In the last few days Austin, Texas, keeps cropping up in conversation. Most of it is because of the upcoming South by Southwest Music Festival. Alas, this post isn’t about the festival, though I hear it’s a lot of fun. It is about visiting Austin – and ending up in Bastrop.

My husband was working for a few weeks on a shoot in Waco, Texas, so we met up in Austin. Being what we are – a family – you may or may not be surprised that we ended up staying in the exurbs! What a bore, right? Wrong! The trip was all that more interesting because of the unconventional choice. We got a great deal on Expedia for a three-night stay at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa. Located right smack in McKinney Roughs Nature Park, there’s horseback riding, hiking, kayaking along the Colorado River and little perks like marshmallow roasts by the hotel fire pits. Our son was too young for some of the activities, but he was perfectly happy with what he could do: use the water slide/pool and hike on the trails. Of course, we did make our way to the city of Austin (about 20 minutes or so) and we checked out the state capitol, Austin’s Children’s Museum, Waterloo Park and a few other places. It’s very easy to navigate downtown Austin and there’s lots of shopping, live music and restaurants.

However, more toward where we stayed, we also found offbeat attractions. Old Town Bastrop, established in 1832, was a great place to have lunch and tool around checking out the 120 historic buildings. While I thought my son would love the Old West, he proved to be far more interested in our trip to the McKinney Roughs Nature Center, where there are exhibits, animals and trails. He also liked the Dinosaur Park located between Bastrop and Austin. But his favorite was this: a dusty, strange shop with no official name except a large billboard that says FOSSILS (it’s right on Highway 71, the main drag connecting Bastrop with Austin).

I will admit that whenever I think of Texas, I think of bad asses. But that’s simply because I’ve read too much Cormac McCarthy. I’m happy to report that we were stopped for a minor traffic violation on Highway 71 and there was no bloody shootout, nobody drew a gun, nothing. We only got a warning. Thank you Texas Highway Patrolman Mike M.

From Los Angeles, Austin is an easy flight and not so expensive. We bought tickets for around $150. It’s a cool small city with plenty for adults and kids.

LODGING:

We stayed at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa (tons of activities, but most are for kids 8+). Another good bet: Colorado Riverwood Retreat. For camping, check out Bastrop State Park. (For places to stay in the city of Austin, go to Austinlinks.)

THINGS TO DO:

McKinney Roughs has a nature science center, day camps and many other activities for kids. Here also is the City of Austin Park Directory.

The Bastrop Chamber of Commerce has info on historic old town Bastrop.

Downtown Austin is easy to get around and home to many independently owned stores, restaurants and music venues. While you’re there, check out the Texas State Capitol,  Austin Children’s Museum and Texas Natural Science Center at the University of Texas.

The Dinosaur Park is off Highway 71 between Bastrop and Austin. It’s billed as an outdoor museum adventure. Our son had fun pretending to be on a dino dig and checking out the life-size dino statues. We didn’t have a bad time, either.

FOSSILS is on Highway 71 between McKinney Roughs and Austin. The shop has strange hours and no website. If you have trouble finding it, ask the owner of the dino park. He’s very nice and knows everything.

Legoland! (Carlsbad, CA)

Early last week while I awaited a diagnosis on my crashed computer, my niece called with a suggestion: Legoland. She was in possession of buy-one-get-one-free tix. My husband, who works in television production, has been slaving six days a week, putting in more hours than any sane person should. That means my son and I have been slogging it out solo a bit too much this summer. A quick trip to Legoland with his cousins seemed like the proper pick-us-up.

Many people in the L.A. area, of course, drive down for the day, which is doable. However, after discussing it a bit, we decided we should try to spend the night. We checked the Legoland website and surmised that there were two major hotels that seemed appealing enough to make us  want to spend the cash. One was completely sold out but I managed to finagle a room at the other, the Carlsbad Sheraton. While many a travel companions will contend I’m too risky with accommodations — there’s the story about the cracker box in a sketchy part of San Francisco where we had to use a hairbrush to prop open the window (no air conditioning), there’s the one about the hotel in Rome that ended up being in the burbs for goodness sakes, and, yes, there’s the story about the North Shore rental with the decrepit bed and the locals who played craps until 3am steps from our bathroom window– but this time I  came through! The Sheraton wasn’t cheap; the published rates are $300 and up a night but you can get a slightly better rate by booking through the Legoland Hotel Reservation site. We got our room for a little over $260. There was a hitch, though. They had only one room available and that had one king-size bed. The reservationist from the Legoland site asks right away how many adults and how many children. She said she couldn’t book a king for us since we had two adults and two children, though our kids are young and we knew we could make the room work. I called back minutes later and, yes, lied; I said there would only be one adult and one child. It ended up the bed was actually big enough for all of us but my son wanted to stay on the floor with a sleeping bag anyway (you gotta’ love him).

It was a good thing we nabbed the room because the Carlsbad Sheraton was really perfect. At the front desk I was told that they were at 104% capacity, which, of course, always leaves me pondering the extra 4%. What will they do if everyone shows? I don’t know. But the point: the hotel was totally booked and still never felt crowded. The pool area, a highlight for kids and adults, was spacious enough to accommodate all of us. In fact, it was actually fun! We stayed a Saturday night and there were even some special activities. A pool-side BBQ where fish tacos, burgers, quesadillas and hot dogs could be ordered, ping pong and other games set up, an outdoor movie and then fireworks visible from the front of the hotel (Legoland is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary this summer so there are fireworks on Saturday nights.) We could actually order a pool-side margarita, even! After a long day at Legoland, where I have to say the lines weren’t anywhere near as painful as Disneyland, it was fun to eat, swim and chill out at the hotel. In fact, I was amazed; there was absolutely nothing to complain about. Let’s face it, not all hotel employees can handle traveling kids and frazzled parents. Everyone I encountered there, though, seemed to have the right attitude — polite, accommodating and armed with a sense of humor. If you knew my son, you would know that while he is adorable he also requires a sense a humor.

How We Scheduled It…

We picked our relatives up around 8a.m. in Studio City. We ended up at Legoland well in time for the 10am opening. Instead of parking in Legoland, though ($12), we parked at our hotel. We were also charged $12 for parking there (added to our room, of course) but at least we didn’t have to pay at both Legoland and the hotel. We used the Sheraton’s private walkway and entrance to Legoland, where you can also buy tickets. Hotel checkin isn’t until 4pm. We spent an entire day at Legoland  and around 5pm we headed back to the hotel to check in. We had planned to have dinner and then go back over to Legoland for the evening festivities. They stay open until 8pm and on Saturdays this summer are open until 9pm. Everyone ended up enjoying the hotel so much, though, that we simply stayed there. For two kids (one 6 and one almost 6), an entire day at Legoland was enough. Older kids may want to stay longer, though. Also, we brought changes of clothes in plastic bags. If  your kid is really into water play, there’s plenty at Legoland. Consider having him/her wear a swimsuit even. While Carlsbad has Santa Monica weather (routinely 10 to 15 degrees cooler than L.A.’s Conejo Valley or San Fernando Valley), don’t forget the sunscreen and hats!

The next morning, we had muffins and bagels from the hotel’s coffee shop and let the kids swim again. We checked out at 11am and then took advantage of the free hotel shuttle for a ride to SeaLife, the aquarium adjacent to Legoland. It was only $10 each to upgrade our tickets to include SeaLife, which was a perfect aquarium for young kids. Of course, Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific is bigger and more comprehensive but it’s also more serious. SeaLife has exhibits created to engender wonder for young kids. They can crawl in little tunnels and pop up in look-out bubbles so that they feel as if they are actually in the sea with the creatures. We did SeaLife, had lunch there in the cafe and made it back to our car by a little after 2:30. By 5pm, we were back home. We all felt like it was one of the easiest and most pleasant overnights imaginable. I’m not one to wax poetic about amusement parks, so this is saying a lot.

You Might Want To Consider…

Taking the train! Best if you want to stay two nights. The hotel will pick you up. If you’re flying in from elsewhere, the Sheraton also does airport runs.

Joining the Starwood Preferred Guest program. For each dollar you spend at the hotel, you’ll accrue points toward future free stays at Sheratons and other Starwood properties.

Checking out eBay for Legoland/SeaLife tickets. My crafty dad-friend Tom says there are bargains to be had there.