Round Rock Express

We got the opportunity to stay in Round Rock for 3 days to watch Brock baseball in the State Tournament. My husband is a teacher at Brock ISD and takes pictures for the school and yearbook. The Brock baseball team has worked hard all year long and earned its first state appearance in the school’s history. We stayed in a hotel with the team, and many of the Brock fans, and spent numerous hours at the Dell Diamond stadium where the Round Rock Express AA baseball team play.

While on our short adventure in Round Rock we were able to try several places out for food, and experience a once and a lifetime game at the Dell Diamond. The majority of our trip was spent at Dell Diamond for the games but the games sure were entertaining and exciting to say the least. They were filled with many intense moments and exciting events taking place. The fans from both sides were so supportive and you feel the pressure of theses games fill the stadium. These are the games that count. After working hard all year long just to get here you fell all the excitement and everything riding on these games.

Round Rock is a great little town and there is plenty to do. Round Rock is just to the south of Austin and is a nice place to go and visit if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city. Round Rock is about an hour from the famous San Marcos outlet center and about an hour and a half from San Antonio.

Quick Tips:

Round Rock is not that big so it will give you plenty of time and opportunities to explore and look around. I defiantly suggest visiting Dell Diamond either for a tour or a game. It is a great stadium and there is plenty to do and see there.

Old Settlers Park is also a well know place in Round Rock. The state cross-country meet is held here every fall and it too is a great and pretty place to visit. You can spend the day there with the kids playing and walking or just relax and enjoy a picnic.

Some of the roads are tricky watch were you are going because you might get turned around. There is a lot of construction and it can get kind of confusing.

Be ware of traffic on the weeknights from everyone leaving Austin and trying to get back. It is better than Austin but never the less since just south of it the traffic can still be a pain

Best Way To Get Around:

I would suggest a car and a map. Be careful of the traffic and construction. Being the size of the city I defiantly suggest driving. It might help to get some info and directions from some of the locals. They are probably familiar with the construction and can help you find your way around it.

The Wingate Inn was a great place to stay. The rooms were very big and very clean. We had a room with a king size bed and a foldout twin couch bed. There is a sitting area with a couch, a chair with an ottoman. Also in the room were a small refrigerator, microwave and a coffee maker. The other usual things that come in most hotels rooms like an iron, ironing board, hairdryer and wire less Internet were also provided in this stay, the room even had a portable telephone. It works the same as any hotel phone it just gives you the option to walk around your room while talking.

This hotel had a big swimming pool, a fitness center with: a treadmill, a stair climber, a bike and a weight bench, a spa and a continental breakfast. The breakfast has cereal, milk, juice, coffee, waffles, pastries, bagels, toast, eggs, and sausage. It was very good and high quality food for a hotel. The service was great, very friendly and helpful. There were always fresh cookies at the front desk and a big lobby with couches and a huge fish tank.

This hotel is located right off the high way in Round Rock and is in a good location to surrounding activities and restaurants. This was a great place to stay for the whole family. IT was quite and relaxing.

Jason's Deli is a huge sandwich and deli shop. When you walk in you order any kind of sandwich, baked potatoes or salad. They have some other items too but these are there main ones. Jason’s Deli also serves fresh fruit, chips, and cookies. They use the freshest ingredients and you defiantly get plenty to eat. When I went I ordered a half of a sandwich and a trip to the salad bar. Their salad bar is so big and has some of the best looking fixings on it. I almost always get the salad bar there because the ingredients are fresh, bright and the salad bar is kept very clean especially when they are busy. The salad bar has everything you need for a great salad and many other things as well. There are several different pasta salads, bean salads and corn salad. There is a tail mix and a few fruit options, pudding, the best ginger muffins, garlic bread and crackers. The sandwiches and the baked potatoes are huge as well, a baked potatoes is two huge potatoes cooked together and then served how you kike it. Let me tell you they are great too. The sandwiches are overflowing with meat lots of cheese, if you like and served with chips or fruit and a pickle.

Jason’s Deli is a great place to come and sit down or you can take your food to go. I recommend staying there so you can enjoy all the food and the salad bar, but if you need take it to go. Jason’s Deli also does catering and party trays. It can get very busy at lunchtime so be prepared but it is still great food

Experience the Best Ice Cream in America! MaggieMoo's holds Blue Ribbon Awards from the National Ice Cream Retailer's Association for five flavors: Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, and Strawberry. And, that's just the beginning. They have 40+ flavors of super premium ice cream from which to choose! The ice cream at Maggie Moos is creamier and richer in flavor than anywhere else. The service at Maggie Moos is also great and very friendly.

So with great service and a very friendly server I samples several new flavors and began to make my decision. I went with my classic mint ice cream with chocolate chunks. They put just the right amount of chocolate in it so it did not taste like chocolate chips with mint ice cream. They do the cold slab where they mix it and have fun with it and present it to you so you cannot wait to eat it. They you have the best tasting ice cream. The best part of my ice cream was the cone. The chocolate dipped in colored sprinkles was so good. The chocolate was not bland and rubbery, but sweet and chunky and the waffle cone was also sweet.

If ice cream is not your choice of sweet Maggie Moos also has these things to offer as well; Custom Made Ice Cream Dream Cakes, Deliciously Creamy Milk Shakes, Non-Fat Fruit Smoothies, Toptations Fruit Toppings with Top-Shelf Liqueurs, Fundaes, Sundaes & Blue Ribbon Banana Split, and Jones Soda & Floats. Surly you can find something to satisfy your sweet tooth.

"ChuckECheese's where a kid can be a kid" Even the kid in side of you (to the adults. ChuckECheese is a great place to take the kids for a night. It gives them a chance to be a kid and run around and play and you do not have to get mad at them or tell them no. ChuckECheese is also great for adults. you can play games and they have some arcades as well. Since you get tickets fro some of the adult games it works out great that the kids benifit from that as well.

ChuckECheese has all sorts of games that allow you to wind tickets which can later be turned in for toys and prizes before you leave. There is a wide variety of arcade and simulation type games as well as your usuall carnival like games, such as skee ball, basketball and water races. THere are also lots of little cars, busses and animals for the younger kids to ride and even a play section for the little ones. Whatever the age is there is something for every one and out 85% of the things give you tickets.

The pizza and the food at ChuckECheese is very good. You might think a place that is designed for fun could not have good food, but they do. It is some of the best pizza I have ever had. THe price is comparable to most pizza places.

ChuckECheese is probably most famously known for parties. They do give the best parties around and are filled with fun. There is a puppet show and part of the party packeges include tokens, hats, pizza and drinks. Kids love this and they always have a great time.

At the beginning of every baseball season there is one goal on every team's mind, the state tournament in Round Rock Texas. In late April and early May this goal is in eye shot for few teams that have worked hard all year long. Soon one will have achieved their goal.

The state baseball tournament is one that every high school baseball player hopes to be at. The best four teams in each A-class competing to be the nest state champ.

I had the honor of attending this year's high school state baseball tournament because the school my husband teaches at made it to the tournament for the first time in the school's history.

The games are exciting and every thing is on the line for both teams. College scouts, major league scouts, and tons of media come to watch and see what Texas school have to offer for baseball players.

Teams and fans come from all over the state to cheer on there schools and teams from all over Texas come to compete if they have earned the right to be there.

My Experience:

Maybe the second most exciting sporting event I have ever been to. The Brock team (which is where my husband teaches at) had earned the right to compete at the state tournament for the first time in the schools history. The first game was very intense and exciting and Brock won it in a close game.

The second game (the final game) which would determine the state 2A champions was also very intense and exciting. Since the team Brock was playing was undefeated it would mean for a great match up and for one team a great victory and the other a great disappointment.

The teams went back and forth for 6 innings keeping the game very close and never really giving a big lead to any one team. Going into the 7th the score was 4 to 3 favoring the other team. In the top of the 7th when Brock was up to the plate 4 runs were scored on multiple errors on the other team, bringing the score to 7 to 4. With a very exciting and intense top of the inning the bottom was sure to be even better. With 3 outs and the other team up to bat Brock takes the field and hopes to hold on to the lead that was so easily taken in the top. The result after a long bottom of the inning. Brock wins its first state title and gives the other team there first lose of the season. I have not experinced such a great match up and game in my life time.

Dell Diamond is the home of the AA baseball team the Round Rock Express. There are the team affiliate of the Houston Astros and the stadium can house up to 10, 000 guests. The stadium was built in 2000 and is a very modern looking ball park.

The stadium has only one level for fans and then the second level is suits only. The suits are for the press and the major league teams that come to scout. Every major league team has its own box suite and in the middle of the teams is a huge press room.

From the seats are a great view. you fell very close and are able to see very well. The score board and jumbotron are very easy to see and big enough to watch. The jumbotron sits right out in the center field just to the left of the home-run porch. The stadium has some covered seating and the rest is out in the sun. oNn a hot day this might not be fun, but you will have a great view.

Located just to the right of right field is Texadelphia. It is a covered dining area where fans can feast on good ol’ Texas cookin’ while watching the ballgame. Next to Texadelphia is a play area, which includes a "Sport Court" basketball court where fans can show off their jump shot, and a 26-foot high simulated "rock wall" on which fans can test their climbing skills. There is also some other activities for the kids to enjoy. This is a great place to spend some time with the kids if they can not sit still during the game. The stadium also has a huge swimming pool and hot tub to the right of the Texadelphia.

The stadium has a great gift shop right under the covered area by the stands. There is also a covered picnic area up by the suits. There is also an indoor batting cage and team club houses behind the jumbo score board.

This stadium is interesting for two more reasons. One is that is part owned by the famous pitcher for the Texas Rangers, Nolan Ryan. This stadium is also well know because it is used for the Texas High School State Baseball Tournament every May.

This stadium truly is a nice place to go and I would definitely reccomend a seeing a game. I will warn though that the traffic after a game is horrendous. With the stadium sitting right off the road and the road only having two lanes (one going each way) it makes it very slow when every one is leaving at the same time.