That's What I Think.: Labor Day Part 1

Officially the last weekend of the summer, I decided to take the family on a much needed vacation (for me). Last year at Grapefest, we found out about a place just south of Houston, called Kemah Boardwalk.

Since it was Patrick's birthday and he and Mom weren't sure where to go, I invited them along as well.

SATURDAY
I knew this would be a good weekend when I was able to get a picture of the huge statue of Sam Houston in Huntsville. I've wanted a picture of this behemoth, the largest statue of an American figure, since I first saw it many years ago, however, you cannot stop on the highway for safety reasons.

Since there was no planning this spur of the moment trip, we were headed to a vacation area on a three day weekend with no reservations. Mom got to the area about 30 minutes before us and began to secure rooms for us, with no luck. As we got close, we just decided to try the first place we saw. The rates were outrageous! However, Jenny, with her past hotel experience, was able to get us a rate that would work. As soon as we unloaded the cars, we were off for fun.

Kemah Boardwalk is much like Coney Island and/or the Atlantic City Boardwalk. It is on the waterfront, has rides, games, shops and restaurants and was a lot of fun.

Growing up is Southern California, I love the water, so you can imagine my level of excitement here. Unlike many places though, and much to my chagrin, parking was free.

The first thing we did was walk up the boardwalk so we could start at one end and not miss anything. There was a large open area where kids could play in water sprouts and there was a live band.

Lacye was eager to go near the water, but I had other plans, as I had checked out the place on the internet before going. The previous two years we had gone to San Antonio and Sea World, where we had pet the dolphins. At Kemah, you get to pet and feed sting rays! Way cool and a little creepy.

The next thing we did, was follow the boardwalk around to The Boardwalk Beast, a multi passenger speed boat. This colorful boat is operated by Joe's Crab Shack on the pier and the captain will do everything he can to make sure you get wet. This was a lot of fun and if you've ever eaten at Joe's, the music and dancing that goes on in the restaurant, is on deck as well.

After the boat ride, we continued around the boardwalk and arrived at the amusement park. We got armbands so the kids could ride as much as they wanted. However, you can pay per ride also. We rode the train, which tunnels under several of the restaurants and runs the length of the boardwalk. We went up in the tower and learned some of the history of Kemah. There were lots of other rides, the Aviator (a swing type ride), the Pharoah's Fury (Lacye's favorite ride - she rode it 12 times!), Crazy Sub (Patrick's favorite), The Bouncer (Johnnie's favorite), Balloon Wheel, Carousel, Red Baron, Ferris Wheel, and the new attraction, the Bullet roller coaster.

All this riding made us hungry, so we headed back to where we started for Jenny's restaurant pick, the Aquarium, an underwater dining adventure. On the way to the restaurant, we ran into a couple of clowns and then watched a street performer do juggling acts with everything from fire to bicycle wheels.

The Aquarium Restaurant has three levels. There is a 35 foot tube aquarium that runs from top to bottom and a 50,000 gallon aquarium on the level that we ate at. There were also smaller aquariums throughout the restaurant. The atmosphere was awesome, the service was great and the food was exceptional.