I've been with my wife for over 20 years and I want to do something special for our anniversary. I need to take her somewhere local or near Houston. Something romantic and not too expensive. Nothing with spa services since she’s in the beauty business already. I usually fly her somewhere but it’s not a vacation it’s a long weekend. I'm taking her to NYC in late November so thats why I want to keep it cheap. I need help since she’s taken the time off already. I've read about Texas wine country, San Antonio (Done it), Dallas but it doesn’t seem appealing to me. Any ideas? Thanks.
Congrats on the anniversary. The Texas wine country is quite charming (we liked Grape Creek Vineyards a lot, but Becker Vineyards is quite good, too) and can be a great day trip. But I'm not so sure it's enough for a long weekend. Maybe if combined with a B&B in Fredricksburg... Can you list some of her interests? What does she do with her spare time? And, of course, this thread is useless without pics.
She loves wine and shopping. When we travel it’s always to a tropical location. She has no spare time because of her business. It’s spent with me and our kids. I take her on trips all of the time so I’m not looking to go over the top. She is definitely a beautiful woman and you can’t tell that she has four kids. Just take my word for it.
Here is an email I sent to another ClutchFan one time about Blair House Inn in Wimberley. You will not be disappointed. > Ok, here we go. > > The dinner on Saturday night is open to anyone but the vast majority of the people at the dinner are guests at the B&B that weekend. We have had the dinner many times and have never had a bad experience. It costs extra for the meal but it is absolutely worth every penny. You can see the menu for the upcoming weekends here: > > http://www.blairhouseinn.com/saturdaydining.html > > Another thing that I would suggest is to get one of Blair House's lunch baskets. The food is great and it's fun to have a picnic somewhere even if it on the porch of the main house which is what we have done. Here is a link to the picnic baskets: > > http://www.blairhouseinn.com/picnicbaskets.html > > I'm pretty sure I said it in the thread on Clutch, but be sure and get the cottage. We think it is worth the extra money to have the privacy. > > Now for a few things to do when you are out there. One place that we love to go to is Mandola Estate Winery. > > http://www.mandolawines.com/ > > We think it is the best winery in the region and we buy a case of their wines every time we head that direction. We primarily drink red wine and suggest the Montepulciano and the Syrah. Their Syrah is almost always sold out so if it is there, definitely get at least one bottle to try. Not only is their wine great but the grounds are beautiful as well. > > They also have a restaurant on site called Trattoria Lisina. > > http://www.trattorialisina.com/ > > The restaurant is owned and run by the Mandola brothers, the same guys who own and run Carrabba's. While Carrabba's isn't bad, Trattoria Lisina is awesome. Even though the menu is more upscale, the prices are still great. Annie, my wife, and I had an entrée each, a bottle of wine, and dessert for under $70. For the quality of food and wine, we think it is a steal. They serve the wine from the winery at the winery prices which one of the reasons that it is such a great deal. Typically on the weekends, there is a wait but you can buy a bottle of wine, sit out in the gardens, drink your wine, and just have a nice evening. > > As you can tell, we love the place! > > A great place to go during the day is Bella Vista Ranch. > > http://www.bvranch.com/ > > They have an olive orchard and winery on site. We really enjoyed the olive orchard tour and learning how they make the olive oil. BTW, their olive oil is fantastic and we typically get a bottle when we are out that way. Personally, we do not care for their wine but to each their own. > > Another fun place to go during the day is Wimberley Glassworks. > > http://www.wgw.com/ > > The owner does glass blowing demos everyday (for free) which is kind of cool to watch and you can see all of the stuff that they have to sell. The stuff they sell is kind of pricey but it is still kind of cool to check out. > > Of course on top of all of this is Wimberley which is a cool town to stroll around and check out the shops. A nice little hole in the wall place to eat is Marco's Italian. They have fantastic pizza. They do not serve wine but it is cool if you take your own bottle. > > Man, I'm ready to go now myself! If it weren't for the fact that we were going to Europe at the end of July (18th) we'd book a cottage too. We may do that sometime later this month regardless. I'm definitely ready for a getaway. > > Anyway, I hope this was helpful and hope you guys have a good time. I guarantee that you will. It is a really special place that we love.
Yes. It's in Houston. I don't know how "cheap" it is, though. Spindletop Restaurant atop the Hyatt Regency in Houston.
Wine and Shopping? Fredricksburgh and the wine country that are all around it are your answers. Grape Creek, Torre Di Pietra, and Becker are the big ones around it. Grape Creek Torre di Pietra Becker Vineyard But the boutique wineries have more flavor: Perdanales cellars has a spectacular view from under the oak trees and you can drink some nice wine. The reserve is amazing..... Perdanales Cellers Rancho Ponte is fairly new it is a nice place as well, and William and Chris have a great little new vineyard....albeit a little pricey. Rancho Ponte William and Chris But my favorite is Woodrose, Michael Gillete is the owner and he has a fantastic deck under some big oak trees and it is pure Texas....get the Rose and have it chilled on the deck...awesomeness.... Woodrose winery If you like beer, or a change of pace from wine, go to Luckenbach it is only a couple miles off of 290 and they usually have good live music. There are tons of B&Bs around Fredricksburgh and you have to...JUST HAVE TO EAT at the Silver K cafe in Johnson City. Silver K - Johnson City My wife and I just did this very weekend and had a BLAST ! Also the Shopping in Fredricksburgh is even fun for guys, they have an AWESOME hotsauce store with thousands of hotsauces...... Enjoy... DD PS. The Nimitz Mueseum is FANTASTIC as well...especially the new H W Bush Pacific Mueseum....
This satisfies all of your requirements other than the "not expensive" one. But man would she love it....... www.dosbrisas.com
No prices on the site so they are probably too expensive. I’m taking her to NYC soon so I don’t want to spend too much. Thanks for the input man.
It's about six bills a night to stay, and depending on wine,you could easily drop that much or more on dinner. My ten year is coming up, and the wife has made it clear she wants to go some day.............guess I just want to share the misery.
We just got back from the Wildcatter Ranch in Graham - may be a bit of a drive(1-1/2 hours NW of Ft Worth) but its nice & quiet. http://www.wildcatterranch.com/ Great steakhouse on location. Horseback riding, kayaking, archery, nice infinity edge pool overlooking the bluffs. Great for a long weekend, but you'll need to buy your alcohol & bring it with you as its located in a dry county (although they sell beer & wine in the restaurant). The view from your room & Back porch is awesome. Only 10 minutes from the town of Graham - there's a drive-in theatre open on the weekends, lots of restaurants, shops etc. Or, you could go to a B&B in Tyler & ride the Texas State Railroad from nearby Palestine to Rusk and Back - that will take a whole day & its an old steam train - nice ride with the wife. http://www.texasstaterr.com/ http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/tyler-texas.html If you stay in a Bed and breakfast, check to see if they are a part of the Texas Bed and Breakfast Association. http://www.texasbb.org/index.php They actually have specific standards that all their members have to uphold. Best thing to do is to just pick a town that looks like there is a lot to do (good town square, lakes & parks nearby, etc) and find a good B&B nearby. They make good romantic weekend trips. Good luck & have fun! Happy aniversary!
