Things to see in Texas

[Sicapo]

Hi all,

DW and I are planning a 3 weeks trip from Montreal (Canada) down to Texas and back home through the east coast (or maybe the other way around...).
Since we're never been in Texas before, I'd like some ideas about the "must see" and "must do". Since we only have 3 weeks, I won't be staying in Texas more than 4 or 5 days.

Thanks.

[Javi]

That's a loaded question without more information on what you like to visit and do. Texas is 773 miles wide and 790 miles long. Three or four days ain't gonna get you very many places so we need to cherry pick..

[Sicapo]

To be more specific, I was thinking of the eastern part of Texas. Things like breathtaking views of canyons, rodeo shows, and maybe some horseback riding ( for beginners...) or some beautifull beaches.
And some well known steakhouses...

[KanTC]

As Javi already stated, there's A LOT of Texas to see

"Texas is like a whole other country." http://www.traveltex.com

See the "Texas Trip Ideas" at the above link (about 2/3 down the page).

Suggestions: if you enter the state at the Panhandle area...
(for breathtaking canyons) Palo Duro Canyon State Park http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-pa...lo-duro-canyon
(for well known steakhouses) The Big Texan (Amarillo) http://bigtexan.com/

Hope this helps & have FUN y'all!
Terri, the Chevy co-pilot

[gearhead]

Sorry, but there's no canyons in east Texas. No cactus and tumbleweeds either. It's green rolling hills with lots of creeks and rivers and big trees.
I would suggest the hill country area around Austin and San Antonio for the stereotypical Texas experience. Go to the Alamo and do the river walk in San Antonio. The Spanish Mission Trail is interesting. Eat at Mi Tierra in the marketplace. Maybe go to Bandera or Fredericksburg. Walk down 6th street in Austin. Tell everybody back home you saw Texas.
You really need a couple weeks to see it right.

[ocbms]

Gearhead said it well. What do you like American History, there are several President Libraries and the Alamo. Texas History, I like the Oil Museum at Kilgore. (NE Texas). Fort Worth has a Cattle Drive twice daily at old stockyards. Two choices for space history, Texas and Alabama.
Lot of good food.
Happy travels

[gvansickle1]

Originally Posted by gearhead

Sorry, but there's no canyons in east Texas. No cactus and tumbleweeds either. It's green rolling hills with lots of creeks and rivers.
I would suggest the hill country area around Austin and San Antonio for the stereotypical Texas terrain. Go to the Alamo and do the river walk in San Antonio. The Spanish Mission Trail is interesting. Eat at Mi Tierra in the marketplace. Maybe go to Bandera or Fredericksburg. Walk down 6th street in Austin. Tell everybody back home you saw Texas.
You really need a couple weeks to see it right.

I would agree with gearhead, East Texas ain't where you want to go. A trip through the Texas Hill Country, Austin to Fredericksburg, Fredericksburg to San Antonio. Avoid I-35 going through downtown Austin, there are other routes around, unless your going to come through at night but then you'd miss the sights. Lots to see and do in a relatively small area; as everyone has indicated, Texas IS BIG! Have lived here for over 20 yrs, in two stints, 1st 1/2 in West Texas (El Paso), this stint in the Austin area. I can honestly say we live here and get out quite a bit and still haven't seen but a very small %.

[filmtex]

I'm with Gearhead. Lots to see and do (and eat!) in the San Antonio area. Also there are a bunch of really nice RV parks in the area. My personal preference would be Fredricksburg over Bandera, the Pacific War Museum there is super. Also lots of shops on Main St. for the DW. Nows the time though-it's starting to look a lot like summer!

[J&A]

In addition, I'd say a must do is to visit us here in Austin, the Texas State Capital and "Live Music Capital of the World". And 6th St. downtown is where it is!

If you (plan to) make it here and want more details send me a PM with specifics.

Another source for parks in the state. There are managed not by the state but by the Army Corp of Engineers (typically better facilities):

http://www.recreation.gov/

Good luck and safe travels!

[gearhead]

Like mentioned, you better hurry on down. It's warming up here. If you aren't accustomed to high heat and high humidity, it can be brutal. I was working in south Texas a couple years ago in 114F degree heat with no shade. You aren't likely to experience that in Austin but the further south you go, the worse it will get. We're getting right at 90F in Houston now.
Here's a steakhouse for you on I-10 in Houston:
tasteoftexas.com

[thewhitehat]

Well, since no one mentioned it, if canyons are what you want, you out to check out Palo Duro Canyon in Northwest part of Texas. It's the grand canyon of Texas. Google it. There's on-site camping.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

[kguess]

Not sure what to tell u about what to see but the roads are great, clean and lots of nice rest areas along state and interstate hwy. people are friendly and helpful. I love traveling through and in Texas. Their saying is " don't mess with Texas ", which means obey their laws and u will be fine! Have fun.

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by gearhead

Sorry, no cactus and tumbleweeds either. It's green rolling hills with lots of creeks and rivers and big trees.

True, unless you go to El Paso area. You can see cactus in El Paos, but not the Polaskia, which is what everyone thinks of. Need to go into AZ/CA for that. Tumbleweeds won't really be seen this time of year, have to wait until the monsoon season to get them growing good, then when it dries out, they really start rolling. They're great for scratching a nice paint job while your driving down the road. If you get across to the western part near El Paso, jump north 60 miles to NM and visit White Sands National Monument. It'll look just like Canada in the middle of winter with snow drifts, but it's sand and it's 100 degrees. Yes kids (and adults) go sledding on the dunes, just in shorts instead of snow pants.

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

If you get across to the western part near El Paso, jump north 60 miles to NM and visit White Sands National Monument. It'll look just like Canada in the middle of winter with snow drifts, but it's sand and it's 100 degrees. .

Brent -
Don't you mean it will look like Michigan in the Fall, Winter and Spring? Just ask JRTJH. No snow drifts here where I live in the middle of winter....

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by Festus2

Brent -
Don't you mean it will look like Michigan in the Fall, Winter and Spring? Just ask JRTJH. No snow drifts here where I live in the middle of winter....

Yes, I could also add Northwest WI, and the UP to that. Which reminds me, I need to call my parents in WI and see if all of the snow is gone yet I can't wait to retire and get back to NM!!!

[JRTJH]

OK, You know I can't resist "complaining about the COLD", so here's a picture of Marquette Harbor I took yesterday. Yes, that's ICE (not popcorn) floating on Lake Superior. May 30th, water temperature in the harbor is 34F and there are no boats in the harbor slips. In fact, the Coast Guard has the only boat in the water. There is an iron ore freighter at the docks and it won't be leaving until the CG ice breaker can get here to lead it out to open water. As Superior's ice cover breaks up, the prevailing winds carry it to the southern shore (thanks Canada) where it is predicted to melt sometime before August.

I will add that the air temps are in the 60's and 70's, college kids are playing beach volleyball and laying around on blankets "sunning themselves" in swim suits and shorts. Summer is here, and so is the "Superior ice"

[Jay Pat]

George W Bush Library in Dallas.

[gearhead]

Sicapo: Did we scare you off Texas? Come on down, it's not as hot as it used to be. Brutal winter and all. Heck the TV weatherman said it never got to 90F in Houston this May.
A record!

[Micah.TX]

Having grown up in New England, but lived in Houston since 1969, I know what you are in for. Everything you heard from the others is valid. Texas is it's own country. Some parts I think you should have to have a passport to get in. My advice - unless you drop your trailer, stay away from the big cities. Get a subscription to Texas Monthly. Great magazine (actually very high quality) with lots of information on places around Texas you can visit. Personally, San Antonio, Fredericksburg, San Marcos (huge outlet mall for the DW). East Texas is very woody, but some homes still have outhouses. Enough said? And if you are coming in the summer, here's one of my favorite saying. "If I owned Houston and Hell, I would live in Hell and rent out Houston!" I love this State, but we're heading to New England, again, this summer.

[sourdough]

Texas is so large that 4-5 days won't give you much time to see much of anything. I've lived here all my life and been to most every corner of it. Rodeos - West Texas, maybe Pecos or Bandera but you have to time it when it's happening. Maybe Ft.Worth if you want a show. Breathtaking mountains - with the exception of Guadalupe peak in West TX there really isn't that much. There is a lot of beautiful rolling mountain scenery in the hill country around Austin. Eating - BBQ in central TX, Mexican food in San Antonio.

To Do: Come in from the north into the Panhandle. Hit Amarillo and eat at the Big Texan. If you can wolf down 72oz of steak it's free - you can't beat that. My friend tried it from back east. Ate about 1/3 of it. Of course with the crowd watching and carrying on, the cameras flashing and the announcer standing by giving everyone a progress report it was kind of hard - but he had a blast and won't forget it. Go to Palo Duro Canyon at Canyon (about 15 miles). To me that would be your start and take 3-4 days from there.

I would suggest going to central TX from there. You can catch Austin (state capital) and the hill country. Spend a day or two. We love Fredericksburg and its German flavor. Move to San Antonio for a day or two. See the Alamo (brush up on the history), take the riverwalk and the river taxi. Eat at Mi Tierra at El Mercado. I could go on but the 3-4 days are gone and we haven't started.

Look up Texas Highways online. They are the state travel magazine. I have 20 years worth in binders. Lots of good info. DON'T forget to eat brisket at one of our better BBQ places (make sure you know them - there are a lot of pretenders). There's one or two in Austin - name's not coming to me at the moment.

When you get closer to the time and know a little more about what you want to see PM me and I'll try to help. As others have said it's a big place. I spend a week in San Antonio and feel like I've just scratched the surface.