This past weekend, Patrick, Annie and I headed up to The Woodlands to stroll the streets of Hughes Landing for the Woodlands Art Crawl & Craft Beer Festival. The Houston weather was absolutely beautiful, in the mid-70s with a bright blue sunny sky. We couldn’t have asked for a prettier Texas fall Saturday! The three of us had such a great time together. Patrick and I loved admiring all of the local art while sipping on craft beers, of course, and Annie ran around dancing to the live music with a big ol’ smile on her face.
In today’s post, I’m sharing a peek into five things that made this year’s festival extra-special. I’m also spilling the details on all the different things to see and do plus restaurants you’ve got to taste and try at Hughes Landing in The Woodlands. Head on down for more!
The Woodlands Art Crawl & Craft Beer Festival:
1. The Food
Festival attendees were treated to gourmet tastes from some of the most notable dishes from Hughes Landing restaurants. Bites were served from Hughes Landing restaurants, including Escalante’s Fine Tex-Mex & Tequila (a personal favorite), Broken Barrel, California Pizza Kitchen, Fogo de Chão and more. We were able to try treats from several Houston restaurants we’ve been wanting to visit, and now I know just what I’ll be ordering when we do!
2. The Drinks
Craft beer was flowing from local breweries, such as Buffalo Bayou Brewery, Karbach Brewing Co., Austin Eastciders, and more. With the VIP pass, we were able to have unlimited samplings of the drinks of our choosing. I always love being able to try new beers out in small doses to discover what I like best. But I’m not going to lie, I kept finding myself winding up back at the Austin Eastciders tent – a sweet apple cider is just too good to resist!
3. The Art
Artist booths were scattered throughout the festival giving attendees the opportunity to peruse local art and even opt to take a piece home as well. Art festivals always make for the best place to pick up one-of-a-kind art for your home. Not only will you find unique pieces in all shapes, styles, and sizes, but you can also often speak with the artisans themselves and ask any question about their work.
This weekend’s event also celebrated several new outdoor art installations that were scattered about Hughes Landing. Wind Waves by Yvonne Domenge was one of our favorite sculptures situated on the “art crawl.” It’s a wavy red sphere that stands tall right in front of the waterfront next to Fogo de Chão. You can see it in the background of our family snap up top!
In addition to the various sculptures and installations on display, local artisans were also honing their craft in front of an audience. We were able to see magnificent chalk art “paintings” created right before our eyes. There were also sketch portrait artists and spray paint artists whipping up mini masterpieces for anyone who was interested.
4. Entertainment and Family Fun
Several bands jammed the afternoon away at Hughes Landing waterfront amphitheater, which is called the “Band Shell.” I truly get no greater joy than watching my little toddler dance to music. Seeing her in her element at such a fun venue was a treat! Many festival-goers brought their own lawn chairs or blankets and posted up for the afternoon. With the bright, sunny day and cool wind coming off the water, I could easily have spent the rest of the afternoon in this very spot!
We were also surprised to spot a magician delighting the crowd with his tricks and “living” sculptures on display, too. Annie is just under 2 years old, and I’m pretty sure she had just as much fun as her parents did!
5. Shopping
What’s an art festival without a bit of shopping?! You can scoop up local art to take home and enjoy immediately. I also overheard an attendee asking an artisan if it was possible to commission a piece, too. If you aren’t in the market for a work of art, there are plenty of smaller goodies on display to shop. I stumbled upon a tent with the most beautiful collection of bronze jewelry. Meeting the creators of the earrings, bracelets, and necklaces lent a story to the pieces that you just can’t get from most places these days. I couldn’t resist the bronze hoop earrings above – they simply had to come home with me!
Hughes Landing also boasts permanent storefronts that are open daily, such as KB Kasuals (an upscale women’s boutique that has something the littles will love, too), vomFASS (a specialty food shop with the most delicious olive oils), and Kriser’s Natural Pet (a pet shop with natural pet food, treats and toys).
My favorite part of The Woodlands Art Crawl & Craft Beer Festival was that there was so much space for our family to sit, stay and play for a while. We headed down to the waterfront after having our fill of food to watch the ducks float by and soak up the sun.
Annie was thrilled to find an Adirondack chair in her size too!
Ps: Annie’s darling dress is from Smockingbird Clothing. We love that this long-sleeved dress comes in such a light fabric. Perfect for our warm Texas fall weather!
Once the festival was over, we decided that we could still stuff our bellies once more and had dinner overlooking the water at our favorite Tex-Mex spot, Escalante’s!
What I loved most about The Woodlands Art Crawl & Craft Beer Festival was that there were so many happy, enthusiastic family festival-goers. We weren’t sure what it was going to be like bringing a toddler along with us for the festivities, but it turned out Annie was just one of many toddlers in attendance! Parents strolled with their children both arm in arm and in strollers. We even spotted families pulling their tots in decorated wagons past each and every tent. The atmosphere was incredible and being there made me so thankful to live near such a lively and family-friendly community.
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Big thank you to The Woodlands for inviting my family up to the event and sponsoring this blog post. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you to you all for supporting the brands that make Lone Star Looking Glass possible.
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xo, alice
Loving this Woodlands Art Crawl & Craft Beer Festival feature? Take a look here for more of my Texas favorites!
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photos by Ban Avenue
