If you don’t know about baseball legend Nolan Ryan, Yellow Jacket football on Friday nights, and what a tortilla burger is, then you’re not from Alvin, TX.
Amidst the cute little old homes and family run businesses, lies the quintessential American small town of Alvin, Texas. What this town lacks in big city amenities, it more than makes up for in quaintness and charm.
Located halfway between Houston and Galveston, lies Alvin, Texas, a place known for its ” good ol’ boys” and farming. While we definitely have our share of both, I thought I’d show you an insider’s perspective on my home town. Fun fact: I have lived in the Manvel/Alvin area my entire life. People always comment how weird that is I’ve never moved away from the area (and if you had asked me when I was in high school where I was going to live, it certainly wasn’t here), yet as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized how much I love raising a family here. I love taking my kids to homecoming parades and seeing smiling familiar faces. I love that if someone’s last name is Stanton, Froberg, or Saladino, you know exactly who they are. I love that my parents live down the road and I get to see them as much as I like. I love that my kids’ teachers care for my kids like their own. I love that if you have car trouble, you’ll have a line of people pulling their own cars over in order to help you. This place is home. So for those of you that aren’t from around here, I thought I’d give you a tour.
First and foremost, there are plenty of food choices. Alvin has grown so much over the years, and a lot of chain restaurants have moved in. But my favorite places to eat will always be those family owned, hole in the wall restaurants. Some of my favorites are Tacos.com (for breakfast tacos), Tomasso’s (for pizza), and Joe’s BBQ. A great place to have a drink or two and enjoy some libations is Gordon Street Tavern. It’s the perfect relaxing spot to have a cocktail and enjoy live music on the patio. If it’s summertime, you can’t miss getting a refreshing snow cone at Sno Country or froyo at The Frozen Spoon. Alvin has also stepped up their game by having some tasty food trucks like Blue House Coffee, Corey’s Kitchen, and Tin Can BBQ in the area. I love food trucks. (PS Did anyone else use to call them “roach coaches” before they were cool?)
Want to make your own food at home? Don’t forget to stop by Froberg’s Farm for fresh produce (and pick your own strawberry patches) or go get other necessities at Stanton’s. Stanton’s sells groceries and hardware, and a lot of the time if Home Depot doesn’t have something, Stanton’s does.
The Alvin area has so much to offer people of all ages, but if you have kids this is the place to be. There are countless activities to get your kiddos involved in like Daddy Daughter Dances, summertime swim nights, blanket bingo in the park, parades (homecoming, Christmas, you name it), festivals (Crawfest, Home for the Holidays, Frontier Day, the Trick or Treat Trail, Alvin Music Fest, etc) , skateboard park, story time at the library, and countless activities provided by the YMCA, Knights of Columbus, and the Parks & Recreation Department. Want to go to the zoo but don’t want to fight the Herman Park traffic? Try out Bayou Wildlife Zoo! There’s countless city and county parks, a disc gold course, dance studios, martial arts training studios, and even fencing classes!
But what’s there to do for the adults, you ask? Plenty! Try your hand at some craft projects at Gander Studios or DaVinci Maker Labs. Or is roller derby more your style? We have that too! We also have a bowling alley, so many antique stores I can’t count them all, a roller skating rink, a farmer’s market once a month, dog park, activities for the older folks at the Senior Center, an adult flag football league, camping and cabins at Camp Mohawk, Wellborne Cinema (and there’s rumors of them opening a drive in movie out here soon as well). Getting married? How about you check out Oakwind Bed & Breakfast or Morgan Falls?
This little town of mine has old churches, walking trails, old school barber shops, and police officers so kind that they will pull you over just to tell you that they saw your headlight go out (true story – this happened to me).
Facts you may not know about our little town:
- National Oak Park’s tree (which is park of the city logo and a huge part of the history of this town) is in the Guinness Book of World Records because it’s over 100 years old and is an Elm tree growing inside of an Oak tree.
- We have 4 Subway restaurants. Why? No one knows.
- You can see the stars at night – even in the middle of town.
- Alvin Community College‘s mascot is the dolphin. Okay, that’s pretty lame…but the school does offer a less expensive alternative to a traditional university.
If you’ve enjoyed reading about my home town, you’ll enjoy reading about these other at Houston Neighborhoods.
This is a sponsored post by Houston Neighborhoods.
