Destination:
Texas

Dallas Heritage Village

The city of Dallas' history is preserved in a living museum nestled in 13 wooded acres just south of downtown, known as Old City Park. This historical village consists of 38 buildings and houses, including a working farm, elegant Victorian homes, a school, church and a bank that is alleged to have been robbed by Bonnie and Clyde, all dating from between 1840 and 1910. All the structures in this recreated turn-of-the-century village have been collected from various locations in and around Dallas, and restored and re-assembled here.

Sixth Floor Museum

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy is commemorated in the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza where the 1963 shooting took place. Most chilling of the exhibits is the window area in the former Texas School Book Depository building from where sniper Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired the fatal shots at the 35th President's motorcade. The museum also documents Kennedy's life and legacy, featuring more than 20,000 artefacts and a large amount of archival material. A granite marker at the corner of Houston and Main Streets outside shows where Kennedy was assassinated and a memorial stands in nearby John F. Kennedy Plaza. Visitors to the museum can also view the Zapruder film of the assassination.

Fort Worth Stockyards

Fort Worth is THE place to experience the romance and mystique of the American Wild West, and the Stockyards National Historic District is the ideal place to start. The district encompasses 15 blocks packed full of exciting 'Cowtown' attractions, from rodeos to cattle drives, country music shows, shops selling genuine cowboy gear, saloons and Texan diners, and the 'Tarantula Train' steam railway on which regular re-enactments of a train robbery are performed. The Stockyard District is also the venue for several annual festivals and western events and home to the world-famous Billy Bob's Honky Tonk.

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

Fort Worth's Modern Art Museum is second only in size to it's counterpart in New York, and is the oldest art museum in Texas, having been chartered in 1892. The museum is housed in an eye-catching building, consisting of five long flat-roofed pavilions atop a 1.5-acre pond, designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The museum's permanent collection of modern and contemporary paintings includes works by Picasso, Andy Warhol, Rauschenberg and Pollock. The museum also hosts visiting exhibitions and features a large sculpture collection.

Cattle Raisers Museum

The museum is dedicated to telling the story of the cowboy and cattle ranching industry of the southwest. Use has been made of talking mannequins, interactive exhibits, authentic artefacts and theatre presentations to bring alive the legends and lore of the Wild West, from Texas Rangers to rustlers. The museum also contains the largest collection of branding irons in the world.

Fort Worth Zoo

Fort Worth's Zoo is ranked as one of the top five in the United States and is home to more than 5,000 animals living in natural habitat settings like Raptor Canyon, the Koala Outback and Asian Falls. A recently opened new eight-acre section called Texas Wild takes visitors on a journey through the state to see indigenous animals like swift foxes, ocelots and white-tailed deer, including some endangered species. This section includes a mock-up of a Texas town with a restaurant, store, saloon and jailhouse. Another popular diversion here is the chance to try managing a computer-simulated ranch.

Cadillac Ranch

Approaching Amarillo from the west on the 1-40 highway visitors will come across one of America's most noted roadside attractions, conceived and funded by an eccentric local man, helium tycoon Stanley Marsh III. The Cadillac Ranch consists of 10 finned vintage Cadillac cars, buried nose first in a field about 12 miles (19km) from the town. They have been buried, allegedly, at the same angle as the angle of the sides of the Great Pyramid of Egypt. Marsh doesn't seem to mind the ever-increasing amount of graffiti that is spray painted onto the cars by visitors.

Don Harrington Discovery Center

Focussing on physical, earth and life sciences the Don Harrington Discovery Center is set in a 51-acre park with a lake and picnic area. The centre boasts more than 100 hands-on activities and a recently renovated Space Theater. There is also an aquarium on site featuring both saltwater and freshwater tanks as well as a botanical garden. Most popular sights here are a Foucault Pendulum, rotating independently of the earth's gravitational pull, a helium technology exhibit and a weather-watch section with a tornado machine.

Amarillo Museum of Art

The Texas Panhandle's one and only accredited art museum is the Amarillo Museum of Art. The museum has six galleries housing a permanent collection that includes 17th through 19th century European paintings, 20th century modernists, photography, Asian art and Middle Eastern textiles. The museum also offers frequently changing exhibits ranging from contemporary art to the American and European masters.

Palo Duro Canyon

Starting about a million years ago a branch of the Red River carved a massive canyon through the northern Texas plains. The walls of the Palo Duro Canyon plunge down to 1,000ft (305m) at points, exposing the multi-layered coloured rock strata. The colours are particularly brightly picked out on the spires and pinnacles that the forces of nature have carved out on the canyon floor. The Palo Duro Canyon State Park is a few miles east of Amarillo, reached via Texas 217 highway. The park offers picnic and camping facilities, a visitor's centre with a shop, an amphitheatre where shows are staged, and horseback riding trips. The park also has a famous historic site where the last great battle between troops and Indians took place in Texas. In 1874 Colonel Ranald Mackenzie and his 4th Cavalry defeated a large band of Native Americans camped in the canyon and transported them to reservations in Oklahoma.

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

The visitor's Space Center is attached to the headquarters of America's manned space programme, Nasa's 'Mission Control' that directs the space shuttle project and guided the pioneering astronauts. The Space Center, Houston's most popular tourist attraction, is located at Clear Lake, 20 miles (32km) southeast of downtown, off the Gulf freeway I-45. There are numerous wonders to behold at this facility, which both entertains and educates, from a mock-up of a space shuttle to an Imax theatre and hundreds of hands-on exhibits. Tram tours run every half hour taking in the highlights, including Rocket Park where retired spacecraft come to rest, Mission Control and even astronauts in training.

Museum District

Set within a scenic part of central Houston is the city's Museum District, featuring 16 varied and interesting institutions and numerous restaurants set among some lovely green spaces like Hermann Park. One of the highlights in the area is the Byzantine Fresco Chapel on the corner of Branard and Yupon Streets containing 13th century frescoes from Cyprus. There is also a children's museum, contemporary arts museum and the Houston Holocaust Museum. One of the most interesting museums in the district is the Museum of Health and Medical Science, which features a walk-through re-creation of the human body. The Menil Museum has a collection of contemporary, surrealistic and 20th century art in an interesting building at Sul Ross. In Hermann Park is the comprehensive Museum of Natural Science and Planetarium, the Houston Zoo and a Japanese Garden.

The Orange Show

For a touch of the bizarre call at the Orange Show to see how obsession can become art. A former postman spent 26 years of his life assembling a collection of weird and wonderful objects and meshing them together into a labyrinth of passages and staircases, almost all of it orange. The result is a quirky curiosity, which is billed as 'folk art'.

Sam Houston Historical Park

The Sam Houston Historical Park near the city's visitor centre in Bagby Street provides visitors with a large as life look at Houston history. The 19-acre park features seven of the city's oldest buildings that have been restored and relocated here. The oldest building is a small 1826 cabin that originally stood at Clear Lake, while one of the more recent is the 17-room home built in 1905 for oil field pioneer Henry T. Staiti.

Bayou Bend

The magnificent muted pink mansion in the marshy elbow of Buffalo Bayou in Houston's River Oaks area was the home of Miss Ima Hogg, a woman much loved in the community until her death in 1975, at the age of 93. Miss Hogg left her home and the gracious gardens that surround it as a legacy for the city. The house contains a remarkable collection of Americana and is regarded as a cultural treasure, with several thousand objects displayed in 28 period room settings in the mansion. Miss Hogg designed the gardens as outdoor living rooms, fed by bayou waters, and today they continue to provide a peaceful oasis in the heart of the metropolis planted with indigenous species as well as exotics like azaleas, camellias and magnolias.

National Museum of Funeral History

At Barren Springs near Houston's International Airport is the unusual private museum run by a major funeral company in the United States, dedicated to funeral memorabilia. Customs, rituals and traditions associated with burial from ancient Egypt to the present day are covered in this interesting institution. Highlights of the collection are restored horse-drawn and vintage automobile hearses, and a unique 1916 Packard funeral bus. The museum also features a gallery devoted to the funerals of the famous, containing memorabilia from the funerals of Elvis Presley, John F. Kennedy and Rudolph Valentino.

Texas State Capitol

Austin's impressive pink granite capitol building is rivalled only by that of the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Encircled by its original wrought-iron fence topped with gold Lone Stars and standing proudly in a hectare (three acres) of ground, the domed building was constructed in 1882 out of granite quarried from Granite Mountain 75 miles (121km) away. Visitors can take guided tours of this interestingly designed building, or attend legislative sessions, which are open to the public.

Zilker Park

The 140-hectare (347-acre) Zilker Park, donated to the city by the German immigrant who gave it its name, is Austin's most popular public recreational area, dominated by its ancient spring-fed natural swimming pool, known as Barton Springs, which Native Americans believed to have healing properties. The pool is about the size of a football field with water at a constant warm temperature all year round. Zilker Park has other attractions, too, including a botanical garden which features dinosaur tracks, a nature preserve, the Umlauf Sculpture garden and museum, and eight miles (13km) of biking and walking trails. There are sports facilities aplenty and amusements for children like the Zilker Zephyr miniature train and paddleboat rides.

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center

Texas hill country is renowned for its glorious spring blooms, and former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, founded this centre dedicated to the study and preservation of native plants in 1982. There are 72 hectares (178 acres) of wildflowers in display gardens, which includes a garden designed to attract butterflies. There are also some interesting indoor displays featuring some novelties, and the centre offers free lectures and guided walks at weekends.

Governor's Mansion

The opulent plantation-style mansion that is home to the Texas State governor is one of the oldest buildings in the city, dating from 1856. Although it is still very much lived in when the governor is in town, the mansion is open to the public for limited hours each day and many historical artefacts are on display, including portraits of Davy Crockett and Sam Houston, and a collection of mementoes from each administration. Guided tours are offered every 20 minutes during which interesting anecdotes are related about previous governors. The Governor's Mansion closed on October 1, 2007 for up to 18 months for maintenance work. Information will be posted on the webiste when tours resume.

Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art

A major stop on national art circuit tours, the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas in Austin is ranked among the top 10 university art museums in the country. Highlights here are the Suida-Manning Collection of European paintings that features 250 works by the Continental masters and the collection of 20th-century American Art assembled by novelist James A. Michener. There is also a large collection of Latin American Art consisting of more than 500 key works.

Congress Avenue Bridge

One of the more unusual tourist attractions in Austin, or in fact anywhere, is the nightly flight of millions of Mexican free-tailed bats when they emerge from their roosts under the Congress Avenue Bridge. The bat colony takes up residence under the bridge in mid-March each year and returns to Mexico in early November. During their sojourn in Austin visitors are amazed by their mass evening emergence from their roost, which generally takes place at dusk. The Congress Avenue Bridge is 10 blocks south of the State Capitol building, spanning Town Lake. A Bat Observation Center is located on the southeast side. During bat season hundreds of people gather on and around the bridge each evening to witness the spectacle.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

The rugged wilderness of the Guadalupe Mountains in west Texas was originally a barrier reef under the waters of an ancient sea. Today fir trees and pockets of lush vegetation cling to this mountain range rising from the desert. Formerly the home of the Apache nation the National Park is now occupied by hundreds of plant and bird species, 60 species of mammals and 55 varieties of reptiles and amphibians. Visitors can traverse more than 80 miles (129km) of trails on foot or horseback, or take the 4WD route provided. There are several historic sites in the park including Frijole Ranch History Museum and the ruins of a stagecoach station. McKittrick Canyon in the northeast corner of the park is regarded as the most beautiful spot in Texas, where oaks and maples make a colourful display in fall.

Dallas Holocaust Museum

The Dallas Holocaust Museum, Centre for Education and Tolerance, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to teaching the lessons of the Holocaust and memorialising its victims. It provides guided tours for groups, audio tours for individuals, public lectures and exhibits. Originally situated in the Jewish Community Center, the museum has relocated to a larger premises in the centre of Dallas' historical district, adjacent to the Sixth Floor Museum, due to lack of space and having to turn away thousands of visitors each year. But even this is a temporary measure as an even larger museum is planned, which will be a powerfully symbolic structure to support its profound educational message.

The Alamo

The Alamo has assumed mythological significance in American culture. Davy Crocket and his small party held out for 13 days against a 2,500-strong Mexican army before finally being overrun and executed. The Alamo is now described as the cradle of Texan liberty and for years after the siege Texans would cry "Remember the Alamo" during battle. The actual Alamo building is smaller than most visitors expect, and its gravitas slightly undermined by tacky amusement park rides and souvenir shops. That doesn't daunt millions of annual visitors who make a pilgrimage here, often without really knowing why.

Riverwalk

The centre of San Antonio's shopping and dining district, the Riverwalk winds its way for 3 miles (5km) along the banks of the San Antonio River. Visitors can explore the Rivercenter Mall along the way and take a stroll around La Villita Historic District. An equally good way to enjoy the lush landscaping and scenic variety of the Riverwalk is take a narrated cruise or dinner cruise with one of the many river boats. The cobbled walkways are a full level below the city's streets lending the Riverwalk a secluded, peaceful atmosphere, and cooling atmosphere during the summer heat.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas

The city's biggest theme park keeps raising the bar with the recently added water rides to enhance its theme park rides, roller coasters and musical shows. Avoid eating a large meal before embarking on the Superman Krypton Roller Coaster, looping Boomerang coaster, or the Scream, which entails 20-story free fall. The park has won Amusement Today's award for The Best Theme Park Shows in the Country for 10 years in a row. Xcelleration, a BMW-themed skills show is guaranteed to impress the teenagers.

Buckhorn Saloon and Museum

Reanimating the spirit of the wild west, the Buckhorn saloon contains over 8,000 wildlife exhibits, wax effigies, horns and other western memorabilia. There is also a shooting gallery, an arcade and a wonderfully eclectic shop, dubbed the "World's Oddest Store". The Buckhorn has been open for over 120 years and has rich and ribald history populated by cowboys, baddies, card sharks and plenty of cattle. The original brass foot rail still lines the bar.

Spanish Governor's Palace

Described by National Graphic as the most beautiful building in San Antonio, the diminutive palace once served as the headquarters for the Spanish rulers of this region. The lovely building is filled with treasures and historical relics from the 18th century ad the patio flows onto a relaxing garden that is perfect for contemplating the glory of times past. On the last Sunday of every month a living history group visits in period costume and shares information and reenactments with visitors.

Tower of the Americas

Hemisphere Park was built for the 1968 World's Fair and the soaring Tower of the Americas' was its centerpiece. Visitors can take a 500ft elevator ride to the observation level and revolving restaurant to enjoy astounding views of the city below. From base to top, the tower is 750 feet high, taller than the Washington Monument and Seattle's Space Needle, and ranks as the United States' second tallest freestanding structure.

Texas Hill Country

The rolling, rugged hills that begin on the northern outskirts of San Antonio are known as the Texas Hill Country. The region is known for its natural beauty, carpets of flowers in spring, and abundant woodlands. Key attractions include Enchanted Rock, an enormous granite dome located 15 miles (24 km) from Fredericksburg, the town of Blanco, famous for its Lavender, and the water sports of San Marco. The New York Times declared this region "the No. 1 vacation spot in the nation" and its many attractions have been responsible for making Texas second only to Florida as a retirement destination.

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is a resplendent South Texas coastal city, with a small population and a laid-back atmosphere. Just 143 miles (230km) from San Antonio on Interstate 37, and boasting its own international airport, travellers to Texas would be sorely remiss to pass up the soft sea breezes and perfectly blue skies that characterise this 'sparkling city by the sea'. Over and above the beaches, visitors can enjoy the cultural sights on offer in the city's museum district (including the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay), birding trails that wind through impressive botanical gardens, and the bustling promenade, with its vibrant nightlife. The Padre Island National Seashore, the longest undeveloped stretch of barrier islands in the world, is easily accessible from Corpus Christi, and should not be missed.

Six Flags Over Texas

The first of the Six Flags theme parks, Six Flags Over Texas has been a consistently-popular family attraction for over 50 years. Situated in the small town of Arlington, just 20 miles (about 32km) from Fort Worth, the amusement park is an ideal family day-trip destination. The park offers something for everyone, from 'thrill rides' (including the award-winning Texas Giant), to kids rides, to rides that can be enjoyed by the entire family at once. Six Flags Over Texas also stages events and festivals throughout the year - such as Spring Break Out, and Fright Fest (held over Halloween). With over a million annual visitors, Six Flags Over Texas has earned its reputation as one of the premier theme parks in America, and visitors to Fort Worth - and especially those travelling with kids in tow - would be ill-advised to miss it.