The end of the school term marks so many opportunities for fun things for children to do that enhances their time away from the classroom, if you’re not hitting the road right away.

There are so many (free) or minimal cost activities in store especially for families. First, from now through June 30, the City of Bryan is celebrating 150 years as an incorporated city! There is a great display on the Texas A&M Campus at the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives (the building on the back side of Evans Library that faces the Academic Building). See who the city’s leaders were and learn about our early businesses.

In downtown Bryan, the Clara Mounce Library and Carnegie Library have displays of photos, artifacts, and oral histories to share. Looking at the signs of businesses that were located downtown when I was growing up brings back memories. Seeing some of those business still thriving today, even if slightly different, is such a great history lesson.

Therefore when we take our children and our grandchildren around the town we grew up in, we show them the streets that once started out as the first on their block. What were once fluorescent signs are now LED lit

As a Board Member of the Arts Council of Brazos Valley
I want to share the exciting summer programs for children of all ages coming up. Starting Monday, June 7 ^th
, Week 1 of Arts Camp is available for youth ages 7–18: Amanda Lynne’s “Colorful World of Pastels” and for teens, Krislyn Koehn is teaching “A Toy Story” and teaches your teen how to make an animated short film. Five more weeks of classes follow at $125/week per child for affordable creative fun.

Facebook site Destination Bryan
is one you’re going to want to visit at least twice a week. They’re great in providing the public with information they can use. One recent post is “13 Restaurants, Bars, & Pubs with Outdoor Patios in Bryan.”

If you enjoy golf, and you’re not a member of a local club, be sure and take the chance to play at Bryan’s City Course at the Philips Event Center. As of June 4, the golf course is re-sprigging all 18 greens, per their web site. They will have 18 temporary greens to play on during this time, so you have a new challenge to conquer in the interim.  Check out special rates for Brazos Valley area college students this year. They offer lessons this summer for new golfers, and full golf memberships are available together with discounts for first responders, military personnel and senior member golfers. Family memberships are a great bargain for parents and children to enjoy summer together. Guest fees are very reasonable ($9 for 9 holes M-Th and $15 for 9 holes weekends if you walk) plus golf carts are available for only a bit more.

At Pecan Lakes
course in Navasota, individual memberships start at $220/month for golf and cart, and you can use the pool and weight room for $15/month more. Family memberships begin at $270/month and senior pricing is affordable at $180/month. Lately, the biggest challenge for golf at any course is picking a tee time on a day where there is not some kind of unexpected storm warning. There will also be some good golf tournaments to benefit area charities, so keep your eyes open for chances to better your game.

Area pools also provide affordable fun for all ages. This will mark the second week the pools are open with the following hours in Bryan (mornings are for lessons from waterbabies through adult programs):

Sadie Thomas Pool, MWF from 12:00 noon until 5pm

Henderson Harbor, TTh from 1 to 7pm

Bryan Aquatic Center Sat/Sun from 1 to 7pm

If you’re interested in Swim Lessons for your children, visit this site.

Costs
range from $2/$3 per daily admission to $40 for 25 visits; individual and family passes range from $200 up in Bryan.

In College Station, pool hours are the following:

Adamson Lagoon, M-Fri 1-7pm, Sat/Sun 12noon to 7pm from June 1-August 15; Aug 21-Sept 26 Sat/Sun 2-7pm

Cindy Hallaran Pool M-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat/Sun 12noon-7pm

Fun For All Playground Splash Pad, Mar. 1 – Oct. 31, Daily 8am-9pm

W.A. Tarrow Splash Pad,  Mar. 1 – Aug. 31, 8am-9pm, Sept. 1 – Oct. 31, Daily 8am-6pm

Costs
range from Free to $6/day without individual or family swim pass in College Station.

We’re so fortunate to live where there are abundant opportunities for kids to swim.

The Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley
has a new home (if you haven’t been there in a while) and has moved to 4114 Lake Atlas Drive in Bryan, near the Stella Hotel. Children from infant to 14 can find so many fun things to do, from making their own technology and art inventions to story time with our program administrators. Stations and exhibits challenge our young visitors to think their way through creativity and innovation here and you can visit here many times before completing time at each exhibit. They are also a fun destination for children’s birthday parties as well.

Summer nature camp
at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History is great for older youth. Located at the Brazos Center, there’s an inside Discovery Room, plus the 40-acre park to serve as learning sites and “classrooms.” These programs fill up fast because they keep a 1 teacher to 5 students ratio for optimum learning opportunities.

If your children show talent and interest in performing arts, check out Brazos Valley TROUPE
performances, youth programs, and workshops for some of the best pre-professional training and experiences kids will enjoy. They are located in one of Bryan’s strip centers on 29th street, very close to Bryan High and Dairy Queen (important summer visit location also).

So many times we drive by the same landmarks day after day, without taking the time to think about what it was like to plan for starting “that” business, making a plan to open the business, saving sufficient funds and choosing a location. Whether or not it was two years ago, or fifty years ago that a family made an investment in this town. There are so many hopes and dreams that go into starting something new. Everyday we use that business and make it a place we frequent, we are building it up, becoming a partner in its success legacy. Patronage of our businesses begins with our youngest citizens. People tend to be loyal to businesses that cater to young people and adults as they grow up and become parents of their own.

We hope you enjoy taking time to enjoy many of the available summer fun activities with your family this summer. You have about 90 days before back to school transitions begin. Make every day of summer count with some fresh air, sunshine, and great experiences to remember for the future!