Add some buzz to your weekend

Do you enjoy reading travel hacks that suggest inexpensive weekend trips at little or no cost? After an impulsive flurry of googling, I found several fun options for short trips in Austin for our family.

The immersive exhibit featuring Monet and Van Gogh was tempting. I visited the Monet exhibit a few years ago and loved it, and if it weren't for my tightened budget after a couple of extravagant months, I would have definitely bought a ticket—at least for the Van Gogh experience. But I resisted; this was definitely not a candidate for the no-expense weekend trip.

Paramount Theatre's 50th Summer Classic Series featuring movies like Lunchbox, Roman Holiday, and Notorious was an alluring and more affordable option. Unfortunately, my favorite movies were scheduled for weekdays. Another item crossed off the list.

That left the Honey Festival at Vista Brewing.

I had heard that you could volunteer to 'host' bee hives in your property. In exchange for the real estate, you would get a share of the honey they produced. It sounded too good to be true and, to my disappointment, it was; the program had been deactivated, dashing my dreams of producing my own honey.

A buzz-y hive

Incurably optimistic, especially in these impractical schemes, I hadn't given up hope. So, this free event seemed like a good opportunity to find out the financial investment I'd need if I chose to persist in pursuing this dream.

It was a beautiful day for a drive. Vista Brewing was a gorgeous location with several places to sit and enjoy the pleasant breeze. The hour quickly flew by.

One of the many cozy spots

Did we find the information I was looking for? I'm afraid not. While there were fun activities like a scavenger hunt that we completed (we cheated just a bit) and hive box painting (looked like fun but I felt I'd be usurping a child's spot), we didn’t uncover the details I had hoped for.

We instead discovered a store selling hand-poured beeswax candles with scents like amber (with notes of sandalwood, patchouli, and jasmine) and jasmine (with notes of honeysuckle). It almost felt like they knew my daughter’s and my weakness!

Heavenly!

There ended our no-spend weekend trip, but it was well worth it..