It’s that time of year - time for swimming and tans! College Station is the perfect place for the pool lover, as almost every subdivision and apartment complex in town has at least one. However, if you’re not a part of a great home owners association and don’t have any generous friends with pool access, don’t despair! The city of College Station has four great pools available to you for a low cost!

Scattered throughout the city, College Station’s pools typically open Memorial Day Weekend and host thousands of visitors each season. Adamson Lagoon, located in Bee Creek Park off of Anderson St. is the perfect place to take children with tons of energy. With slides, lily pads and floating animals to play on, Adamson Lagoon is like a mini-water park.

Admission for Adamson Lagoon is $5 per person, with children under 3 being free. The other two outdoor pools in the area are $2.50 per person and the indoor natatorium is $2. Family and individual passes can be purchased at a discount rate and all come with a money back guarantee.

For a complete list of pools and operating hours, check out the City of College Station’s website at http://www.cstx.gov/index.aspx?page=1277

While many people think of North Gate as the bar district of College Station alone, it has more to offer in the realm of nutrition! Granted, most of the food found on North Gate isn’t exactly nutritious, but delicious none-the-less! Many of the best places to eat in College Station can be found on the busy strip and most of those happen to be in the bars! The Corner Bar, for example, has some of the best fried pickles in College Station. The Dixie Chicken, part of the Dixie Oil Company, has wonderful hamburgers, French fries and chicken fingers, just to name a few.

In addition to bar foods, North Gate is home to more than one pizza parlor, a potato shack with the biggest variety of potatoes concoctions in town, Mexican restaurants and sandwich shops. Most of these restaurants are inexpensive and if you’re into people watching, serve as the perfect place sit back, catch a glimpse of some interesting outfits and enjoy some great food!

For other great places to eat in the College Station area, check out this blog: http://blogs.tamu.edu/foodisfun/

I realize going to the movies sometimes seems a little old and mundane, but at a price of only $4 for students and large selection, I think it’s a great way to cure boredom! Cinemark theatre located off of HWY 6, next to Sam’s in College station and Aggieland Premier Cinema, just down the highway in Bryan both offer stadium seating with comfortable chairs and over 25 movies combined. Your student ID will get you into Cinemark in College Station for only $4, anytime!! The facilities are considerably clean and have a variety of food choices (including blue bell ice cream in College Station).

Check out fandango.com for a list of movies and play times. If you’re not sure what you want to see, another College Station blogger has created a movie review blog that may be useful: http://blogs.tamu.edu/ssfdickey/

Messina Hoff Winery, located in Bryan, TX contains 42 acres of beautiful vineyards! Established in 1977 by two families, the winery is home to tons of events, a bed and breakfast, tons of roses and a relaxing water fall. With a delicious restaurant, it’s the perfect place for a date or day out with friends. The winery leads tours and wine tastings seven days a week for only $5 a person.

Messina Hoff also offers special events nearly every weekend, typically hosting wine classes, live music or cooking lessons. A complete list of these events can be found on the website, under events/calendar.

If you’re looking to stay the night at Messina Hoff, the Villa Bed and Breakfast is the perfect getaway! Decorated with European decor and antiques, the bed and breakfast’s rooms are unique in style. With extra amenities that are available in addition to the room, ranging from golf to limo rides and massages, guests are able to feel as far from the real world as possible!

If you’re up for a little road trip to Houston, the Houston Zoo is a great place to visit! The zoo has over 4,500 animals and hosts 1.6 million guests every year. It’s not just a place to observe animals though. The zoo has an array of restaurants and events hosted throughout the year. You are also able to enjoy “keeper talks” throughout the day while on your visit, where you can hear all about certain animals from the people who interact with them everyday. Some animals are even available to feed! With exhibits being updated regularly, an experience at the zoo is never the same.

The Houston Zoo is open every day from 9:00am-7:00pm (the last admission is at 6:00pm). Zoo keepers recommend visiting early in the morning, or late in the evening, as most of the animals are typically fed at this time and are the most active. Admission is $6 for children 2-11 and $10 for adults 12-64. Senior citizens, as well as military personnel receive a discount. You can also save on admission by buying tickets in advance at most Fiesta Mart stores in the Houston area.

 For more information and a complete list of keeper talks, as well as events/exhibits being hosted by the zoo, check out their website at www.houstonzoo.org

The Brazos Valley Museum of history is home to tons of displays and exhibits dealing with everything from the Republic of Texas to flying reptiles. The museum is located behind the new Target in Bryan (off of Briarcrest Drive) and reaches as many as 50,000 children and adults each year through different programs, exhibits and special events. Open Monday-Saturday, 9:00-5:00, and the first Sunday of the month from 1:00-5:00, visitors can explore collections dealing with archaeology, botany, conchology, cultural history, geology, mammalogy, ornithology and paleontology.

In addition to regular collections and exhibits, the museum offers Nature Camps for children as well as a “game day learn & play” with different programs, help during every Aggie home football game. The center is also host to different events, with the next event being held on May 16^th. The T-REX Roundup will feature a dinner and dance, with live music provided by Brazos Valley’s Southern Roots Band.

Admission to the museum is $5 for adults, 4$ for children ages 4-17, senior citizens, friends and University students, and FREE for children 3 and under. For a complete list of events and current exhibits, visit the museum’s website: http://www.brazosvalleymuseum.org/

Apotheosis is an accapella all-male singing group conprised of TAMU students and will be performing this Saturday, May 2nd in College Station! Created in 1997, the group has held as few as 6 singers and as many as 12. With two fully recorded albums available for sale, the group has become a huge hit not only on the A&M Campus, but nationally as well.

The group will be performing at 7:00pm at the United Methodist Church on Northgate (across from TAMU campuss). Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door. For a preview, check the group out on youtube or visit their website http://apotheosis.tamu.edu/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj8-z1neofo&feature=related , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8vJgqpaOlE

This weekend, May 2nd & 3rd, the Brazos Center in College Station will be hosting the Women’s Show! Home to tons of shopping, including jewelry, home decor, beauty, fashion, cooking/food, fitness, and much more, the women’s show is a perfect place to spend the day with your girlfriends. This years show will feature 25 speakers, education women about everything from plastic surgery to enjoying fruit.

The show will be FROM 10-5, both Saturday & Sunday. Admission will be $5 Saturday and free on Sunday if you bring in the flier found at this website: http://www.csmedcenter.com/Healthy%20Woman/Pages/Brazos%20Valley%20Womens%20Show.aspx

Check out the same website for a complete list of speakers and topics that will be discussed this weekend!

The 2009 Spring Parade of Homes will be held this weekend, April 25th & 26th as well as next weeeknd, May 2nd & 3rd and features new-builder homes all over Bryan-College Station. The Bryan-College Station Home Builders Association puts on the event each year and hopes to create a great representation of the new homes being built in the area. Even if you’re not in the market for a new home, it’s always fun to drive around and see the beautiful new construction, as well as get a feel for neighborhoods in Bryan-College Station. It’s a completely free event and will be held from 12:00-5:00 Saturday & Sunday both weekends. A list of the homes featured and maps to each one can be found on the event’s website: http://www.bcsbuilders.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=4

For more community events, specifically involving homes, check out Century 21s Blog site: http://thecenturytreereader.com/2009/02/19/free-music/

The 4th annual Duck Jam will be held this weekend, April 24th & 25th at the Wolf Pen Amphitheatre in College Station! Each year, Duck Jam features tons of artists and activities for the whole family. DockDogs - Big Air Competition that features Labrador retrievers participating in various competitions will be a huge hit this year, as well as Kid Zone featuring the band Trout Fishing in America. A BBQ team cook-off will be in full swing both Friday and Saturday, as well as tons of Crawfish! Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Kids 12 and under are free and if you’re planning on only attending Friday night, tickets will only be $10. Tickets include admission to all of the events and concerts, as well as a free one-year membership to Ducks Unlimited. For more information and complete schedule of events, visit Duck Jam’s website at http://www.ducks.org/Events/BudweiserDuckJam/3018/BudweiserDuckJam.html . The following are a list of artists being featured at this year’s Duck Jam:

Friday, April 24th: Bradon Rhyer, Brett Crenshaw, Shawn Fussell

Saturday, April 25th: Clay Walker, Bad Company, Kevin Fowler, South Austin Jug Band, Band of Heathens, Seth James, Trout Fishing in America, Brett Crenshaw, Dr. Zog Zydeco Swamp Band