Five Fun Fall, Kid-Friendly Activities in the Brazos Valley, Texas

Now that summer is drawing to a close, and the kids are headed back to school, there will be less time to do those fun summer activities. But that doesn't mean you want to totally knock them from your calendar. Here are a few activities your family can look forward to during the fall months in the Brazos Valley, Texas, be it the older kids who are back in school and living for the weekends, or the younger crowd not yet school ready.

The Bounce is a great place to take the kids! Touted as your "inflatable family fun center" the bounce is made up of a "12,500 square foot party facility featuring your favorite inflatable castles, obstacle courses, huge slides, rock climbing walls and more...". Their facility also includes "four private party rooms with a private jump arena...and hosting by the professional and enthusiastic staff." Although mostly a place for parties, they offer open jump times during the week, even providing special times for those smaller toddlers to get jump time without having to worry about the older kids landing on them. They even have a 50's diner that serves refreshments including gourmet coffee for the adults in the group. Located on Harvey Road (College Station, TX) in between Toy's R Us and the 99 cent store, your kiddos are bound to have a blast and jump all that energy out!

The Blue Bell Creamery, located in Brenham, Texas, is always a favorite for kids of any age and why wouldn't it be? You get to eat ice cream and see how it's made! During the fall this will have to be reserved for the non-school age children as they only have tours during weekdays, but it could be a fun trip with the older toddler set. The tour includes glimpses of their facility and a room where you get to see the ice cream being made. And if that isn't tempting enough you get to pick a scoop of your own at the tour's close. Then there is the Blue Bell gift shop, full of a vast array of treats, and beautiful landscaping outside in which you can roam.

U Paint It is a unique store in the Bryan/College Station area where budding artists can go to show off their painting skills. The prospective artist(s) gets to choose his or her own piece of ceramic from U Paint Its large inventory, while they supply the paints, brushes, sponges, and more. Then you may design and paint your own item, leave it there to be fired and glazed and in 5-7 days you have your own masterpiece to take home. All for a reasonable studio price of $6.00 for children twelve and under and $8.00 for an adult. This studio price includes your time in the studio, all of your supplies, and glazing and firing. U Paint It would be a great place to get the kids involved in making an original keepsake Christmas present for the grandparents.

The Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley, located in Bryan, is a wonderful museum for the community. While visiting their website there was tons of information about events to frequent, exhibits to see, etc., so I will choose a few to write about here and you can visit their website for more information. A popular event at the museum is "Reading Rocks", presented each day at 11 am and 2 pm. Most children never tire of having a good book read to them and this is the perfect opportunity to meet new people and listen to some good books. Another event held every Monday is what they call "Monday Madness" where children get hands on crafting experience. The presentations start at 10:30 and 3:30 each Monday, but supplies will be available to make the craft throughout the day. Their hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 10 am to 5 pm.

Visiting Panther Creek Paintball could be a unique family activity, definitely reserved for the older kids and parents. Located in Grimes County not far past the Navasota River is this fun and exciting weekend destination. Panther Creek Paintball has several fields from which to choose to pelt your opponents. They are open weekends on Friday from 3 pm to dark, and Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to dark. If you are brave enough to be dodging paintballs for the weekend, more information can be found on their website, panthercreekpaintball.com.

I hope this list of items gives you a good place to start as you make plans for your fall weeks and weekends. There is plenty for the older kids and the younger kids in the Brazos Valley, so hopefully something will catch your eye and you can have a great time together as a family this fall.