We decided that the best way to kick off our walking tour of downtown Brenham was to hit the…read moreVisitor Center... ...we were not disappointed! We caught the gentleman in the midst of opening up for the day. He was very kind and so sincere in his interest to help us maximize our enjoyment while here. He was a pleasure to visit with, and through that conversation he learned what our interests were, what we liked to do, and why we were there. Based on this, he connected us with all of the information we needed to find the shopping points of interest, great BBQ choices for lunch, as well as the bluebonnet driving tour! None of his recommendations disappointed! Great job, sir! We will be back on our next visit to town.

Friendly service and very knowledgable Did the geocaching…read moretrail and enjoyed it!.... A must to do for any Geocacher

Jan 3, 2023 Came in…read morefor a free goodie bag because I saw 13 of the 20 "washed ashore" traveling art exhibits that are here on the island until March. Each sculpture is made from the plastic that is washed ashore American beaches so to educate society on the issue There's one inside here!

The staff is wonderful at this little center in the back of a historic building in downtown…read moreGalveston. A friendly young lady with a wonderful Southern politeness offered us brochures, coupons and maps to get us started shelling and dining. She recommends excursions that we would not have thought of doing. We felt very welcomed. The center also has examples of carved oak figures and a sailboat replica. There were about 8 racks of brochures and pamphlets. Parking is free next to the building. There is a tiny area in the center for kids to play while parents explore information. The center also sells tee shirts and hats but no postcards). This is the best place to start you visit to Galveston!

This is a very nice visitors center and a great place to start your visit to Huntsville, Texas. The…read morecenter is right off of Interstate 45 and an exit north of the one for Huntsville State Park. There is a very large parking lot, the day we visited there was hardly anyone there so we found spaces right up close to the center. The center is a very nicely constructed building with a large deck and walkways that lead down to the trail to the large statue of Sam Houston nearby on the edge of the interstate. The staff inside were very nice, they have all kinds of brochures and handouts on places to visit in Huntsville and things to do. There is an outdoor small amphitheater area where I imagine a talk or lecture might be given on the life of Sam Houston; on the day of our visit nothing was happening but it was early in the morning and it was President's Day.

A great stop for a photo opportunity A specific IH-45 exit…read moreis available to view the monument and the visitor center and a path to view the monument

Open Christmas Eve, short well marked walking trails that wind along Spring creek fishing pond,…read moreplayground. Advice to stay on trails and away from snakes and poison ivy is probably wise.

This park is beautiful. Small but great for walking the dog and having a picnic. Kids loved playing…read moreon the climbing frame and exploring. Well kept.

I wish I had planned my day better. You could spend the whole day here. We would have packed a…read morepicnic lunch. There is so much to see. Plan on your walking shoes too! It was amazing to explore the townsite and explore the building where the declaration of independence from Mexico was signed. Just walking on the grounds where these visionaries walked was melancholy. The visitor center has a bunch of information. This historical site houses the Star of the Republic Museum, a park, and the Barrington living history farm. We didn't get to see the farm or visit the park. We ran out of time

Got about 8.5k steps in from walking during the visit to this park. Not only that, I got to see and…read morelearn something. Allergies were under control thanks to starting Allegra. It allowed me to enjoy the walk while understanding more about Washington on the Brazos River. Got to see the famous Brazos River and imagine how life was or could have been. Washington, Texas could have been a bustling city like Austin. It was fun seeing the old life acted out in the exact place it happened. It was fun hearing from those playing the various roles all over the park. It's a nice and sacred part of Texas history. One can explore neighboring areas like Navasota or Chappell Hill for dinner. Was hoping to have dinner at Bevers in Chappell Hill but it was closed. It was an easy drive home. Found a new way to get 10k steps in.

BEAUTIFUL PARK! I have lived in Houston for years and only ever scratched the surface of this…read moreBuffalo Bayou Park. It's so clean and I absolutely love all the wild flowers this time of year. This is one of the best place to bike in the inner loop with the separated biking and pedestrian trails. Connects to the heights and all major neighborhoods. A lovely place to get a walk or bike ride in on the evenings or weekends! There are quite a few manicured grass spots for picnics or to bring a book, as well as shaded areas. I have always felt very safe at this park. A 'not so hidden' gem as parking can be a little tough, but leads to not very busy trails. I never realized how beautiful this park is compared to the days I would only drive by!

The Houston Cistern at Buffalo Bayou Park is not only an amazing piece of Houston history but also…read morea wonderful structure to tour. In a city that is known for tearing down and paving over so much of our history, it is wonderful that this was saved and has been made into a place that visitors can visit and experience. I went with some friends from Kingwood on a Photo Walk of the area, we were lucky that the light and sound experience was still going on, each column in the cistern has LED lighting that changes to the tune of some aethereal music playing silently, the acoustics of the cistern make it sound so beautiful and mesmerizing. When you purchase your ticket online you choose one of the available times, upon entry they give you 30 minutes, the time passed quickly. Be ready if you are taking pictures or better yet, a video. Smart phones work great but you might consider turning off auto focus and just focusing manually if you know how because when it gets dark for a moment and then the lights come on most cameras auto focus has to search for focus so it goes in and out of focus. When you leave, there is a skateboard park up above and worth some time for taking pictures of the acrobatic skating going on.

Sorry but I will always refer to this by it's correct and rightful name, Anahuac National Wildlife…read moreRefuge. This is a great place to go to see life in the salt marsh east of Galveston Bay. The bird are numerous and of so many species. And besides birds there are tons of alligators, both large and small. The main attraction towards the center of the refuge is Shoveler Pond. The pond is surrounded by a 6 mile one way road and you shouldn't be in any rush to get around. The road is narrow and one way but there are pull-offs where you can stop to let someone go by or just to sit and watch the wildlife. As you stare off into the cat tails and grasses, if you wait long enough you will realize there are a myriad of creatures both big and small there. Tiny wrens red winged black birds and warblers, ducks of all kinds, rails, stilts, avocets, moorhens and then the bigger birds like egrets and herons and ibis. And then there are the alligators, sunning themselves after a mud bath. It's nice when there is a slight wind blowing as the mosquitoes can be kind of bad as the weather warms up, you might want to apply some OFF. And it can be hot and humid in the winter. I like to go in the cooler months. There is also a large boardwalk and deck area for viewing farther out in the marsh but the benches are usually covered in bird poop so be aware before sitting down. There is a shop at the entrance and it is worth a visit as well as restrooms and a butterfly garden. There is a pavilion with picnic tables but last time we were there a lot of wasps and hornets had made nests so we found another spot to have our lunch. The refuge is about half way between Winnie and High Island and a good stop if you are going to or coming from Smith Oaks Bird Refuge at High Island.

What a lovely way to spend a beautiful, clear skies winter day!…read more We loaded up the bikes, backpacks with snacks, binoculars, bug spray, clothing layers, SPF, water, hand wipes, etc, and drove out to explore this 34K acre wildlife refuge an hour or so outside of Downtown Houston. There are hiking trails, biking trails, and people exploring the wetlands from their cars. I DON'T recommend that. I mean, if you have people who are elderly or people who find it challenging to bike around, by all means - you can drive around and treat it like a drive-thru wetland experience. But my biggest rec is to take your bike and explore that way. Aside from the wetlands, we went over to the bayside to watch the sunset. There were LOADS of mosquitos, so prepare for that. And a few families were harvesting oysters. We missed some of the hiking areas and oyster bayou, but looking forward to returning earlier in the day to explore.

Houston has the second most parks and recreation acreage of any large metro area with ~ 76,000…read moreacres! Over the last 20 years the maintenance & investment has improved dramatically including public / private work developing the Spring Creek Trail corridor which winds for ~ 30 miles from Montgomery County through Harris County including this great nature park near Bush Intercontinenetal Airport. This Jesse H Jones offers horsetrails, creek beaches, nature trails, play areas for kids, picnic areas, biking areas and dog friendly. This is a great four season park! Best in cooler months but the creek is great when it gets hot.

After the disappointment I experienced at the Lake Houston "Wilderness Park" last year, I was fully…read moreexpecting to be disappointed at Jesse H Jones Park and Nature Center too but this was an amazing park. On the day I came here for my bike ride, they had Nature Fest and we were greeted by volunteers who told us where to park and what to expect. They have clean bathrooms and it feels very safe. I was there for my bike ride group so I wasn't planning on any of that but it turned out to be a nice way to end the ride. Before the ride, I was greeted by some awesome people from the Kingwood Bicycles who fixed an issue I was having with my bike that I couldn't figure out and later even did me a solid by adjusting my gears and tightening up my wheel! Amazing people. As far as the bike path goes, it is probably the best I've seen. There is lots of tree cover and has high quality pavement. there are nice twists and turns and lots of scenery. The path is shared between hikers, riders, and horses and everybody seemed to know the assignment of slower traffic staying on the right. If go ride long enough, heading west, you'll hit Pundt Park that has a bathroom and water. It's a nice break point. I went about 11 miles out but the path seemed to go further. The only thing to not like about this path is you have to double back but it's still great.

Grand Ventures has booked several trips for us over the last few years. Their knowledge of the…read moredifferent cruise lines and packages is amazing. They go out of their way to find you the best product at the best price. Highly recommend them.

I worked with Bob to plan and book a one month tour of Europe for our family, Summer 2018. The…read moreexperience was an amazing adventure, filled with unique and wonderful hotels and excursions off the beaten path. He was very accommodating and easy to work with, taking into account several Airbnb bookings I had already made, also considering that we were travelling with our children, and took our budget into account, listening closely to what we wanted out of this once in a lifetime adventure. He provided a clear itinerary and travel coupons and lots of great advice. I highly recommend Grand Ventures!!!