort Worth and Dallas Museum of Art in Dallas.

Kimbell Art Museum

The Kimbell is now better than ever. The Renzo Piano Pavilion, added in November 2013, allows the museum to organize and more fully display its permanent collection. If European art is your thing, then you’ll enjoy wandering the Louis Kahn building (the main building). The museum’s eclectic collection contains a smattering of works from European artists from Bernini (terra cotta angels) to Rembrandt (Bust of a Young Jew). And its European collection includes Impressionist masters like Sisley, Monet, and Manet.

North Texas Ramblings Kimbell Art Museum in Fort WorthThe Kimbell gives guided tours of its permanent collection Wednesdays at 2 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Visiting families can obtain an audio guide tailored to children ages 7 – 12.

The museums Buffet Restaurant is a great place for lunch. It uniquely offers a selection of soups, salads, quiche and dessert — the unique part — the cost is based on the plate size. Small plates are $9.50 and large are $12.

Details: The Kimbell is at 3333 Camp Bowie Blouvard, Fort Worth. The museum is closed Mondays. Onsite parking is free.

Dallas Museum of Art (DMA)

The DMA houses an extensive collection of over 24,000 pieces of art. In the heart of the Dallas Arts District, the innovative museum offers visitors an eclectic art experience far beyond just gazing at masterpieces. The innovative Center for Creative Connections (C3) lets you experience art from different perspectives. And it’s in the C3 gallery that you can make and take home your own piece of art. DMA supplies the materials; you the creativity.

Embracing technology, DMA has several self-guided tours accessible via your smart phone and the DMA mobi site. If you don’t have a smart phone, you can borrow an iPod Touch from guest services to take the web-enabled tour.

Details: DMA is located at 1717 North Harwood in Dallas. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Thursdays (open until 9 p.m.). On the third Friday of each month, the museum offers special programming until midnight. Onsite parking is available for $10.