From Chicken Chores to Roller Skates: Our Grandkid's Week in Burton

Splashing in puddles

I've been an empty nester for about 16 years (don't quote me on that—it could be more or less). Activities for kiddos aren't exactly my specialty these days... until my grandkids come to visit.

When they spent a week with us in April, I was pleasantly surprised by how many memories we could make right here in our little rural community.

To be honest, we barely had to leave our own piece of heaven to keep them busy. I had plenty of help feeding the chickens and cutting flowers for bouquets—or "boo-ques," as my sweet granddaughter calls them. We baked cookies and a cake for their Uncle Hayden and Aunt Elantra. Paw-Paw helped them build bird feeders one afternoon, and when it rained, we splashed around in the little stream that forms in our ditch. There was plenty of play dough, paint, and artwork created along the way.

You know, good old-fashioned fun.

One unexpected treat was riding on a float in the Cotton Gin Festival parade and then walking down to enjoy the festival. Burton always seems to have something fun going on. Next time they're here, we'll make sure to tour the Texas Cotton Gin Museum.

Don't judge me too harshly, but we also took them to our favorite winery so they could visit some of our friends. Busted Oak Cellars is wonderfully family-friendly and has a great playground. There happened to be lots of kids there that day, and our grandkids had so much fun that they requested a return visit the very next day.

I also discovered that Burton has three different parks. St. John's United Church of Christ has a lovely gated playground. Friends & Neighbors Park has a playground near the ball fields, and there's also the school playground. We took Charlie, our family pup, to Indian Creek Nature Area, where we spent time exploring and even visited with a turtle.

Another favorite treat was a trip to Blue Bell Creameries. One of the highlights for the kids is grabbing a paper hat on the way upstairs and enjoying a dollar scoop of ice cream.

But if you ask them what their favorite activity was, the answer is easy: learning to roller skate at Silver Wings Ballroom. Both kiddos took the class that was offered, but honestly learned the most by simply getting out on the rink and trying. I was amazed at how quickly they caught on. That will definitely be on our list for their next visit.

The movie theater ended up being a lifesaver thanks to the rainy weather.

Had the weather cooperated a little more, we would have added a pool day at the Brenham Country Club, a visit to Deeply Rooted Ranch to see the lambs, and maybe even a stop at Peeka Ranch to visit the llamas.

And frankly, I feel like we're only scratching the surface.

If you're thinking about planning a family getaway to rural Washington County, let me assure you—the kids won't be bored. From festivals and ice cream to parks, roller skating, farm animals, and simple country adventures, there's plenty of memory-making waiting to happen.

And when you're ready to slow down and enjoy it all, Flown the Coop Stays offers the perfect home base. Bring the kids, the grandkids, or the whole family and experience the kind of simple rural fun that creates stories they'll still be talking about long after they get home.