Destinations by Julie & MEP Vacations

02/08/2025

02/07/2025

Just returned from an 9-day coach adventure in San Antonio and I've spent the last few days in recovery mode 😜Time to switch gears... How about treating your Valentine to a stunning, custom flower arrangement, delivered with love in the New London area..

920-250-5268

02/07/2025

Day 9 of our San Antonio Coach Tours
🤠Sunday February 2, 2025🤠

Up and at ‘em...the final day of our tour. Filled up on breakfast, left our hotel in St Louis at 8:00. Stopped at a wayside for a break. For lunch we stopped at one of the Oasis Restaurants, we could choose from multiple food options. We arrive in New London at Wolf River Bank about 4:30. AGAIN...thank you so much WRB for letting us use your parking lot for my clients.

Hugs were given .... and just like that everyone was gone🥺.

What a great coach tour. Trevor your driving skills and care of everyone was truly appreciated by all💕.

To all 47 of us on the coach.....we did a smash-up job...always on time and prompt. Lots of laughs, some movies, silly games, even got to try out my new BINGO cards, LOTS of~ on the bus -off the bus-on the bus -off the bus. Is it time to eat ..again. Seems like all we did was eat🤪.

Thank you all for the gratuity, gift cards, cards and even a homemade dishcloth that was made during our travels. So blessed to have each and everyone of you on the tour.

So many of you now have traveled with me multiple times and I am loving this...hopefully this means that I am doing my job !!

To Holly and Donna..my co-pilots, my people counters, and activity directors🥰...Thank you for all your help.
...Until next time💕

Julie

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02/06/2025

Day 8 Of San Antonio Coach Tour
Saturday, February 1, 2025
..sorry for the delay in the ending of our tour...life ended up gettin way too busy...and need some time to organize.

Left Oklahoma City and Heading toward Claremore, OK. Visited the Will Rogers Memorial Museum... (sadly the California museum was totaled by the fires). This was one of my favorite stops. Bart worked at the museum and gave us a bit of a preview into Will’s life, along with showing us his roping skill. This museum was so well put together, from his upbringing, his success and death. Will died in a plane crash in Alaska at the age of 42. There is also a great kids area downstairs. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time if stopping here, so much to absorb. We visited the museum on the perfect day. Jennifer, his granddaughter was in the house !! Pictures were taken and autographs were given. She is originally from California and recently move to Oklahoma.

Stop and grabbed an afternoon snack to get us through to our next stop in Bandanas BBQ. Great service, large portions and great tasting food. Full and tired but still a 2 1/2 hour ride to our next hotel in St Louis, for our final night.

02/06/2025

Remember ...Valentine’s Day is fast approaching💕

The Sun Flower Adventure @ The Lily The LiLy Pad

02/01/2025

Day 7 of our San Antonio Coach Tour 🤠
Friday, January 31, 2025

Saying good bye to San Antonio this morning. Packed up all of our long haul luggage...using our carry-on luggage for the next two days.

Arriving at Magnolia Market at the Silos... with sunshine and warmth. The silos still stand that were originally used to store cottonseed which were built in 1950. Chip and Joanna Gains, did not get the memo to meet us🥺. First stop Silos Baking Co, purchased a lemon lavender cupcake. Wondered through the Magnolia Market found a few item that will be coming home with me.
A handful of places were not open, which made it a shorter stop. The flower gardens were being tended to, readying it for spring and summer. They have to sweetest little green house...that I would love to have💕. Many areas for family and kids to enjoy..ball diamond, “relax and connect area” which is a large astro turf lawn with balls to kick, hoola hoops and corn hole.
A variety of food trucks ...but many were not open on the day we were there. A stop at Magnolia Press Coffee Co for a coffee and a little soufflé ..but we’re already sold out. A few other shops open to browse around in.

After leaving Waco ...and a few hours down the road, we stopped at another Buc-cee’s in Fort Worth. What a fun place. This one is located next to Texas Motor Speedway.

Returning to Oklahoma City and staying at the same hotel as we did on the way to San Antonio.

01/31/2025

🤠Day 6 of San Antonio Coach Tour
Thursday, January 30, 2026

Breakfast and 🎼“On the Road Again.”......

Picked up Linda, our step-on guide at Rivercenter Mall.

Onward to Mission San Jaun for photos. A large Spanish colonial compound which was active in the mid 1700’s and is now maintained by the National Park Service. The Catholic Archdiocese still holds church service here.

The colorful art work called “Whisper.” It is composed of 8 metal statues that stand together. It acts as a portal between San Antonio River and Mission San Juan.

WIth all this walking we decide to stop at SAS San Antonio Shoes) shoe store... we all need new shoes 🤪. SAS was founded in 1976 a family owned company. Located in the store they also have 10 cent sodas and 5 cent popcorn, purses, penny candy, gourmet foods and so much more.

Moving on to CH Guenther & Sons Pioneer Flour mill area. Here we walked down a few quiet street to see the local homes.

This is all before Noon... now off to Historic Market Square “ or “El Mercado”....for shopping and lunch.

Next we raveled to the Witte Museum. It was established in 1926 and is dedicated to telling the stories of Texas from prehistory to present day. Everything from exploring dinosaurs, Texas wildlife, Texas history, indigenous people of Texas, history of cattle herding. A large area for kid to learn and play. Lots of great outdoor space.

Time for our evening meal at the Lone Star Cafe. We had a choice between chicken, ground sirloin or fried catfish...with a larger piece of a warmed apple cobbler with ice cream.

For our finale of San Antonio ...we did a night time river walk cruise that lasted about 35 minutes. Our guide was Dora, she told us some history and fun fact about the area. So many bar, restaurants and hotels along the river. This waterway was once used to supply water to the missions and specifically The Alamo. Movies that were made in the area...The Getaway, Selena and Miss Congeniality.

A few photos of sculptors at a free exhibit located where our bus was parked.

Off to Pear Tree Inn to pack up our luggage for the mornings departure and our final night in Texas.

01/31/2025

🤠Day 5 of our San Antonio Coach Tour🤠
Wednesday January 29, 2025

Picked up our step on guide Linda (wonderful guide!!)at the Rim Shopping Center.

Our first stop of the day, Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site. Of course every site has a gift shop that we could not pass up! LBJ’s home was know as the Texas White House. We could not tour the home as it is being refurbished. We did get to do the LBJ Ranch driving tour. It is still known today as a working ranch. Located on his ranch, his airplane known as “Air Force One-Half." LBJ was the 36 president serving from 1963 to 1969. He died at a young age of 63 and is buried close to the “Texas White House”, in the Johnson Cemetery along with is wife “Lady Bird Johnson,"

Off to Luckenbach, Texas. This visit was very short visit and we all would've loved to stay so much longer. Located in the Hill Country, known for the Waylon Jennings song. The general store is a throwback on time along with a post office, cold beverages...sit back and enjoy a Lone Star or Shiner Bock beer, with an outdoor music venue. Would defiantly hang out in the area on a nice summer day ...and listen to live music.

Off to Fredricksburg the German town of Texas. This charming town in the Hill Country, Founded by German settlers in 1846. It is also home to the "National Museum of the Pacific War." If you have an interest in WW11 history this is the museum to see. This is the home town of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz who was commander on Chief of the US Pacific Fleet in 1941. They also have the Pacific Combat Zone reenactment battle, offered 8 weekends a year.. A great little gem of a town with German restaurants, and a great shopping experience.

Had dinner at County Line...plated chicken, bbq pork, Cole slaw, baked beans and peach cobbler.

TREVOR (coach driver)...Take us back to the hotel pleaseeeeee..... We all need a good nights rest 😴.

01/30/2025

🤠Day 4 of our San Antonio Coach Tour🤠
Tuesday January 28, 2025

Breakfast and headed out by 8:00.

Stopped infront of the Bexar County Courthouse. Beautiful building built between 1892-1892.

Across the street we toured San Fernando Cathedral. Founded in 1731 by a group of families from the Canary Islands.
Remains of David Crocket and Jim Bowie are held in a tomb, hero's of the Alamo. In the evening there is a laser light show on the exterior of the building. The official center of San Antonio is located in the church. We always light a candle for my parents ....

After leaving the Cathedral we headed to Mission Concepcion just for a photo stop. Onward to Mission of San Jose, known as the queen of the 5 missions. In the visitor center we watch a introduction video to explain the mission. The grounds of the mission are massive with much of the original dwelling.

Running short on time and did a quick stop at the “Japanese Tea Garden”. I am sure this place is totally beautiful while flowers are in full bloom. During our visit not many flowers...as the have had a hard frost and January is no the best time to visit the garden.

Off to Rivercenter Mall. We grabbed some lunch at Margaritaville. We all went to the IMAX theater to watch a movie about the Alamo. A great refresher about this time in history. After watching the movie.... we took a short walk to the grounds where the Alamo actually took place.

The red abstract sculptor was installed in a traffic circle in 2002...La Antorcha de al Amisted, Spanish for “The Torch of Friendship” made my a Mexican sculptor Sebastian.
...and somewhere along the way we found John with a purse 🤪.

One evening during each tour...we will meet up with the other “Diamond Tour” people. I believe there were 3 buses. Enjoyed a meal along with a DJ and a bit of dancing for some of the people.

Never short on food on these tours...again, bellies are full. Headed back to our hotel for the evening to rest up for the next days tour.

01/29/2025

Day 3 of San Antonio Coach Tour~ January 27, 2025

Looooong day of traveling. We stopped at a Buc-ee’s in Denton, Texas. First time being at one. Only 124 gas pump🤪. Great souvenir shopping, delicious smoked brisket sandwiches...so many snacks and treats to choose from. Many groceries, clothing, and so much more. Purchased Beaver Nuggets and beef jerky...so many flavors. Bathrooms have a full time attendant, and keep spotless.

Our dinner for this evening was at Luby’s. A bit of a hick-up on the location. All turned out well in the end. So many food options . Cafeteria style restaurant.

After a long day, is was so nice to get to our hotel. With full bellies and luggage in hand , we all headed to our rooms for a good nights rest. This will be our hotel for the next few nights...staying at Pear Tree Inn, close to airport.

Only a few photos from today ...

01/27/2025

Day 2..Heading to San Antonio🤠 January 26, 2025

Enjoyed our breakfast with another coach tour...they are also heading to San Antonio...out of Oshkosh. We will see them often throughout our tour.

Our coach driver had a suggestion to stop at a fudge shop called "Uranus Fudge Factory" located in Uranus Missouri. Lot of candies, fudge, T-shirts with lots sayings...I will just leave that one right there🤪.

Next top, Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, MO. One of the largest. They have multiple interesting museums and aquarium, dining options and lot of shopping for everyone with 150,000 square feet to roam. Many mounted animals, along with live alligators, turtle, fish and more...

Since it was the play offs....well of course we had to have a football pool going and listened to both of the games.

We arrived at Billy Sims BBQ for dinner. Pulled up to a very small restaurant, not sure what to except. Just enough room for the 47 of us. Fast service along with very tasty food. We had a plated meal. Consisting of pulled pork,(bbq sauce) sliced chicken, baked beans, potato salad, bread and for dessert banana pudding😋. We all left with full bellies.

Off to our hotel for the evening. Staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Oklahoma City, OK. Everyone was ready for a good nights rest.

01/27/2025

Sweet and simple😊

01/26/2025

Way beyond these words😩

01/26/2025

SAN ANTONIO 🤠 January 25-Feb 2 2025

I am not sure what happened yesterday ...but pretty much forgot to take photos 🤦‍♀️

Early Saturday morning we left New London ... 47 of us with our coach driver, Trevor heading to San Antonio.

Couple stops along the way ...to get off the coach and stretch and grab some treats. Ahead of time I booked the Blue Spring Cafe for our dinner, located In the lower part of Illinois. Some chose to do a family style meal, while others
ordered off the menu. For dessert their pies were pilled high with meringue😋.

Out hotel stay for the evening, Best Western Plus St. Louis Airport. Very nice hotel !

01/20/2025

🥶😱🥶

01/16/2025

Thank you, Mary, for stopping by and picking up more brochures for my group coach tours to distribute to your friends!!! Along with the special treat. See you in a few short days… as we head out on our San Antonio coach tour 🤠