Category: Lake Conroe News

Margaritaville Lake Resort on Lake Conroe has been named one of the top seven resorts in Texas to visit this summer by the travel website Traveling Lifestyle. 
The website describes the resort as “great for all types of travelers, whether you are on a family vacation, romantic retreat, friend’s trip or just looking for fun, the resort is the perfect blend of lake and island attitude.”
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“This recognition highlights our team’s dedication to providing a blend of lake and island vibes for our guests,” said Tom Faust, vice president of sales and marketing for Margaritaville Lake Resort. “We are committed to consistently delivering exceptional experiences and creating unforgettable memories for everyone.” 
The destination that opened in June 2020 offers all-suite accommodations and a variety of amenities, including an 18-hole golf course, the 3.5-acre Jolly Mon Water Park, a private beach, Fins Up Fitness Center, St. Somewhere Spa, watercraft rental, Parrot Island Mini Golf, tennis and pickleball courts and six on-site Margaritaville-inspired restaurants.  
At the start of the summer, Faust said the resort staff were prepared to accommodate up to 1,000 guests a day during the summer. 
See the exclusive offers page for packages for couples, pet lovers, Texas and Louisiana residents, golfers and fishing enthusiasts. 
Also as a part of the summer fun, Atlantic City entertainer and magician Harry Maurer and a rotating series of “Master Magicians” present magic shows Saturday nights at the resort through the end of August. 
The other Houston-area resort on the list is the Marriott Marquis Houston in downtown Houston at 1777 Walker Street adjacent to Discovery Green Park. 
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“Along with their full-service spa and fitness center and six food and beverage outlets the hotel’s Altitude Rooftop & Pool is home to the famous one-of-a-kind Texas-shaped rooftop lazy river,” according to the Traveling Lifestyle description. 
The travel website’s other top Texas resort destinations include Horseshoe Bay Resort on Lake Lyndon B. Johnson in the Texas Hill Country, Margaritaville South Padre Island; JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country, Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Gulf Waters Beach Front on the gulf in Port Aransas. 
The Traveling Lifestyle site was launched in 2011 and reports on travel news from around the world. 

More than 1,000 homes are expected to come to Montgomery after a Klein-based developer announced the acquisition of more than 400 acres of land. 
J. Alan Kent of J. Alan Kent Development announced plans for a single family residential community for the city of more than 2,000, in a release by real estate agency Newcor.
The community would sit on 411 acres of land on FM 1097 near Lake Conroe, the release states. 
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“We are very excited to have procured this beautiful and pristine property,” Kent said in a written statement. “Previously owned by a timber company for many years, we feel it is perfectly suited to compliment the well established residential gated and golf course community of Bentwater.” 
While the planned community is expected to bring between 1,000 to 1,200 residential homes, details of amenities, cost and a timeline are not set. It is expected to bring more students zoned to Montgomery ISD, which had more than 10,000 students enrolled for the 2023-24 school year. 
“It could be very easily 12 to 15 months before we actually deliver the first set of lots to (home builders),” said Himanshu Amin, controller for the real estate company, noting the entire project will take about 10 years. 
The homes are expected to come in a variety of sizes, such as 50 to 80 feet lots, Amin said. In addition to the homes, some commercial development projects could be planned.
“We’re going to keep some commercial land ready, so that if there are any vendors or big grocery stores,” he said.
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The development comes as several big projects head to northwest Montgomery County city.
In March, Montgomery City Council began discussing the feasibility for a new H-E-B location. The anticipated grocery store will sit on 32 acres of land off Texas 105, building only on 16 acres of that land, and will also include a gas station and car wash, city documents state. 
Southeast from the city is the Woodforest community, a 3,000-acre master-planned development off of Fish Creek Thoroughfare, which has also seen growth — the latest being plans for a 400-acre park. 
In between Conroe, Magnolia and Montgomery, a 4,000 home development was announced to be built in July 2023. 
Amin said that within the next year, the real estate company should be able to generate interest for the new community. 

From his back patio in the Harbour Town community on Lake Conroe, Michael Hallett has a direct view of “Bird Island.” 
The piece of land that rises up from Lake Conroe off the Seven Coves and Harbour Town neighborhoods is a roosting spot for a variety of native and migratory birds such as white “cattle” egrets, black cormorants, gray herons, ducks and the Anhinga, a black bird known more commonly as “water turkeys.” 
Hallett’s favorite to watch for is the migratory American White Pelican, a bird that is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. He said they come around February and usually stay through May. At times, he’s seen as many as 150 pelicans roosting there. 
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Bird Island’s future
His bird’s eye view of the island also brings concerns about its future and the future of the birds that inhabit it. For the 17 years he’s had waterfront property, he’s watched Bird Island get smaller and smaller due to erosion. 
“If we don’t do anything about it that will be nothing but a giant sandbar over time and the birds will be gone,” he said. “That will be hard to watch this becoming just a sandbar and then we’ll see nothing but boats out here all the time beaching on the sandbar.” 
He estimates the original size of Bird Island was at least 2 acres going back to the 1970s. He believes the island is now less than a quarter of an acre. It was three times that size when he moved in 17 years ago. 
History of Lake Conroe 
According to a history of the lake from the San Jacinto River Authority, the lake was planned and constructed shortly after a record 7-year drought in the 1950s.
Through a partnership agreement, the river authority partnered with Houston and the Texas Water Development Board in 1968 to jointly construct a water supply reservoir, Lake Conroe, on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River.  
The Lake Conroe dam was completed in January 1973 and it was filled by Oct. 31, 1973, after the area received significant rain in 1973. The lake covers a 21,000-acre area.
When Lake Conroe filled, Hallett said there were shallow areas off Seven Coves that created Ayers Island and Bird Island, which rose up from the waters on the east side of the lake. 
In the early 2000s, a bulkhead border was placed around Ayers Island, a recreational spot for boaters. The San Jacinto River Authority, with the permission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, completed the project. 
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Saving Bird Island 
Madi Bullock, has lived in Seven Coves since she was 5 years old, and fishing from the park off Kingston Coves Lane has been one of her favorite hobbies. 
The park is the closest piece of land to Bird Island, and she, too, is disheartened to see it diminish over the years. Bullock, 23, is studying to become a Texas Game Warden at Sam Houston State University, and the restoration of the island has become a cause close to her. 
“The island is mostly without human intervention, but has decreased in size due to increased boat traffic and erosion,” she said. She has particular concern for the pelican migration. 
She fears that if the island is not there, the pelicans will not stop there and change their migratory path. 
She approached Hallett about a year ago to start a community project to restore the island. Earlier this year they launched the website Bird Island Rescue. 
They would like to see a riprap border of broken  rocks around the 2015 perimeter of the island and then have fill dirt added to build the island back up. 
Moving the project forward
“I have contacted numerous organizations such as the San Jacinto River Authority and Texas Parks and Wildlife to raise concerns in hopes that they would support a habitat restoration project,” Bullock said. 
Hallett believes the project is gaining momentum in terms of community support and interest, but they would still have to work with state and government agencies for possible funding and completion of the restoration. 
In the past year, Bullock has spoken with representatives of the San Jacinto River Authority and Texas Parks and Wildlife department. 
“The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has been approached several times over the past few years requesting assistance for the Bird Island restoration initiative. The scope of the project would be significant and would require millions of dollars in funding, which TPWD is not able to provide,” according to a statement from the agency. 
Still, the duo has not ruled out fundraisers to aid restoration or possible state or federal grants. 
Earlier this month, Bullock and Hallett met with state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, on the matter and felt like it was a positive meeting. 
“There have been some recent inquiries about the status of the island, from some that want to restore it, and others with concerns about it being a safety hazard,” Creighton said. “We have discussed potential solutions with constituents and the SJRA.”
Hallett said the birds that roost on the island are protected, but the island is not. 
“If we want to protect the birds and we want to keep them here, the only way to do that is to keep the island,” he said. 

U.S. Navy veteran Haley Burgess is making life sweeter on Lake Conroe this summer. 
In August 2023, Burgess opened Montgomery County’s first location of The Paleta Bar in Waterpoint Center on Lake Conroe. The center is lakeside and filled with restaurants and shops and includes a waterfront boardwalk along the property. 
She’s also bringing popularity to the paleta, which is Spanish for “ice pops.” The rectangle-shaped popsicle that is cream or water based is a summer staple in Hispanic culture. 
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“It’s a popsicle but it’s made with fresh fruits and fresh ingredients,” she said. “Everything is fresh and made in house.” 
In addition to paletas they have Aguas Frescas, a Mexican-style drink that translates to “fruit waters” made with fresh fruits and Horchata which is described as a sweet rice milk beverage.
What to know about The Paleta Bar
The Paleta Bar was introduced by a trio of friends with restaurant experience. The first location opened in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2017. There are now 43 locations across New Mexico, California, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. 
There are six Texas location with a new store coming soon to Amarillo. The other Houston-area store is in Memorial City. The Lake Conroe location is at 15258 Texas 105 West. 
Burgess frequented the Hollywood Boulevard location when she was stationed near Los Angeles. 
She grew up in Spring and is a 2014 graduate of Klein Oak High School. After high school, she served in the U.S. Navy from 2016 to 2020. 
She was stationed roughly two hours from Los Angeles and she and her Navy friends would spend time in Los Angeles during their leaves. 
“We’d go to the one on Hollywood Boulevard all the time. Sometimes twice in one day,” she said. 
Sweet and colorful treat
At first she was intimidated by all the colors and flavors. 
She stuck with fruit and a sprinkle of Tajin a chili/lime seasoning until one day she took a bite of her friend’s watermelon paleta with chili spice. 
“Ironically I’m not big on sweets. I tried a bite and it was so good,” she said. “I had no idea of the creative things you can do with it.” 
Fast forward to her return to Texas with her family now living in the Montgomery area. 
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She was picking up take-out food one day from Akashi Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar in Waterpoint Center and saw the sign seeking a franchisee for The Paleta Bar in the center. 
“I knew what it was and I was curious,” she said. Not long after, she bought the location. “It was a really strange God-led situation.” 
Unique flavors
The paletas come in fruit flavors but also unique tastes like avocado and taro a root vegetable with a purple color. 
“The taro has an almondy, coconut type flavor,” she said. “It’s one of our best sellers but I really have to convince people to try it.” 
Despite the green color, she said the avocado paleta does not taste like guacamole. 
“It’s sweet and sugary and also a big seller,” she said. 
After picking out a paleta, the bar can be dipped in milk, dark or white chocolate or powdered in chile powder or Chamoy a sweet or spicy liquid or paste. 
Then the paleta is coated in a variety of nuts, candy, cookies or cereal. 
She said their Cookies N Cream bar is a summer favorite. For fall they’ll have pumpkin flavors and at Christmas they have peppermint flavors. 
Getting to share the different flavors and the culture behind them is one of Burgess’ passions and favorite things about the store. 
Her shop also has savory snacks like “elotes” or corn in a cup covered with Parmesan cheese, mayo and spices and their signature Dorinachos, Doritos chips with nacho cheese sauce. 
First-time visitors
The Kim family experienced their first paletas as they visited Lake Conroe recently. 
Johnny Kim, of The Woodlands, said it was their first time to the The Paleta Bar. He appreciated that it was something cool and different as they were visiting the lake. 
He chose the Oreo Lovers combo with and Oreo paleta, white chocolate and Oreo crumbs. 
Not only was it tasty he said a six-pack was a good deal for his family of eight. 
When asked if he was a fan of paletas, he said “I am now.”