Hill Country Galleria, kid-friendly outdoor shopping center

We decided on an “impromptu” stop at the Hill Country Galleria on Sunday afternoon to check out the water feature for the kids, though really I had it in my mind that I wanted to stop in at Banana Republic for the last day of “buy 2 sale items, get 1 free” deal.  (Mama needed some non-paint stained shirts!)  The last time that we came to the Hill Country Galleria was back when they were doing the grand opening, and what a difference a couple of years make.  There were at least twice as many shops and restaurants as I remembered.  This shopping center is definitely more kid-friendly than most of the other recently developed outdoor shopping places.  The Hill Country Galleria is not as high end as The Domain, but it is a step up from 1890 Ranch, University Oaks, and Southpark Meadows certainly with more specialty boutiques.  That said though, it is really just another mall.

A round, water splash pad is right across from the Bee Cave library, behind City Hall, and our kids had fun cooling off here after walking around in the heat.  This area has an open amphitheater with scheduled live events, seating under pergolas, and a couple of waterscapes (ponds) that make it more “serene” than most other sprinkler play areas.  Though it is very small (maybe 12 feet diameter), the water jets come from underfoot and do not get very high so it is absolutely perfect for little kids to play.  Most of the kids splashing here looked preschooler age and under as I cannot imagine that this would be any fun for older children who would probably like the sprinkler park at Brushy Creek Lake Park better.   

I liked that Barnes & Nobles is caddy-corner to the water play area if I needed to rush my kids to a nearby restroom.  The children’s book department here looks like most typical B & N with a small stage for storytimes and a Thomas the Tank train table on the opposite end.  The Hill Country Galleria Barnes & Nobles also offers weekly storytimes on Tuesday at 10:30 am.  (See the events calendar.)

Learning Express Toy Store is the only kid-oriented store in Hill Country Galleria.  Most of the counter service eateries offer kid-friendly foods.  They were mostly concentrated around the Cinemark movie theater.  Of course, we had to stop in at Yogurt Planet when we walked past it.  This location is much smaller than the Yogurt Planet at the Triangle, and it was packed with people on a Sunday afternoon.  It was so crowded in fact that we left the strollers outside so as not to block the walking path from the yogurt machines to the toppings stations.  (The acai berry flavor, by the way, bleh.  I try not to poo-poo on something that others might consider tasty, but even in the name of health, I would not get this acai yogurt again even though I do like acai drinks.  The mango tango though, fabulous!)  Yogurt Planet still to me has the best fresh fruit toppings of all the frozen yogurt places we have tried in town.

If you need to get a little bit of shopping in with kids in tow or just want a place to take the kids to splash but are tired of the big sprinkler parks, this might be a good alternative spot.

Hill Country Galleria
12700 Hill Country Blvd.
Bee Cave, TX 78738

Related posts:

1. Staycation: Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa (San Antonio)
2. Yogurt Planet – The Triangle
3. Chinatown Shopping Center (restaurant reviews)
4. Fresh Cup Frozen Yogurt (north Austin)
5. Cedar Park Center, central Texas’s newest entertainment center