San Antonio Aquarium
The San Antonio Aquarium was a fun, educational, and mainly hands-on experiential aquarium. I really thought this was a well done style of engagement for an aquarium. The aquarium featured interaction experiences and feedings in a pay-to-play, tokens-for-experiences style format. Which made sense, but quickly added up for a pricey day.
The front of the aquarium were the alligator feedings, marsupial and lemur experiences, as well as other feedings for smaller mammals. In back of the aquarium was the aviary rooms and parrot area. The aviary rooms gave you seeds to feed the birds in the designated space.
Alligator feeding pool 
Lemur experience cage 
Parrots on branch stands
San Antonio Garden Visits
My girlfriend wanted to spend the weekend in San Antonio for a getaway. So naturally I wanted to see some gardens with her while we were in town! Our stops included the 33-acre San Antonio Botanical Gardens non-profit complex, as well as the San Antonio Japanese Tea Garden, or Sunken Gardens in Brackenridge Park.
The Alamo 
Austin Eco-Destination Itinerary
If you’re interested in some eco-destinations in and around Austin, here are some links to more information! I cover each location in a blog post from one of my previous trips before officially moving to Austin.
As a friendly reminder, some of these locations are free self-guided tours, while others might require fees for tours. If there is a phone number or Facebook page, reach out and ask about scheduling a tour. Calling ahead will help prevent headaches for everyone, and potentially open new doors for opportunity!
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Taylor’s Eco-Road Trip 2018 Itinerary
Here’s my travel itinerary by blog post coming from Oregon down south back to Texas. You can learn more about each of my stops by click on the links for more information.
I’ve also included my planning process so you too can see where I found these eco-road trip stops. Many of these communities were listed in official intentional community directories, which helped me find their contact information to reach out!
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Eco-Road Trip – Texas Tech & Dallas Bound
Texas Tech Reminiscing & Dallas Bound – Summary:
- Who: Kelly Kingston; Sidne Smith
- What: Stated at my friends’ bachelorette pad; Toured Texas Tech before returning to Dallas
- When: Wednesday, April 11
- Where: Lubbock, TX; Dallas, TX
Quick Resources:
My Route:
Planning my Eco-Inspired Road Trip Blog Post
My Travel Story:
I spent the majority of Tuesday driving from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Lubbock, Texas, where I went to college at Texas Tech University – and stayed with college friends, Kelly Kingston and Sidne Smith, in their downtown bachelorette loft!
This is a view of downtown Lubbock, and yes, there are high-rise buildings in West Texas! (more…)
Eco-Road Trip – Valverde Commons
Valverde Commons Community – Summary:
- Who: James Ludden
- What: Visited the Valverde Commons Community
- When: Monday, April 9
- Where: Taos, NM
Quick Resources:
My Route:
Planning my Eco-Inspired Road Trip Blog Post
My Travel Story:
After the The Greater World Earthship Community, I traveled to the other side of Taos to visit Valverde Commons.
“Valverde Commons was conceived as an active adult CoHousing community in 2006 and developed from pastureland starting in 2011. Currently there are 22 energy efficient houses with 6 additional ones expected by 2023. Thirty four people live in the community as of 2018. The community is located in the heart of Taos, New Mexico and a short walk from the historic Taos Plaza.
The individual homes are clustered on 10 acres surrounding an almost 4 acre common green space, plus an adjacent 10 acre park with walking paths and gardens.
Our beautiful common house has a full kitchen, large meeting room, library, and laundry facilities. It is frequently used for group dining, parties, meetings, classes, and entertainment. The common house has rooftop solar energy to promote sustainability. We also have a barn building for communal garden tools, tractor, and garden carts. The barn also includes a complete professional wood working shop and other studio facilities.” – Valverde Commons FIC Profile (more…)