Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park
Austin
Home to a disc golf course, tennis courts, a playground and hiking trails, this South Austin fave is just over a mile west of I-35 (exit Slaughter Lane).
Must-see attractions in Texas
West Texas
For a leisurely lunch and a few photographs, plan to stop at this striking picnic area. You'll know when you see it – those tipis are hard to miss.
Dallas
These pretty indoor-outdoor gardens include a tropical conservatory, a fragrance garden and a butterfly garden. Don't miss the native Texas plants.
Dallas & the Panhandle Plains
All manner of Texas sports legends, including golfer Byron Nelson, boxer and pitchman George Foreman and pitcher Nolan Ryan, are saluted here.
Site of the Branch Davidian Compound
Dallas & the Panhandle Plains
The rural site where 76 people died when a standoff between law enforcement and members of the Branch Davidian Church ended violently in 1993.
Northeast Texas
Once home in the 1930s to the world's densest collection of oil derricks, this downtown park now has one of the originals plus 36 replicas.
Dallas & the Panhandle Plains
Drive a nearly 10-mile course through an open-air zoo that's home to over 60 animal species, including cheetahs, rhinoceroses and giraffes.
Houston
Future surgeons will like checking out the huge organs on display in this very interactive museum. Other exhibits explain DNA and more.
Dallas & the Panhandle Plains
Just east of the historic Cotton Belt train station, this is a fascinating place to watch genial blacksmiths demonstrate their craft.
Hill Country
Near the river, at the south end of downtown, the center has walking trails, a wildflower meadow and Guadalupe River access.
Panhandle Plains
This gallery features exhibits by noted artists and is home to 10 working studios. It's a nurturing spot for art.
Panhandle Plains
The spring for which the town is named sits in Comanche Trail Park, a cute little park just south of the center.
East Texas
Two miles northeast of town, taste the Barn Red, a rich berry blend, from these ranch vineyards.
Galveston
Three colorful glass pyramids form the focus of one giant entertainment complex. The Aquarium Pyramid showcases king penguins, fur seals and the largest…
San Antonio
Completed in 1756, the surviving church at this somber mission site is open. Although the mission was originally founded in east Texas in 1716, it was…
Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site
Gulf Coast & South Texas
The site of the fort is now offshore, but detailed outdoor displays recall the battle. This 57-acre site offers great views of idle oil rigs and passing…
Corpus Christi Area
This well-equipped park covers 4000 acres and has 5.5 miles of beach. It is popular with surfers, but given the normally calm nature of the gulf you may…
Austin
We all know how kids feel about dinosaurs, and this natural history museum is the perfect place for them to indulge their fascination. Look up to see the…
Rio Grande Valley
Parts of this downtown plaza, the oldest in Laredo, date from 1767. Surrounded by cobblestoned streets, lined with ancient oaks, it's a great spot to…
Rio Grande Valley
Established in 1849 to protect the region from raiding bandits and hostile local tribes, Fort McIntosh remained active through the Mexican Revolution and…
East Austin
Revitalized in the 1990s, the state's official cemetery is the final resting place of key figures from Texan history. Interred here are luminaries…
Corpus Christi Area
Like his friend and business partner Richard King, young Mifflin Kenedy first came to Texas as an army steamboat captain and went on to build an empire…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
The one attraction worth finding in the tangle of Brazosport is this fun aquarium. Learn about Texas salt marshes, the surf zone and coastal bays. A large…
Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum
Rio Grande Valley
Return to the days of Six-Shooter Junction at this modern facility, which combines several museums in one. An 1870s stagecoach inn recalls the hot, dusty…
Rio Grande Valley
From May 12 to 13, 1865, this remote stretch of marshy prairie was the scene of the final land battle of the US Civil War, more than a month after the…
Houston
This often-missed gem traces the history of printing from its advent until the early newspaper era. Rare and unusual printed works include the Dharani…
Galveston
Some 10 miles southwest of downtown, swimmers will find a hard-packed white-sand beach far from the vacation rentals and tourists of town. This state park…
Fort Worth
The truly curious will want to venture into this live cattle auction, held in a totally high-tech atmosphere inside the 1902 Fort Worth Livestock Exchange…
Corpus Christi
Selena's studio is still a working music and production house, presided over by her still-proud father Abraham Quintanilla Jr. It includes numerous…
Panhandle Plains
What had been the home of the Commemorative Air Force, the largest collection of flying historic military aircraft in the US, has been renamed. The famous…
Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Serious sports fans may recognize the name of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, named Female Athlete of the Century by the AP and Sports Illustrated. The small…
Coastal Plains
After defeating the Mexican army at the Battle of San Jacinto, General Rusk and the Texas army gathered the remains of Fannin and his men to bury them…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Everything from fishing boats to offshore oil rigs, to the story of the short-lived Texas Navy is covered at this large museum on the harbor. Displays…
Corpus Christi
The closest beach to downtown lies across the ship channel to the north. It gets busy in season, but its tight-packed sands and handful of places to eat…
Panhandle Plains
Jaguars, ocelots, elephants and giraffes are among the more than 160 species making their home at the Abilene Zoo, located in Nelson Park in southeast…
Austin
This museum operates two separate sites. The Jones Center, downtown, features rotating exhibits representing new artists, spreading through two gallery…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
It may not look like much, but this historic cemetery is the resting place for veterans of every war from the Texas Revolution through to the Gulf War,…
Northeast Texas
Rail baron Jay Gould once offered to bring the railroad to Jefferson, but the town (inauspiciously) turned him down, deciding to bet its future on river…
Gulf Coast & South Texas
Built in 1903 as the First Baptist Church, the building was purchased in 1923 by Captain WC Tyrrell and donated to the city for use as a library. Step…
Marfa & Presidio County Museum
West Texas
Wandering around this homegrown museum is kind of like exploring your grandmother's attic: lots of old stuff to look at that gives you a glimpse into the…
