Bastrop County Spring Break Guide

I know, I know... I meant to post this last week, but better late than never, right? So, here it is, your Bastrop County Spring Break Guide. This list is by no means exhaustive, but here are some great ideas of how to keep your kids busy over Spring Break.

Indoor Fun:
When you think of Spring Break, you most likely think about the beach or some other outdoor activity like hiking, camping, fishing, or canoeing. But there are plenty of fun things to do indoors to keep those kids out of your hair... I mean happy!

One of my favorite places to take the kids is Giggle N Jump. My kids will spend hours jumping on the bouncy castles and playing with all the toys. If you're in the mood to roller skate, just head on over to Bastrop Skating Palace on Hwy 95 for a flashback to the 80's. Smithville Recreation Center has a full-size gymnasium, computer room, raqueball court, and much more. And of course, there's always Chestnut Square, which boasts several fun activities from movies to bowling, and mini-golf to an arcade. With so many options, there's no way your kids can say that they're bored!

Playing at Giggle N Jump

Another fun indoor activity is checking out the local library. Besides books, most of the public libraries have quiet play areas with books and puzzles, storytimes, and other kid-friendly activities.

Bastrop Public Library has preschool storytime on Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:30am and Super Saturday on the 3rd Saturday of the month, which just happens to be this Saturday, March 19th. They also have teen programs, including open video gaming on the 3rd Thursday of the month from 4:30-6:00pm in the Pressley room, which happens to be tomorrow, March 17th.

Elgin Public Library has preschool storytime on Tuesdays at 10:30am, the Lapsit program on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10:30am, and bilingual storytime on Tuesdays at 4:30pm. They also have arts and crafts on Wednesdays at 4:30pm. On the 3rd Thursday of each month, they have a family movie night at 6pm, which includes a free movie and dinner. Tomorrow, March 17th, the movie is "Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2."

Smithville Public Library has Little Bookworms storytime on Wednesdays at 10:30am. Check their website or call for more activities and details.

Bastrop Public Library

Museums are also a fun way to spend some time with your kids over Spring Break and maybe even learn a little something, too! Bastrop County is rich in history. To make that history come to life, you could see how many of the local museums you can visit in one day and make a scavenger hunt out of it.

Bastrop County Historical Society Museum has a superb collection of artifacts--from prehistoric times to 19th and 20th century Bastrop, and Smithville Heritage House & Museum is a fun place to learn about the history of Smithville. To give your kids an idea of what it was like in Pioneer days, visit The Rockne Museum & The Pioneer Log Cabins at Hilbig Park.

Does your son like trains? Then check out Elgin Depot Museum or James H. Long Railroad Museum. How about cars? Then the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History is the place to go.

Or you could visit one of the local art galleries. Bastrop County is full of beautiful art and talented artists. A couple galleries to check out include the Bastrop Fine Arts Guild Gallery and the Mary Nichols Art Center. Show your kids the finer side of Bastrop while supporting the art and history of our wonderful community.

Central Texas Museum of Automotive History

Outdoor Fun:
Living in Bastrop County, we have some of the best outdoor fun around. If your child loves animals, you can take them to the Capital of Texas Zoo to see the monkeys, lions, or visit the petting zoo. Love dinosaurs? Then check out the Dinosaur Park in Cedar Creek. I took my 3 kids to the Dinosaur Park yesterday, along with my friend's 2 kids (yes, that's 5 kids total!), and they had a blast! You can also take advantage of the fact that we live near the Hyatt Lost Pines, and go horseback riding at the Renegade Trailhead or learn archery at the White Lightning Ranch. For the adventurous types, there's also Rocky Hill Ranch, which has some of the best bike trails around, and Power Plaza Skate Park.

Getting eaten by a dinosaur at the Dinosaur Park

Can we keep him?

It's a T-Rex!!!

Bastrop County does not lack for parks and playgrounds. In fact, one of the main reasons people visit our fair county is for the spectacular state parks. See how high you can swing, feed the ducks, have a picnic, or fly a kite, there's so much to do at the park!