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
Top 10 Hidden Gems Things to do 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. Santa Elena Canyon
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 661 reviews
Borders the western edge of Big Bend National Park.
Reviewed By travelerfromsj - San Jose, United States
This is an easy hike with probably the most bang for the buck of any trail in Big Bend National Park. It’s 1.5 miles out and back with 80 feet of elevation, and it takes you into the canyon along the banks of the Rio Grande river, with 1500 vertical feet of limestone cliffs towering above the trail. The only problem is that to even start this trail you have to first cross Terlingua creek, which connects with the Rio Grande River right after the trail head. You have three options here: 1. Visit Big Bend when there has been little to no rain and the creek is dry. 2. Take off your shoes (or put on water sandals), hike up your pants, and wade across the creek. This is a great option if the creek is low, but when we visited in early November, Terlingua “creek” was about 50 feet wide and maybe 2 ½ feet high. At that point I would call it a river! I only saw one person wade across when we were there. 3. When you reach the creek, turn right and walk down a little ways until the creek turns into a thin stream. Then walk across and look for a steep, narrow little path that goes up the banks of the creek. Climb up this path (it’s about 20 feet up) and then scramble through the rocks and plants at the top until you reach the start of the trail. When I was there, that’s pretty much what every hiker did, including one man who managed it while holding a baby. I’ve posted pictures with this review that show what this unofficial path looks like. Hopefully they’ll build a bridge over the creek at some point, but for now I think the unofficial path is the best bet during the rainy season. This is a great trail with stunning views, and it’s well worth the rather difficult start.
2. Jack Sisemore Traveland RV Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 641 reviews
Reviewed By ltt244 - Tucson, United States
Enjoyed the collection and story behind the collection of old RV's and camping paraphernalia. Brought back a lot of memories of camping as a kid. Fun stop and thanks to Jack for putting this together and keeping it free to the public!
3. Cowgirls and Cowboys in the West
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 956 reviews
Cowgirls and Cowboys in the West is a Western Heritage attraction located on the rim of Palo Duro Canyon, in Amarillo, Texas- near historic Route 66. We offer horseback riding and other activities that focus on the heritage of the Real West. At our venue, we not only offer horseback riding, but also private and public chuck wagon meals for groups that includes cowboy entertainment, and a venue to learn about horsemanship, Old West History and also specific history of the Palo Duro Area. In addition, we also offer city tours, route 66 tours, and progressive tours that follow the trails of Cowboys and Indians and the trails leading up to the Santa Fe Trail. Join us and step back in time to the Old West, and experience ranching life in the New West.
Reviewed By donnakh1 - Manor, United States
Wondrerful trail ride leaders Grace and Brayden made sure we knew all we needed to have a relaxing horseback ride to view the beautiful Palo Duro Canyon; an as an added bonus we got a history lesson on the area. So nice to see young ladies being so refreshingly responsible!
4. Top O'Hill Terrace
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 542 reviews
"Known As Vegas Before Vegas" Decorative wrought iron gates flanked by native sandstone guard towers lend an aura of mystery of mystery and intrigue to the location of what was in the 1930s and 40s, a gambling ground rich and adventurous, mischievous,famous and infamous.
Reviewed By DAC1054
If you come to Arlington, you MUST go to Top O'Hill! Who knew such interesting history happened in this very place .... Bonnie & Clyde and Frank Sinatra??? Oh, my! Vicki does an incredible job of sharing the history with humor and stories told to her by those who were at Top O'Hill in its glory days! Riveting. It's two hours well spent and a place you will be talking about to all of your friends!
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Gruene Historic District
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 954 reviews
A former ghost town that offers a General Store and souvenir shops as well as THE Gristmill and Gruene Hall.
Reviewed By 76enjoy - Kyle, United States
There is lot to see in Gruene. I really enjoyed sampling peanut butter and salsas. Also the outdoor waiting at the grist mill restaurant was enjoyable because of beautiful scenery, nice music and friendly people. I will definitely be visiting again.
10. 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.
