Texas Travel

[oc16]

Any recommendations?

I'm leaning towards Ft. Worth, Austin, Fredericksburg and/or Waco.

Fort Worth seems to have the whole wild wild west Cowboy vibe which would be cool and then take a nice drive to Waco and perhaps check out Baylor U.

 

[Kotaix]

Float down the brazos river of you're near waco. Also check out the bbq joint in ft worth by the stockyards and the revolver brewing brewery.

Hueco tanks in west texas is gorgeous.

 

[SW15]

You have to define first what you want to do in Texas.

Fort Worth has grown a lot in recent decades. It has more of the cowboy vibe than Dallas but you're still talking about a city of nearly 1 million people. The Fort Worth Stockyards area is the best place for a Western vibe. However, I'd choose Abilene, Amarillo, Lubbock, or San Angelo to get more of a Western feel.

There are some dude ranches near Bandera, TX in the Hill Country State Natural Area. This area is about 60 miles from San Antonio International Airport. Dixie Dude Ranch, Mayan Dude Ranch, and Rancho Cortez are the bigger ones out there. You can do some amazing horseback rides and swim laps in pools there. I know Dixie and Mayan have good lap swim pools. The dude ranches are a good place to escape and unwind. The downside of the dude ranches is that the guests are mainly couples and families so some unattached, alone guys might feel out of place. However, most travel stuff doesn't cater to single people traveling alone so the dude ranch isn't that bad of an option.

You could also go out to West Texas. West Texas has Big Bend National Park, Monahan Sandhills, and the Guadalupe Mountains with Guadalupe Peak (highest point in Texas) and adjacent El Capitan. Guadalupe Peak is about a 6 hour hike, so expect to spend all day with it, especially since the nearest hotels are in Van Horn, Texas (about an hour from the base of the Guadalupe Peak).

The dude ranch thing is probably the most authentically Texas/Western thing that you can do and that's an easy 3-4 day trip. The West Texas stuff, especially Guadalupe Peak, is more fitness oriented and could be more isolated. Midland-Odessa is the nearest airport to that stuff.

Don't come until October. October is the best month of the year to do the dude ranches or West Texas mountain ranges/Big Bend stuff. Anything you do in Texas will be miserably hot from now until October 1, so please wait and you'll have a better time.

 

[oc16]

You have to define first what you want to do in Texas.

Fort Worth has grown a lot in recent decades. It has more of the cowboy vibe than Dallas but you're still talking about a city of nearly 1 million people. The Fort Worth Stockyards area is the best place for a Western vibe. However, I'd choose Abilene, Amarillo, Lubbock, or San Angelo to get more of a Western feel.

There are some dude ranches near Bandera, TX in the Hill Country State Natural Area. This area is about 60 miles from San Antonio International Airport. Dixie Dude Ranch, Mayan Dude Ranch, and Rancho Cortez are the bigger ones out there. You can do some amazing horseback rides and swim laps in pools there. I know Dixie and Mayan have good lap swim pools. The dude ranches are a good place to escape and unwind. The downside of the dude ranches is that the guests are mainly couples and families so some unattached, alone guys might feel out of place. However, most travel stuff doesn't cater to single people traveling alone so the dude ranch isn't that bad of an option.

You could also go out to West Texas. West Texas has Big Bend National Park, Monahan Sandhills, and the Guadalupe Mountains with Guadalupe Peak (highest point in Texas) and adjacent El Capitan. Guadalupe Peak is about a 6 hour hike, so expect to spend all day with it, especially since the nearest hotels are in Van Horn, Texas (about an hour from the base of the Guadalupe Peak).

The dude ranch thing is probably the most authentically Texas/Western thing that you can do and that's an easy 3-4 day trip. The West Texas stuff, especially Guadalupe Peak, is more fitness oriented and could be more isolated. Midland-Odessa is the nearest airport to that stuff.

Don't come until October. October is the best month of the year to do the dude ranches or West Texas mountain ranges/Big Bend stuff. Anything you do in Texas will be miserably hot from now until October 1, so please wait and you'll have a better time.

Thanks and it would definitely be in October.

While West Texas sounds nice, I have already been to New Mexico. I believe NM and West Texas are very similar in their climate and topography. I will still do Hill country or the Plains area around Dallas/Fort Worth.

Thanks!

 

[SW15]

Thanks and it would definitely be in October.

While West Texas sounds nice, I have already been to New Mexico. I believe NM and West Texas are very similar in their climate and topography. I will still do Hill country or the Plains area around Dallas/Fort Worth.

Thanks!

Where did you go in New Mexico? The Santa Fe-Albuquerque isn't similar in climate and topography to much of Texas. Eastern New Mexico would be similar to Amarillo/Lubbock. The areas near Carlsbad-Hobbs are similar to Far West Texas.

The dude ranches in the Hill Country area are good. I live in Dallas. There's not too much of a reason to come to Dallas-Fort Worth on a recreational vacation. Dallas-Fort Worth can be a good place to live but there are so many better choices for a recreational vacation than Dallas-Fort Worth.

 

[oc16]

Where did you go in New Mexico? The Santa Fe-Albuquerque isn't similar in climate and topography to much of Texas. Eastern New Mexico would be similar to Amarillo/Lubbock. The areas near Carlsbad-Hobbs are similar to Far West Texas.

The dude ranches in the Hill Country area are good. I live in Dallas. There's not too much of a reason to come to Dallas-Fort Worth on a recreational vacation. Dallas-Fort Worth can be a good place to live but there are so many better choices for a recreational vacation than Dallas-Fort Worth.

Yes, I was in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

Fredericksburg also looks cool for the history (WWII Pacific Museum and the Pioneer Musuem) not to mention a strong German heritage.

 

[SW15]

Fredericksburg also looks cool for the history (WWII Pacific Museum and the Pioneer Musuem) not to mention a strong German heritage.

Fredericksburg is close to those dude ranches I mentioned. 60 miles. I can see the appeal of Fredericksburg despite never having been there myself.

 

[oc16]

Fredericksburg is close to those dude ranches I mentioned. 60 miles. I can see the appeal of Fredericksburg despite never having been there myself.

Dude ranches sound cool, but not sure if I would go by myself.

Fredericksburg was listed as a Top 15 places to visit in Texas.

I also saw Arkansas will be playing Texas A&M in late September. However, it's played at a neutral site (Cowboy stadium) which in my opinion takes away from the whole college football experience in a way (it not being on campus)

 

[SW15]

Dude ranches sound cool, but not sure if I would go by myself.

The downside of the dude ranches is that the guests are mainly couples and families so some unattached, alone guys might feel out of place. However, most travel stuff doesn't cater to single people traveling alone so the dude ranch isn't that bad of an option.

I totally see why someone wouldn't do a trip to a dude ranch alone. That's a better trip with a girlfriend or even a male friend.

 

[oc16]

I also saw Amtrak has a train that would take you from Dallas-Fort Worth all the way to El Paso. The train goes south to Austin and San Antonio and then hooks left to the west. It is about a 30-hour train ride where you can reserve a sleeping car.

 

[SW15]

Did you ever make that trip to Texas? How was it?

 

[AAAgent]

Austin - BBQ

Can probably also go to a shooting range. Very easy and relative cheap compared to other states.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Any recommendations?

I'm leaning towards Ft. Worth, Austin, Fredericksburg and/or Waco.

Fort Worth seems to have the whole wild wild west Cowboy vibe which would be cool and then take a nice drive to Waco and perhaps check out Baylor U.

For the Wild Wild West you need to go to Dodge City, Kansas and check out Boot Hill...so named because dead people would have their boots sticking out of it when they were hastily buried by people looking to cover up their deeds...the widely acknowledged wildest and wickedest town in the Wild, Wild West.

“Kansas has but one Dodge City, with a broad expanse of territory sufficiently vast for an empire; we have only room for one Dodge City; Dodge, a synonym for all that is wild, reckless, and violent; Hell on the Plains.”

 

[SW15]

Austin - BBQ

Can probably also go to a shooting range. Very easy and relative cheap compared to other states.

Any of the big Texas cities will have good barbecue restaurants. Even smaller to mid-size places in Texas have good barbecue options.

Barbecue can be part of a trip to Austin.

There are so many shooting ranges anywhere in Texas.

 

[CornbreadFed]

Texas bbq is mid lol. Do hill country, Austin, and Houston or San Antonio.

 

[SW15]

Texas bbq is mid lol.

I don't think Texas barbecue is mid. It's good food. I liked barbecue before moving to Texas and I like it even more now.

Do hill country, Austin, and Houston or San Antonio.

Hill Country is a very good suggestion. I've mentioned stuff about Hill Country earlier in this thread. For an outsider coming to Texas, that is one of the best ways to see something uniquely Texas.

Texas is so big that it is nearly impossible for an outsider to do well in 7-10 days and relax.

Houston isn't all that great as a tourist attraction. Both Houston and Dallas can be considered good places to live, but not great as recreational vacation destinations.

Austin and San Antonio are a little bit better as big city vacation destinations. I think San Antonio is the better choice of those two due to The Alamo and The San Antonio River Walk. The Alamo is a uniquely Texas thing and a significant part of Texas history.

 

[CornbreadFed]

I don't think Texas barbecue is mid. It's good food. I liked barbecue before moving to Texas and I like it even more now.

Texas tries to bbq thick arse cuts of beef and it ends up mid. I’ll take my Carolina style bbq

 

[Dr.Suave]

Six Flags

RiverWalk

Forth Worth Museum of Science

 

[The Duke]

Texas bbq is mid lol. Do hill country, Austin, and Houston or San Antonio.

lol come on. Texas is ranked #1 in the nation for BBQ period. It dominates every list there is for top BBQ. Do your homework if you don't believe me. You can't discount something because it doesn't fit your personal preference.

No doubt the Carolina's have some good stuff too.

BUT YOU DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS...... KING of BBQ & TACOS.

 

[needimprovement250]

I’m gonna be driving across Texas soon, does anyone have any suggestions for good BBQ places? I went to smoke shack in San Antonio the last time I was there and it was great. When I was looking online, everywhere said that they were the best rated BBQ place in San Antonio and Guy Fieri also went there for an episode of his show. This time, I’m gonna be in San Antonio again along with Austin, Houston, Waco, and DFW. I’m definitely gonna stop at Top Notch Burgers in Austin as well since I love Dazed and Confused.