When making out your new year's resolutions for 2008, don't leave off these "must see" Texas towns, events and attractions.
San Antonio is the top tourist destination in Texas. Besides its rich history and Old World charm, the Alamo city is home to some of the most popular and unique attractions in the Lone Star State, giving visitors plenty of options as to what to see and do while visiting San Antonio.
Held in Brownsville at the southern tip of Texas, Charro Days claims to be the oldest fiesta in Texas. Staged each February since 1938, Charro Days is a weeklong, traditional Mexican “pachanga,” with parades, dances and a variety of fun events for the entire family.
The first three weeks of March in Houston mean the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. This one-of-a-kind event features the second largest fair in North America, daily professional rodeo competitions, and some of the biggest names in music performing daily during the three week stretch.
South Padre Island is perhaps the best known Texas beach resort. South Padre’s primary claim to fame, of course, is Spring Break. And, plenty of people know about the bounty of summer activities on the Island. However, not everyone realizes South Padre is truly a beach destination for all seasons.
Designated as an International Biosphere Reserve, Big Bend offers a variety of outdoor recreational activities in a primitive setting. Backpacking, mountain biking, fishing, boating, hiking, nature watching, camping - you name it, if it can be done outdoors, it can be done in Big Bend.
Most people relate fall foliage and the “changing of the leaves” to the eastern portion of the United States. However, portions of Texas actually see dramatic changes in foliage coloration as fall draws near. Lost Maples State Natural Area in the Texas Hill Country has the most vivid fall leaf coloration in the state.
A six-week trip back to the 16th century, the Texas Renaissance Festival features over 200 daily performances, 300 arts and crafts shops, 60 food and beverage shops, nightly fireworks and more than 3,000 costumed characters strolling the grounds. Your head will spin as you enter a world of castles, knights and magicians spread over the 15-acre park, which is located between Magnolia and Plantersville (approximately 50 miles northwest of Houston).
Corpus Christi and the array of small towns making up the Texas Coastal Bend region offer visitors plenty of vacation entertainment twelve months a year.
Visitors to Central Texas shouldn't pass up a chance to visit the Texas State Capitol and soak up some of the legend, lore and history that is Texas.
Located just north of Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country, Enchanted Rock is one of the largest natural rock formations in the United States, with a dome that rises 425 feet above the ground (1825 feet above sea level). Designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1970, Enchanted Rock is also part of the Texas State Parks System and attracts thousands of visitors annually.
