There is something for everyone in the great state of Texas. Favorite places I have chosen are related to Texas culture, Texas history, and/or Texas beauty.
From El Paso to the Bayou Border of Louisiana–From the Texas Panhandle to the Beautiful Gulf Coast, Texas has it all and it truly is “a whole other country”.
Texas Truly is “A Whole Other Country”
And of course, Texas is big! The possibilities are endless for any list describing Texas and there are many more than the ones I picked for my favorite ten. These just offer a sample of all the great things to find in Texas. Now take a few minutes to enjoy the beauty of Texas and if you have never visited us in Texas, I hope you will add it to your list of great places you want to visit.
Just How Big is Texas?
Measuring from North to South–Amarillo to Galveston, it’s over 580 miles
Measuring from East to West–Texarkana to El Paso, it’s over 733 miles
Driving 733 miles non-stop would take you over 12 hours. I’d say that’s pretty big. That’s a long, long drive, just to get across one state.
My Top Ten Reasons to Visit Texas
Wildflowers in Spring
Driving through Texas in the springtime is a spectacular and beautiful sight. The flowers lining the Texas highways are abundant with the color of wildflowers. And the flower most gorgeous is the official state flower called the Texas Bluebonnet.
The highways are not the only place to find beauty. Springtime brings fields brimming with the radiant color from wide-open spaces densely populated with bluebonnets. It is a sea of blue.
Remember: My 10 reasons to visit Texas are all important and in no particular order
Stephenville, Texas
Cowboys, Horses, Cattle, Western Wear, and Education
Also Home of Tarleton State University–Founded in 1899 as a private, liberal arts college known then as John Tarleton College, the institution became a member of The Texas A&M University System in 1917, a four-year degree-granting institution in 1959 and gained status as a university in 1973.
Cowboy Texas Western Apparel
Stetson or Resistol?
Texas is known for cowboy hats. It is normal to see pickup trucks on the roads with either the driver wearing their hat or the hat placed on the dashboard.
I learned several years ago that people all over the world relate Texas with the cowboy hat. When I attended Hamburger University in the Chicago area, I met a fellow student from South Korea named Doo. When Doo learned that I was from Texas, he asked if I wore a cowboy hat and said that he would really like to have a Texas cowboy hat of his own. He thought anyone who lived in Texas must also wear a cowboy hat. And yes I have had a few of my own through the years!
Get your own Texas icon here . . . a Stetson or a Resistol— two of the most common cowboy hat brands worn in Texas.
The Food
BBQ, Chicken Fried Steak, and Tex-Mex
BBQ, Tex-Mex, and home-cooking are a big part of life in Texas. Chicken-fried steak, fried okra, and sweet tea are home-cooking Texas traditions.
Having grown up in New Mexico, I personally prefer the flavor of Mexican food from New Mexico. And therefore, I usually lean more towards the Texas BBQ or Country Home Cookin’ as my favorites found in abundance throughout Texas. But many come for miles just for a taste of the traditional Tex-Mex. Just experiment and decide for yourself what you like best, there are endless possibilities.
The Magic Time Machine
In Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio
This is a dining experience that everyone should enjoy at least once. It is filled with great food, fun interaction, and always the unexpected. It will leave you laughing so hard your side will hurt.
My husband and I discovered this unique restaurant back in 1982 when we went with some friends to a Dallas Cowboy football game for the weekend. And we have been returning for more fun throughout the years with our children, friends, and family members.
Maybe your waiter will be Jack Sparrow, Babe Ruth, Billy the KId, Tinkerbell, Cinderella, Pebbles from the Flintstones, Minnie Mouse, Austin Powers, or even Superman. Our family has met them all plus others I can’t remember. And don’t forget the fun trip to the salad bar car where you can load up on all sorts of goodies!
The Magic Time Machine in the Dallas/Fort Worth area is actually located on Beltline Road in the suburb of Addison, Texas. Another location for The Magic Time Machine is in San Antonio. Make your reservations soon and get ready for a time like your have never found anywhere else.
Click below to visit their website–
The Magic Time Machine A Fun Adventure in Dining
San Antonio
Historic Sites and Much More
Besides The Alamo, San Antonio offers Fiesta Texas, an amusement park which is a branch of Six Flags but has a definite Texas twist. Sea World is also found in San Antonio along with The Spurs basketball team. This big city in Texas is also home of the beautiful San Antonio Riverwalk where you can take a boat ride and do lots of shopping.
The University of Texas Health and Science Center at San Antonio is the place for one of the best dental programs in the world. UTHSCSA is where my oldest son received his (DDS) Doctor of Dental Surgery degree.
This famous Texas city also offers much more and you will definitely find it to be worth the trip. San Antonio offers a great Texas experience.
Dallas/Fort Worth
There is much to see and experience in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas. This is where you will find Six Flags over Texas, The Texas Rangers baseball team, The Dallas Cowboys, and famous downtown Dallas.
Famous downtown Fort Worth is where the Fort Worth Stockyards are located. In between Dallas/Fort Worth you will find the DFW International airport, which is one of the largest in America
When is the Best Time to Visit Six Flags Over Texas?
Just a bit of inside information if you plan to visit Six Flags Over Texas. I have found it to be much more enjoyable to go during the Christmas Holidays, called “Holiday in the Park”. The weather is much more comfortable; summertime there can make you feel like you are melting right into the ground.
The Music and The Dance
Songs About Texas and Specific Texas Towns
Many songs are identifiable and characteristic to Texas life and culture. Our family moved to Texas when our daughter was six years old. Her first grade class did a springtime program about Texas and they sang some of these Texas songs. One I will always remember her singing was “Deep in the Heart of Texas”. She learned the Texas way of speaking quickly and fit right in as if she had been in Texas all her life. The Texas accent she picked up has stuck with her, but it now is not as distinct as it was then.
I have chosen some of the Texas songs that have meaning to me personally due to childhood memories of my grandmother singing her favorites. She sang very well and I loved hearing her sing “El Paso”. I drifted off to sleep many New Mexico nights on my grandparent’s farm listening to my grandma sing “El Paso”.
Another favorite song was “San Antonio Rose”. Grandma had the Bob Wills recording and we listened to that throughout the days while Grandma did her household chores.
Famous Texas Songs About Famous Texas Towns
Amarillo by Morning
Abilene
El Paso
Luckenbach, Texas
San Antonio Rose
If the heat bothers you, you might prefer to visit Texas in any season but summer. Texas summers are hot!
Spring is a great time to visit if you like wildflowers. If we were blessed with a wet winter, bluebonnets will be abundant in the spring and will make the long drive through Texas worth your trip.
Wide-Open Spaces in Central Texas
Oak Trees “Deep in the Heart of Texas”
Two Great Weekend Get-a-ways in Texas
Glen Rose and Granbury, Texas
Glen Rose, Texas
A Great Romantic Get-a-way
Stay at the Inn on the River
Enjoy fabulous meals prepared by a professional chef.
Sit in white adirondack chairs by the easy-flowing Paluxy River situated by century-old Oak Trees.
Enjoy the beautiful view of the green vegetation and watch the birds and squirrels play on the garden paths and trees.
This is a great peaceful place to get away from daily routines and relax.
To visit the Inn on the River website, click on the picture where I am standing out in front of the inn. My husband loves to take pictures on our travels.
Granbury, Texas
A Small Historic Town with Big Talent & Lots of Entertainment
Austin, Texas
The State Capital of Texas
Austin is also known as “The Live Music Capital of the World”. There are plenty of exciting things to find and do while in Austin, Texas. However, it always seemed that when I ended up in Austin, it was for business. And you don’t normally get many fun things accomplished while sitting in hotel conference rooms listening to the latest corporate direction and promotions. Our McDonald’s Restaurant business required us to visit the state capital on many occasions.
However, on one of those occasions the marketing department brought Austin to our festivities planned at the hotel. This business meeting became very memorable with the western theme. We all dressed up in authentic western apparel and the ambiance was conducive to the theme with real live armadillos present. Also we were all given the opportunity to have our picture taken sitting upon an over one-ton Texas Longhorn Steer. Luckily the steer was very mild mannered and the hard part was just getting up on his back … a step ladder was necessary.
Then there was one trip my husband and I made to Austin which was not directly related to business. It was a unique experience we were afforded the opportunity to be a part of when we were invited to the 2007 Inauguration of Rick Perry as Governor of Texas. It was a very enjoyable and fun celebration.
The entertainment was also terrific. Three entertainers were invited to perform. Clay Walker, a famous country singer, Mary Wilson one of the Supremes who sang with Diana Ross, and Ted Nugent,an American guitarist, musician, singer. I have pictures to share of Clay Walker and Ted Nugent, but could not find my pictures of Mary Wilson.
In the dance pictures and the one of Rick Perry speaking, my husband and I were only a few feet away standing by and talking to Rick Perry’s parents. They are very nice, friendly people.
Austin is another great destination for the true Texas experience!
Finally..
Thank Y’all for Visiting, Your Comments are Welcome Here–
Do you have a Texas story you would like to share?
