Glen
Rose, Texas
A
Summer Fairy Tale for Fossil Hunters, Families and Fireflies <
by
Autumn Rhea Carpenter
Traveling with young children is always a gamble. Hunger, fatigue and mood
swings can transform a lovely family affair into a catastrophic meltdown.
Smart parents pack heavily, stock up on snacks and plan a road trip around
naptime. Brilliance! A more risk taking family tosses a bag together, throws
time schedules to the wind and just dares a car full of little people to
cross the cranky border. Unfortunately, that second description usually fits
my mothering style. I try to prepare, but inevitably, manage to show up
lacking a critical shoe, baby wipe or very important stuffed gorilla.
Supermom packing abilities aside, I've got mad detective skills and an
ability to discover the coolest kid-friendly destinations. With the help of
my dear friend and (more organized) neighbor, Rachael Steward, we recently
visited Glen Rose, Texas, home to 13-million year old dinosaur tracks
dinosaur and a fantastic getaway called Country Woods Inn, where carefree
childhoods run free.
 Our caravan including two
mothers and four children (notice we're already outnumbered) left Dallas on
a Monday, in order to avoid the hectic tourist experience. Two hours later
we arrived at the Dinosaur Valley State Park and the Paluxy River (This is
one of the most scenic tributaries of the Brazos River.) We maneuvered the
trails until arriving at the cooling river. Splashing, slipping, flipping
ensued as "Are we there yet?" morphed into "Hey! Watch me!" Slippery rocks
made navigating the waters a challenge, especially with my two-year-old. (I
managed to injure my shoulder, but that's another story.)
We
convinced the kids to return to land for a picnic lunch, where I discovered
(shockingly) that I had forgotten to include a knife to prepare the peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches. Who knew that a Frito could perform knife
duties? Good to know. We enjoyed lunch, thankful for the unusually cooler
July temperatures.
 We ventured toward the famed
dinosaur footprints preserved in the riverbed, fueled by the children's
excitement. Surrounded by layered limestone and sandstone as well as Ashe
juniper, live oak and Texas red oak trees, we found the three-toed sharp
claw tracks made by two-legged meat-eating dinosaurs called theropods. More
than once I imagined a dinosaur romping around the lush environment and
rocky terrain. We learned these tracks are classified as early Cretaceous
and are dated by geologists as approximately 110 millions years old.
 Swimming
quota met, we trekked back to our cars and drove to the Country Woods Inn.
Our cottage, named the Saddle House, which included two full beds, a full
kitchen and an immense claw foot bathtub. Attention to detail made this B&B
a standout.
The
Saddle House, with it's hobbit size front door, but enormous claw footed
bath tub was a constant source of discovery. Everything you need for a night
out under the stars was provided: a campfire, chopped wood in a miniature
red wagon, a croquet set, an outdoor grill, even ready made firefly jars -
nothing was forgotten. We slept comfortably with two adults and four
children, and although I fully expected a 6am wake-up call from the local
rooster, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was 8am and quiet when I
awoke.
 The Inn sits on 40 wooded
acres along the Paluxy River, and is a wonderland for childhood freedoms. We
roamed the property, visiting the various animal inhabitants, including
Bear, a brown horse and her colt, Graceson, Zachary and Penelope, a brown
and white goat respectively, Otis the sheep, the geese, Christopher and
Christy, and pigs named Sammy and Annie. There are many more specially named
roosters, rabbits, wild turkeys, ducks and goats: it's obvious they all live
a charmed life. (The animals are named for the owner's daughters, son-in-law
and grandchildren.)
 After
meeting the barnyard collection, the kids ran wild, played on a customized
toddler playground and learned the lost art of tether ball. A little young
for croquet, we ended their match and somehow coaxed them inside for dinner
and a group bath.
 Afterwards
it was time to roast the marshmallows. (I had earlier purchased a bag of
charcoals that allowed us to simply set the bag on fire and poof! Instant
campfire.) We gathered appropriate sticks and proceeded to blacken the
sugary, spongy concoction to our heart's content. Covered in the sticky
goodness, we followed a group along the wildlife trail, seeking firewood and
capturing fireflies. When is the last time you saw one of those flittering
around the city? During the excursion we spotted the Santa Fe Rail Car
hidden amongst the woods. This restored railcar sleeps six people and also
offers a full kitchen, sitting area and old-fashioned bathtub.
Other
accommodations available at the Country Woods Inn include a cabin in the
woods, the farmhouse, carriage house, prairie house and main house. Each
space maintains its own campfire circle, and personality. The larger
facilities can host up to 12 people, and work well for event purposes. As
the walk continued we found a small chapel. I ventured along the winding
rock path to the old-fashioned bell tower and was welcomed by a peaceful
silence. I've seen similar chapels on movies, but never in reality. <
 We returned to our cottage,
exhausted from the walk. Everyone piled into bed and was snoring along with
the purring locusts within minutes. The highlight of the trip began at
breakfast when we dined in....a barn. A breakfast barn! Since the
continental breakfast is only served on weekends, we brought our own food
and had the entire barn to ourselves. Saddles and bales of hay covered in
blankets served as chairs and the space was filled with country-style
memorabilia. A horse popped his head inside for an apple – not your usual
Tuesday morning experience. A table and chairs was carefully glued upside
down to the ceiling and called the "naughty chair." It was truly a "Mary
Poppins” meets “Little House on the Prairie" moment.
 Rested
and sated, our travelers were excited for the next item on the agenda:
Dinosaur World. We walked the forest trails, saw over 150 outdoor life-size
dinosaurs and learned about their histories. There were fossil digs, a Koi
pond, a museum and a $6,000 dinosaur egg for sale in the gift shop.
Surrounded by the Dilophosaurus, Stygimoloch, Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus
Rex, it was hard to avoid visions of "Jurassic Park."
Dinosaur
World is great for a cloudy day. Brutal in the hot sun, so best approached
early in the morning. There is something about the display of several life
sized T-rex's next to the lake that has you totally mesmerized. Don't forget
your water bottle, and quarters to buy fish food to feed the Koi. There is
lots of walking and limited shade, but it's an excellent day out and value
for money on a cooler day.
 Glad these dinosaurs were
replicas; we avoided being lunch at our last destination, and located a
quaint bookstore/cafe called Storiebook Cafe on the historical town square.
Transitioning from prehistoric beasts to high tea can sometimes be
difficult, but this lovely restaurant made the switch easy. The waitress
accommodated the kids' culinary demands, didn’t think twice about our rowdy
lunch crowd. While enjoying our chicken salad sandwiches, we watched the
locals interact. Hands down, the firemen and cowboys won our table's
attention. True to the café’s tagline, it was a 'novel experience.'
Glen
Rose is the perfect overnight excursion from the Dallas area. The landscape
is different enough that you feel as though you are much more than 90
minutes away.
Our
jaunt to Glen Rose was a success, offering simple pleasures for everyone:
dinosaurs, campfires and firefly delights. It's a magical space in time
where childhood meets summertime, and stays with you forever.
Country Woods Inn
420 Grand Avenue
Glen Rose, TX 76043
(817) 279-3002
http://www.countrywoodsinn.com
Dinosaur World
1058 Park Road 59
Glen Rose, TX 76043
254.898.1526
http://www.dinoworld.net
Storiebook Cafe
502 NE Barnard Street
Glen Rose, TX 76043
254.897.BOOK
http://www.storiebookcafe.com/
Photography by: Autumn Rhea Carpenter
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