Gaylord Texan Resort and Conference Center

Well, we recently capped off our summer with a visit to the Gaylord Texan over Labor Day weekend! To our daughters, this. place. was. magical.

Gaylord Texan Resort and Conference Center

In the sweltering Texas heat, nothing is as nice as a cool place to have fun and relax during the summer. The Gaylord Texan is both cool and sunny, with the sound of water all around you! There are fountains, waterfalls, and rivers throughout the atriums, and it’s lovely. There is so much natural light, and it’s a great controlled environment that’s great for families. We had our toddler in a stroller, and the elevators were easily accessible as we dashed from place to place. With multiple restaurants and shops indoors, there is something for everyone. This place is huge!

There are gardens and vegetation around every turn, and the paths lead to an outdoor pool with a sense of seclusion. There are winding paths near the Gaylord’s own vineyard. Despite it’s large size, the Gaylord Texan pays great attention to detail and customer service, and it seems they are always making the property better and better!

When our daughter walked into our room for the first time and saw the balcony overlooking the atrium, she enthusiastically asked if we could please eat our breakfast on the balcony in the morning! We were able to get coffee and pastries from the shop downstairs, and it worked out rather nicely with very little fuss!

SUMMERFEST 2016

The theme for SummerFest 2016 was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and it was pretty fabulous. We attended a media event to experience this earlier in the summer, and you can read more about that here. The Gaylord does things BIG. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and attend SummerFest next year. There are so many fun things for families to see and do! In the meantime, don’t miss ICE! this November-December!

PARADISE SPRINGS

For our kids, Paradise Springs was a huge highlight of our visit. This waterpark is neither too big or too small, but it’s just right for a family of four with young kids. A great lazy river adds some extra fun with sprays and waterfalls. The lifeguards on duty were more active and attentive than we’ve seen at other resorts. For your toddler, there is a secure toddler spray pad, which really impressed us. There are shops on site which offer any items you’ve forgotten, such as sunscreen, hats, and flip-flops. A games area features giant Jenga and Connect Four games. Then there is the AWESOME water tower with buckets, sprays, and levels to climb, which we found to be really unique and interactive! There are even swings for little kids just above the water, and our kids loved them. For more adventure, your family might enjoy the zip line, slides, not-so-lazy river, water tower, and in-pool basketball. There are plenty of safe areas for little ones including the beach entry pool and the enclosed splash pad. As you can see in the photos below, there are also private cabanas available for rent. Paradise Springs also has its own poolside restaurant and first aid station.

This was the perfect place for us to cap off our Texas summer, and it is already on our kids’ must-do list for next year! Whether you live near or far, there is much fun to be had at the Gaylord Texan!

Disclosure: We received a complimentary stay at the Gaylord Texan, but as always, all opinions are our own.