Compassionate Women

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Dinner
    • Confection
    • Beverages
  • Health & Beauty
  • Bits & Pieces
    • Animals
    • Travel
    • Tidbits
    • Resources
  • Stella the Dog
  • Shop
  • Cart
  • Checkout
  • My account
redbubble banner

Exploring the Rio Grande Valley

October 16, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

exploring the rio grande valley

palm trees

I recently returned from a 10 day visit to the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas, which is located in the southernmost tip of South Texas. It lies along the northern bank of the Rio Grande river, which separates Mexico from the United States. This area is known as The Valley to locals, and not only does it boast natural beauty and lively culture, but it’s quite historic as well.

Last week I wrote about my experience being Vegan in the Rio Grande Valley, but this week I wanted to share the photos I took of all the cool places there are to visit in the region. I’m only sad I couldn’t stay longer, because there was a lot I didn’t get to see.

McAllen, Texas

This is one of the largest cities in the valley, but as someone that’s lived in huge cities, McAllen is just the right size. It still has a small town feel in certain ways, but lots of modern amenities so it was easy to find everything I needed. There’s lots of local events, which provided me a good chance to immerse myself in the community and interact with the locals.

cine el rey

The Cine El Rey Theatre hosts lots of events, including stand up comedy, open-mic night, wrestling, and musicals. They also offer tons of free movie screenings complete with free popcorn. I decided to join the local French Club for a Sunday matinee of a French thriller and it was pretty awesome. Free popcorn, drinks, donuts, cookies, and there’s couches in the theater if you prefer that to actual chairs πŸ™‚

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Bits & Pieces, Travel Tagged With: art walk mcallen, border town, brownsville, cameron county, cine el rey theatre, compassionate, compassionate women, exploring the rio grande valley, harlingen, international bridge, iwo jima monument, la lomita chapel, matamoros, mcallen, mexican food, mexico, mission, museums, nature center, palm trees, rio grande, rio grande valley, sausage tree, south texas, Texas, the valley, vegan, women

Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center

September 24, 2015 by Jillian 2 Comments

shangri la botanical gardens and nature center

The saying third time’s a charmΒ  was definitely true in my experience with visiting Shangri La. The first time my friend and I visited a couple of years ago, we got inside the gates, we watched the welcome video, we were ready to explore the beautiful gardens that awaited us, and bam! – thunder and torrential downpour. We intended to visit again a year later when I was in town for the weekend. We were ready to spend all day Sunday gallivanting around Shangri La, and due to poor planning on our part, realized too late that they are closed on Sunday πŸ™

Fast forward four months and finally the magic happens πŸŽ‰πŸŽ‰ It only took about two years. So worth it, though! Shangri La Botanical Gardens is located in the heart of Orange, Texas, which is really close to the Louisiana state line. You can tour the gardens, visit the gift shop, and grab a snack at the cafe. Here is their info:

Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center

2111 West Park Avenue

Orange, Texas 77630

I really enjoyed exploring the natural beauty, the creative landscaping, and the wildlife. It’s very peaceful and inspiring. Here are some of my favorite photos from our visit, but I encourage you to visit and see for yourself 🌻

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Bits & Pieces, Travel Tagged With: beaumont, botanical garden, compassionate, compassionate women, flowers, gardens, inspiring, landscaping, natural beauty, nature center, orange texas, peaceful, shangri la, shangri la botanical gardens and nature center, southeast texas, Texas, wildlife, women

HEY THERE! I’M JILLIAN.

I live near Houston, Texas with my rescue dog Stella! I create cruelty-free recipes that are delicious, to demonstrate that it's easy to follow a plant-based lifestyle. Not only are the health and beauty benefits noticeable, but it creates a more sustainable planet and keeps our animal friends safe & happy. In our spare time, Stella and I also love watching movies, reading, snuggling, and taking long walks! LEARN MORE…

SHOW YOUR PITTIE PRIDE! This design was inspired by own rescue pittie, Stella, who defies pit bull stereotypes every day.

pittie power t-shirt

Pittie Power T-Shirt

Watch My Documentary!

remember my soul

Feature-length documentary that uncovers the Jewish history of the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas and the customs & traditions the Jewish people there have contributed to.

Subscribe to my mailing list and receive a FREE RECIPE E-BOOK as a thank you!

* indicates required
Follow on Instagram

Meet Cindersmella Stella – my pretty, pretty rescue pittie!

stella the rescue pit bull

Products

  • animals are nicer people than people t-shirt Animals Are Nicer People Than People T-Shirt $22.99 – $24.99
  • pittie power magnet Pittie Power Magnet $4.70 – $7.84
  • pittie power t-shirt Pittie Power T-Shirt $24.99
  • Advocate Like Ida $24.99 – $27.99

Recent Posts

  • Making Coffee with a Moka Pot
  • Vegan Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese
  • Joe Byrd Prison Cemetery in Huntsville
  • The Healing Properties of Crystals
  • All Natural Homemade Conditioner for Hair Growth/Health

Recipes

recipes

Travel

elisabet ney museum

Animals

happy dog

Categories

Privacy Policy

  • Privacy Policy

Tags

animals austin beauty breakfast coconut oil compassion compassionate compassionate women confection cruelty free dessert dinner dinner recipe dogs gluten free gluten free recipe health healthy healthy eating healthy food healthy recipe love nature non-GMO nutritional yeast organic peace plant-based plant power plant protein recipe rio grande valley south texas Texas travel turmeric vegan vegan blog vegan cheese vegan food vegan recipe vegetarian veggie veggies women

Archives

Copyright © 2026 Β· Genesis Sample Theme on Genesis Framework Β· WordPress Β· Log in