With thousands of people moving to Texas every year, we thought we’d provide a list of experiences that would help our new Texans become acclimated to this great state. From north to south, and then east to west, there’s so much to see, do and authentically experience in Texas.
So pack up the car and check out the sights, sounds and eats that Texas has to offer!
- Visit the State Fair of Texas in late September and early October.
- Visit a real Texas rodeo with bona fide cowboys and cowgirls ropin’ and ridin’ the wild animals.
- Enjoy the bluebonnets and other wildflowers that bloom in springtime.
- Jump into a swimming hole in Central Texas.
- Head to Padre Island to watch the rare, protected Kemp’s Ridley turtles as they hatch and race to the water.
- Attempt to ride the Hotter’N Hell Hundred cycling event in Wichita Falls.
- Go deer hunting in the picturesque Texas Hill Country.
- Camp out with wild and exotic animals at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose.
- Go eat some Tex-Mex.
- Visit the Texas Capitol and take the tour offered several times a day.
- Canoe or boat through the cypress trees and enjoy the swampy East Texas bayous at Caddo Lake.
- Admire the roses in Tyler, which is home to the largest municipal rose garden in the United States.
- Head to Gruene Hall, Texas’ oldest dance hall, in the New Braunfels’ historic Gruene district.
- Attend a taping of Austin City Limits, the longest running music program in television history.
- Catch the battle of the bands during the State Fair Classic each fall between the Tiger Band and the Marching Storm— the marching bands of Grambling State University in Louisiana and Prairie View A&M in southeast Texas.
- Museums—and more museums.
- Visit Scenic Drive and watch the sun go down and the lights come up over El Paso and Juarez.
- Tour President Lyndon Johnson’s ranch, home of the Texas White House.
- Hang out by the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin and watch the bat show.
- Visit the Inner Space Cavern in Georgetown—one of the best-preserved caves in Texas and home to prehistoric remains.
- Explore Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site in El Paso.
- Catch a Friday night high school football game.
- Make an appointment to see The Hill, artist James McGee’s giant art project in the desert outside El Paso.
- Check out the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders’ locker room as part of your AT&T Stadium tour.
- Find some peace at a Buddhist temple. Try Wat Buddhanratanaram in Fort Worth.
- Visit a charming small town with a quaint downtown square—perhaps Waxahachie in North Texas or Fredericksburg or Boerne in the Hill Country.
- Head out to Marfa, the arts mecca in Presidio County in far west Texas.
- See the spectacular July 4 fireworks show in Addison—known as Kaboom Town, considered one of the country’s best fireworks shows.
- Slide down Flagpole Hill in Dallas after a snowfall or ice storm.
- Spend the day at the Stockyards in Fort Worth, then follow it with a night in Sundance Square.
- On your road trip, stop at Buc-ee’s.
- Visit the Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville.
- Stroll along the San Antonio Riverwalk, then drive past the beautiful historic homes in the King William Historic District.
- Tour the Alamo.
- Stop in Amarillo and look at Cadillac Ranch, the public art installation that features painted Cadillacs. Website
- Consume some Texas-centric foods: Blue Bell ice cream; Collin Street Bakery fruitcake; kolaches in West—just to name a few.
- Join a stargazing party and ponder the universe at the McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains in west Texas.
- Visit Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas panhandle—it’s the country’s second-largest canyon.
- Visit one of Texas’ many national parks.
- Venture to Southfork and look for Sue Ellen and Bobby or other members of the Ewing clan.
- Explore Space Center Houston, home of the Johnson Space Center.
- Stuff yourself silly with some Texas barbecue.
- Float a River—the Guadalupe, Comal, and Brazos are just a few.
- Visit the world’s tallest monument column, the San Jacinto Monument.
- Camp out at Enchanted Rock.
- Celebrate the Day of the Dead in San Antonio.
- Drink your way through the best craft breweries in Texas.
