[irishmum]

Hello, Texas mamas,

I have a lot of questions for you! My family and I are from Minnesota, and my husband will be working in Sterling City, Texas from January to March. (It is going to be very, very difficult, but we're trying to look on the bright side. He is an electrician and there is so little work. He will be putting up wind turbines in Sterling City.) I hope to take one week-plus vacation and then also go every other or every third weekend. So from the North Star State to the Lone Star State, I have a lot of questions for you. Oh, and for a point of reference, my daughter is 17 months old.

First, can you recommend a pediatrician? Another mama is joining her boyfriend down here with her son (2 months old), and she would like advice about pediatricians. I don't think she's that "crunchy" so there are no special requirements (like delayed/no vaccinations, etc.).

Here are my questions:

1. What would be the best airport to fly into for Sterling City? It looks like Abilene and Lubbock are about 2 ½ hours, Dallas is about 5 hours away, and El Paso is about 5 ½ hours away. Because it looks like I will have to rent a car anyway, I am leaning toward flying into Dallas just because the fares are so much cheaper and it is a direct flight from Minneapolis. Any thoughts?
2.What are some fun things to do in the Sterling City area? I am VERY excited to see Texas, including the desert, and I can't wait to explore. Are there any good parks, hiking spots, historical places? What about farther out -- in Dallas, El Paso, Corpus Christi, the Gulf, Mexico? (I'm thinking of we'll all go to one of these places when I come for my extended vacation.)
3.Any great restaurants in the Sterling City area, especially more authentic Tex-Mex, Mexican, southwestern, and BBQ restaurants?
4.Do a lot of people in these areas speak Spanish (so I know if I should learn some Spanish)?
5.And here's a question that I hope doesn't show that I'm an ignorant yankee, but are there any bugs, snakes, etc. that I have to watch out for in this part of Texas?
6.Any other recommendations?

Oh, I have another question. As my husband will be living in this area of Texas for about three months, do any of you know of good/clean motels, extended stay places, or apartments or houses to rent in the Sterling City area? Thanks!!!

I really appreciate your help!!!

 

[mom2annika]

I don't know what you'll find exactly in Sterling City in terms of extended-stay lodging, etc. I would bet it's the Motel 6 or La Quinta, and that's it...IF they even have that. It's quite desolate, dry, and will probably look very brown in the early spring.

We just moved from Abilene after about 2.5 years there. DH managed an oilfield services office and says his crews always stayed in Colorado City, so there may not even be any lodging available in Sterling City (due west of Abilene). Colorado City has a prison, so there should be some hotels there.

There's really no need to learn Spanish, although it might help pass the time. There's not much to do out there. If you're going to be there in the spring you should watch out for rattlesnakes, but usually they don't stir much til about April (that's when the Jaycees in Sweetwater have their Rattlesnake Roundup...we went once, very creepy. NOT recommended for "crunchy" types.) And fire ants will probably be an issue, but usually only in grassy areas...so more of a concern for your hubby while out in the wind fields.

Depending on the gas prices in the spring, it might not be such a bad deal to fly into Abilene. It's an easy airport, very small, very friendly to mamas travelling alone with little ones because of the military moms at Dyess AFB in Abilene.

In terms of entertaining a 1.5 y.o., Abilene is probably your best, closest bet. Population approximately 115,000. It has a children's museum (The Grace Museum), the Abilene Zoo (small, easy to see in an hour, and the kids can feed most of the animals except the monkeys). There's a mall and an assortment of casual dining, fast-food chains, etc.

Abilene State Park is a nice place to hang out and do a little easy hiking. There's a big pool (probably won't be open while you're there though).

And of course there's a ton to see and do in Dallas. We always meant to make weekend trips over there from Abilene (about 3 hours, or 2 if you're going to Ft. Worth), but never got around to it.

With any luck you'll get to see the bluebonnets! There weren't many last year, too little rain.

GL!

 

[tanyalynn]

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Originally Posted by irishmum 5.And here's a question that I hope doesn't show that I'm an ignorant yankee, but are there any bugs, snakes, etc. that I have to watch out for in this part of Texas? 6.Any other recommendations?

Most of Texas has scorpions, but they aren't very common in older construction IME (our new house, for example, had scorpions for the 1st 2 years). As far as I know, they're not deadly, just painful and annoying. Texas does have poisonous spiders, black widows and brown recluses, but you're not likely to encounter them, I'd think. But all this poisonous stuff was quite unexpected to me, coming from an area without this type of stuff, but in a decade in Texas, I've encountered relatively little. Oh, but you should be aware of the ants. Not sure if they're common in this area, but Austin and Houston have lots of biting ants, and they hurt. Watch for ant mounds. Again not deadly unless you're allergic, but quite painful and much more common than the other stuff I mentioned.

If you go way west, Carlsbad Caverns isn't far across the New Mexico border, just beyond El Paso a bit. But it sounds like a long-ish drive so you'd have to decide if you're that interested.

 

[lilmom]

hello soon to be temporary Texan!
I just wanted to say that if you do decide to fly into Dallas it would be a good opportunity to see how the landscape changes from rolling hills to the plains. It's a nice drive out I-20. I don't know how you go from Abilene to Sterling City. Currently I live in the Dallas area but we're about to move to Abilene, so I can assure there are tons of wonderful things to do in the DFW area and you should definitely check it out. Plenty of history and fun too. Texas is a really, really big state though so pick out what you would like to do most, because chances are you won't get to everything. Dallas is great for shopping, fun stuff, etc..lots of variety. San Antonio is great for tex mex food and the Riverwalk..if you want great Cajun food and piney woods go to SE Texas, and then take a trip to the beach down there on the coast. I can't help you with the desert much, since I've honestly never been. Also you might want to go to Fredericksburg and eat the German food. Yum! There are lots of little shops - antique stores and novelty stuff there.

Don't worry about speaking Spanish. I don't know any and I grew up in Texas. Most people that do speak it are bilingual so you won't need to know it.

As far as poisonous stuff..you might see a rattlesnake, and I don't know if poison ivy and oak are down there..they are here in this area though. Also black widows and brown recluses are little spiders we have, but I doubt you'll run into one.

I don't have any advice for lodging or pediatricians..might have to go to another town for that..I don't know enough about Sterling City. Good luck to you and please let me know if you have more questions.

 

[darlintxmomma]

I grew up in San Angelo which is right about 45 minutes SE of Sterling City. My grandpa lived in Water Valley (aka the water hole) so I'm familiar with that area. There arent any hotels there that Ive ever seen. You might end up in either big spring or san angelo and having to commute. The local hangout in Sterling City is the Town & Country convenience store/truck stop. There is also a Dairy Queen. There is some burger/mexican restaurant there but the last time I ate there it was aweful, (that was about 15ish years ago though so it may have HOPEFULLY improved).

Quote:

First, can you recommend a pediatrician? Another mama is joining her boyfriend down here with her son (2 months old), and she would like advice about pediatricians. I don't think she's that "crunchy" so there are no special requirements (like delayed/no vaccinations, etc.).

San Angelo will be your best bet for doctors that are nearby. There are 2 that I am aware of that are willing to do the no vax thing. One is Dr. Fernando Gonzalez at Community Medical Associates (from the San Angelo Community Medical Center) The other is Dr. Wehner at Shannon Clinc downtown. We used Dr Gonzales and he was wonderful.

Here are my questions:

Quote:

1. What would be the best airport to fly into for Sterling City? It looks like Abilene and Lubbock are about 2 ½ hours, Dallas is about 5 hours away, and El Paso is about 5 ½ hours away. Because it looks like I will have to rent a car anyway, I am leaning toward flying into Dallas just because the fares are so much cheaper and it is a direct flight from Minneapolis. Any thoughts?

Either fly into Abilene or Midland. I think they both are about an hours drive. Do NOT fly out of San Angelo. You will pay out the wazoo. Everyone I know flies out of Midland even though its about 30 minutes farther away than Abilene is (coming from san angelo) but you get much better rates. I dont know anything about the Abilene airport rates so I would compare between those two. Midland is a much closer drive though than Abilene is from Sterling city.
Just keep in mind that Texas is HUGE and if you drive to Sterling City from Dallas, you will be on the road for a LONG time with just you and the munchkin.

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2. What are some fun things to do in the Sterling City area? I am VERY excited to see Texas, including the desert, and I can't wait to explore. Are there any good parks, hiking spots, historical places? What about farther out -- in Dallas, El Paso, Corpus Christi, the Gulf, Mexico? (I'm thinking of we'll all go to one of these places when I come for my extended vacation.)

Fun things to do in Sterling city...i THINK there is a tiny park. and the convcenience store i mentioned above. Sterling City is kind of out in the middle of Nowhere, TX. Midland has a nice mall and great shopping, but I think its geared more toward college age kids. Odessa has ice skating in the mall. Abilene does have a great zoo. Its my favorite ever cause its not overwhelmingly huge. I got to see the polar bears getting jiggy with it one time. Something I'll never forget. LOL
San Angelo, has some super nice parks for the kids. The Kids Kingdom Park is right along the river downtown. We always take a loaf of bread adn feed the ducks when we go there. The highway that brings you to san angelo from starling city is the road you stay on to get to it. Just take the exit just before the river and then turn left twice and youre there. I actually havent been to the mall there in a LONG time so i cant tell you much about it. But they have the new walmart supercenter just as you would come into town. there is also Target and a newly remodeled HEB grocery store which is extremely nice. There is the San Angelo State Park which has lots of Bison. Fishing at lake nasworthy is fun but might not interest you with such a little one. AH...historical places. There is Old Fort Concho in san angelo. Its really neat. Across the street from that is the Train Museum which my son LOVES. My dad always takes him to climb on the trains that are parked out front and they take lots of pictures.
dallas is quite a drive from you but there are tons of things to do there im sure. el paso, I personally am afraid of due to the massive amount of border violence and kidnappings and stuff. of course we only hear the bad on the news but im just one of those that prefers not to take a chance on going to a place like that. corpus christi is nice, quite the drive for you though.
san antonio is 3.5 hours from san angelo. its where i live now. super fun town for family activities. sea world is a MUST if you come down here. your little one will LOVE feeding the dolphins and seeing the shows and there is a kiddy water play area that is so fun, but it may still be a bit cool at the time. although it does stay pretty warm down here compared to what you are used to. the alamo is pretty and its right on the riverwalk which is beautiful at night. go for a boat ride if you come here. lovely restaurants all along the river and a really nice mall at the end. down the street from the alamo is ripleys believe it or not and the wax museum. my hubby is addicted to those places and my son thinks they are totally cool too. he was 2 when we took him last time and about your DD's age the first time he went. Awesome zoo here. they just opened the Africa exhibit.

Quote:

3. Any great restaurants in the Sterling City area, especially more authentic Tex-Mex, Mexican, southwestern, and BBQ restaurants?

In san angelo, there is Mejor Que Nada (i think they call it 'Mejor' now). its also on the highway bringing you into town, just on the other side of town from where you come in. they are kinda expensive but the food is great. another favorite is Henry's Mexican restaurant. super yummy.
My families favorite is Chilango's. its not a very big place but there is sarcastic humor everywhere you look once you get there. (their open sign sits out in the parking lot and says "Sorry, we are open" and inside they have an "established in 1406" sign (that is there street address).
Fuentes cafe downtown has great food and a nice atmosphere but you park along the street so it can get kinda interesting around lunch hour.
For an AMAZING steak go to Western Sky's Steakhouse. The only other steak ive had that was that good was in oklahoma city at the stockyards.
BBQ, my favorite is Smokehouse BBQ. they have great brisket and smoky sauce and their peach cobbler is a MUST. the other popular BBQ place is Old Time Pit BBQ. its probably more the atmosphere of a texas bbq joint that you are looking for. super good food there too and you can buy their seasonings too to take back home with you. but they are a bit more on the pricy side. its a definate treat to eat there though.

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4. Do a lot of people in these areas speak Spanish (so I know if I should learn some Spanish)?

No need to learn a foreign language to go visit down there. 90% of the people speak english and like the other poster said, the rest are bilingual. VERY rarely do i ever come across someone I cannot communicate with. Now san antonio is a whole nother story. i'm at a complete loss half the time in my day to day life. at the local attractions though you'll be fine.

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5. And here's a question that I hope doesn't show that I'm an ignorant yankee, but are there any bugs, snakes, etc. that I have to watch out for in this part of Texas?

you know, as long as i lived in west texas (23 years) i have NEVER seen a rattle snake LIVE out in the wild. ive seen a few dead in the middle of the road. lol. bugs, the fire ants are the biggest problem. they are everywhere. just dont stand in one place for too long while in a grassy area and keep an eye on your feet and you'll be fine. raid kills them on contact. my biggest fear are wasps. *shudders* nuff said. there are spiders but you dont come across them too often. you usually have to look hard to find them. i also havent had any issues with scorpions but i may just be lucky except down here int he hill country. only been stung one time and yes they hurt like hell. but they dont usually chase you down, just shake out your clothes before you put them on if they get piled in the floor. the biggest gross bug is the roach. they are probably the most sighted bug in the area. again...raid.
i cant really think of much more along the lines of the creepy crawlies.

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6. Any other recommendations?

you will NEVER see more mesquite in your life. its those truly pitiful looking trees you will see EVERYWHERE you go in west texas and during the winter they are just twiggy looking trees. no leaves. but load up on the wood, it is excellent for smoking meat on the grill.

hope you enjoy your visit down to my neck of the woods. let me know if you have any other questions. ill do what i can to help.
michelle

eta san antonio also has this along with the caverns next door.
http://www.wildliferanchtexas.com/
http://www.naturalbridgecaverns.com/

 

[lookingforaname]

Hi - don't know if this advice is too late, but I was just doing a search for Lubbock (mostly for doctors) and thought I'd throw in an opinion!

Quote:

1. What would be the best airport to fly into for Sterling City? It looks like Abilene and Lubbock are about 2 ½ hours, Dallas is about 5 hours away, and El Paso is about 5 ½ hours away. Because it looks like I will have to rent a car anyway, I am leaning toward flying into Dallas just because the fares are so much cheaper and it is a direct flight from Minneapolis. Any thoughts?

As a Lubbockite, I just want to warn you that a lot of times flights from Lubbock can be delayed, plus they're just puddle jumper tiny planes - and given that you have to rent a car anyhow, it might be just as fast (or faster!) to drive from Dallas. We have weighed the cost-benefit analysis several times - flights are *significantly* cheaper direct from Dallas, and I know many people in LUBBOCK who will choose to drive to Dallas to fly rather than fly into Lubbock, and that's without the additional commute time you have. So I would totally choose to rent from Dallas and not play the waiting/delay game, plus not pay more.

 

[ShwarmaQueen]

On the subject of parks nearby, here is the link to the state parks website- there's so much to do here, really!

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/f...lains/lubbock/