Texas TourismWhat’s New
• The AT&T Performing Arts Center: Multi-venue centre for music, opera, theatre and dance. Comprises an urban park covering over four hectares, the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, Wyly Theatre, Strauss Square, City Performance Hall and Sammons Park, home to The Dallas Opera, Dallas Theater Center, Texas Ballet Theater, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico. Dallas.
• The Omni Fort Worth Hotel: Located across the street from the Fort Worth Convention Center and the Fort Worth Water Gardens. This Texas-themed luxury property offers 614 rooms, three restaurants, wine bar and a spa. Fort Worth.
• Hotel Sorella: An Italian-inspired, contemporary hotel situated within CITYCENTRE, a mixed-use development featuring retail, entertainment and residential units. Hotel includes 244 guestrooms with floor to ceiling windows, complimentary wireless internet access and exclusive spa and fitness centre. West Houston.
Attractions
• The Alamo: The most famous spot in Texas, where 189 defenders fell on March 6, 1836 after repeated attacks by Mexican General Santa Anna’s army. The chapel and Long Barrack are all that remain. Museum contains relics from the Republic of Texas and offers narrations on the fall of the Alamo. San Antonio.
• Sixth Floor Museum: A permanent, educational exhibition at Dealey Plaza on the life, death and legacy of President John F. Kennedy featuring photographs, artifacts, a 30-minute audio tour and six films. Dallas.
• Space City Houston: NASA’s official visitor centre hosts live shows and presentations, interactive exhibits, IMAX theatre and behind-the-scenes tours to the Johnson Space Center. Houston.
• World Birding Center: This network of nine unique sites, each with its own attractions, offers year-round birding adventures, from wilderness walks and float trips to hands-on, state-of-the-art exhibits. Features nearly 500 different species. Lower Rio Grande Valley.
• Buddy Holly Center: The most comprehensive permanent exhibit dedicated to the life and music of Lubbock’s celebrated native son. The Center features the Buddy Holly Gallery, Texas Musicians Hall of Fame, Fine Arts Galleries and a museum shop. Lubbock.
• Dinosaur World: Features over 150 life-size dinosaur models. Become paleontologists at the Fossil Dig, uncover dinosaur skeletons at the Boneyard or enjoy a subterranean picnic in the Caves. North of Dallas.
• The Museum of Living Art (MOLA): The best reptile collection in the U.S. with 170 amphibian and reptile species, amounting to 900 creatures. The herpetarium is the only one of its kind in the world. Forth Worth.
Events
• Galveston Mardi Gras (January/February).
• South by Southwest (March), Austin.
• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (March).
• The Bats of Austin (mid-March to early-October).
• San Antonio Fiesta (April).
• Texas Folklife Festival (June), San Antonio.
• Austin City Limits Music Festival (September).
• Grapefest (September), Grapevine.
• Texas State Fair (September/October), Dallas.
• Ranch Heritage Weekend (October), Bandera.
• Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering and Western Swing Festival (October), Fort Worth.
• Annual Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival (November), Harlingen.
Places
• The Tropics of Texas: Featuring 1,000 kilometres of coastline. The Gulf Coast is a popular beach vacation or long-stay winter destination. From Houston and Galveston to Corpus Christi, Harlingen and South Padre Island, the region boasts beaches, golf and warm Gulf waters for jet skiing, deep-sea fishing, parasailing, dolphin watching and windsurfing. Also home to the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail.
• Dude Ranches: Almost 100 working ranches offer western hospitality and a chance to test your cowboy skills. Bandera is hailed as the Cowboy Capital of the World for its dude ranches, champion rodeo cowboys, western shops and authentic Honky Tonks.
• Galveston: From soft sandy beaches to famous 19th-century architecture, the island is surrounded with incredible history and unique beauty. Attractions include: the Broadway Beauties historic mansions of Galveston’s elite; the Texas Seaport Museum & 1877 Tall Ship Elissa; The Great Storm documentary detailing the 1900 hurricane; the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum; the Railroad Museum; the Lone Star Flight Museum & Texas Aviation Hall of Fame; Moody Gardens featuring a 1.5 million-gallon aquarium pyramid, a 3-D IMAX theatre, tropical rainforest pyramid, and a Ridefilm Theater; and Schlitterbahn Waterpark.Hidden Gems
• Big Bend National Park: Encompassing the entire southwestern tip of Texas, this park is ideal for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and river rafting down the Rio Grande or a guided tour with park rangers.
Texas Tourism• The Texas BBQ Trail: Featuring mouth-watering barbecue at family-owned joints that have been serving it up for generations. Located in the Hill Country Region, stops on the self-drive trail include Elgin, Lockhart, Luling, Round Rock and Taylor. On offer: brisket, ribs, chicken and sausage are served with tempting sides on butcher paper.Did You Know?
State Motto: Friendship
State Flower: Bluebonnet
State Bird: Mockingbird
Fast Facts
Region: GREAT FRONTIER
Direct Flights: Air Canada, American Airlines, Continental
Cruise Lines: Carnival Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
Sales Tools: Texas Tour Guide, Texas Tour & Meeting Guide, E-newsletters, Texas Golf Guide, Accommodations Guide, Calendar of Events, Texas Travel Map, Texas State Park Guide and Coastal Birding Trails Maps
Info: Texas Tourism
1-888-297-9472
www.TravelTex.com