yes, yes I know this isn't a "vacation" but every year the whole family does a vacation somewhere. My family of 4, MIL/FIL, and my brother in laws and their significant others. Our kids are 2 years old so we stuff for them to enjoy as well.

looking for ideas for places to go. Last year we did the beach house in galveston which was fun, but I am looking for other ideas to throw out there.

everyone is in Houston/Austin area

-summer time
-no flights
-not opposed to driving anywhere up to 10 hours or so
-near golf course(s)

so far I have kicked around Branson, Destin area, and Port A. I'd like to do to the mnountain, but a 2 years old I don't know if they are old enough yet to really do much there?

any and all suggestions are welcome.

The JW Marriott in San Antonio is good. On a golf course, onsite pools, turf areas to play on, nightly s'mores, and daily activities for kids of all ages. Also SA has lots of kid friendly stuff.

Branson Baptist Las Vegas - pass for me
Destin or Red River would be my choice make sure to pack Benadryl for the kids. Allergies are bad on road trips

I also love Port A and will always recommend

as poster above noted - JW Marriott in San Antonio is great- if you can spend a little more, I would absolutely go to Hyatt Lost Pines - it's perfect for what you are looking for.

Destin is crowded - go up the beach a bit and find Rosemary Beach or one of the less crowded areas - but beach is always good for little ones

A beach house is hard to beat for that kind of group. We've rented places on Dauphin Island and near Fort Morgan and enjoyed both.

JW Marriott is a great choice. Hyatt Lost Pines is a distant second in my opinion (however, it is cheaper).

We did a few days at Hyatt Lost Pines with our 3 year old - that was perfect. It's definitely going to be in our regular rotation of Texas places.

Destin. It's made for this. Gulf shores al too

Is there a Hyatt Lost Pines-type hotel in Texas in the Hilton family of resorts?

We loved Gulf Shores and some golf to and from would be great. Pensacola not far for Blue Angels and museum. See how far of side trip a RTJ Golf Trail course would be

JW Marriott in SA.

Thank you for not travelling on an airplane!

We do a similar family trip every year . We went to Destin this past summer (8 adults, 5 kids from 4 yrs to 7 months) and stayed in one large house. Each family had their own bedroom and bathroom. It had easy access to the beach and pools. I would recommend it for a large family.

https://www.holidayisle.net/booking/sugar-shack

Destin area, recommend the USAF Armaments Museum. Some unique stuff there.

how easy and quick was beach access?

So the bay side was really close, like a 5 minute walk. But the beach was much steeper on the bayside and kinda hard for the kids to play. The gulf side was about a 10 minute walk but really easy (part though the neighborhood and part over some wooden walkways). We brought our wagons to put everything in. You walked by the pool on the way to the beach too.

Cinnamon Shores in Port A. Providing it is back to normal post Harvey.

Gulf Shores/Fort Morgan/Dualphin Island area. Cant go wrong there.

Lots of food
private-ish beach (if you stay away from the crowds)
lots of golf (Peninsula Golf near Gulf Shores was very nice)
Something for everyone (Pensicola Museum, Go Carts, Putt Putt
Good Ice Cream

Stay at
https://www.logcountrycove.com/

Then get a family member to watch the kids and go to
https://www.perissosvineyards.com/

You can also take the kids here and let them run amuck.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/longhorn-cavern

JW Marriott San Antonio or Rosemary Beach. JW for a few days or Rosemary if you want to spend a week.