World's Tallest Roller Coaster-Schlitterbahn Galveston

***Disclosure-I am a USFG blogger.  I am sharing this in exchange for complimentary passes for my family.

Have you ever been to Schlitterbahn Galveston? 

Did you know Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Indoor Waterpark has been around for 10 years now.  It was built in 2006.  This waterpark is located on historical Galveston Island and has been voted as the World's Best Indoor Waterpark for 8 straight years. This park features more than 33 attractions and a mile long Transportainment River system.

There are different types of waterslides.  There are different variations but most fall under these 3 -

1)  Gravity-which is a traditional water slide like the Screaming Serpents or Cliff Hanger

Travel Tuesday-Schlitterbahn Galveston Island

2)  Blasters-that can have drops, used with tubes or rafts.

3)  Water Coasters-To celebrate its 10 year anniversary, Galveston will be unveiling a new ride, which will be the world's tallest water coaster - MASSIV!

What's a Water Coaster?  A water coaster is a water ride that has multiple uphill sections, uses a ride vehicle (boat, tube, or raft), and has other ride elements (spirals, fish ladders, water screens, etc.) to deliver a thrilling and fun filled ride.

Head on over to Schlitterbahn.com to plan your next visit and make sure to follow online and enter any of the contests on Schlitterbahn Waterparks, Schlitterbahn South Padre Island, Schlitterbahn Galveston, or Schlitterbahn New Braunfels Facebook pages.  Your next visit could be FREE.

Schlitterbahn South Padre Island #BahnLove Celebration

***Disclosure-I am a USFG blogger.  I am posting this information in exchange for complimentary resort stay and waterpark tickets for my family.

Schlitterbahn South Padre Island Waterpark is celebrating 15 years since opening.

Built in 2001, this park is home to our Transportainment River system that is designed to maximize time in the water and eliminate lines.  This river system connects eight attractions that feature rapids, chutes, and gentle currents.

South Padre Beach Resort is Green.  The ropes, Green House, lobby check in counter, parapet walls, chandeliers, waterslides, and handrails are all repurposed, and recycled.

3 years ago, we got to visit and learn about the Loblolly Pines from the Bastrop County fire.  Jeff Henry, with Schlitterbahn, offered to take the fallen trees, then had them milled, beginning the process of transforming the pines from scorched wood to the most dramatic feature throughout the Schlitterbahn Beach Resort at South Padre. 

Check out my post for more pictures-Travel Tuesday-Schlitterbahn South Padre Island

When you head to Schlitterbahn South Padre Island you can go to the beach, sit back and enjoy your tube ride while you tan.

Head on over to Schlitterbahn.com to plan your next visit and make sure to follow online and enter any of the contests on Schlitterbahn Waterparks, Schlitterbahn South Padre Island, Schlitterbahn Galveston, or Schlitterbahn New Braunfels Facebook pages.  Your next visit could be FREE.

Travel Tuesday-Schlitterbahn Water Park Safety Tips

***Disclosure-This is a sponsored post through USFG.  I received complimentary tickets for my family.  All opinions expressed all my own based on my personal experience.

It is hot outside.  Are you heading to a water park anytime soon?  We head South every Summer to Schlitterbahn Galveston.

 It is important to talk to your children before you head to the park.  Once you get to the water park it is important to go over Water Safety.  We recently took our first trip this year.  Here are some tips we went over with our kids:

1)  Meeting Spot.  If this is your first time to the water park, check out the map with the kids.  Even if your kids will be with you the entire time, it is a good idea that you talk with them in case they get separated from you.  While we ate lunch, we noticed a little boy around 4-5 years old who was being carried to Guest Services.  He lost his parents.  He was crying.  He looked so scared.  The employee was reassuring him that they were looking for his mommy.

Do you know where kid's are taken when an employee finds them?  Kids wander off.  Imagine losing your baby in a crowded water park.  They will panic and you will too.  Talk to them about what to do if they get lost.  I have a 3 year old.  I don't take my eyes off of her but you never know.  I would freak out.

Back to the lost little boy, they found his mommy.  Shortly after being taken to Guest Services, his mother came to find him there.

2)  Buckle Up.  There are life jackets all over the park.  You can find the right one for your child's size.  Life jackets are recommended for children under 48" or for weak swimmers.

3)  To tube or not to Tube, that is the question.

Go over tube safety with your children before they get on the water.  The tubes have handles for them to hold on to.  The tubes also are labeled telling you how to be in them.  If you have smaller children, they can ride along in the double tube that has a clear seat.  They have the double tubes that don't have the seat too.

Schlitterbahn has tubes all over the park for your use, free of charge.  If you need help finding the right one for you, find an employee and they will show you where to get one.  I have found that if you head up the ramp towards the castle, on the left, that is where we always find the double with the seat tubes.

  4)  Supervise your children.  The life guards are not paid to babysit your kids.  They are there in case of an emergency to save a life, or prevent someone from drowning.  They can also help if someone in your family gets hurts.

While we were in the Treasure Island Play area we noticed how fast, a life guard came to aid a hurt child.  A little girl scrapped her foot and was bleeding.  The life guard was quick to get First Aid to assist.  I had noticed an employee walking around checking on the life guards.  He was carrying around a First Aid kit.  He assisted the parent with their hurt child and the other life guard was back at his post.  Always be aware of the nearest life guard.  Just in case.

Remember things are going to happen regardless.  They will just be stories to tell later, right.  The point is to prevent something bad from happening.

Last tip:

Waterpark Tips for Frugal Moms

***Disclosure-Sponsored Conversation.  All opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

It is HOT outside and it is waterpark time.  Going to a waterpark does not have to break the budget.  So before you head to the waterpark, here are some frugal tips:

1)  Feed the kids before heading to the park.  Save money by eating breakfast at home.  Remember the saying, you must wait 30 minutes before you head into the water.  This way your food will have already gone down and you won't have any upset tummies.  This is also a good way to get your kids to eat all their foods.

2)  Plan your day.  Get more bang for your buck, get to the park early so you can stay all day.  

3)  Pack lunch.  Bring a family cooler full of food your family loves.  I suggest cubing watermelon and freezing it.  This will keep it cool and it will be ready to eat when the family is ready for a snack.  Bring lots of water.

4)  Pick the perfect spot that makes since for you.  I like to be close to the restrooms but not too close.  I have a toddler that we seem to live in the restroom with lately.  Do you want to be in the sun or will you need shade?

5)  Protect yourself from the sun.  You don't have to break the bank to protect the family from the sun.  The dollar store carries sun glasses, and hats.  Use the money you save there to buy a good sunscreen.  And remember to reapply.  I would reapply all the family when you take a break for lunch.

6)  Have fun!  Try the water slides.  Sit on a tube on the lazy river.  Lay in the water.  Make memories with your kids.

So head on down to Galveston to Schlitterbahn.  Their parking is free, no tube rental fee, and their food prices are reasonable and healthy options abound.  Did you know the Schlitterbahn in Galveston is the World's favorite indoor park?  And don't forget to try the inland surfing ride, the Boogie Bahn.

Travel Tuesday-Schlitterbahn Galveston

Disclosure-I am a member of USFG.  I wrote a sponsored post Mom's Ice Chest Challenge #BahnCooler and in return I received four complimentary passes to Schlitterbahn Galveston.  All opinions stated are my own based on our own personal experience.

This Summer has been a rainy one, and on our schedule has been a day at Schlitterbahn Galveston.   Rain or sun shine, we were making it a Sunday Family Fun Day. 

Oh what a difference 1 year makes.  This is my Lil Bit.  Last Summer, she was at 29" and this year she is at 33".  But that is not all that has changed at Schlitterbahn Galveston, the Screaming Serpents is a new addition.

My son and I rode down the this slides that twist and inter twine and when you come out, you aren't where you started.  This was such a fun slide.

On our way to this I hit a part of the waterpark I had never been too, believe or not.  We have our favorite places we normally go to with our first stop being the lazy river.  This time we decided to walk around the entire waterpark and I discovered a whole another side of the waterpark I had not seen.

There is a beach volleyball court.  You can join in a game anytime.  There were games going on all day long.  What was so nice is that you didn't even have to know the people.  Everyone just joined teams and started planning, so much fun!

We were having so much fun, all the water fun, and fun in the sun made us hungry.  We packed #BahnCooler ready with snacks and drinks.  But just one sniff of the pizza and we were sold.  We got a large pizza to share.  We were so full after we ate we needed to take a break.  I was telling my husband, "All that is missing now is a big hammock to take a nap"....and voila!



 



The weather was perfect.  While my daughter took a nap I was able to ride more rides with my teen.  What a wonderful day we had, until next time. 

 



Mom's Ice Chest Challenge #BahnCooler

***Disclosure-This is a USFG sponsored post.  As always, any and all opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

Summer is here and it is HOT.  All I want to do is hit a water park.  Just this weekend my husband was asking me when are we going to go to Schlitterbahn.  Schlitterbahn is so close to home.  Like I have told you before their water park is huge and it has outdoor and indoor amenities.  The last time we visited we brought our ice chest full of food to fuel us for the day.  We didn't have to wait in line when it was time to eat.  And I had healthy snacks for everyone to enjoy.

One of my favorite things I like doing is freezing fruit.  This also works to keep anything else in the cooler cool all day because you know at the water park you lose track of time.  And when the kids get hungry, especially my little toddler, they just want to grab and go back to the water.  Putting fruit on popsicle sticks is so easy and you can do many combinations.  You not only can do fruit but you can make a fresh snack.  When I was little we use to make these all the time.

Charamuscas (Icee To Go)

Items Needed:
-plastic bags (sandwich size)
-drink, juice, etc

Instructions:
Make any kind of juice you want.  I like making fresh juice on my juicer.  Chop up some fruit.  Fill the plastic bag with drink and fruit.  If you do not want fruit, then skip adding fruit.  Tie the bag and stick in the freezer.  These do not take long to make and are so good.  We can pack them in your ice cooler as a drink and it also acts like ice for the cooler.

We love making these in the summer for the kids to just grab and go.  You can also do milk for the toddler.  My mom use to make use strawberry milk of chocolate milk ones growing up.  If anything by the time you are ready to eat you can use it as a drink if you didn't want it frozen.

I need to ask the kids which ones they want and make some prior to our trip to Schlitterbahn.  Packing our picnic of food and drinks is always a family affair, so everyone gets what they want.  So glad we can bring ice chest, that is one less thing I have to worry about, oh and parking fees too.

Do you have any recipes to share?  I would love to see what you all pack, maybe I can add it to my picnic.

Sunday Family Fun day at Schlitterbahn Galveston

***Disclosure-I received family passes in exchange for a sponsored conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and a giveaway.  Any and all opinions expressed are my own based on my personal experience.

We headed south for a fun day with the family.  But guess what, it started raining.  We had already made plans and my husband had even taken the day off.  We were thinking what should we do?

Then we remembered Schlitterbahn has an indoor water park section that is always open.  Plus, my friend was planning on doing her son's birthday party there and they were not cancelling.

We arrived!  Rain or shine we were going to have some fun.  First thing - first - pick our spot!

My friend set up her son's birthday party  in this section where there are picnic tables for all guests to use.  You get there and you can set your stuff on there.  There is plenty of room and a lot of tables.  This is just one section of the park where there are tables available.

Schlitterbahn is great for all ages.  Even if you have little ones.  There are signs all over the park.  Checking

what rides your kids can and cannot ride is so easy.  And most, they can still ride as long as they are accompanied by an adult.  If you have a daredevil like my daughter, then you won't have a problem getting on most rides.  You also do not need to worry if you have kids that do not know how to swim or are beginners, there are life guards all over the park.

The life guards are trained.  They are also not in the same spot all day long.  They rotate around all day.  This is great to me because it keeps them alert.  We did spot the Bahn boys when we were on the lazy river.

We had so much fun.  The rain did not stop our fun.  The water park stayed open all day long.  We had our picnic, enjoyed the entire water park, and made great memories.

 As we walked to our car, the kids did not want to go home.  But we will sure be back to have some more fun in the sun?  Yeah, maybe next time the sun will come out for us?

Where are you headed next weekend?  Schlitterbahn- Galveston, San Marcos, South Padre, or Kansas?

And the Winner is...Schlitterbahn Tickets

Congratulations goes to...

Kim C. said...
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June 24, 2013 at 1:34 PM

- See more at: http://www.independentmami.net/2013/06/giveaway-schlitterbahn-waterparks.html#sthash.1j1ypTmc.dpuf

Had a hard week and you need to relax, head on down Schlitterbahn....  (Galveston)

1)  Wasserfest Swim-Up Bar and Heated Pool: Year-Round

2)  Kristal River

3)  Kristal Beach

4)  Blastenhoff Heated Pool

Go to Schlitterbahn.com and use the day planner to plan your water fun!

Schlitterbahn Galveston Featuring Kids' Areas

***Disclosure-I received complimentary passes for my family.  All opinions stated are my own.

We are headed to Schlitterbahn Galveston not this weekend but next.  I am so excited and I cannot wait.  I am ready to ride the rides and do some slides.  There is something for everyone in the family.  Big or small.

Here is the two I am most excited about:

1)  Soaring Eagle Zipline Ride

I have been wanting to zipline since my honeymoon.  1/4 mile flight, It goes backwards and forwards too.

2)  Boogie Bahn: Year-Round

If you saw my post, Travel Tuesday-South Padre Island Schlitterbahn you saw that I tried this and had so much fun!

Just in case you are wondering, Schlitterbahn is so baby, toddler, and kid friendly.  I know most parents dread going places where they cannot take the kids, but there is so much for them to do.  

Here are some kid friendly areas:

1)  Tiki Tikes

There is no height requirement.  This is a kid's play area.  It also includes slides that are their size.

2)  Treasure Island Kids' Play Area and Pool

My daughter loves slides.  The pool is shallow so it is perfect for your little ones.

The next two places are open year round because this is an INDOOR water park in case you didn't know.

3)  Torrent Beach Kids' Area

4)  Wasserfest Kids' Area

Remember hot or cold, rain or shine-this park is open!!

***CLOSED***Giveaway-Schlitterbahn Waterparks

***Disclosure-I will be receiving complimentary tickets for my family in exchange for this post.  Any opinions stated are my own based on my personal experience.

Last month in my post Aren't you suppose to be on Vacation, I told you about my awesome get-a-way trip (sponsored) to South Padre Schlitterbahn Resort.  Summer has begun, the kids are out of school, and the weather is perfect to hit their waterparks. 

Need some excuses to hit the waterpark:

1) INDOOR WATERPARK-Worried about being in the sun all day?  No worries because with an indoor waterpark you can stay nice and cool and away from the sun.  You can bring the babies and toddlers without risk of being in the sun too long.  (Schlitterbahn is America’s #1 waterpark for 15 years and has won awards for the best indoor waterpark, best waterpark ride, and best new ride.)

2) SURFING 101-If you read my post last month, you know I did the Boogie Bahn and had a blast.  It was so much fun!  I never had tried surfing but this was so much fun to try and actually do.  If my 14 year and I can do it, so can you!! (Schlitterbahn has been the birthplace of nearly every waterpark ride innovation including the world’s first uphill water coaster and the inland surfing ride, the Boogie Bahn.)

3) Need more reasons or excuses to grab the family and go to these waterparks because there is more than one.  And each is different and has so much fun things to do.

Every park has a claim to fame:
· New Braunfels: So much fun to relax and enjoy this tude ride! (World’s longest tube ride; America’s Favorite Waterpark)

· South Padre: So cool.  You don't even have to walk because of the interconnected river feature.  (World’s first Transportainment system where interconnected rivers are queue lines for rides.)

· Galveston: So close to home for us.  (World’s favorite indoor park)

· Kansas City: We haven't been here, not yet but have it on our bucket list.  (Midwest’s longest tubing adventure)   4)  It won't cost you and arm and a leg with a special discount via this link-  http://www.schlitterbahn.com/bloggers   The promo code for the 2 day $7 Off discount is 299000334

The promo code for the $5 off discount is 299000335

Valid at ALL Texas Schlitterbahn Parks!

5)  BEST REASON EVER...BYOP!! You can bring your own picnic.  Bring your own cooler.  (No alcohol or glass containers, coolers will be checked)  Schlitterbahn saves mami’s budget by offering free parking, and free life jackets.  Food prices are reasonable and healthy options abound.  

Well I will give you one more reason, win free tickets here!! 

How to enter:  

1)  MANDATORY-You must be a blog follower, and tell me your favorite park or ride at Schlitterbahn. (1 entry)

2)  Facebook Share- Make sure you tag Schlitterbahn’s FB page (1 entry/per share/per day)

3)  Tweet.  (1 entry/per tweet/per day)  

Enter to #win @schlitterbahn #BahnFever #giveaway @independentmami ends 7/18   http://tinyurl.com/mowz7j6


This giveaway ends 7/18/13 at 5 am.  1 winner will be randomly selected.  You must leave your email in the comment.  US only.  The winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize.  Winner will receive 2 Schlitterbahn tickets from sponsor.    

Aren't You Suppose to be on Vacation?

So, yesterday my boss walks in and says, "Aren't you suppose to be on vacation?"  See I had a trip that was tentatively planned from May 1-3 that I had put in vacation time for but it got postponed until further notice.  While I was bummed about that, I wasn't going to be able to take my family with me.  I feel so selfish taking trips without them. 

Then a couple of days ago, I was invited to a blogger retreat that I could take my family on.  And right about now, I could really use a vacation-a real one.  My job is very stressful, especially around the end of the month/beginning of the month.  There is so much to do, and take care.  But now I get to pack up my family, forget about work/schedules/etc, and go relax for a weekend getaway.  Guess where we are going?

We are headed to South Padre Island on a weekend getaway sponsored by Schlitterbahn Beach Resort.  Our weekend getaway includes a 2 night stay and 2 provided meals.  I visited Schlitterbahn New Braunfels for a Senior Day trip many years ago and my family has visited Schlitterbahn Galveston several times.  This weekend we get to learn about Schlitterbahn South Padre Island Beach Resort.  So I know, you are asking yourself isn't too cold to visit a waterpark?  Well lucky for us, Schlitterbahn is an indoor waterpark.

So I am packing our swimsuits and trunks and we are headed to South Padre Island.  I along with other Texas bloggers will be sharing our experience.  If you would like to follow along on twitter, follow #bloggerretreat.

***Disclosure-As stated above, we will be guests of the resort for 2 nights and 2 meals will be provided complimentary to our family.  All opinions expressed by myself or my family will be based on my personal experience and as always will be our HONEST opinions.  If you would like more information on Schlitterbahn and their parks, please visit http://www.schlitterbahn.com/.  All pictures were provided for us by Schlitterbahn Waterpark and Resorts.