Dripping with Kids

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  • Easter 2025: Dripping Springs & the Texas Hill Country

    Easter 2025: Dripping Springs & the Texas Hill Country

    Plus Other Spring Events and 9 UNIQUE At-Home Egg Hunt Themes

    Easter is a BIG DEAL in our house. Resurrection Sunday brings so much joy to our family, and the promise of new life that the holiday represents puts it up there with Christmas in how we honor it. I highly encourage you to find a church service to go to on Easter Sunday. Most churches have multiple services available. I also encourage you to take advantage of the many fun events in the area to celebrate.

    Check out this list of Easter and Spring season celebrations offered in Dripping Springs and nearby areas…

    Now through Early May

    • Pick Strawberries at Sweet Berry Farm
      • Daily except Wednesdays
      • Pick strawberries and flowers, make sand art, ride the ponies, wander through the mazes, and enjoy the large jumping pillow.
    • Pick Strawberries at Jenschke Orchards
      • Daily except Mondays and Fridays

    March 29, 2025

    • Dripping Springs Kite Festival
      • Founders Memorial Park
      • 10 am – 12 pm
      • Bring your own kite
    • Family Fun Day at Lucky Arrow Retreat
      • FREE Pool Access 12 pm – 5 pm
      • Register for FREE in advance
      • Live music w/ George Devore 6-8 PM
      • Lobster Dogs Food Truck 5-8pm
      • Kids Menu w/ Grilled Cheese & PB&J’s
      • Cash Bar with craft beer, wine, and delicious cocktails
      • Bonfires for hanging and mingling
      • Kids playground & swing set
    • Crawfish Boil at the Silo
      • Creekhouse Kitchen and Bar (Wimberley)
      • Noon until sold out
      • Drink specials and live music

    April 5th, 2025

    April 11-13th, 2025

    • Bluebonnet Festival in Burnet
      • Downtown Burnet, TX
      • All day, all weekend
      • Live music, kids’ carnival, food trucks, races of all kinds, demolition derby, parade, worship, wildflowers, and shopping.

    April 12th, 2025

    • Eggstravaganza at the Greater Austin YMCA
      • 12 pm – 3 pm
      • RSVP for free online. Membership not required.
      • Egg hunt in the pool and outdoors, balloon artist, face painting, games and more.
    • Fish Fry and Egg Hunt
      • Mt. Olive Lutheran Church
      • 4 pm (Fish dinner, then egg hunts)
    • Butterfly Festival
      • Emily Ann Gardens (Wimberley)
      • 9 am – 3 pm
      • FREE event
      • Butterfly releases, mini donkeys and horses, llamas, crafts, face painting, games, music, and so much more
    • Egg-stravaganza in Buda
      • Buda Sportsplex Softball Fields
      • 9 am – 11:30 am
      • Egg hunts, face painting, fire truck, food vendors, and bounce house

    April 13th, 2025

    • Easter Scavenger Hunt
      • Woodlawn Baptist Church Austin
      • 5 pm
      • Register online in advance. FREE event.
      • All families are invited to a fun time of hunting for eggs by solving clues.

    April 16th – 18th, 2025

    • Stations of the Cross
      • Canyon Baptist Church
      • Check times online
      • Journey through the last week of Jesus’s life, leading to the Cross.

    April 18th – 20th, 2025

    • Hot Air Balloon Festival in Horseshoe Bay
      • Horseshoe Bay Resort
      • All day festival
      • Hot air balloons, skydivers, pony rides, petting zoo, rock climbing wall, bungee trampoline, face painters, henna artists, food trucks, live music, and more

    April 19th, 2025

    • Eggstravaganza in Dripping Springs
      • Dripping Springs Ranch Park
      • 10 am – 6 pm
      • Two helicopter egg drops, games, petting zoo, and more.
      • $10 tickets

    April 20th, 2025

    If all of the events listed above still don’t give you your Easter fill, below is a list of my favorite at-home egg hunt themes. You can make a whole weekend out of egg hunting with these options and keep those kiddos happy for hours on end.

    1. Trick or Treat (or April Fools) Egg Hunt

    Fill most of your eggs with goodies and trinkets, but reserve about 25% of them for tricks instead of treats. They can be filled with rocks, fake money, dried up flowers, or pieces of paper with chores and dares written on them. The only caveat to participate is that you have to agree to take the bad with the good.

    2. Tickets and Prizes Egg Hunt

    Instead of filling eggs with tiny toys and candy that you may not want your children to have, put 1-5 tickets in each egg instead. Then, once all the eggs have been found, let kids redeem their tickets for bigger gifts, prizes, and coveted snacks.

    3. Glow in the Dark Hunt

    Hide tiny trinkets and mini glow sticks in eggs, or just purchase glow eggs. Challenge your kids to an after-dark egg hunt in your home or backyard.

    4. Mission Impossible Egg Hunt

    Section off your house or yard to hide eggs at varying levels of difficulty. Let hunters begin in an area where the eggs are easy to spot and collect. Then move on to an area where they’re harder to spot. Finally move to an area where egg-collection requires climbing, crawling, digging, and uncovering.

    5. Party-Themed Egg Hunt

    If you were to throw a birthday party for your child(ren) this month, what would the theme be? Superheroes? Mickey Mouse? Sports? Whatever that theme would be, fill the eggs with party favors, balloons, tattoos, stickers, and treats related to it. Add a few confetti eggs to the mix as well.

    6. Snack Frenzy Egg Hunt

    Buy up all of your kids favorite snacks in individual bags. Then print thumbnail size pictures of the logos of each type of snack (adding up to the total number of bags you have). Hide the logo pieces inside eggs. When the kids collect eggs and open them, they can exchange their logo picture for the real thing.

    7. Good Deeds Egg Hunt

    In the spirit of the season, we can all do a bit more for our friends, family, and community. Spread joy with an egg hunt that has ideas for random acts of kindness that can be performed on the days following Easter. Fill several eggs with candy and treats and many others with ideas, including:

    • Draw a picture and send to a grandparent.
    • Drop off coloring pages and crayons in the mailbox of a young family in the neighborhood.
    • Call a friend you haven’t seen in a long time.
    • Paint rocks with words of encouragement and drop them along a walking trail.
    • Create a list of feel-good songs and mail them to a friend, along with an invitation for a face time dance party.
    • Drop encouraging bits of scripture in all the neighbors’ mailboxes.
    • Write a thank you note to doctors, coaches, teachers, babysitters…
    8. Game Night Egg Hunt

    Buy, borrow, or search your closet for a few board games, lego sets, or jigsaw puzzles. Hide pieces in plastic eggs, and when all are collected and opened, have a family game night. (If you have time to plan ahead, have a puzzle made with your family picture on it.)

    9. Arts and Crafts Egg Hunt

    Fill eggs with kids’ favorite crafts items, such as googly eyes, pipe cleaners, glue sticks, chalk, play doh or clay, string, poms, mini-paints, beads, erasers, ribbons, stickers, etc. Then, provide empty mason jars to categorize and store all of their new crafting supplies, and let them be creative the rest of the day. This variety pack on Amazon has it all!

    Finally, I’d like to add that resurrection eggs are a fantastic way to incorporate worship into your secular celebrations. There are many resources online to make them yourself or you can have them shipped.

    However you choose to celebrate this very special holiday, I hope it’s an Easter to remember and that it brings the promise of new life and redeeming love to your family. Happy hunting!

  • 7 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the Family

    7 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the Family

    And a Few Local Events You Don’t Want to Miss

    I am not a Valentine’s Day person, at least I didn’t think I was for many years. My husband has gotten off easy year after year because I’ve had zero expectations. I usually think of Valentine’s Day as a holiday for the kids and the retailers.

    However, I’ve recognized that my kids and husband truly enjoy the extra special attention during the month of February, so they are slowly turning me into a fan.

    They’re all surprised that this self-proclaimed Valentine Scrooge continues to start new traditions for the “holiday” and carries on the old ones.

    If you’re looking for new ideas on how to fill this month full of love and gratitude with your family, here are some meaningful activities you can do at home:

    1. Lunchbox Love Notes

    Brighten your children’s day by placing heartfelt notes in their lunchboxes. Simple messages like “You’re amazing!” or “I love your creativity!” can boost their confidence and remind them of your love during the school day.

    2. Heartfelt Door Decorations

    Cut out paper hearts and write what you love about each family member on them. Then, decorate their bedroom doors with these hearts, adding one each day leading up to Valentine’s Day. It’s a delightful surprise that reinforces positive qualities and behavior.

    3. DIY Flower Bouquets with Daughters

    Surprise your daughters with a selection of flower stems and invite them to create their own bouquets. They can choose to gift their creations to friends or use them to brighten up your home.

    4. Cooking Fun with Sons

    Invite your sons to join you in the kitchen to prepare a meal or a special dessert. This not only teaches valuable cooking skills but also emphasizes the joy of preparing something special for loved ones, whether it’s for the family or neighbors. The boys can show what they’re made of in the kitchen too!

    5. Community Encouragement

    Spread love beyond your home by leaving encouraging notes at community mailboxes or on stop sign posts. Simple messages like “You are loved” or “Have a great day!” can uplift someone’s spirits and teach children the importance of kindness in the community.

    6. Scripture Memorization

    Dedicate time each day to memorize a scripture verse about love as a family. This practice can deepen your family’s understanding of love and provide meaningful discussions. Verses like 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 or 1 John 4:19 are great starting points.

    7. “Fill My Cup”

    Place cups or jars in a windowsill labeled with each person‘s name in the family. Encourage the other members of the family to slip a little joke, fun memory, or special characteristic about that person in their jar each day. We did this last year, and all of us really loved reading what the other members of the family had to say about us and recognized how well we truly know each other.

    In addition to establishing traditions at home, there are a few local events in Dripping Springs and nearby that are worth your time and money!

    • Galentine’s Event at Shabby Wick: Coming up on Feb 6th at 5 pm, Shabby Wick in Dripping Springs will host an event with giveaways, small bites, featured vendors, and permanent jewelry

    • Daddy-Daughter Dance at Bannockburn Church in Dripping Springs: Scheduled for February 7, 2025, this event offers fathers and daughters a memorable evening of dancing and bonding. There’s as additional option for a Daddy-Daughter Dance at Bannockburn Church in S. Austin on February 20, 2025.

    • Mother-Son Dance through Dripping Springs ISD: Taking place on February 8, 2025, this dance provides mothers and sons a chance to dress up according to a 90s hip hop theme and enjoy a fun night together.

    • Progressive Dinner with a Playground: At 12 Fox Beer on Feb 14th, enjoy a $15 wine and cheese dinner. RSVP ASAP. Bonus: The kids can run off and play while you enjoy your date.

    • Valentine Work and Play Craft Event at Laura’s Library: From 10:30 – 3 pm, kids can craft together and then watch a movie while parents work or read in designated spaces.

    • State Park Events: Take in the beauty of nature together at a state park and learn a skill or do a unique craft with the guidance of a ranger. Various events occurring over several dates in Feb are available .

    I hope these ideas inspire your family to celebrate Valentine’s Day in multiple ways that emphasize love, connection, and community involvement. What are your Valentine traditions?

  • 2024 Halloween in the Texas Hill Country

    2024 Halloween in the Texas Hill Country

    Do you ever feel like there are just TOO MANY EVENTS in the Texas Hill Country, especially in the Fall? In true Texas spirit, Halloween and Fall events get bigger and better every year.

    In a previous post, I shared how you can “Fall so hard” throughout the months of October and November, visiting pumpkin patches, immersing yourself in nature on guided hikes, peeping some leaves, carrying on the Friday Night Lights tradition, and enjoying carnival games at multiple festivals.

    This post, however, is all about the big day at the end of October: Halloween. If you’re into costumes, candy, and family-friendly-frights, here’s the list of Halloween-themed events you’re looking for. And if you’re still in need of a costume, we’ve got you covered with affordable last-minute ideas.

    Trick or Treat Events

    Boo Hole in Wimberley: Saturday, Oct 18th, 4-8 pm at Blue Hole Park. Trick or treat trail, games, costume contest, and food trucks. FREE

    Trick or Treat at the Springs Family Y: Wed, Oct 23rd from 9-11 am OR 4-6 pm. Registration required (click the link). FREE, recommended for younger children.

    Trunk or Treat and Kidpreneur Fair at DSCL: Saturday, October 26th, 1-3 pm at Dripping Springs Library. FREE but bring $$ to buy handmade products sold by local kidpreneurs.

    Boo-da Halloween in Buda: Saturday, Oct 26th, 4:30-7:30 pm at Buda City Park. Trick or treating, costume contests, story time, games, and food trucks. FREE

    Trunk or Treat at 12 Fox Beer Co in Dripping Springs: Sunday, Oct 27th, 3-6 pm. FREE. (Adult costume contest event will be held the night before.)

    Trunk or Treat at Chick Fil A in Belterra Village: Tues, Oct 29th, 5-8 pm. Music, games, and treats.

    Hallows-Eve-Eve Trick or Treat Party at Dreamland DS: Wednesday, Oct 30th, 5-8 pm. Trick or treat at each mini golf hole and watch Hocus Pocus on the big screen.

    Smiles Tooth Town Trick or Treating Experience at Smiles of DS: Thursday, Oct 31st, 2:30 – 4 pm. Costumes encouraged. Games and treats. 170 Benney Lane. FREE.

    Movie Nights

    Evo Cinemas in Belterra: Check showtimes for the new Beetlejuice, as well as Halloween classics like Hocus Pocus, The Lost Boys, Hotel Transylvania, and Nightmare Before Christmas.

    Stars and Stripes Drive-In Theater in New Braunfels: Check link for special showings of family-friendly Halloween classics.

    Waterloo Ice House Fall Family Movies: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 7 pm at the 360 & 2222 location. (Some Saturdays will be football games.)

    Haunted Houses

    Haunted House @ Proof and Cooper in Johnson City: Sat Oct 18th & 25th, Sun Oct 19th & 26th. $5 entry fee donated to local volunteer fire department. 13 haunted rooms and horror movie characters, plus haunted cocktail bar. Younger kids can attend from 6-7 pm for a tame version; older kids and adults can test their courage starting at 7:30 pm.

    Outbreak Haunted House and Hayride in Dripping Springs: Fridays and Saturdays in October at the Dripping Springs Ranch Park, 7:30-10:30 pm. For ages 13+. Advanced tickets recommended, $5-$18.

    Haunted Trail in Wimberley: Saturdays, Oct 19th and 26th, 8-9:30 pm at Blue Hole Regional Park. $2, advanced registration recommended.

    Best Neighborhoods in Drip for Trick or Treating on Halloween

    The city of Dripping Springs is known for its small-town charm, neighborly behavior, and generosity. We know that many Drip residents live in rural areas and can’t go trick or treating near home. The large neighborhoods in the area are fun and safe places to spend Halloween. Please remind kids to be respectful when visiting other people’s neighborhoods and that gratitude (not attitude) goes a long way. Here’s our list of the top picks for neighborhood trick or treating:

    • Belterra
    • Headwaters
    • Big Sky
    • Founders Ridge
    • Ledgestone

    We hope you enjoy the recommendations we make on this website. We don’t copy and paste a list or calendar of everything going on in the area. Not only would that list be overwhelming, but we only want to recommend events or attractions that we ourselves or our friends have personally enjoyed. Please subscribe so that you don’t miss out on the best of the Texas Hill Country!