Texas Tour

As summer nears its end, squeeze out that last little bit of fun with a family “vancation.” Buckle up for a ride through our Texas to-do list:Blue Bell Creameries: Beat the heat with a 45-minute walking tour of “the best ice cream in the country” being made. Then, enjoy a free scoop in the parlor. Afterward, see everything else Brenham has to offer from the Washington-On-The-Brazos State Historic Site to those famous fields of lavender. www.bluebell.comNASA/Space Center: Take off for the headquarters of America’s manned space program before September 1 for “Facing Mars,” a super-interactive exhibit with 28 stations that allow you to experience the real physical, psychological, and scientific challenges of blasting off to the Red Planet. www.spacecenter.orgTexas Country Music Hall of Fame: Visit this new and improved Carthage venue celebrating Texans’ country music contributions when it re-opens on August 1. Better yet, hold out until Aug. 8–10 for induction weekend featuring The Oak Ridge Boys. www.carthagetexas.com/halloffameLEGOLAND Discovery Center: Check out the LEGO Star Wars MINILAND — a large-scale interactive display — while it’s still on exhibit in state. After your intergalactic immersion, head over to the Kingdom Quest Laser Ride, the LEGO Girls Princess Palace, or any number of other LEGO-themed attractions. Later, take a minute-long walk to the Sea Life Aquarium, also housed in Grapevine Mills Mall. www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/dallasfw10th Annual Austin Bat Fest: Go completely batty and head toward the state capital to watch 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from under a bridge for their nightly flight. This year’s festival includes live music, more than 75 arts and crafts vendors, activities for the kids, and the requisite food and libations. Don't be alarmed when you see revelers in full bat suits — there’s a costume contest too. http://www.roadwayevents.com/RoadStar/Events-cat.asp?media1Id=1323Dublin Bottling Works: The first facility to bottle Dr Pepper (it did so until 2012), still offers tours as it produces other pure cane sodas. Dublin remains home to more museums per capita than any other Texas city, including The W.P. Kloster Museum featuring all things classic soda. Die-hard “Peppers” may also want to pay homage at the Waco Dr Pepper Museum. www.dublinbottlingworks.comNational Scouting Museum: The official museum of the Boy Scouts of America in Irving houses hundreds of thousands of artifacts, hands-on exhibits (everything from knot tying to laser shooting), and an impressive art collection, including numerous works by Norman Rockwell. www.bsamuseum.orgNatural Bridge Caverns: Take the 75-minute Discovery Tour and delve 180 feet below the ground near San Antonio through what’s billed as “the largest and most spectacular show cavern in Texas.” Come away knowing the difference between a stalagmite and stalactite, plus new meanings for the words “chandelier” and “soda straw.” http://www.naturalbridgecaverns.com/(S(gosrnz45icqexk450zkfbjyr))/findus.aspxKemah Boardwalk: What’s summer without a trip to a boardwalk? This 42-acre amusement park overlooks Trinity Bay, which you can see clearly from the top of the Broadway Bullet, the Gulf’s only roller coaster. www.kemahboardwalk.comWestfest: Close out summer over Labor Day weekend at the Czech & Polka Festival. Think small-town Texas at its best — a parade, giant carnival and midway, tractor and big rig pull, horseshoe and washer tournaments, and the Kolache 5000 Challenge run, named after the sweet treat that originally put West on the map. www.westfest.com