Cherokee Trace: A Wild East Texas Safari Adventure!

Drive-thru safaris are probably my newest quarantine-appropriate favorite activity!

We've been to Bearizona in William, Arizona (right near the Grand Canyon). We've driven through the Badlands National Park in South Dakota and stopped while buffalo crossed in front of our car.

And now, we've been to Cherokee Trace Drive-Thru Safari in Jacksonville, Texas, about 150 miles from Arlington.

Honestly, it's the perfect day trip for DFW kiddos. The park is open from 10 am to 6 pm daily (except Sunday, when the park opens at 1 pm). Admission is $16.95 per adult and $11.95 for kids. Each admission includes a bag of feed for the animals. 

We pulled up to the park at 10:15 am because we new we wanted to beat the heat. We drove through the park at 10 miles per hour with all the windows down. The park was quite shady, and my temperature gauge in my car only reported 87 degrees... But I recommend going early so you aren't fighting with the heat of a Texas afternoon!

The drive takes you about an hour and a half, and during that time you will come to face to face with a variety of fun animals! We saw deer, ostriches, llamas, alpacas, zebras and so much more. The animals are SUPER friendly and walk right up to your car. Most aren't afraid to stick their heads in if they are tall enough! It can actually be a little bit intimidating- prepare your kids ahead of time to avoid tears! 

We had a blast checking this place out. I did not get any sort of discounted admission- we paid $55, which is the price for one adult and three kids. We found that the four bags of food included with admission were plenty, but you can purchase additional feed bags for $3 each. There are portapotties available at the start and finish of the safari.

Cherokee Trace is a bit of a drive from Arlington, but we do have some recommendations! Pack a lunch (or grab a drive-thru lunch in Jacksonville when you finish your safari) and eat it at Lover's Lookout, a gorgeous rest stop with pretty views about 15 miles from the safari. 

Plan a few other stops! You could plan to go on a weekend when First Mondays are happening in Canton and shop one day and safari the next! You could also stop at Splash Kingdom waterpark or Yesterland Amusement park, both located on I20 not far from Canton. If you are a country music fan, Miranda Lambert's Pink Pistol Boutique is about 55 miles away in Lindale. The drive-thru safari is also not far from Tyler, where the entertainment possibilities are endless! And did you see my post about The Waterpark at the Villages? Watch for it to reopen (thanks, covid!) and you can safari in the morning and waterpark in the afternoon!

What East Texas adventures am I missing?

Summer 2020: Fun at Hawaiian Falls (Plus Safety Measures in Place!)

For those of you who have followed my girls and me and our crazy adventures for some time, you know that we are normally go-go-go all summer long.

Well, normal isn't really a thing this summer. But we are making the best of it!

I have three crazy girls who LOVE the water and love having fun. So when Hawaiian Falls invited us to come check out its Waco location, I knew we couldn't say no! While we've been to the Mansfield location several times, we've never visited the Waco waterpark. We couldn't wait!

My husband asked me before we headed out if I knew what precautions Hawaiian Falls was taking in light of everything that is happening right now. I told him I would be finding out so that I could let all of my readers know!

I love Hawaiian Falls because it's manageable for a parent to handle solo with multiple children. While I love Hurricane Harbor and large waterparks on that scale, I get easily overwhelmed with the size and worried my girls will get separated from me. Hawaiian Falls has plenty of waterslides and activities to entertain kiddos of all ages but feels intimate enough that kiddos can easily navigate with or without mom or dad, depending on age.

The Waco location is about 80 miles from my Arlington home and took us about 1.5 hours to travel to. Open hours vary by day, so be sure you double check hours before you plan your trip. We rolled up at 11 am and decided we would play the day by ear... My kids made it until the park closed!

The girls were excited to check out Kona Bay, the Waco park's new family-friendly water attraction with multiple dump buckets and slides. They had fun running up and down the structure playing and splashing. Parents of younger kiddos will love the zero-depth water structure!

The Waco park also has a mini golf course and sand volleyball surrounding the lazy river! The girls took turn lounging on hammocks while they each tried to beat me in mini golf (spoiler alert- that's not a difficult thing to do!). My girls also loved the "obstacle course," a pool that has anchored floats with a rope suspended above for kids to try to climb across.

My girls' favorite attraction was Tempest Tower, a set of two slides that allows rides to rush down in single or double rider tubes. The girls loved the orange slide! Next to this attraction were body slides, where the girls could race down side by side to see who was the fastest water-slider!

I know many of you are wanting to know what Hawaiian Falls is doing to keep patrons safe right now. Throughout the park we saw hand-sanitizing stations with hand gel to kill germs. There were signs throughout the park reminding us to socially distance. All staff members, even lifeguards, wore masks (provided by Hawaiian Falls). We were even given free masks as we exited the park. There were hand-washing signs throughout the park reminding everyone to practice good hygiene. The park is also now cashless, meaning no handling money back and forth. You can preload money into your account and your kiddo can purchase things using his or her wristband, minimizing contact with employees. All of these measures, coupled with all the sunshine (and the chlorine in the water!) made us feel comfortable that Hawaiian Falls has taken as many steps as possible to keep waterpark goers safe.

A few waterpark tips from the EA crew:

1. Have a meeting spot- chairs, a cabana- in case kids get separated.

2. Agree to how much money kids can spend ahead of time on food and snacks. Easier now that the parks are cashless! Even better, bring your own food (a small fee may apply).

3. Secure valuables. I carry a portable personal safe with me to every waterpark. It saves me the fee to rent onsite lockers. However, onsite lockers are also a great option!

4. Don't forget sunscreen! And drink lots of water.

5. Others items that make our waterpark trips successful: goggles, towels, changes of clothes, empty water bottle (to fill at the park).

6. Have the Dole Whip. It's only $5. Thank me later!

Other fun ideas of things to do in Waco:

1. Dr. Pepper Museum! Learn about the history of pop.

2. Mayborn Museum! This came highly recommended but is currently closed for Covid. It's on our list for our next visit!

3. Mammoth Site. Also highly recommended. It was too hot during our visit but we have shelved this spot for our next visit too!

4. Magnolia. See Chip & Joanna's spot that has put Waco on the map. (search my site- I posted about this spot last year!)

5. For a quick bite- head to Jake's Texas Tea House. The food is yummy and affordable. My girls loved it!

*Hawaiian Falls treat the EA crew to free admission and free food in exchange for social media posts and an honest review. All thoughts are my own*