Contents13

On the Road 4

Best of Texas 5

Destination Texas 16

Getting Started 17

Itineraries 21

History 27

The Culture 38

Food & Drink 47

Texas Barbecue 52

Environment 57

Texas Outdoors 65

Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex 74DALLAS 76History 76Information 76Dangers & Annoyances 80Sights 81Activities 86Tours 87Festivals & Events 87Sleeping 87Eating 88Drinking 90Entertainment 92Shopping 94Getting There & Away 95Getting Around 95FORT WORTH 95

History 96Orientation 96Information 96Sights 97Activities 101Festivals & Events 101Sleeping 101Eating 102Drinking 104Entertainment 105Shopping 105Getting There & Away 106Getting Around 106BEYOND DALLAS–FORT WORTH 106Arlington 106Waco 107

Austin 112Orientation 113Information 113Dangers & Annoyances 116Sights 117Activities 123Austin for Children 124Tours 124Festivals & Events 125Sleeping 126Eating 129Drinking 133Entertainment 135Shopping 138Getting There & Away 141Getting Around 141

San Antonio & Hill Country 143SAN ANTONIO 144Orientation 144Information 145Dangers & Annoyances 147Sights 147Activities 156San Antonio for Children 157Tours 158Festivals & Events 158Sleeping 160Eating 163Drinking 166Entertainment 167

© Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

14 C O N T E N T S

Seminole Canyon State Historical Park 278Langtry 279

Big Bend & West Texas 280BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK 282History 282Geology 282Orientation 283Information 283Dangers & Annoyances 285Sights & Activities 285Sleeping & Eating 288Getting There & Away 289WEST OF BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK 289Terlingua & Study Butte 289Lajitas Golf Resort & Spa 291Big Bend Ranch State Park 291CENTRAL WEST TEXAS 292Fort Davis & Davis Mountains 292Marfa 295Alpine 297Marathon 300EL PASO 301History 301Orientation 302Information 302Dangers & Annoyances 303Sights 304Activities 307El Paso for Kids 307Tours 307Festivals & Events 307Sleeping 308Eating 309Drinking 310Entertainment 310Shopping 311Getting There & Away 311Getting Around 312Around El Paso 312The I-10 Corridor 313GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK 314History 314Geology 314Information 314Dangers & Annoyances 316Sights & Activities 316

Tyler 226Longview 227

Gulf Coast 228GOLDEN TRIANGLE 229Beaumont 229Orange 232Port Arthur 232Sabine Pass Area 234GALVESTON AREA 234Galveston 234Around Galveston 242THE COASTAL BEND 242Brazosport Area 242Matagorda 243Palacios 243Aransas National Wildlife Refuge 244Goose Island State Park 244Rockport & Fulton 244COASTAL PLAINS 245Victoria 245Goliad 246CORPUS CHRISTI AREA 246Corpus Christi 246Port Aransas 251Mustang & Padre Island Beaches 253Padre Island National Seashore 253Corpus Christi to Harlingen 254LOWER GULF COAST 255Harlingen 255Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge 255Port Isabel 256South Padre Island 256

Rio Grande Valley 263RIO GRANDE VALLEY 264Brownsville 265Around Brownsville 267McAllen 268Around McAllen 270The Upper Valley 270CENTRAL RIO GRANDE 271Laredo 272Carrizo Springs 274Eagle Pass 274Del Rio 275Amistad National Recreation Area 277Brackettville 278

Shopping 170Getting There & Away 171Getting Around 172AROUND SAN ANTONIO 173Natural Bridge Caverns 173New Braunfels 173Gruene 174San Marcos 175HILL COUNTRY 176Johnson City & Stonewall 176Fredericksburg 177Enchanted Rock State Natural Area 180Luckenbach 180Kerrville 181Comfort 183Bandera 184Boerne 185Waring-Welfare Road 185Guadalupe River State Park 186Wimberley 186

Houston & East Texas 188HOUSTON 189History 189Orientation 193Information 193Dangers & Annoyances 195Sights 195Activities 200Houston for Children 200Tours 201Festivals & Events 201Sleeping 201Eating 203Drinking 207Entertainment 209Shopping 211Getting There & Away 212Getting Around 213AROUND HOUSTON 213Clear Lake Area 213College Station 215Bryan 217Huntsville 217Around Huntsville 219NORTHEAST TEXAS 219Nacogdoches 220Historic Sites & Parks 220National Forests 221Jefferson 221Caddo Lake & Around 224

C O N T E N T S 15

Around Amarillo 340Palo Duro Canyon 340

Directory 343

Transportation 355

The Authors 363

Behind the Scenes 364

Index 372

Map Legend 380

Sleeping & Eating 317Getting There & Away 317

Panhandle & Central Plains 318Permian Basin 320San Angelo 322Around San Angelo 325Abilene 326Around Abilene 328Lubbock 329Around Lubbock 333Along Hwy 70 333Turkey 334Quitaque 334Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailways 335Amarillo 335

p319

p281

p264

p190

p144

p114

ValleyRio Grande

p230Gulf Coast

East TexasHouston &

Hill CountrySan Antonio &

Austin

West TexasBig Bend &

Central PlainsPanhandle &

Metroplex p75Dallas-Fort Worth

Regional Map Contents

Rio G

rand

e

l o

C

o

a d or

Rio G

rande

New Mexico

Coahuila

Chihuahua

LeónNuevo

Durango

Whites City

Marathon

Dalhart

DumasSANTA FE

McLean

Pampa

Turkey

Amarillo

Canyon

Plainview

Brownfield

Lubbock

Quitaque

Roswell

Albuquerque

Sweetwater

San Angelo

MidlandOdessa

Big Spring

Sonora

FortStockton

Pecos

Van

Fabens

Balmorhea

DavisFort

Kent

Alpine

Marfa

Horn

AcuñaCiudad

Del Rio

PassEagle

NegrasPiedras

Monclova

Terlingua -Study ButteLajitas

Ojinaga

Presidio

Park

Las Cruces

Sunland

JuárezCiudad

CHIHUAHUA

El Paso

102º W104º W106º W

Cen

tral

Tim

e Zo

ne

Mou

ntai

n Ti

me

Zone

108º W

34º N

McDonaldObservatory

32º N

Mountain Time Zone

Central Time Zone

30º N

28º N

102º W104º W

26º N

106º W

State Park

StatePark

Caprock Canyons

Palo Duro Canyon

StateHueco Tanks

Historic Site

ParkNationalMountainsGuadalupe

ParkNationalCavernsCarlsbad

BalmorheaState Park

Big Bend Ranch

Davis MountainsState Park

National ParkBig Bend

State Park

FranklinMountainsState Park

LakeMeredith

Rio

International

Presa de la AmistadAmistad Reservoir/

Grande

U S A

M E X I C O

ChisosMountains

MEX

MEX

MEX

MEX

MEX

ELEVATION

8000ft

7000ft

5000ft

6000ft

3000ft

2000ft

4000ft

0

1000ft

LEGEND

Tertiary RoadSecondary RoadPrimary RoadFreewayTollway

90 miles150 km

00

25

40

27

40

25

20

20

10

10

10

10

83

287

287

38560

207

70

207

380

84

82

70

87385

60

380

84

54

180

87

385

27767

377

27790

285

62

28562

180

67

118

17

11867

90

47277

57

170

16

45D

385

45D

180

TURKEY (p334)

disappearing on the Texas plains.Turkey is typical of the small towns

variety of hikes: in the desert, upBig enough to provide a

BIG BEND

a mountain or along a river.

NATIONAL PARK (p280)

Right on the Mexico border, DelRio has a great little downtown

and laid-back vibe.

DEL RIO (p275)

globular clusters at a McDonaldObservatory Star Party.

Learn about stars, planets andFORT DAVIS (p292)

M e x i c o o f

G u l f

eiRsv

snarA ka

rreiRn

vidaaCS n a

eR

reviRd

reiRv

Arkansas

Oklahoma

Louisiana

Conway

Pine Bluff

LITTLE ROCK

Paris

Jefferson

PleasantMount

SulphurSprings

Denton

Sherman

Commerce

Texarkana

CITYOKLAHOMA

Lawton

Texola

WichitaFalls

Fort

Vernon

Stamford

Childress

Gainesville

Shreveport

Jasper

PortArthur

Orange

Longview

CarthageTyler

Lufkin

Palestine

Nacogdoches

Jacksonville

Ennis

CorsicanaHillsboro

Waco

Mexia

Livingston

Liberty

Temple

Bryan

College

Brenham

Station

Huntsville

ConroeBeaumont

LakeClear

Houston

Shiner

Edna

PortLavaca

Victoria

Wharton

Rockport

Port Aransas

Galveston

La Porte

Weatherford

Stephenville

Abilene

Coleman

Brownwood

Killeen

Lampasas

City

Luckenbach

Johnson

SanMarcos

Brady

Kerrville

Fredericksburg

Gruene

Gonzales

Floresville

San Antonio

Bandera

Uvalde

Carrizo

Pleasanton

Alice

LaredoNuevoLaredo

Springs

New Braunfels LulingLockhart

AUSTIN

Sinton

Beeville

CorpusChristi

Kingsville

South Padre IslandWeslaco

Reynosa

McAllen

NuevoProgreso

CityRio Grande

PortIsabel

Harlingen

Brownsville

Worth Dallas

36º N94º W96º W

34º N

98º W100º W

30º N

98º W100º W

Hot Springs

ParkNational

SabineNationalForest

National Forest

National ForestSam Houston

Davy Crockett

PreserveNational

Big Thicket

AngelinaNationalForest

Wildlife Refuge

PadreIsland

SeashoreNational

Aransas National

Lost MaplesState Park

AreaNatural

Rock StateEnchanted

28º N

26º N

94º W96º W

EufaulaLake

LakeTexoma

ToledoBend

Reservoir

LakeLivingston

ReservoirSam Rayburn

TravisLake

HighIsland

Mustang

Matagorda Island

NorthPadre Island

Island

Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Site

ALT

MEX

MEX

530

40

30

3035E

44

40

35

35

20

10

20

35W 35E

45

45

10

35

10

3735

412

69

59

24

271

75

69

75

82

60

287

281

83

82

96

80

84

287

175

287

90

59

79

190190

677

290

69

90

59

77

87

67

180

84

377

283

37783

183

190

281

290

87

181

90

83

16

59

77281

183

832

40D

JEFFERSON (p221)This historic town's history,

her the belle of the east Texas ball.mystery and scandalous past make

metropolis down South.

DALLAS–FORT WORTH (p74)Cowboy cool meets red-hot

arts in the biggest, best-lookin'

LUCKENBACH (p180)Grab a longneck and watch the

tree behind the general store.guitar pickers under the old shade

NACOGDOCHES (p219)The oldest town in Texas, withcobblestone streets and azalea

trails that bloom come springtime.

BIG THICKET NATIONALPRESERVE (p219)

Hike through vast forests shadedby 300 kinds of trees: blisson a scorching Texas day.

HOUSTON (p189)

a sense of history.

A coastal town withfree-spirited beaches and

Hot, hot, hot. Huge, huge, huge.

and the museum culture, y'all.)(We're talking about the foodie scene

PORT ARANSAS (p251)The funkiest town on

the Gulf is the most charming

SHINER (p167)Make a pilgrimage to

where Texas' most popularmicrobrew, Shiner Bock, is made.

Live music, fun restaurants

give the state capital its appeal.and an open-minded attitude

AUSTIN (p112)

GALVESTON (p234)

PALO ALTO BATTLEFIELDNATIONAL HISTORICAL SITE (p267)

The site of the first major battle in theMexican war is moody and evocative.

beach town in Texas.

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