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Find or Refer a Contractor in Tyler

Splash Kingdom Water Park in East Texas

January 8th, 2010

If you want to have a good time in East Texas during the summer especially if you have a family then I strongly urge you to take the fam over to Splash Kingdom water park in Canton Texas. There are some unique differences between Splash Kingdom and Six Flags water Park known as Wet n’ Wild. Six Flags most recently has filed for bankruptcy and I am not sure what the future of Wet n’ Wild will be after the restructuring of their business.

Splash Kingdom is a local Christian water park and has Christian music on their loud speakers throughout the park. Isn’t it great how a private business in Texas can do things how they want? If we were in San Fransisco with a water park that had Christian music on the loud speakers there would likely be some type of law forbidding you from being able to do that. Once on their website you will notice the lifeguards wear Christian crosss T-shirts and there are pictures of baptisms taking place at the water park. Anyone in the Tyler or East Texas area should visit and support one of the few Christian family friendly businesses in our state. Splash Kingdom is truly a remarkable company and we feel lucky to live so close to the park.

We still have quite a bit of freedoms in this wonderful state and being in this water park where the owners run their park in their own unique way in a family friendly way is something I feel proud about. There just aren’t many companies in Texas any more that show their spiritual side because lets face it many people are scared that they just wouldn’t be being politically correct. Splash Kingdom offers many different park snacks and foods or you can eat outside the park at one of their picnic tables if you want to bring your own food. For safety reasons the park will not allow you to bring coolers, glass and food items into the park. This keeps beer and alcohol out and coolers from falling over and spilling food out into the lazy river. No swet, just eat your picnic outside on a picnic table or the bed of your truck.

Splash Kingdom has several large slides and rides and one of those funnel slides where you empty out into a funnel that causes you to spin around and plop out into a pool of water. The water park also has volleyball courts and a wave pool. The water park offers a music venue where Christian bands can perform similar to Six Flags but the good thing about Splash Kingdom water park is they keep things family friendly. You can check out their website for the latest event schedules and who they have booked to play at their park.

Hardware Stores in Tyler

October 15th, 2009

Anyone who has ever owned a project house understands the importance of having a local hardware store with knowledgeable employees who can dispense helpful advice. In Tyler we have two main “do it yourself” stores for all your ‘round the house and garden projects. They are of course Lowes and the Home Depot. People often assume the two national stores are essentially the same, but this is really not correct. Both in terms of their product and their target customers, the stores actually have some real differences.

The Home Depot

On the surface it’s hard to imagine that this store could be without anything needed by the home repair expert. However, the store really caters to the wants and needs of its more design oriented customers. The store stocks larger items that tend to effect the look and feel of a house, but when it comes to smaller essential items that make the things work, that make bigger, prettier things work, you may find yourself looking elsewhere.

My main beef with THD is the lack of competent customer assistance. Once while shopping in the giant store, my brother and his wife approached an employee to ask for assistance. They were told that the employee wished he could help them, but didn’t know where to find the item they were looking for, and unfortunately he didn’t know how to use a computer, (I’m not making this up, I promise). They were then treated to a ten minute rant about how the gentleman had once owned a computer, but didn’t like or understand it, so he gave it away. I realize this is an unusual example and there are things about the store I actually like, the home and garden section for example. My two year old little boy enjoys looking at the many mowers on display, (for someone who obsessed with mowers this is Six Flags). When it comes to big ticket items THD has an excellent selection, but the serious contractor or even DYI person however will probably end up making another stop.

Lowes

Lowes is Home Depot’s biggest competitor. It is large enough to carry many of the same high profile, attention grabbing products, but it also carries more of the smaller items with more specific uses. Lowes is less about marketing than its counterpart, and more about function. I do have one criticism of the Tyler Lowes, (at least the South Broadway location). The store often seems a little “Walmarty,” or at least “West Loop Walmarty.” For those who have yet to visit the West Loop Walmart, I’m referring to the store’s legendary reputation for sloppiness. I find that the South Broadway Lowes occasionally seems a bit disorderly as well. So if I had to choose between the two stores I would choose the latter in most cases. It seems to me to be a more practical store.

McCoy’s

I also wanted to mention one of my favorite hardware stores. McCoy’s is sometimes a bit more expensive than its larger rivals; however they do a lot more with a smaller building, (don’t forget they also have a lumber yard). McCoy’s is a real hardware store. They don’t have an appliance department, but they do have all the little parts you need to fix or install an appliance. As someone who is at best a home repair novice, and mind you, this may not be fair to novices, I can appreciate their helpful knowledgeable staff.
All of these stores carry many of the same items. If you know what you’re looking for they tend to be pretty similar. If on the other hand you require assistance with your project consider a more specialized store. Ultimately a bit of self education will save you a lot of frustration no matter where you shop.

Ace Ritter

This is a hardware and Tyler Texas home remodeling store that is also a co-op. One of the best things I have found in there lately has been these barbecue smokers that use compact wood pellets to smoke your meat. You can cook meat in these things but it will take atleast 45 min to fully cook your meat. The positive thing to using one of these smokers is the fact that you can’t burn your meat and you are not eating constantly eating cancer causing carcinogens like you would when using a gas or charcoal grill. I am all for gas and charcoal powered barbecue grills but if you are having cook outs every week at your house sometimes it’s worth the investment in going a little healthier. Ace Ritter also has your typical hardware supplies that you would find at Lowes and Home Depot but they carry unique things like the smoker that you can’t find anywhere else. Ace Ritter is also known as Ritter at Home and has only been in Tyler for a few years. For a new and unique experience visiting a hardware store be sure to stop by Ace for a change.