Texas travel

5 top Texas resorts with wild waterparks for a fun family getaway

While this summer has felt endless for many families, kids will be back in school soon enough (if they're not already). As summer’s heat wave now runs full throttle, a wet-and-wild family getaway may be in order. Texas is home to many resorts with cool pools, twisty waterslides, and lazy rivers to float the day away. Being mindful of COVID-19 concerns, resorts now feature updated safety protocols and limited capacities, so planning ahead is essential for a fun and relaxing time once you arrive. Whether you're looking ahead to a Labor Day escape or need a few days away now, here are five splashy Texas resorts to check out, all within a day's drive from Fort Worth.

Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe
Jimmy Buffett fans aren't the only ones who will enjoy sun and sips at the brand new Margaritaville Lake Resort, located on 186 waterfront acres of Lake Conroe about an hour north of Houston. Little Parrotheads are welcome to the family-friendly destination, which offers the three-acre Jolly Mon Water Park featuring an all-ages pool with colorful waterslides, splash pad, and palm tree-lined lazy river. Other family activities include mini golf, boat and watercraft rentals, and the laid-back Landshark Bar & Grill, where guests can stick their toes in the sand. Each suite in the 20-story hotel has separate bedroom and living spaces with private balconies or patios. Need more room? Book one of 32 island-themed lakefront cottages. Rates start at $218 for weeknight stays. Masks required for guests 10 and older, except while in water features.

Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa, San Antonio
Leisurely lounging via innertube is the theme here. The Hill Country escape features multiple pools connected by a country-style lazy river, which is shaded by towering oak trees and bordered by lush foliage and rock walls. Little ones will keep busy at the shaded sandy beach (bring your own sandcastle buckets and shovels) and tweens will find excitement in the two-story waterslide and FlowRider boogie board wave machine. Everyone can partake in s’mores by the campfire nightly and movies on the lawn Thursday through Saturday at dusk. Stay active with hiking, bike rentals, and sand volleyball. The Hyatt Regency Hill Country requires guests 2 and older to wear masks while on-site, except in pools or waterpark amenities. Rates start at $165 for a weeknight stay.

JW Marriot San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, San Antonio
A waterpark oasis awaits guests of this sprawling San Antonio resort, which boasts the famed nine-acre River Bluff Water Experience. Heart-pumping activities include tubing down a 35-foot waterslide, plummeting the 60-foot Canyon Oak Twister body slide, and riding the waves on the 650-foot Pedernales River ride. There’s also a 1,100-foot lazy river, kids' pool with beach entry and splash zones, a sandy beach, and multiple pools and hot tubs. The resort reopened in mid-June with reduced capacities and new safety protocols. For parents needing to get a little work done while the kids play, special rates are available with the resort’s Work, Learn, and Play package through December 30 with rate code P91. Summer rates start at $349 per night. Masks required for guests 10 and older, except while in water features.

Hilton Anatole, Dallas
Good news for local waterpark fans: the season for JadeWaters, the luxe hotel’s resort pool complex, has been extended. Normally closed after Labor Day, the expansive Dallas waterpark will remain open to hotel guests Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through September. Featuring two 180-foot water slides, a lazy river, swim-up bar, and kids' splash zone, JadeWaters is open daily, 9 am-7 pm, operating at less than 50 percent capacity for social distancing. Other family-friendly activities include giant chess, Connect 4, croquet, corn hole, ladder ball, and complimentary chalk for sidewalk art. The JadeWaters Fun package starts at $194 a night and includes a $50 daily resort credit. Masks are required for guests 2 and older, except while in water features.

Gaylord Texan, Grapevine
So, a staycation's more your speed? Exclusively for the guests of the Gaylord Texan is Paradise Springs, the Grapevine hotel’s 10-acre waterpark. The Western-themed complex includes a splashy, multi-level water play structure, toddler pool, three winding waterslides, a 600-foot lazy river, and a 6,000 square-foot family lagoon with walk-in beach. Note that on Saturdays and peak days, reservations to Paradise Springs are required to support social distancing. Guests may reserve time blocks, 9 am-2 pm or 3-8 pm. Private cabanas are also available for rent. During the resort's annual SummerFest, taking place through September 7, guests can partake in activities like canvas painting, trivia, bingo, family movie time, exotic animal encounters, scavenger hunts, and sunrise yoga. Rates start at $172 for a weeknight stay. Masks are required for guests 10 and older, except while in water features.

Margaritaville just opened on the shores of Lake Conroe, near Houston.

Photo courtesy of Margaritaville

Margaritaville just opened on the shores of Lake Conroe, near Houston.

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Airline News

American Airlines launches new gate program to foil early boarders

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

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Fort Worth-based American Airlines has launched a new system to catch passengers who try to sneak ahead in line.

According to a release, the airline is deploying a program in which technology is used to deter passengers who try to board before their official boarding group has been called.

Passengers who try to board early will not only hear a beep when they scan their boarding pass, but a tattletale message will pop up on the scanner, alerting the American Airlines employee of the passenger's correct group.

The airline trialed this modern technology over the past month at Albuquerque International Sunport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Tucson International Airport. It will now be deployed at more than 100 airports across the U.S.

If a customer boards before their assigned group is called, the new software will not accept the boarding pass and instead makes an audible sound to alert the gate agent and customer that the group has not yet been called. In these instances, the American team member will invite the customer to rejoin the line when their boarding group is called.

According to a story in the NY Post, airline employees have a name for these people: “gate lice."

A statement from American Airlines says that those passengers who are paying for early access should get their just desserts. People who are paying extra are mad when others get the same benefits.

"The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease," it says.

Surely a factor is the way American Airlines' current boarding system has become an exercise in the haves vs. the have-nots, with nine levels of boarding groups, from elite status members and credit card holders all the way down to the Basic Economy nobodies. It's gotten worse since the pandemic, with extra charges applied to every element of flying, including a charge if you want to choose your own seat.

As an explanation of why people might do it, the NY Post cites a theory that travelers try to get ahead "out of a tendency of conformity and a sense of competition."

Public shaming is a powerful motivator, and Larry David fans would surely agree that line-cutters should always be called out — but in this case, there is an actual valid reason for trying to get a jump in line, and that can be summed up in two words: overhead bins.

Too many travelers place their luggage in overhead bins that are not located over their seats. Who has not seen the guy breezily stash his suitcase in whatever bin is closest? And this is an inequity that is not addressed by flight attendants, who admittedly have enough on their hands.

But the fact remains that if you get on the plane when your boarding group boards, the odds are slimmer that your designated overhead bin is going to have room for your suitcase.

If the airline is not going to enforce the overhead bin situation, then it's hardly fair to blame gate lice for worrying about where their suitcase is going to end up — or worse, whether they'll face the horror of having to get their bag checked at the last minute because some other passenger stole their overhead space.

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