Top Things to do in Texas
Top Hotels in Texas
- 1. Fairmont Austin
- 2. Drury Plaza Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk
- 3. The San Luis Resort, Spa and Conference Center
- 4. Blossom Hotel Houston
- 5. Hotel Contessa - Suites on the Riverwalk
- 6. Moody Gardens Hotel, Spa and Convention Center
- 7. Holiday Inn Resort Galveston-on the Beach, an IHG Hotel
- 8. Fairmont Dallas
- 9. Hilton Americas-Houston
- 10. The Beeman Hotel
The 10 Best Nature & Parks in Texas, United States
Texas has great beaches for bird watching, boating, and fishing. Plus golf courses, cowboy and high art culture, and a rich history. Bask on the beach and bird watch between golf games before, during, or after spring break in Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, Crystal Beach, or South Padre Island. Explore East Texas from Dallas to Tyler, Texarkana, Jefferson, and Nacogdoches. Enjoy golf and big city life in Dallas or Houston. Visit Galveston's coastal Strand. Tour West Texas and Hill Country from San Antonio, New Braunfels, Austin, and Fredericksburg to Amarillo and El Paso.
Restaurants in Texas
1. TGR Exotics Wildlife Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 82 reviews
Grab Your Safari Gear. Your adventure begins HERE! At TGR Exotics Wildlife Park, you will get up close and personal with some of Planet Earth's most exotic, fascinating, and endangered animals. Here you will find more than 100 animals representing over 25 species. All our animals are raised hands on, if not completely hand raised, and they have amazing personalities and dispositions. Go to our website to book your tour.
Reviewed By TexSuzan
This was a fun, positive experience for our granddaughters. Traci led a very informative sloth encounter where we fed three sloths. Nick shared interesting trivia about the exotics we saw on the tour. The girls enjoyed petting the pigs, goats and llamas wandering around. It's evident that owner Gwen is passionate about providing good care of the rescued animals.
2. Port Aransas Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,064 reviews
Public beach on Port Aransas that is clean, has a lifeguard and has car-free locations.
Reviewed By MichelleGarcia84
No vehicle traffic sucks when it comes to bringing stuff to set up at the beach, but nothing a wagon can’t fix, the trade off has been no vehicle traffic, and no cars all over the beach! This is so nice and I wish Port A would keep this rule even after Covid, maybe year down a condo and build a parking lot lol Anyway, clean beach, warm water, bathrooms and rinse stations, trash cans available, watch out for jelly fish and sting rays, plenty of sea shells, various crabs to look for if you enjoy that sort of thing. Sand is perfect for sand castles! Pretty sunsets too!
3. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,301 reviews
Enormous pink rock dome that rises 325 feet above a small stream.
Reviewed By GSchunicht - Houston, United States
We dd a great hike up to the summit mid-morning, thankfully before it got hot, then went around through the canyon trail and back around base trail. All told it was close to 3 hours. Be sure to have a pack and plenty of water, maybe a snack. Some great views all around.
4. Padre Island National Seashore
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,859 reviews
A 15-minute drive from downtown Corpus Christi transports you to this magnificent 70-mile stretch of white sand beach, scenic dunes and warm ocean water, offering ideal conditions for swimming, fishing, beach-combing, windsurfing, camping, bird-watching and viewing wildlife.
Reviewed By M8870IWjasonr
A fantastic national asset. Best enjoyed though with a capable 4x4 vehicle. Tourist crowd the first 5 miles of beach while the real beauty exists South of the 20 mile marker. Ask some locals before taking off down the beach, it does have it's risks. For those adventurous types a trip 60 miles south to the Mansfield jetty is worth the trip.
5. Landa Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 692 reviews
Park that features paddleboats and train rides; great for families.
Reviewed By 360rebeccar - New Braunfels, United States
Landa Park is located in New Braunfels, on the edge of the Texas Hill Country. The crystal clear Comal River runs through the 51-acre Park, and is home to many types of water fowl, including ducks and geese. Shaded by ancient live oak trees, Landa Park features walking paths, a golf course, a putt-putt course and a miniature train that will thrill any child. You will likely see deer hanging about the park, but please don’t feed them or the water fowl. It is against the local laws. Landa Park also features an arboretum, with lovely trees and plants coloring the site. You can walk, jog, splash in the wading pool, ride the train or just visit with friends. Dogs are welcome, on leash.
6. Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,142 reviews
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is where Africa comes to Texas. Our 1,800-acre facility offers a 7.2-mile scenic drive where you can interact with approximately 1,100 exotic and endangered animals roaming free in herds. Drive through in your car, reserve your spot on a guided tour, or even spend a night at our Foothills Safari Camp or The Lodge to see 50-plus species of wild animals including cheetahs, wolves, giraffes, rhinos and more. The delicious food at The Overlook Cafe is paired with an incredible view overlooking the park and our Nature Store offers an array of souvenirs to take home to family and friends. While Fossil Rim is sure to provide a unique experience and exciting adventure, we are dedicated to the conservation of species in peril. Fossil Rim conducts scientific research, trains professionals, responsibly manages our natural resources, and is committed to public education.
Reviewed By Mama_Stegmonster - Denton, United States
After reading many reviews we decided to book the Guided Tour rather than driving ourselves and that was the BEST decision for many reasons: You get to sit and relax the entire time, the guide will give you interesting facts about the animals as well as how they behave in the park, you get food to feed the animals and lettuce for the giraffes, the animals gravitate towards the buses more because they KNOW they will get fed a lot, if your kids are scared of one of the animals (my youngest was scared of the giraffes) they have room to back away rather than scream in your car the entire time, you get closer to the animals by driving off of the paths AND the BEST part is you get to skip the traffic jams from people who choose to drive it on their own. We found the entire visit from the visitor center, the petting zoo, the shop and the tour to be very memorable and awesome. I will say that the ONLY trouble we ran into was that we bought our tickets online and was not aware that you do not start the tour at the beginning, you have to drive past the first gate a 1/2 a mile or so to get to another turn in which feels like you are driving into a neighborhood at first so be aware of that and do your research before running into the same problem we did.
7. Japanese Tea Gardens
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,781 reviews
Originally a rock quarry, part of the tea garden came from a donation by George W. Brackenridge and another section from Emma Koehler. In 1915 Ray Lambert, city parks commissioner, thought it would make a nice location for a lily pond. Ultimately, it grew to become a tea garden. The latest renovations began in 2007 and cost about $1.6 million, compared with the $7,000 Lambert originally spent to open the park. It is a Registered Texas Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.
Reviewed By volcanogirl - Texas, United States
This was one of our favorite things that we did on our trip to San Antonio. The gardens are absolutely stunning. More elaborate than most Japanese gardens we've seen before. You enter from above and what was once an old rock quarry is now a beautiful oasis full of lakes, bridges, colorful flowers, loads of steps, a pretty waterfall, and some gorgeous architecture. There's also a little restaurant, but that was closed when were there along with the restrooms. We spent about an hour exploring. It's a beautiful place for taking photos. Surprisingly, it was free, so that was an added bonus. We've been going to San Antonio for years, but this is the first time we've ever visited the gardens. If you love getting outdoors and exploring nature, don't miss this beautiful spot.
8. Fort Worth Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,407 reviews
City zoo that presents animal habitats as they exist in the world.
Reviewed By tenerifegreg - Kaiserslautern, Germany
I went to the Ft Worth Zoo on a Wednesday, when the cost of admission is half-price. Tickets must be purchased in advance online, in order to take advantage of this saving. The zoo was somewhat empty, due to COVID-19 precautions, but in a way, it was far more enjoyable without as many people. My favorite was the parakeet cage, where you can pay $1.00 and get a stick of birdseed to feed the parakeets with. The elephant exhibit was closed due to remodelling, but there are plenty of other areas to see - primate exhibit, reptile exhibit, penguin, large cats, etc. There's a Texas Town exhibit with a children's petting zoo, and a Texas History 101 walk-through that teaches responsible ecological preservation, and care for the environment. I enjoyed that, perhaps most of all. Some of the gift shops and restsurants are closed, or at minimal staffing due to COVID precautions. The front gift shop had some toy monster trucks for sale, 50% off, for a very reasonable price. If you get the chance, make sure to ride the zoo train. It's a pleasant experience for the entire family.
9. Rockport Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 729 reviews
A mile-long sandy beach that offers swimming and a variety of water sports.
Reviewed By fltexan5
Clean beach. Great for families. Nice bathroom, showers, and changing area. Ample parking and easy access to the beach.
10. Barton Springs Pool
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,720 reviews
Over the years, people have come to this 1,000 foot long natural limestone pool, fed by several underground springs, for everything from fishing and swimming to baptisms and beauty pageants.
Reviewed By susanmF9763WG - Gaithersburg, United States
This is the perfect place to be on a hot day! We rode bikes around the lake to get to the springs so we were good and hot, perfect for enjoying the cold water! Wear water shoes if possible because it's very slippery. There are plenty of places to leave your things on the ground while you venture in. There's a diving board and life guards. Many families enjoying the cooling waters. Quite a view of downtown too! We thoroughly enjoyed this unique and cooling experience in Austin.
