Big skies and bigger parks, barbecue and Tex-Mex food (don’t miss the breakfast tacos), a vibrant live music scene in Austin, and world-class birding in South Texas—plus, cowboys. These are just a few reasons why you should visit Texas.
Best Time to Visit Texas
Spring: March and April bring colorful wildflowers like indigo-hued bluebonnets and red-and-yellow Indian blankets to the highways and backroads in Central Texas. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin features 284 acres of native plants inspired by the Texas-born first lady. Outdoor festivals crowd the calendar, including Austin’s South by Southwest Festival with films and concerts each March and San Antonio’s Fiesta celebrating the city’s Hispanic heritage with parades and concerts in April. The March Round Top Antiques Fair between Austin and Houston fills tents and hayfields with French furniture and vintage cowboy boots.
Summer: It’s hot, with temperatures often soaring above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat the heat at one of the state’s Gulf of Mexico beaches, such as South Padre Island, where you can watch hatchling releases of baby Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles. Or go tubing in the Guadalupe River near New Braunfels or in the Frio River in Garner State Park.
Autumn: Cooler temperatures lure Texans outdoors to events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park and the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, where you can eat a corn dog and wave to Big Tex, the 55-foot-tall animatronic greeter. Lost Maples State Natural Area, northwest of San Antonio, boasts the state’s best fall colors. Celebrate New Braunfels’ German heritage at Wurstfest.
Winter: Mild weather makes outdoor activities pleasant around the holidays. In San Antonio, stroll the Riverwalk where the bald cypress trees are draped with twinkling lights. Galveston’s Victorian downtown hosts Dickens on the Strand, featuring costumed revelers and roving musicians.
Cities
Texas boasts four of America’s largest cities. San Antonio, once part of Spain and later Mexico, showcases its history at the Alamo and the San Antonio Missions. Houston offers high culture with art museums and the NASA Johnson Space Center, where tram tours cover Mission Control and other sites. Sister cities Dallas and Fort Worth are just 30 miles apart in North Texas. In Dallas, catch home games from the Dallas Cowboys or hear live music in Deep Ellum. Fort Worth features a good art museum scene and cowboy culture, with hatted herders leading longhorn cattle through the Stockyards District daily.
Austin, the capital city, is renowned for live music, barbecue, and Barton Springs Pool, a natural spring-fed watering hole. In the Rio Grande Valley, cities like McAllen and Brownsville offer varied wildlife habitats at the World Birding Center. West Texas’ El Paso blends Tex-Mex bordertown culture with the stark beauty of the Chihuahuan Desert and Franklin Mountains, best explored via mountain bike or hiking trails.
Parks and Smaller Cities
The Hill Country: Central Texas’ rolling terrain features Fredericksburg, with its main street full of indie boutiques and German restaurants plus 60-plus wineries. Bandera offers cowboy culture, and the beer-drinking enclave of Luckenbach was made famous by Waylon Jennings’ song.
The Big Bend: Big Bend National Park and the adjacent Big Bend Ranch State Park lure hikers, bikers, and campers to West Texas’ desert and mountain landscapes. Stargaze at the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis or check out the Donald Judd art installations in Marfa.
Texas Coast: Padre Island, the world’s longest barrier island, stretches for 113 miles from South Texas to Corpus Christi. Galveston Island is the birthplace of Juneteenth and home to Victorian mansions.
Panhandle: Palo Duro Canyon, the second largest canyon in the U.S. and a state park, carves through the Panhandle for 120 miles.
Getting In and Around Texas
By plane, Dallas-Fort Worth International, George Bush Intercontinental in Houston, and Austin-Bergstrom International offer domestic and international service. Vonlane and RedCoach provide luxury bus service between major cities, while Amtrak operates two train routes through Texas. Major interstates like I-10, I-20, I-35, I-45, and I-37 provide car access. In towns, cities like Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso have bus services and bike share systems.
Know Before You Go
Cultural history in Texas spans more than 14,000 years with Native American tribes like the Karankawa, Caddos, Jumanos, Comanches, and Apaches. The flags of France, Spain, and Mexico once flew over Texas, which declared independence from Mexico in 1836 and joined the U.S. in 1846. Texas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America in 1861. The end of enslavement was announced in Galveston at the Civil War’s end, leading to the Juneteenth holiday. Texas ranked 27th in a 2020 report of the most LGBTQ+-friendly states. Cities like Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio score high on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index.
How to Visit Texas Sustainably
Help preserve habitats by sticking to designated trails and roads, supporting businesses promoting dark night skies, watching for wildlife, and using reef-safe sunscreen. Look for LEED-certified hotels and restaurants committed to selling locally grown food.
