Texas Travel Guide

Texas is the second-largest and second-most-populous state in the United States of America. Owing to its remarkable size, distinctive culture and politics, and colorful history, many Texans maintain a fiercely independent attitude, with Texan identity often superceding American identity. Few other American states feature their flag so prominently in businesses, on the backs of cars and in advertisements. Originally a territory of Spain and, later, Mexico, Texas rebelled in 1836 and became its own nation for 10 years before joining the USA in 1845. Despite having existed under the auspices of six different nations (France, Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States of America, and the Confederate States of America), Texas has maintained its fascinating independent spirit, making for a unique and unrivaled exploration ground for any intrigued and intrepid adventurer.

Known for their generosity, hospitality, unusual accent, and penchant for the larger-than-life, Texans are wonderful people to meet, and the variety of cultural experiences, from feasting on bratwurst with the Germans of the Hill Country to watching Flamenco dancers with the Chicanos of the Rio Grande valley, is seemingly unlimited.

The large size of the state should not be underestimated. Texas measures full 695,673 square kilometers by area, making it slightly larger than France. Having a car is essential for travel between cities, and within most. The traveler should factor on long driving times between cities and destinations.

Texas Travel Guide - Regions

Panhandle (Lubbock, Amarillo, Wichita Falls)
Great plains, cotton and the Llano Estacado

Prairies and Lakes (Dallas, Fort Worth)
Recreational lakes and exciting nightlife

Piney Woods (Nacogdoches, Tyler)
Pine forests, bayous, and Civil War and Civil Rights history

Gulf Coast (Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi)
Islands, beaches and port cities

South Texas Plains (San Antonio, Laredo)
Border country along the Rio Grande, Spanish missions

Hill Country (Austin, Fredericksburg)
Edwards Plateau, rolling hills, rivers and the State capital

Big Bend Country (El Paso, Odessa)
Big Bend National Park, mountains, desert and canyons.

Texas Travel Guide - Cities

* Amarillo - Wide open spaces, on the edge of the Great Plains.
* Arlington - Home of the Texas Rangers.
* Austin - Live Music Capital of the World. State capital. Home to the University of Texas (5th largest in the USA by enrollment).
* Beaumont - Home of Spindletop, birthplace of the modern oil industry.
* Clifton - Norwegian Capital of Texas, Top 100 arts community.
* Corpus Christi - Popular Gulf Coast city.
* Dallas - One of the most popular visitor destinations in Texas.
* El Paso - The largest city on the US/Mexico border.
* Fort Worth - Fort Worth Stockyards. "Where the West Begins."
* Fredericksburg - German settlement, lots of festivals.
* Galveston - Major port city and tourist destination.
* Houston - Texas' largest city. Home of NASA's Mission Control Center.
* Irving - Home of the Dallas Cowboys.
* Laredo - The US's largest inland port.
* Lubbock - Largest city in the plains of Texas.
* Midland/Odessa - Twin west Texas oil cities.
* Nacogdoches - "Cradle of Texas Liberty." Many Texas landmarks.
* San Antonio - Famous for the Alamo and the "River Walk" nightlife district.

Texas Travel Guide - Other Destinations

* Big Bend National Park
* Palo Duro Canyon
* South Padre Island

Texas Travel Guide - Understand

History

France, Spain and Mexico have all laid claim to Texas at one point or another. However in 1836, Texas won its independence from Mexico and became the Republic of Texas. The most famous battle of the fight for independence was the stand at the Alamo. Although tragic, the sacrifice allowed the main army of Texas time enough to gather their strength and defeat the formidable Mexican army, led by General Santa Anna. Nine years later Texas agreed to be annexed by the United States and became the 28th state of the Union.

People

The ethnic background of Texas is extremely diverse. Fully one-third of the population has some sort of Hispanic background. There are also many German settlements (Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, et. al.), as well as Norwegian, Polish, Czech, Swedish and French settlements.

Climate

Texas is a huge state and has an extreme variety of weather. Texas is very warm in the summer (commonly higher than 100F or 38C). In West Texas and the Panhandle, summers are usually dry with fits of stormy weather. North Texas (Dallas/Fort Worth region) has an unstable climate (hence the saying "If you don't like the weather in Texas, wait 10 minutes and it will change" – though 10 minutes later you might not like the change). Thunderstorms are common, sometimes generating tornadoes and hailstorms. It is often cooler near the coast, though humidity can be unbearable in the summer. Conversely, the spring, autumn and winter are relatively pleasant for most of the state. It rarely dips below the freezing point in winter, except in the Panhandle region where the winters can get quite cold (Lubbock and Amarillo have suffered devastating blizzards in the past.). It has snowed as far south as San Antonio and Houston, but snow will often melt within moments of landing.

Texas Travel Guide - Getting There

Texas shares an international border with Mexico as well as a 600 mile coastline. It is bordered on the north by the state of Oklahoma, on the west by the state of New Mexico, and on the east by the states of Arkansas and Louisiana. As a state of the United States, all visa and passport rules of the USA apply.

By plane

Texas has several international airports, including George Bush Intercontinental (or just "Intercontinental") in Houston, and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, both of which are major airline hubs and are relatively cheap to fly into. Other major airports can be found in San Antonio, El Paso, and Austin, though almost every reasonably sized city in the state is served by some kind of air transport.

By train

Three Amtrak trains serve the state: The Texas Eagle, Sunset Limited, and Heartland Flyer. Fares are high and ride times are long, but the Amtrak offers a unique perspective for those who are interested.

By car

Texas is well-served from other points in the U.S. by the United States Interstate Highway system, the quality and condition of which is generally very good. There are many roads which cross into Texas from Mexico, most notably in Laredo and El Paso. Due to the enormous amount of traffic from south and central America, Laredo is the country's largest inland port, and wait times at this and all border stations can often be tremendous.

By boat

Major ports in Texas include Houston, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Beaumont, Port Arthur and Brownsville. Cruise ships occasionally start and end their voyages in the various ports around Houston.

Texas Travel Guide - Getting Around

The road system is almost universally excellent, and even the most remote points in the state can be accessed with an average sedan. Gas stations are numerous. Texan highways are often built with parallel frontage roads and turnarounds at most exits. Speed limits are very strictly enforced in rural areas of the state, as traffic fines are often a primary industry for many smaller towns, but when travelling through larger cities observing the "common speed" is much safer. Texas Map features a detailed scrollable road map which can be printed in sections.

Texas is home to major airlines American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Continental Airlines. American and Continental fly to many Texas locations through their hubs in Dallas and Houston, respectively. Southwest is the no-frills discounter granddad and flies throughout Texas. Travel to any destination world-wide is quite painless from the larger Texas airports.

Since Texas cities are geographically dispersed, travel by train is expensive and often inconvenient. Passenger service is no longer an option for cities in the Panhandle or southern Texas. Again, the size of the state is startling; traveling across the width of Texas (from Orange, in the eastern extremity, near Houston, to El Paso in the western extremity) is roughly the same distance as one would encounter while traveling from El Paso to Los Angeles or from Houston to Jacksonville, Florida. Texarkana, in the northeast corner of the state, is closer to Chicago than it is to the extreme southern tip of Texas.

Greyhound provides intercity bus service. Other bus carriers include TNM&O, Kerville & Americanos.

Texas Travel Guide - Things To See

History

* Don't miss the Alamo in San Antonio, where the erstwhile Republic of Texas saw its most tragic hour.

* Fort Davis National Historic Site -- Partially restored fort, home of the Buffalo soldiers -- located in the town of Ft. Davis north of Big Bend Nat Park. Also in Ft. Davis is MacDonald Observatory, Ft. Davis State Park and a scenic loop drive that goes through the Davis Mountains and down on the prairie where you can see deer, pronghorn (also called antelope), eagles and some very beautiful scenery.

* The Fort Worth Stockyards offer a look into the past, when cattle drives and cowboys were all the rage.

Fun and Games

* The original Six Flags theme park is in Arlington

Culture and "Texana"

* The King Ranch, along the Gulf Coast, is a working ranch bigger than the state of Rhode Island.

* As the largest city on the US/Mexico border, El Paso is a hotbed of Hispanic culture in America with a flavor that is more Mexican than Texan.

* Not to be missed is the extraordinary Texas Hill Country, with its fields of wildflowers covering sprawling cattle ranches.

Nature

* Big Bend National Park is mountains, desert, wilderness, and river (Rio Grande) scenery. There are snakes, deer, javelina (wild pigs) plus many other types of wildlife. At the western entrance is Terlingua (an old ghost town) which is the home to the annual International Chili Cookoff. Farther down the road to the west along the El Camino Real (The River Road) scenic drive to Presidio is the town of Lajitas whose mayor is a goat (a real goat) that guzzles beer like water -- put a bottle or can near his mouth and he will grab it right out of your hand in his teeth and turn it up until it all drains into his mouth.

* Get an idea of the size and space of Texas with a drive through the Chihuahuan Desert or through the Texas Panhandle.

Texas Travel Guide - Things To Do

* Take a leisurely inner tube trip, floating down the Comal, Guadalupe, San Marcos, or Frio rivers.

* Spend the weekend living the Old West at a Dude Ranch

Texas Travel Guide - Eat

Barbecue is the mainstay of any true Texan's diet (most Texans will frown at you if you call it BBQ). The International Barbecue Cookoff is held annually in Taylor, TX (northeast of Austin. The number one barbeque restaurant is the Kreuz Market in Lockhart (also near Austin), although there are several excellent places all around Texas.

Chili is the official state dish of Texas. There are many varieties of chili, but Original Texas-style chili contains no beans. The place to try all the varieties is the International Chili Cookoff, held on the first weekend in November in Terlingua, TX.

Tex-Mex is Mexican cuisine with Texas flair. Take ancient traditions (such as filled tortillas) and add beef, sauces, cheeses and spices, and Tex-Mex is born. Nachos, crispy tacos, crispy chalupas, chili con queso, chili con carne, chili gravy, and fajitas are all Tex-Mex inventions. Serving tortilla chips and a hot sauce or salsa as an appetizer is also an original Tex-Mex combination, and one that Texan diners insist on.

Down Home Cookin' is a blend of American and German cuisine brought about by the necessity of cooking from the back of a chuck wagon. Meals include steaks, stews, casseroles, breads and pies. There are many steakhouses around the state, notably the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Bob's Steak and Chophouse in Dallas, Fort Griffin General Merchandise in Albany and Taste of Texas steak house in Houston's west side.

Texas Travel Guide - Drink

There are many cities with a fabulous nightlife. Dallas has Uptown and Deep Ellum districts. West of Dallas in Fort Worth is the world-famous Billy Bob's, the largest Honky-Tonk in the world. Also downtown in Fort Worth are Sundance Square and The Historic Stockyards. In Houston you can go "Downtown" or "Uptown". Have a good time in Austin on 6th Street and the Warehouse District. And don’t forget San Antonio's famous River Walk.

In early 2006, the controversial Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC) program that allows for "public intoxication" arrests in any public area or business establishment, including bars, drew national attention. This was due to an unfortunate incident where people staying in a hotel were arrested for being intoxicated in that hotel's bar. There has been sufficient negative feedback from the public regarding the TABC program that it has been suspended for review.

Texas Travel Guide - Arts and Theatre

Known for the vibrancy of its visual and performing arts, the Houston Theater District—a 17-block area in the heart of Downtown Houston—is ranked second in the country (behind New York City) in the number of theatre seats in a concentrated downtown area with 12,948 seats for live performances and 1,480 movie seats.

Houston is also one of only five cities in the United States with permanent professional resident companies in all of the major performing arts disciplines (the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Ballet, and The Alley Theatre). Houston is widely recognized as the nation's third most important city for contemporary visual arts.

Dallas and Fort Worth serve as epicenters of the North Texas region's art scene. The Modern (formerly the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth), founded in 1892, is the oldest art museum in Texas. The city is also home to the Kimbell Art Museum, the Amon Carter Museum, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the Will Rogers Memorial Center, and the Bass Performance Hall downtown. The Arts District of Downtown Dallas is home to several arts venues. Notable venues in the district include the Dallas Museum of Art, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, The Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art, and the Nasher Sculpture Center.

Also within Dallas is the notable Deep Ellum district which originally became popular during the 1920s and 1930s as the prime jazz and blues hotspot in the Southern United States. The name Deep Ellum is thought to have originally derived from local tongues saying "Deep Elm", but that came out as "Deep Ellum". Artists such as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, and Bessie Smith played in original Deep Ellum clubs like The Harlem and The Palace. Today, Deep Ellum is home to hundreds of artists who live in lofts and operate in studios throughout the district alongside bars, pubs, and concert venues. One major art infusion in the area is the city's lax stance on graffiti, thusly several public ways including tunnels, sides of buildings, sidewalks, and streets are covered in murals.

Texas Travel Guide - Highways

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is a governmental agency and its purpose is to "provide safe, effective, and efficient movement of people and goods" throughout the state. Though the public face of the agency is generally associated with maintenance of the state's immense highway system, the agency is also responsible for aviation in the state and overseeing public transportation systems.

Texas freeways are heavily traveled and are often under construction to meet the demands of continuing growth. As of 2005, there were 79,535 miles of public highway in Texas (up from 71,000 in 1984). Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) planners have sought ways to reduce rush hour congestion, primarily through High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes for vans and carpools. The "Texas T", an innovation originally introduced in Houston, is a ramp design that allows vehicles in the HOV lane, which is usually the center lane, to exit directly to transit centers or to enter the freeway directly into the HOV lane without crossing multiple lanes of traffic. Timed freeway entrances, which regulate the addition of cars to the freeway, are also common. Houston and San Antonio have extensive networks of freeway cameras linked to transit control centers to monitor and study traffic.

One characteristic of Texas's freeways are its frontage roads (also known as service roads or feeder roads). Texas is the only state that widely constructs frontage/access roads along its highways even in the most remote areas. Frontage roads provide access to the freeway from businesses alongside, such as gas stations and retail stores, and vice versa. Alongside most freeways along with the frontage roads are two to four lanes in each direction parallel to the freeway permitting easy access to individual city streets. New landscaping projects and a longstanding ban on new billboards are ways Houston has tried to control the potential side effects of convenience.

Another common characteristic found near Texas overpasses are the Texas U-turns which is a lane allowing cars traveling on one side of a one-way frontage road to U-turn into the opposite frontage road (typically crossing over or under a freeway or expressway) without being stopped by traffic lights or crossing the highway traffic at-grade.

Texas Travel Guide - Airports

The Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, located nearly equidistant from downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth, is the largest airport in the state, the second largest in the United States, and fourth largest in the world. In terms of traffic, DFW is the busiest in the state, fourth busiest in the United States, and sixth busiest in the world. The airport serves 135 domestic destinations and 37 international, and is the largest and main hub for American Airlines (900 daily departures), the world's largest airline, and also the largest hub for American Eagle.

Texas's second-largest air facility is Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). The airport is the ninth-busiest in the United States for total passengers, and nineteenth-busiest worldwide. Houston is the headquarters of Continental Airlines, and the airport is Continental Airlines' largest hub, with over 750 daily departures (over 250 operated by Continental Airlines). A long list of cities within Texas, as well as international destinations are served directly from this airport. With 30 destinations in Mexico, IAH offers service to more Mexican destinations than any other U.S. airports. IAH currently ranks second among U.S. airports with scheduled non-stop domestic and international service (221 destinations), trailing only Atlanta Hartsfield with 250 destinations.

Some of the other airports that are served by airlines include Dallas Love Field, Houston Hobby Airport, San Antonio International Airport, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, El Paso International Airport, Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport, and Valley International Airport in Harlingen, TX.

Texas Travel Guide - Passenger Railroads

Passenger rail service in Texas is at this moment extremely limited from both network viewpoint (with only three routes) and frequency viewpoint (only daily or tri-weekly service), and is certainly to be considered below par for a developed state.

Currently three Amtrak trains serve Texas:

* the daily Texas Eagle connecting Chicago, Illinois with San Antonio, with three times a week through cars to Los Angeles. Texas stations served by this train are Marshall, Longview, Mineola, Dallas, Fort Worth, Cleburne, McGregor, Temple, Taylor, Austin, San Marcos and San Antonio, where through cars are coupled to the Sunset Limited.
* the tri-weekly Sunset Limited, connecting New Orleans, Louisiana to Los Angeles, California. Texas stations served are Beaumont, Houston and then 190 miles non-stop to San Antonio, where the through cars of the Texas Eagle are coupled. Further west, following Texas localities are served: Del Rio, Sanderson, Alpine and El Paso.
* the daily Heartland Flyer, from Fort Worth (where it connects to the Texas Eagle) to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, serving Texas stations: Fort Worth and Gainesville.

Texas Travel Guide - Mass Transportation

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is the Dallas area public transportation authority, providing buses, rail, and HOV lanes. DART began operating the first light rail system in the Southwest United States in 1996 and continues to expand its coverage. The DART light rail system remained the only one in Texas until METRORail opened in Houston in 2004.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) operates bus, lift bus, and light rail service in Harris County, which includes Houston. METRO also operates bus service to two cities in Fort Bend County. METRO began running light rail service (METRORail) in Houston on January 1, 2004. Currently the track is rather short. It runs about 8 miles (13 km) from Downtown Houston to the Texas Medical Center and Reliant Park.

Capital Metro operates bus service throughout the city of Austin and will add a commuter rail line in 2008.

The Brownsville Urban System operates bus service throughout the city of Brownsville, Texas.

Although located in the middle of the service areas of DART, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, and the Trinity Railway Express that connects the two, the city of Arlington remains the largest city in the United States that is not served by a public transportation system.

Texas Travel Guide - Stay Safe

The crime rate in Texas is on par with the rest of the United States. In the larger cities, if you stay in the tourist areas you will be generally safe (talk to your hotel concierge or manager if you aren't sure about a certain area). The rural areas have a very small crime rate. Texans have a (largely undeserved) reputation for carrying firearms or resolving disputes with gunfire, but such actions are no more common here than in other parts of the US.

Texas weather is rarely dangerous. However, be aware of the weather during hurricane season on the coast, and of tornado season (spring and summer) if you're in the Dallas/Fort Worth region. Also, although Texas deserts are beautiful, the heat can be dangerous without the proper precautions. Bring plenty of water and sunscreen.

Texas is in "Tornado Alley".

Article Source: Wikipedia