No matter which side you take, consider this your spring break handbook. If you’re excited about having free time to do things with your kids, here’s inspiration from across Austin County to across the state.
When is Spring Break in Austin County?
Spring Break in Austin County area schools is March 10-14, 2025. Bellville ISD, Brazos ISD, and Sealy ISD are all aligned on their break dates, so wherever you go within Austin County, expect lots of kids, teachers, and school workers who look like they’re enjoying a well-earned break. There’s a weekend on either side of Spring Break, giving everyone a whopping nine days off. The possibilities are nearly endless.
Staycations
If your ideal spring break is going nowhere, you might like the idea of unstructured downtime or using resources close to home to hone existing skills or learn new ones. Make a reading list and grab a stack of books in the library. Austin County has five libraries, with Knox Memorial County Library in Wallis being the hub. Check Knox’s calendar for events like story time, craft classes, and movies. The Belleville and Sealy Chamber of Commerce calendars have events from bingo to live music to professional networking.
Consider being a tourist in your hometown. If you’ve never been to the Austin County Jail Museum, Newman’s Castle or San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site, or haven’t been in a while, use some of your spring break time to check them out.
Spring Break Camps in Austin County
The Sealy DIY Studio will hold a spring break camp March 10-14 for kids in grades K through eighth grade. Activities include painting, tie-dyeing, sculpture, and more. The camp runs from 9:30 to 1:30 and is $275 for the week. A small deposit holds your spot, and sibling discounts are available.
Stephen F. Austin State Park anticipates having a spring break activity for kids but details aren’t available at the time of writing this article. Check the park’s event calendar for more information on guided hikes and other ranger-led programs.
Day trips from Austin County
There are many reasons to choose a day trip – or multiple-day trips – over a multi-day trip. Being on a strict budget, not wanting to spring for a hotel room, or not wanting to leave pets overnight are common reasons. Whatever the reason, getting out and exploring without spending the night away from home is easy. The spots that made our shortlist are around two hours or less from Austin County, although your mileage may vary depending on where you start and traffic. Pun intended, naturally.
Pro-tip: You don’t have to commit to a marathon day when doing a day trip. Pick one or two attractions you really want to experience and stick to those things. Don’t feel obligated to fully explore a destination on a day trip. If you leave wanting more, that’s a sign to plan a longer trip when your schedule allows it.
Austin
- Touring the state capitol building – This activity is free, but check beforehand to see if the legislature is in session before making plans.
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
- Unique museums: The Museum of Ice Cream, Wonderspaces, and the Museum of Illusions are all fun and interactive.
- Zilker Park. Outdoor options include a sculpture garden, a botanical garden, and paddling on Ladybird Lake – kayak and standup paddleboard rentals are available.
Beaumont
- Cattail Marsh Scenic Wetlands and Boardwalk – free, and many of the classes and workshops offered are also free.
- The Fire Museum of Texas and the Art Museum of Southeast Texas are both free to enter.
- Spindletop Boomtown Museum located on the campus of Lamar University isn’t free but it’s worth a stop. The museum tells the story of the oil book in East Texas and checks the educational box for parents without being an “Aw, do we have to?” experience for kids. Win-win.
- Big Thicket National Preserve – hike, bike, or explore one of the many paddle trails. Bring a kayak or rent from a local outfitter. Entrance is free.
Sugar Land
- Explore walkable downtown. There are many restaurants – don’t miss Jupiter Pizza and Waffles and The Sweet Boutique – and shops.
- Catch a Sugar Land Space Cowboys baseball game – this Triple-A affiliate of the Astros has a fantastic stadium with a kid’s play area with a splash pad and lots of food and beverage options.
- Get outside at one of Sugar Land’s urban parks. Cullinan Park, Sugar Land Memorial Park, and Brazos River Park offer wildlife watching, kayaking, and hiking and biking paths. Brazos River Park also has ziplining over the river.
Texas driving getaways
Spring break is a great time to explore a bit of Texas. Winter is in the rearview mirror, and the part of the year we describe with words like broiling and fiery is still way ahead of us. Anyone who loves outdoor activities and exploring Texas’ many cool recreation spaces knows that hiking in the heat of summer is uncomfortable or even dangerous. While we could fill ten magazines with road trip ideas, here are some places within an easy drive that you might not have considered as spring break destinations.
New Braunfels
Travel Math: 130 miles from Austin County
Two rivers run through this German-settled city North of San Antonio, the Comal and the Guadalupe. Both are popular spots for tubing. Although the popular pastime isn’t in full swing until later in the spring, many tube outfitters are open for business, if you can handle a little cold water. The city’s Landa Park has walking paths, paddle boats, miniature golf, and even a train ride. Check out animals at Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, a drive-through safari park, and explore one of several available cave tours at Natural Bridge Caverns.
Note: the wildlife ranch and caverns are next door to each other but operate separately and have separate parking areas.
Corpus Christi
Travel Math: 199 miles from Austin County
Texas beaches have long since been a popular spring break destination for every demographic, from young families to the potentially rowdy college spring break crowd. Although Corpus Christi has many beautiful beaches, including Padre Island National Seashore, there’s more to this coastal city than sand and shells. Corpus has a vibrant art scene to explore, with the Art Museum of South Texas, K Space Contemporary, and the Art Center of Corpus Christi, as well as a plethora of colorful murals in walkable downtown CC. K Space and Art Center are free to check out, and the Art Museum of South Texas has free admission for kids under 12 and free admission on the second Saturday of each month, which may align with early spring breakers from Austin County.
Also worth checking out are the Selena Museum and Sew Bonita, a locally owned boutique offering unique gifts and make-and-take sewing and craft classes.
Lubbock
Travel Math: 460 miles from Austin County
If you’re up for a bit of a drive – door to door, Lubbock is about seven hours drive time. Things to do include exploring Lubbock’s vibrant and surprising art community. Texas Tech University has a large collection of outdoor public art, and the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts and the Charles Adams Gallery both have rotating exhibits and programs, to include performance art and classes. The National Ranching Heritage Center is a museum, gallery, and outdoor historical park that offers a glimpse into the lives of early ranchers settling in Lubbock. And, it wouldn’t be a visit to Lubbock without learning about the city’s favorite son, Buddy Holly. The Buddy Holly Center is a museum dedicated to Holly’s life and career. A large statue of Holly is across the street from the center in Buddy Holly Plaza.
And no rule says you must have a school-age child to enjoy a spring break trip. Spring travel is for everyone, although if you aren’t planning your travel around the school calendar, you might find lighter crowds when school is back in session. That said, spring breakers from all over the U.S.A. visit Texas, and every area of the country breaks at different times. Road trippers may encounter spring break travelers from early March through late April.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Jill Robbins is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Business Insider, Fodor’s Travel, The Independent, The Saturday Evening Post, and more. Jill served 26 years in the Air Force, which sparked her love of travel. She has visited 39 countries and 44 U.S. states and has lived in England, Germany, and the Azores. She is an active member of the Society of American Travel Writers, the North American Travel Journalists Association, and the Texas Auto Writers Association.
Jill lives in the San Antonio area with her husband and two teenage sons, but she is usually somewhere else.
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