Trip Report - Texas - San Antonio - Sea World San Antonio - Mardi Gras

For a short time, Sea World San Antonio is celebrating Mardi Gras (a carnival theme which was made famous in New Orleans) with colorful theming, fun characters roaming the areas with beads to give away, musical and animal shows and some Cajun-style foods for purchase.

After getting through security then the ticket scanning stalls, you will come upon the park map and the fountain area. If you come too early, you may miss the fun guys on stilts but not to worry as you can circle back later and catch a picture with them - which is what I ended up doing since I arrived a little after park opening and they hadn't come out yet.

Head past the service buildings and you may find Shamu the killer whale waiting on the righthand path to take a picture with you and your family. If the line is long, be patient because it will get longer throughout the day and Shamu tends to disappear as it gets hotter or later in the day. Don't be intimidated by the park's photographer, you can take your own pictures as well.

If you're really lucky and you arrive early in the day, you may get to see Star, a bald eagle, just behind all the fountains.

As we headed toward the roller coasters, we ran into the colorful King and Queen.

When you head further into the park (and a bit later in the day since they weren't open in the morning), there's a nice Queen's Concoctions truck serving Mardi Gras-themed adult beverages.

Throughout the kid's areas we met several costumed characters wandering around. A few of them were handing out beaded necklaces. One fellow had a little bead-throwing game for kids to win a necklace.

There's special musical shows throughout the day. Use the Sea World app to find the times and locations. You can enjoy the Bexas Brass brand and The Krewe's Beats and Beads Jamboree. There's also a nice Cajun Critters show at the Biergarten Stage.

There was a small offering of Cajun or Creole foods and adult beverages. Definitely not as grand as their food festival which makes sense since this event only runs about a month long.

And finally, I took a peak at the new roller coaster coming soon - Barracuda Strike.

The party only lasts until February 16, 2026. Also, Sea World operating hours are on the "shorter" schedule - 10:30am - 5:00pm CST on weekends plus President's Day.

Sea World San Antonio, 10500 SeaWorld Drive, San Antonio, TX 78251

For more information, click here: https://seaworld.com/san-antonio/events

Event - #Travel #Texas - #Fredericksburg - Balloon and Wine Festival - February 14, 2026

Fredericksburg, Texas - Balloon and Wine Festival
February 14, 2026
Grapetown Vineyard and Farm
Something a little different for Valentines this year can be had out at the vineyard including Safari Wine Tours, a ride up in a tethered hot-air balloon (extra ticket required) or even a night-time glow ride, grape stomping, tasty food and wine sampling for purchase. It's family-friendly fun if you want to bring the little ones. The vineyard also offers camping passes if you'd like to stay the weekend (see website for pricing/availability).
Please note that the hot air balloon rides are dependent upon the weather and wind conditions.

Address: 8142 Old San Antonio Road, Fredericksburg, TX 78624
Hours: 12:00pm - 7:00pm CST
Fees: Parking Pass ($23.59 online only), Adult General Entry ($29.22), Kid General Entry ($15.71); Right now there's a special limited-time Buy 1 Get 1 FREE offer. Check the site for availability and prices.

For more information: https://thebestoftexas.org/fredericksburg-balloon-and-wine-festival/

Event - #Travel #Texas - #Palestine - Mardi Gras Parade (February 7, 2026)

Palestine, Texas - Mardi Gras Parade
February 7, 2026
The parade will head down Avenue A from near the Anderson County Courthouse.
Unfortunately, a lot of the Mardi Gras events around Texas have been cancelled due to the bad weather storm we had last week and many businesses and sponsors trying to get back to normal. Right now, Palestine is still holding their annual Mardi Gras parade through town.
Also, if you arrive early in the day, there's a popup Vendor Fair with lots of crafts and food items for sale in downtown from 9am to 3pm. Address for fair: 201 W Oak Street, Downtown Palestine, TX

Address: 500 N Church Street Palestine, TX 75801
Hours: 5:30pm - 7:30pm CST
Fees: None
Click here for more info: https://www.visitpalestine.com/events/2026/mardi-gras-parade

Book Review - Atlas Obscura Wild Life by Cara Giaimo and Joshua Foer

If you've read the other Atlas Obscura books (Atlas Obscura, Gastro Obscura, etc) you will enjoy this book as well. It is packed full of interesting animals, insects, flowers, trees and other natural features and organisms. The photographs throughout this book are amazing. You will also find tons of well-researched information, tidbits, history and more. Even for creatures I'd normally skip over (like snakes), I actually found the information presented really interesting.

The book is divided into environments - Forests and Rainforests, Grasslands and Tundras, Mountains, Deserts, Shallows and Deeps, Cities, and Islands.

Not only is each natural creature or feature revealed in depth but the book highlights people who work in those fields. For example, under the Snow Leopards in the Mountains chapter is the highlight of A Snow Leopard Conservationist.

As a traveler, I zoomed in on the useful "how to see..." section listed for each topic (almost hidden in the lengthy text but in bold font). Many of them we'd probably never get to see especially those in war-torn places or really remote sites. But it's still nice to have the info.

This is a massive book full of really interesting information. Definitely a keeper.

Title: Atlas Obscura: Wild Life: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Living Wonders
Author: Cara Giaimo and Joshua Foer
ISBN: 978-1523514410
Pages: 464

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Book Review - You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes by Chris Hadfield

If you are a fan of satellite what-is-this type photographs, you will love this book. Astronaut Chris Hadfield put together this book based on photographs he had taken from space. Chris has a good sense of humor and the book is well written. I really enjoyed the introduction he wrote.

The book is divided out by location - Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, North America, and South America. The end of the book has a handy photo location map.

Many of the photos are thought-provoking such as the border between Mexico and the US or different times of day in Manhattan (9:23am vs 3:45am). Some photos feature interesting landscapes or natural damage (such as the San Andres Fault). You will see punctuation marks. Photos that look like constellations in the sky. Different views of ice or snow in cold climates.

Overall this is a great book to leave on the coffee table for all to enjoy.

Title: You Are Here: Around the World in 92 Minutes: Photographs from the International Space Station
Author: Chris Hadfield
ISBN: 978-0316379649
Pages: 208

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Book Review - DK Eyewitness - Nashville Like a Local

I enjoy getting tips from locals on where to go, what to eat, and what to avoid. This book provides that but, let's be honest, I could have gotten the same information from a quick search on the internet. What makes this book valuable are the wonderfully illustrated maps. Of course, if you're handy with Google Maps you could easily drop pins on places you want to try. If you like paper maps, you could easily print Google Map views off with a little bit of work. Otherwise, I enjoyed the authors' sense of humor throughout and learning about some new spots to try.

The book is divided into the following chapters - Eat, Drink, Shop, Arts and Culture, Nightlife, and Outdoors. There is a handy directory at the end.

Try to find this book in your local library and make a list of places you want to try to visit in Nashville.

Title: Nashville Like a Local (Local Travel Guide)
Author: DK Eyewitness authors including locals Bailey Freeman and Kristen Shoates
ISBN: 978-0241686829
Pages: 192

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Book Review - Atlas of Adventures - by Rachel Williams

I found this colorful, interesting book while wandering the Junior Non-Fiction section of my local library. There are full-color maps for every continent including Antarctica. Each one is full of adventures and animals which are then followed by deep dives into a selected few experiences (with nice zoom-maps in the corner). Plus you can read lots of interesting trivia tidbits. There's even a few look-and-find game you can try at the end.

The first section focuses on Europe. Learn about the Northern Lights in Findland, the London Eye, Scotland's Highland Games, Paris' The Louvre, Spain's Feria Del Caballo (Horse Parade), the gondolas in Venice, Skiing in the Bavarian Alps, and Moscow's Metro.

North America's section highlights the wonderful wilfdlife of Alaska, hot air ballooning in Canada, New York's famous Central Park, Arizona's Grand Canyon, riding a Steamboat on the Mississippi River, and following the migration of the Monarch Butterflies.

Central and South America features the fun Rio Carnival in Brazil, exploring the Amazon Rain Forest, or the cowboy culture of Argentina's Northern Patagonia.

Asia and the Middle East section includes the fun little Macaques monkey of Japan, Hong Kong's lantern festival, Thailand's Chiang Mai elephants, India's Holi Festival, Korea's Cherry Blossom festival (which I was surpised to learn about since we always just assumed Japan was the only one), and Israel's Dead Sea.

Africa features Egypt's Pyramids of Giza, joining a camel caravan across the Sahara Desert, playing soccer in Senegal, or taking a canoe safari down the Zambezi River.

The Australia and Oceania section leads to snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, learning about the Waitangi in New Zealand, or surfing in Hawaii.

And finally some interesting things about penguins in Antarctica .

Overall this is a fun little book to read some neat tidbits on different animals and cultures. Look for it at your local library (even through the digital books or through inter-library loans).

Title: Atlas of Adventures: Travel Edition: A collection of NATURAL WONDERS, EXCITING EXPERIENCES and FUN FESTIVITIES from the four corners of the globe
Author: Rachel Williams
Illustrator: Lucy Letherland
ISBN: 978-0711255708
Pages: 96

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