After 4 years at “The Great Place,” my husband and I ended our time at Fort Cavazos. While I can’t say there’s much I’ll miss about living in Texas (….who likes finding scorpions climbing their living room wall??), we certainly did our best to make the most of our time there and I wanted to share some of our favorites!

You’ll find everything from restaurants and parks to my favorite picture spots and weekend getaways!

Local Bites + Sips

• HEB- yes, the grocery store. It truly lives up to the hype and has an incredible selection and so many delicious already-prepared items. Some of our favorites were their spinach artichoke dip, brisket filled jalapeno poppers, and the bakery made fresh tortillas.
• STSA Sourdough- we loved going to farmer’s markets and vendor fairs to pick up some homemade sourdough bread. Of all the ones we tried, STSA Sourdough was by far our favorite! She has porch pick up options and market pick up options. You can find her on Facebook.
• HTea0- I’m not a coffee drinker so this place is my heaven, all things iced tea and some hot tea (and coffee) too 
• Treno Pizzeria and Taproom in Temple- amazing pizza, great drinks, and a phenomenal outdoor play area for kids
• Water Street Waffle Co in Belton- hands down our favorite brunch place. EVER.
• Oak Fire Pizza and Brewery 
• Millers BBQ- for breakfast too and desserts too!
• Summer Moon- while I’m not a coffee drinker, Summer Moon was a favorite for both my husband and mother-in-law. We even have a monthly subscription to have their coffee delivered now that we moved!
• The Yard Milkshake Bar- over-the-top milkshakes that are sooo good

Local Activities

• That Art Place- I took pottery lessons here for about a year and loved it! They have tons of kids and adult classes, pottery ready to paint, and fused glass.
• iStroll Fort Cavazos- a mom & kid workout group on base! You can find them on Facebook
• Stillhouse Hollow- for swimming and lake access (this was our favorite spot to access the lake, look up Stillhouse Hollow Marina and that’s the park entrance)
• Dana Peak Park- also has lake access and some hiking/walking paths
• Chalk Ridge Falls- hiking path that follows a creek and has a small waterfall
• Robinson Family Farm- this place is amazing! A huge set up with bubbles, playgrounds, bounce pad, etc. They do pumpkins in the fall and tulips in the spring.
• Salado- Small town downtown with tons of restaurants, shopping, etc. Has a farmers market that runs Spring-Fall and an awesome playground (WA Pace Memorial Park). Some of my favorites there were MK Mercantile, the Shoppes on Main, and Muscovy coffee.
• Barrow Brewing- that’s where the farmers market is and they have food and coffee trucks there on the weekends too. Right next to it is a huge grassy area and creek. Kids are always playing in the creek, it’s such a nice spot!
• Cameron Park Zoo- A small zoo perfect for little kids
• Magnolia
• Spice Village- awesome shopping place! Full of vendors and boutiques  
• Hawaiian Falls Water Park- a nice waterpark for kids of all ages (even our 1.5 year old loved it)
• Homestead Heritage- giant homestead community with shops, vendor fairs, etc
• Round Rock outlet mall

A bit further away

• Fort Worth Stockyards and rodeo
• Fredericksburg- the Napa Valley of Texas! Soooo many wineries. Has a really neat old German style downtown. German breweries and restaurants. Also my all time favorite chocolate shop is there- Quintessential Chocolates 
• Western Belle Farm- has a sunflower and zinnia patch in the summer, pumpkins in the fall, and then tons of things for kids to play, petting zoo, etc

Photography Recommendations

• Location: Ogletree Gap in Copperas Cove
• Location: Overlook Park in Belton (also great for bluebonnets in the spring)
• Location: Studio 4.15 in Waco
• Location: Turkey Bend in Marble Falls for bluebonnets 
• Location: Muleshoe Bend in Spicewood for bluebonnets
• Photographer: Capture the Love Photography (on Facebook and Instagram)

Hope this helps you get out and about in Central Texas!