Palmetto State Park–Gonzales, TX

This scenic Texas park is somewhere about halfway between Houston and San Antonio and makes for a perfect side trip on the relatively short drive between the two cities.

On this particular trip, my presenter and I were leaving Houston and needed to stop and take pictures of the beautiful sunset. The exit we pulled off on just happened to have a sign for Gonzales’ Palmetto State Park, so we decided to give it a shot.

Driving down a windy, dusty road, we found this beautiful overlook at the entrance to the park, spent quite a bit of time driving through the park with cameras in hand, and finally found our way, along another set of twisty, dirt roads, back to the highway.

This is a detour worth looking into if you’re not in a huge hurry to get to your hotel and your presenter is an adventurous one.

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All You Can Booze

Well, that about says it all.
Jackson’s, in the LoDo area of Denver, will make you feel like a co-ed again. Ridiculous drink specials almost every night (discounted for ladies), skeevy dive bar atmosphere with hints of sports bar, and home to the self-proclaimed largest group of Florida Gator fans outside of Florida.

If you actually get into Denver early enough to make it out on the town, at least think about starting your night at Jackson’s. If you play your cards right, you might find yourself waking up to do registration in the morning still drunk.

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