School's back in session... well almost! There's still for one final road trip before the bell rings!

It's okay that you haven't been planning this getaway for months. Be spontaneous, and take your crew on a weekend escape to one of the Texas cities listed below. A last-minute vacation will energize everyone for the upcoming school year and serve to ease any summertime disappointements. You're also bound to find some end-of-summer deals!

These great places are all a short drive away, so gas up and get going!

We found 3 of the most amazing salads in The Woodlands! These salads are all packed with enough greens and nutrient-rich foods to satisfy your doctor’s orders, but they also contain some sinfully delicious ingredients that take their flavor over the top! If you enjoy biting into a scrumptious, crunchy, hodgepodge of ingredients that blend perfectly together even when maybe you can’t really identify all the individual components (that’s what makes salads so fun to each), you’ll love this list of the most heavenly salads to be found in The Woodlands!

1. Blackened Shrimp Chopped Salad ($20.00) - Tommy Bahama - This flavorful, gluten-free salad does not skimp on the shrimp and bacon, its two most divine ingredients. The salad is served in a beautiful, cylinder-shaped mound, with tomatoes on the bottom, the shredded romaine with herb buttermilk dressing in the middle, and topped with perfectly blackened shrimp. I ordered mine with a side of vinaigrette that  I didn’t use. The pecanwood bacon in the salad is the good, meaty stuff – not cheap crumbles. Other ingredients that make this salad delightful are avocado, roasted corn salsa, and egg. PICTURED ABOVE

2. Turkey and Avocado Cobb ($12.95) - Flower Child
   
   
   We’ll start with a disclaimer here. The Turkey and Avocado Cobb salad at Flower Child is addictive. Chances are, you’ll try it once and then have to order it weekly for a month or two just to get enough of it, after which point a once monthly or twice monthly order might suffice. Call us crazy, but two of the unlikeliest ingredients - pickled onion and gorgonzola vinaigrette – are the show-stoppers of this decadent salad! It’s FULL of fun ingredients in every bite – romaine & arugula greens, red cabbage, abundant chunks of avocado, cucumber slices, crunchy corn, tomato, and smoked almonds. The moist and tender smoked turkey in this salad is enough to make this salad a wholesome, satisfying meal. We love this salad so much, we’ve tried many times to duplicate it at home (to no avail). Alas, we've resolved to just let Flower Child take our money!

3. Pappa's Greek Salad ($15.95) - Pappadeaux
   
   
   The seafood-lovers Paradise might be the LAST place you'd expect to find one of the best Greek salads in the Houston area. What, with seafood platters, crab and fish specialties, and gumbo options, why would you go to Pappadeaux to order a salad? Well, because the salad really is THAT good! The waiter prepares it table side for you, and to be honest, there is really no entertainment value there. They just basically bring the ingredients out and mix them together on a tray table adjacent to your own table. No knive flipping, etc., like at a hibachi grill! And let's be real - the finished results don't necessarily look like anything to write home about. But oh man... one bite of this tangy, delicious goodness, and all bets are off! There's feta cheese, kalamata olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, capers, green peppers, pepperoncini peppers, red onion, and the most delicious Greek dressing ever! Our favorite part  is the 2 beautiful shrimp, perfectly cooked shrimp that top this salad. Just so you know, this huge salad is meant to serve up to 2 people. 

Friendswood Development Company, which is best known for developing some of Houston’s signature master-planned communities including Fairfield and Kingwood, will host the Woodtrace Wilderness Kids Triathlon presented by Village Builders on Saturday, August 20, 2022 in its Tomball-area community of Woodtrace, located in Pinehurst, TX. The race, a USA Triathlon-sanctioned event, will have two designated start times: 7:30 am for ages 5 to 10 and 8:30 am for ages 11 to 15. The swim will be 100 yards for ages 5-10 and 200 yards for ages 11-15; bike ride will be 2.35 miles for 5-10 and 4.7 miles for ages 11-15; and run will be 1 mile for 5-10 and 2 miles for 11-15. This will be the fourth annual Woodtrace Wilderness Kids Triathlon.

The event’s presenting sponsor is Village Builders. Drees Custom Homes, J. Patrick Homes, LJA Engineering, Tomball Yard Greetings, Boe Creative, and Crescere Digital are also sponsoring this event. Additional sponsorships are available by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Proceeds from the event will benefit Decker Prairie Elementary School, the Tomball ISD elementary school that children living in Woodtrace attend.

“Woodtrace has a beautiful, natural aesthetic, and the community was intentionally designed for families of all ages who maintain an active lifestyle and embrace outdoor recreation,” said Michael Johnson, Friendswood Development Company Vice President of Land Development. “We want to bring families who may not be familiar with Woodtrace to our community for a great summertime event that takes full advantage of all corners of our 480+ acres, which is why the athlete participants will swim in our Recreational Center pool, bike around the neighborhood, and run on the trails around Lake Woodtrace.”

Lauren Kelly of KPRC Channel 2’s at Houston Life will serve as the race emcee. All participants will receive a race t-shirt and goodie bag, as well as a finisher medal; top female and male finishers in each age category will be presented with awards plaques. The event will conclude with a post-race party featuring prize drawings. Courtesy of Friendswood Development Company, the Smart Drinks Mobile Truck will be on-site serving complimentary natural fruit smoothies and americanos, lattes and cappuccinos to all racers and their families.

Registration is now open. Entry fee is for Ages 5-10 is $45 June 1-30 and $50 July 1-August 19. For Ages 11-15 the entry fee is $50 June 1-30 and $60 July 1-August 19.To register, please visit: WoodtraceWildernessKidsTri.com.

About Woodtrace
Located in Montgomery County, the gated community of Woodtrace by Friendswood Development Company, features an abundance of greenbelts, parks, Recreation Center, and the 23-acre Woodtrace Lake. In addition to its proximity to FM 249 and outstanding Tomball ISD schools, Woodtrace, via the Grand Parkway, offers homeowners quick access to work locations throughout the North Houston area including the ExxonMobil campus. New homes in Woodtrace are priced from the $300,000s to the $900,000s.

About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon (USAT) is the national governing body for the multisport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon, and winter triathlon in the United States. USA Triathlon is a member federation of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Triathlon Union.

Registration is now open for the 1st Annual YMCA Duathlon (Run/Bike/Run) on Saturday, August 13, 7:30am at the new Holcomb Y location. Youth, ages 7 – 15, are eligible to register and experience the fun and excitement of triathlon. It’s a morning of friendly competition and physical activity that can lead to a lifetime of fitness. The event is designed for all levels. Previous experience is not required.

Calling all Bruno lovers!! (Oh, dear me, I'm sorry! We don't talk about Bruno!) But anyways... we figured you'd want to know that Disney Concerts and Live Nation have announced the Encanto: The Sing-Along Film Concert Tour is coming to The Woodlands. The Walt Disney Animation Studios Academy Award®-winning film will come to life in a one-of-a-kind concert event at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Thurday, July 28, featuring the entire feature-length film and an on-stage band celebrating all the record-breaking hit songs from the beloved soundtrack.