Most travellers will start their tour of the state in the city of Austin. The city is primarily known for its music and you will directly notice this by seeing the dozens of stages in the city. Music lovers from the whole world come to this city to enjoy its wonderful music. Every year the South by Southwest music festival is held in Spring. The country music originated from Austin and every night there are many live concerts held in the city. Since 1839 there is also a university in the city and the student life in Austin is quite apparent. Besides visiting a concert it is fun to go to the Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge. From March till November, 1,5 million guano bats live here. Every night, around sunset time, a black cloud of bats starts its search to find food. Absolutely fun to have seen at least once.
Houston has the nickname Space City because Nasa is housed in the city. Who does not know the famous line: Houston, we have a problem. With two million inhabitants, Houston is the fourth largest city of America and the biggest city in Texas. Nasa coordinates all its space missions from this city. Most tourists will therefore pay a visit to the Space Centre in Houston. From space, the astronauts always communicate through Houston. In the city you can furthermore find different museums. The Texas Museum of Fine Arts is the biggest museum of America and the oldest of Texas. The city Houston is also known as a shopping paradise. It is the fashion city of the south with gigantic stores. In most stores customers can shop tax free. The oldest shopping mall of Taxas is the River Oaks Shopping Centre.
With 1,2 million inhabitants, Dallas is the second largest city of Texas. The city is mostly known as being the place where president John F Kenny was killed. The then president of America was killed on the 22nd of November in 1963 in the city of Dallas. In the Sixth Floor Museum you visit the place from which Lee Harvey Oswald fired the fatal bullet. Since that day the museum hardly changed and thousands of people pay a visit to this place. The museum brings you back to the black page of America's history. Dallas is known, besides the shooting, because of the tv series with the same name. Lovers of the series usually pay a visit to the Southfork Ranch. In the series the Edwing family is central. This family lived on this ranch where the series was shot. Finish off your day in Dallas with a visit to the Reunion Tower. At a hight of 143 metres you have a beautiful view over the city.
One of the most legendary routes through the United States of America is Route 66. This route is partly going through Texas. Officially the route is no more since 1985, but this doesn't mean that no one still travels this route. During the route you will see the most varied landscapes and you will of course drive through Texas. When you are in the state Texas, then you should of course drive the Route 66, at least for a little while!
A real cowboy city is Forth Worth. You will directly get the feeling of the American West during a visit to this city. In the city the old Western traditions are still kept in tact. In the Cattle Drive you can see a herd of Longhorns pass by two times a day while they are driven by Texan cowboys. A visit to this city can be seen as taking a look in the old past of Texas. Going out for a night is possible in a real saloon. A recommendation is the White Elephant Saloon. On Friday and Saturday night there are rodeo competitions held throughout the year.
San Antonio is a real historical place for Texas. In this city is an old fort that was guarded by 189 Texans. Mexican troops wanted to take over the city and take over the fort and attacked with an army of 4000 strong. Despite the big numbers, the Texans knew to protect the fort for 13 days. In the city you can discover more about the Spanish colonial post and you can also discover the Mexican influences. The famous Tex-Mex kitchen originates from here and you can of course have a little taste of this as well. Also make sure you visit the Mexican market in Rio Grande. On the market you will find different eateries that are run by Mexican families. local dishes that are certainly worth trying are: Gorditos de Picadillo o Pollo and Enchiladas Rancheras de Queso.
The Big Bend National Park is sometimes seen as three parks in one. You will find a very diverse landscape here of mountains, deserts and water. In this park you sometimes can get the feeling that you are there all by yourself. You will see amazing views and visit areas where almost no one goes. With the car you can take different wonderful routes over paved roads. When you really want to discover the best of the park then you are better off taking a hiking route by foot. In this way you will see much more of the nature and the views than taking the car. A park ranger can also recommend you which routes you should have seen.
Amarillo is one of the most beautiful cities of Texas nature wise. The city itself is beautifully situated and is close to the second largest Canyon of America. In Amarillo itself you will discover the true Western way to survive. Along the city is a part of the Route 66. A famous attraction on the route here is the Big Texan Steakhouse. Famous is the 2kg steak that you get for free if you eat it whole. You need to eat the stake within an hour including garnish.
Hill Country is often called the most beautiful part of Texas. The landscape consists of green hills and many trees. This piece of landscape does not look anything like the expectations that you have in your mind about the state Texas. This area was relatively unknown until Lyndon Johnson became president. He came from Hill Country and was the 36th president of the United States. In 1963 he became the president after the death of John F Kennedy. Going for a ride through Hill Country is a good recommendation when you are in its proximity.
So there you have it! All the information you need for when you are planning a trip to see the wonderful state of Texas. All that is left now is to organise your trip! Enjoy.
