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Looking for a great weekend or long weekend getaway? Try visiting Glen Rose (Sommervell County) and Granbury (Hood County) for a couple of days!
Glen Rose is around 3.5 hr drive from San Antonio, where we live, and approximately 1 hr from Ft. Worth and 1.5 hr from Dallas.
Over the last few years, I have become extremely fond of staying in VRBO and Airbnb properties. If you haven’t ever browsed these sites for vacation rentals, you are seriously missing out! There are some amazing unique and fun properties that you can stay in, and what drew us to Glen Rose was The Birdhouse.
THE BIRDHOUSE – AIRBNB Glen Rose, TX
Of late I had the dream of staying in a treehouse, however what I found was generally expensive and way out of my budget! I happened upon The Birdhouse whilst browsing on Airbnb, and knew that I had to book a stay.
THE BIRDHOUSE by Skybox Cabins – Treehouses for Rent in Glen Rose, Texas, United States
WHAT TO DO IN GLEN ROSE, TX
This charming place was our base for exploring Glen Rose, with a side trip to Granbury. We visited in August 2018 (HOT!), when there had been an ongoing drought. Consequently, burn bans were in effect, and the Paluxy River was extremely dry and low.
BIG ROCKS PARK
On the first day of our visit, we visited Big Rocks Park (free to visit) located on the Paluxy River. The park is a collection of very large rocks and as it was so dry, we walked along the base of the rocks where the river normally would be.
GLEN ROSE, TX
We then took a trip to the Courtcase Square, which is absolutely charming! Glen Rose is also known as the Dinosaur Capital of Texas due to the abundance of dinosaur tracks found in the Paluxy riverbed! More about Dinosaur Valley State Park in a bit, however, everywhere you go in Glen Rose you see reminders of why it is known as the Dinosaur Capital of Texas. The Courthouse Square has a bandstand with a preserved dinosaur track placed into the base of it.
A main feature of the square if the bronze statue entitled “Barnards of the Brazos.” The plaque tells the beautiful love story of the First Family of Glen Rose.
After taking in the town center, we headed to Brookshire’s, a grocery store close to where we were staying to pick up dinner for the evening. It was charming to see dinosaurs pictured at each aisle marker.
One way to save money while traveling and staying at Airbnb’s is to cook your own meals at the property. The Birdhouse didn’t have a kitchen, however I brought my hotplate and was able to rustle up some nice meals while we were there.
The Birdhouse has a balcony, and dining on the balcony at night under a marvelously starry sky, is one of my fondest memories of staying at this fantastic place.
FOSSIL RIM WILDLIFE CENTER
We went to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center on the second day of our visit. This is a FANSTASTIC PLACE! Here you get to hand feed giraffes, what more do I need to say!!
You can drive through yourself, or take a guided tour, which is what we opted to do. There is also dining at the Overlook Café, which has an awesome view!! Kids and adults alike will absolutely love Fossil Rim, and it is a great opportunity to learn about their wonderful conservation efforts.
WHAT TO DO IN GRANBURY, TX
REVOLVER BREWING COMPANY
After Fossil Rim, we took a short drive over to Granbury, where you can find the Revolver Brewing Company. On Saturdays they are open from 12 noon to 3pm and for $10 you will receive a glass and 4 tastings. I am not a beer drinker, however, the brewery tour, given by one of the owners, was truly fascinating. They explain the process from beginning to end and I was amazed at how complex the brewing process is. This is a family friendly place, and you can also buy food from the vendor on site.
BARKING ROCKS WINERY AND GRANBURY, Texas
We then visited the Granbury town center, which has many boutique type shops, and then headed to the Barking Rocks Winery (more my style) for some wine tastings. They produce wines with 100% fruit that is grown in Texas vineyards. The owner generally comes over and says hi and is extremely friendly and hospitable. The wine is really good! (Especially the reds!)
We ended this day with another awesome dining experience on the balcony at The Birdhouse.
Alas, the 3rd day is when we had to check out of The Birdhouse and head back home. We had breakfast on the balcony one last time, and enjoyed a fun “tortilla sandwich” made with my Toas-Tite! (More about that in another post!)
DINOSAUR VALLEY STATE PARK
We said goodbye and farewell to The Birdhouse, and then headed over to Dinosaur Valley State Park to see the Dinosaur Tracks!! Be aware going to this park can be quite the adventure! You need to hunt for the tracks (they are not always visible and sometimes covered by water) but that is all part of the fun! You might have to get into the water …it may be knee deep at times…and rocks may be slippery so water shoes are recommended. After some hunting we did find them though!! All great fun!
There are some huge dinosaur replicas that you can take photos with, and a gift shop with some fun dinosaur related items. Remember, Glen Rose is the Dinosaur Capital of Texas, so a visit to Dinosaur Valley State Park while in Glen Rose is an absolute must!!
DUBLIN BOTTLING WORKS
Heading back to San Antonio, we took a slight detour to Dublin, TX, home of the Dublin Bottling Works. They were the original bottlers of Dr. Pepper, and you can learn about their history, take a tour, and even bottle your own soda! Although they no longer bottle Dr. Pepper, they still produce an amazing array of other sodas, and you can also have a great lunch at Old Doc’s Soda Shop (sandwich, chips, and soda meal deal for $5.50!).
We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend getaway to Glen Rose, Granbury, and Dublin, TX.
If you are thinking of visiting, I do highly recommend The Birdhouse as an awesome place to stay.
I hope that you might be inspired to take a trip to Glen Rose, Granbury, or Dublin soon. Thank you and never stop exploring!!
Grace we are considering this place to celebrate our 9 year anniversary! How much is it a night and thanks for sharing your wonderful experience!
9 years already…wow congratulations!! Time flies!!! June, price ranges from around $120-$150 per night I think…best way is to go to their calendar and put in the dates that you want, and it will generate the prices for you. It is such a relaxing retreat, and although you will be staying on the owner’s property (their main house is within sight) it is extremely private. I highly recommend it and hope that you might consider going. You’ll like Granbury, which has a lot of cute shops. 🙂