Texas

TEXAS!

Adrian
Mid Point Cafe (1/2 way between Chicago and LA on Route 66; memorabilia; pie)

Alpine
Museum of Big Bend
Holland Hotel (food)

Amarillo
The Big Texan (72 oz steak free if eaten in one hour)
Cadillac Ranch (real ones buried in ground)
Coyotte Bluff
Stockyard Cattle (chicken fried steak)3

Arlington
J. Gilligan's Bar and Grill (Irish Nachos--with potatoes)3
baseball


Austin
Zilker Peak--Barton Springs (spring-led pool)
Dorest 221 Truck Stop (3-egg omelette and chicken fried steak)
Amy’s Ice Cream
Upper Guadalupe River (tube near cypress trees and limestone cliffs)
McKinney Falls State Park (Homestead Trail, Onion River)
O. Henry Home and Museum
Royers (betw Austin and Houston; Tollhouse pie--877-866-7437)
Magnolia Cafe (breakfast 24/7: many omelettes, polenta, Texas Benedict, gingerbread pancakes, blackened salmon, jambalaya in red pepper, eggs florentine)3
Green Mesquite (that wood used; chopped beef, brisket, spare ribs, pulled pork, smoked turkey/chicken/sausage, Texas jambalaya, Bubba tacos, wings, fried okra, chicken fried steak)3
Maria's Taco Xpress
Juan in a Million (tacos)
Roundrock Donuts (regular and Texas-sized)3

Big Bend National Park
Saint Elena Canyon (only 30 feet separates US from Mexico; canoeing)

Corpus Christi
Crystal’s Confectionary Bar (dessert hat)
Museum of Science and History
Texas Maritime Museum
Padre Island (beach, longest barrier island in world, sea turtles)
Matagorda Island State Park (beach camping, dunes, no cars)
Guadalupe Mountains National Park (McKittrick Trail, year-round stream)
Big Bend National Park (float down Rio Grande, Window Trail, Lost Mine Trail, birds, Outer Mountain Loop- best view)
Lajitas
teepee-style picnic shelters (12 miles west)
Santa Elena Canyon (walk down to river, rafting)



Dallas
McDonald's (happy meal playground design)
Mustang Donuts (chocolate cream)
Dallas-Ft Worth Airport (American Airlines CR Smith Museum, south end)
Texas State Fair (largest fair and largest Ferris Wheel in country; fried everything: peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwich; Coca-Cola-- batter with syrup, whip cream, cinnamon sugar, cherry; pineapple with coconut on frozen nitrogen--vapor coming out of nose; alligator on a stick)3
Avila's (Mexican; former house; possole soup, brisket gorditas)3

East Dallas
Twisted Root Burger (guests called by character, ie., Grinch, Wily E Coyote; deep-fried pickles, onion rings, homemade ketchup, root beer float)3

El Paso (best in December)

Fabens
Cattleman's Steakhouse (at Indian Cliff's Ranch--Exit 49 off Interstate 10; since 1973)

Fort Davis
McDonald Observatory
Fredericksburg
300 B&Bs
Dietz Bakery
Enchanted Rock State National Area (400-ft pink granite)
Fredericksburg Herb Farm (bed-and-breakfast, restaurant and store)


Fort Worth
Fred's Texas Cafe (rib eye steak, spicy lamb stew with green chili--seasonal, cheeseburgers, chicken fried steak)3
The Lonesome Dove (urban Western cuisine: rabbit/rattlesnake sausage, red deer rib chop)3



Galveston
Lone Star Flight Museum (military planes)
Moody Gardens (aquarium, IMAX)
Seawolf Park (WWI submarine)
Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum (on actual working oil rig)
Railroad Museum (large collection)
Galveston County Historical Museum (1900 hurricane)

Harlingen
Confederate Air Force Museum

Houston
Goode Company (Brazos bottom pie)
Big Thicket Natural Preserve (Turkey Creek Trail)
Space Center Houston (Level 9 tour, mission control, touch the moon--part of it)
Katz’s Delicatessan (shakes)
Rothko Chapel (displayed artwork of modern artist Mark Rothko)
The Orange Show (one man’s tribute to the fruit at his house)
Rocket Park (see an actual one)
Williams Waterwall (especially pretty at night)
Museum District (12 museums including Health and Medical Science, Children’s, Zoo, and Natural Science, Holocaust)
Air Terminal Museum
San Jacinto State Park (battleship, view from obelisk)
National Museum of Funeral History
Brazos State Park (bird and alligator-viewing)
Anahuac Wildlife Natural Refuge (bird and alligator-viewing)
Buffalo Bayou
Barker Reservoir
King’s Orchard (pick-your-own)
Houston Fire Museum (old firefighting station)
The Beer Can House (folk art)
Royers Roundtop Cafe (pies, not-too-sweet pecan pie)
The Toffee Company (handmade)
Ouisie’s Table (veal, sauteed duck breast in maple syrup, quail, dove)
Hank's Ice Cream Parlor (unusual varieties: apple pie, banana pudding)
Edie's (burgers, Texas chicken hash)
Kenny and Ziggy's (New York-style deli; Jewish comfort food: matso ball soup, mish mash soup, Jewish wontons; sandwiches: pastrami, corned beef, Reuben)3

Humble
Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens

Lake Jackson
Cajun Greek (food)

Laredo


Llano
Cooper’s Old-Time Pit Bar-B-Q (Bush 43’s favorite barbecue)
Headhunter’s (slawburger, orange and lemon soda)

Lockhart
official BBQ capital of Texas
Smitty's Market (since 1900; sausage, served on butcher paper)3
Kreuse Market
Black's BBQ (since 1932--oldest barbecue restaurant in Texas owned by same family; brisket, pork sausage)3


Marathon
Gage Hotel (1928, Western furnishings, Italianate pool)
Green Gulch Road (winding and high)

Medina
Love Creek Orchards (apple everything in store, 5 lbs of apples in each pie)


Pittsburg
Old Europe Bulgarian Restaurant (sliced pork and fruit)

New Braunfels
Schlitterbahn (water park)
New Braunfels Smokehouse (restaurant and store)

Richmond
George Ranch Historic Park (experience lives of TX pioneers, Mexicans, blacks and Victorians)

Round Rock
Round Rock Donuts (drive-thru; since 1940)

Ruidosa
Chinati Hot Springs (cheap natural spa)

San Antonio
Little Hipps
Liberty Bar
Circle V-Bharre Ranch (wild game farm; owners of Mikeska's BBQ--throughout Texas; the "First Family of Texas barbecue"; lamb breast, sweetbreads, sausages, dove wrapped with bacon)3
The Cove (car wash; food)
Lulu's Bakery and Cafe (chicken fried steak, huge cinnamon rolls--3.5 lbs)
Alamo (historical fort)
Big Lou's Pizza (home of 42" pie)
Chunky's Burgers and More (varieties: pineapple, avocado, jalepeno)


San Marcos
Springlake, San Marcos River (canoeing and tubing)
Aquarena Springs (waterpark resort)
Wonder World Cavern (tour, wildlife park, AntiGravity House)
Natural Bridge Cavern
Rudy’s (barbecue, sause)
Dinner Barge (on San Antonio River)
Mi Tierra Bakery (kampachano--sweet potato pie, pecan pralines)
Taco Taco
?Mac and Ernie’s (goat, chocolate pie, setting- a real parking lot )

South Padre Island
Beachcomber’s Museum

Tarpley (population--50)
Mac & Ernie's (goat burger, chicken-fried filet mignon)3

Taylor
Louis Muller Barbeque

Terlingua
Hungry Javelina (tacos)
Starlight Theater Restaurant (old movie house)

Tomball
Goodson's (large chicken fried steak with cream-based gravy, rolls)3

Uvalde
Live Oaks (no sign; best tortitas in Texas, sweetbreads)3


Wautaga
Chef Point Cafe (bread pudding, duck l'orange, seafood ciopini, rib eye, crab-stuffed pork chops, lobster bisque; in a gas station)3

Woodville
Big Thicket National Preserve

?
Hueco Tanks
boulder climbing
Monahans Sandhills State Park (sand dunes- sled and camp)
Cadillac Ranch
Carorollton’s Stone Works (tallest indoor climbing gym in world)
Aldo’s Resaurant (zebra and elk)
Hueco Tanks State Historic Site
Balmorhea State Park (huge spring-fed swimming pool)