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
What to do and see in Texas, United States: The Best Things to do Adventurous
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. Kyle Field
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 416 reviews
Reviewed By K2719CQalexas - Bee Cave, United States
I love watching Aggie football here. This is a great location. I love this stadium. This is a nice stadium.
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. 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.
5. Dinosaur Valley State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 762 reviews
Search for dinosaur footprints at this state park located along the Paluxy River.
Reviewed By SunnyBlu - Houston, United States
Me and my two dogs started at what is called the Main track site. I carried my shih-tzu over the crossing rocks, but my terrier easily crossed. Very interesting. We then hiked down the river bed to the next track site and saw the tracks there in the water, and hiked around some. It was cold so we did not go in the water. I also drove down to the Blue Hole site (which is a swimming hole in warmer weather) and saw the sites there. Left the dogs in the car as the way down is going from rock to rock to rock and some climbing. My terrier could have done it with ease, but not my little senior shih-tzu. I found the tracks very interesting and the river is just gorgeous. If the weather was warm I could have waded across the river to see more tracks - but it was in the 40s! I had a little picnic lunch. Nice clean restrooms there.
6. 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.
7. Comal River
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 622 reviews
A two-mile river (the world's shortest) that offers sites for family picnics and gatherings.
Reviewed By TonyG_Jr - Brownsville, United States
When in New Braunfels... Floating down the Comal River is definately a MUST!!! Dont leave New Braunfels without partying on the river. Grab a float for you, your loved ones and your ice chest and float the day away!!!
8. Colorado Bend State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 210 reviews
A hidden jewel of the Texas park system. Colorado Bend is situated in the Hill Country along the Colorado River and is home to Gorman Falls, a 65 foot waterfall paradise. Fishing, hiking, biking, kayaking and other great opportunities abound.
Reviewed By Inspire587709
Moderate trails lead to overlook of limestone cliffs and canyons, spring-fed creeks, and swimming holes. Colorado River is park boundary. Bring sturdy shoes with good soles and plenty of water during hikes, as trails can be quite rocky. We saw many armadillos.
9. 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.
10. Longhorn Cavern State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 688 reviews
Located less than 90 minutes from Austin, Texas, Longhorn Cavern State Park is a unique Hill Country destination full of natural beauty and Texas-sized tales. Developed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the park’s star attraction is Longhorn Cavern, an underground wonder created by the dissolving and cutting action of an ancient river. Enjoy a guided cave tour, hike a Hill Country trail, and admire some of Texas' best examples of historic CCC architecture. It's all part of the story of Longhorn Cavern State Park.
Reviewed By rhia474 - Irving, United States
This was our second time at the cavern, but the first time with our daughter, visiting the first time before she was born. The drive is lovely on Rt 4 with lots of ups and downs and WHEEs and gorgeous scenery. The park building is a neo-historical cottage built when the cavern was opened in the 1930s. Tours leave every hour on the hour starting at 10 am, and last about 1.5 hours. Our guide was Anna, and she was funny and super informational at the same time. The cave is beautiful, at times you really work some muscles as you can't walk upright for a bit, but at no point it is hard or unsafe for anyone who is in a reasonable physical condition. We also counted about 17 tiny tricolored bats (they aren't really tricolored unless you see them under a microscope, they just look black). They roost alone, anre really small and utterly adorable. Photography is allowed, (bats no-flash only), but no food or drink except plain water. There is a small snack bar and a well-stocked gift shop inside the main building, and by a short walk there is an observation tower that provides a great view of the surrounding vista. Definitely recommending for anyone, except perhaps really small children as strollers and such are not allowed.
