Scouting Around McAllen

File:Scouting Around McAllen~~valleypatch.jpg
Scouting Around McAllen is an All Ages Award from the Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas Council. This is a rocker that pairs with a white center from the council.

# Activities

**REQUIREMENTS FOR SCOUTING AROUND MCALLEN**

Complete the starred activity (\*\*) and three additional activities to earn the patch.

1. OLD HIDALGO PUMPHOUSE
Location & Contact Information: 902 S. 2nd Street Hidalgo, TX 78557
Phone: (956) 843-8686
Website: http://www.worldbirdingcenter.org/sites/hidalgo
Hours: Monday thru Friday: 10:00am-5:00pm Sunday: 1:00pm-5:00pm CLOSED on Saturday
Admission: Children: $1.00
Adults: $3.00
Seniors: $2.00
What to do: Tour the pumphouse and view the video on its history.
Answer these questions:

1. What year was the pumphouse built?

2. What is the name of the river that runs next to the pumphouse?
2. RANCHO EL CHARCO
Location & Contact Information: 401 N. Kika De La Garza La Joya, TX 78560
Phone: (956) 585-5707
Website: http://www.ranchoelcharco.com
Hours: Call one week in advance to make reservations.
Admission: $5.00 per person for carriage ride.
Additional activities have additional costs. Call April for information.
What to do: Ride in a carriage through the natural setting.
Answer these questions:

1. How many acres does Rancho el Charco cover?

2. What animals do you see at the ranch?
3. BENTSEN-RIO GRANDE VALLEY STATE PARK
Location & Contact Information: 2800 S. Bentsen Palm Drive Mission, TX 78572
Phone: (956) 585-1107
Website: http://www.worldbirdingcenter.org/sites/mission
Hours: Sunday thru Saturday: 7:00am-10:00pm
Admission: Children under 12: Free
Adults: $5.00
Seniors: $3.00

What to do: Hike a birding trail
Answer these questions:

1. Who was the park named after?

2. How many acres does the park have?
4. QUINTA MAZATLAN – WORLD BIRDING CENTER
Location & Contact Information: 600 Sunset McAllen, TX 78501
Phone: (956) 688-3370
Website: http://www.quintamazatlan.com
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday: 8:00am-5:00pm CLOSED Sunday & Monday
Admission: Children under 4: FREE
Children over 4: $1.00
Adults: $2.00
Seniors: $1.00
What to do: Role-play as scientists who study birds (ornithologist) while observing, describing, and analyzing adaptive characteristic of birds.
Answer these questions:

1. What does the Spanish word “Quinta” translate to mean?

2. What does the Spanish word “Mazatlan” translate to mean?
3. How many years did the Matthews Family live at Quinta Mazatlan?
5. MUSEUM OF SOUTH TEXAS HISTORY
Location & Contact Information: 121 E. McIntyre Edinburg, TX 78539
Phone: (956) 383-6911
Website: http://www.mosthistory.org
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday: 10:00am-5:00pm Sunday: 1:00pm-5:00pm CLOSED Monday
Admission: Children ages 0-3: Free
Children ages 4-12: $3.00
Adults: $5.50
Seniors: $4.50
Other discounts available to students and military.
What to do: Journey through the permanent exhibits including ancient animals and plants, native peoples and their encounters with the Europeans, and the establishment of the region as a frontier of New Spain.
Answer these questions:

1. What was the museum’s former name?

2. What year was the original building built?
6. EDINBURG SCENIC WETLANDS & WORLD BIRDING CENTER
Location & Contact Information: 714 Raul Longoria Rd. Edinburg, TX 78539
Phone: (956) 381-0715
Website: http://www.worldbirdingcenter.org/sites/edinburg
Hours: Monday thru Thursday: 8:00am-5:00pm Friday & Saturday: 8:00am-6:00pm CLOSED Sunday
Admission: Children: $1.00
Adults: $2.00
Seniors: $1.00
Call ahead for group rates.
What to do: Observe birds from all five observation decks.
Answer these questions:

1. What is the official bird for the city of Edinburg?

2. What year did the city of Edinburg open its World Birding Center?
3. What kind of birds will you find at the Birding Center?
7. VALLEY NATURE CENTER
Location & Contact Information: 301 S. Border Ave. Weslaco, TX 78599
Phone: (956) 969-2475
Website: http://www.valleynaturecenter.org
Hours: Tuesday thru Friday: 9:00am-5:00pm Saturday: 8:00am-5:00pm Sunday: 1:00pm-5:00pm CLOSED Monday
Admission: Children 0-12: $1.00
Adults: $3.00
Seniors: $2.50
What to do: Take a group hike on a nature trail and connect to nature using your senses.
Answer these questions:

1. What two snakes are found in the Valley that are poisonous?

2. How many legs does an insect have?
3. How many legs does a spider have?
* + 8. WESLACO MUSEUM

Location & Contact Information: 500 S. Texas Weslaco, TX 78596
Phone: (956) 968-9142
Hours: Monday thru Friday: 10:00am-4:00pm Saturday: 1:00pm-4:00pm CLOSED Sunday
Admission: Admission is free.
What to do: Tour the museum and find out why in 1971 this museum was known as the world’s smallest museum.
Answer these questions:

1. Where were some of the artifacts stored before the museum moved to its present location?

2. Who was Weslaco’s first postmistress?
9. MCALLEN INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF ARTS & SCIENCES
Location & Contact Information: 1900 Nolana St. McAllen, TX 78504
Phone: (956) 682-1564
Website: http://www.imasonline.org/
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday: 9:00am-5:00pm Thursday: 9:00am-8:00pm Sunday: 1:00pm-5:00pm CLOSED Monday
Admission: Children under 3: Free
Children 4-12: $3.00
Adults: $7.00
Contact for costs of special tours for groups of at least 10.
What to do: Tour the museum and explore the permanent collections.
Answer these questions:

1. What kind of dinosaur exhibit will you see at the museum?

2. What is the name of the Chinchilla?
10. OLD CLOCK MUSEUM & SHOP
Location & Contact Information: 929 E. Preston St. Pharr, TX 78577
Phone: (956) 787-1923
Hours: Open Monday thru Friday. Call ahead for hours.
Admission:
What to do: Speak to Mr. Shawn and ask him which are his favorite clocks and why.
Answer these questions:

1. How long has Mr. Shawn been collecting clocks?

2. What are the future plans for the museum? To where will it move?
*Answers can be found at the link*

# External Links

http://www.gsgst.org/images2/patches/Scouting%20Around%20McAllen%20Requirements.pdf