We love Texas and even more in the winter months.  This, of course, is the best time to see the beautiful endangered whooping cranes.  Our travels started in Waco, Texas and we followed these huge birds south to the gleaming beaches near Rockport, Texas.

3 best places to see in Waco Texas

Our first stop toward the South tip of Texas was in a brief stay in Waco. My oldest was so excited about visiting Waco because her favorite TV show was filmed here. “Fixer Upper” is only offered on cable so we don’t get to see it frequently at our campsite (most don’t offer cable). Our favorite day was seeing “Fantastic Beast” if you’re a Harry Potter fan you will understand.

Do a fossil lesson at the Waco Mammoth National Monument to learn about Ice Age and mammoths. We had so much fun with our good friends, the Church family, who are traveling west also. Since our families were the only ones at the site they did a special class before the tour. We learned about the ice age and the animals that lived during the time.  Belle’s favorite extinct animal is the mammoth and the tour discussed the Columbian Mammoths. The most interesting fact we learned was that a camel travels with all mammoth groups for a lookout.

Visit a Texas-size gas station, Buck-ees, complete with all of the candy.  We love Buck-ees because of the gleaming bathrooms, huge parking lot, and area to walk a dog. You can order lunch, handmade jerky, Bbq items, gifts, and Texas memorabilia.

6 amazing places to do in Rockport, TX

Your first stop in Rockport should be roadside fun: Big Blue Crab. This is the world’s largest crab that survived several hurricanes and natural disasters. Originally made of paper mache but recently built of aluminum and fiberglass. A fun fact the underbelly is male and painted with female claws.

Our second stop, which was right next door, Rockport Beach.  This time of year, December the water was a little too cold but we loved walking along the beach.  The water is clear water and beautiful view.

Visit the winter home of the tallest birds in North America, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Start in the Visitor Center which offers information and exhibits. Take a hike, visit the alligator viewing area and 16-mile Auto Tour.  During our tour, we did a scavenger hunt and found most of the animals on the list. The most exciting was finding a Javelina, which we found is rare.

Fun Family-Friendly Eats

The original Whataburger is right on the water, but though we tried it three times it is not one of my favorite hamburger joints.  Alby’s Seafood has one of the best Shrimp Poboy sandwiches.  The places smelled like fish so we suggest eating outside or taking it home. An unexpected find was the family-owned Steve Lew’s BBQ Kitchen. The kids actually run the kitchen and on the weekends they have BlueGrass bands.