If you need a list of the best Texas vacation spots, here are 10 you should know about!
Perhaps you are trying to find a place to vacation in Texas but aren’t sure where to go. Does Texas have places that you would love to vacation at this year? Which cities have the best places to visit, places to eat, and great places to stay in Texas?
Many places in Texas make excellent vacation spots. Whether you are looking for a romantic getaway or a family vacation Texas has plenty to offer. You will find the perfect place to vacation from the Panhandle of Texas to the Big Bend National Park or South to Corpus Christi beaches.
If you want to learn more about the best vacation spots in Texas, read below. Texas has something to suit the taste and budget of everyone looking for a place to vacation.
Table of Contents
Does Texas Really Have a Lot of Vacation Spots? (Yes … and This is Why)
Texas has dozens of incredible vacation spots that offer various activities and places to eat and stay. Texas has several larger cities like Dallas and Houston if you prefer to visit someplace with an endless supply of outings, places to eat, and other activities.
Maybe you prefer to go to places from history, and Texas has that too, with more than a hundred historic places and hundreds of museums.
If you are looking for great places to camp out and perhaps fish, Texas has plenty to offer for that too.
If you are looking for a place to go to some concerts, taste some great wine, and eat some of the best German food Texas has what you are looking for this year.
What is the Number 1 Attraction in Texas?
The River Walk in San Antonio, Texas, perhaps is the number one travel attraction in Texas each year. The River Walk gets thousands of visitors every year. They have boats which take you on a tour of the river. There are hotels and places to eat and shop all along the river walk area, and you can eat out on the patio and enjoy the sound of the water. There are places for people to perform live along the river too. At Christmas, it is decorated and lit up and is beautiful to view.
The Top 10 Texas Vacation Spots
Although many other locations would make great vacation spots in Texas, you will find the top ten vacation sites listed below.
1. Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is a great place to visit while in Texas on vacation. IF you are looking for a place to stay at the park, check out Chisos Mountains Lodge, located at 5400 feet above sea level and has various rooms and cottages for guests. They offer a dining room and a small store.
Big Bend is very hot during the summer months, with mornings often reaching a hundred degrees, so if hiking, bring lots of water to stay hydrated. You will find more than 450 species of birds located in the park and many other types of fantastic wildlife.
Big Bend is home to 75 species of mammals, including:
- Javelina
- Bobcats
- Bears
- 11 species of amphibians
- 56 species of reptiles, including 31 species of snakes and 22 species of lizards.
- Fishermen will find 40 species of fish in the Rio Grande and the Tomillo and Terlingua Creeks.
Besides looking at the wildlife, there are many things to do while on vacation at the Big Bend National Park. Check out Santa Elena Canyon or take a hike on the Lost Mine Trail. Check out the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. You will want to see the Balanced Rock and visit many more than thirty other attractions while on vacation there.
2. Amarillo
Amarillo, one of Texas’s larger cities, has hundreds of unique and fun places to visit and explore while on vacation. There are hundreds of delicious places to eat serving anything from:
- American
- Chinese
- Japanese
- BBQ
- Mexican
- Other cuisines.
They have dozens of beautiful hotels to choose from to stay in while visiting the Amarillo area.
You will want to check out dozens of attractions while vacationing in Amarillo, whether looking for things to do with children or as adults. If you love the outdoors, a notable place to go would be the Palo Duro Canyon, just a few miles outside of Amarillo.
If you like museums, you will want to visit:
- Amarillo Museum of Natural History
- Amarillo Railroad Museum Inc
- Texas Panhandle War Memorial
- Kwahadi Museum-American Indian
- Museum of Art.
If you like horses, be sure to see:
- American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame
- Hoofprints of the American Quarter Horse.
Kids will love the Wonderland Amusement Park, the Amarillo Zoo, and the Don Harrington Discovery Center. You will not want to miss the iconic Cadillac Ranch or miss the famous Route 66 Historic District.
3. Austin
Austin is the capital of Texas and has many beautiful places to visit while on vacation. Austin has dozens of restaurants to find all kinds of delicious cuisine. There are lovely places to stay while visiting the city.
If you love the outdoors, you will want to visit the:
- Historical Sites in Austin
- Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve
- Austin Nature and Science Center
- Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum
- Zilker Botanical Garden
- Lady Bird Lake Hike-and-Bike Trail
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Barton Creek Greenbelt
You may also like McKinney Falls State Park Ernst Tinaja Trail, Turkey Creek Trail, the River Place nature Trails, or the Smith Rock Shelter if you like hiking.
Museum-lovers will want to check out the Texas Memorial Museum, George Washinton Carver Museum and Cultural Center, the OHenry Museum, the Mexic-Arte Museum, Museum of the Weird, Elisabet Ney Museum (which looks a lot like a castle), and the Bullock Texas State History Museum to name a few.
Check out Texas’s beautiful capital building and the Lnydon Baines Johnson Library and Museum while visiting the capital.
4. Houston
Houston has so many beautiful attractions for travelers and has plenty of hotels and places to eat for the choosest of travelers. You will find a delicious place to eat no matter what kind of food you are craving.
Houston has many fabulous places to go as a family, like the Bayou Wildlife Park, Houston Zoo, and the Big River Water Park. You will love the Downtown Aquarium and Gator Country or the George Observatory. For a little fast action, check out the Houston Motorsports Park.
If you like learning about history, don’t miss checking out the Houston Historic Strand District. Visit some of the many museums like the:
- Houston Memorial of Natural Science
- Children’s Museum Houston
- Museum of Fine Arts
- Lones Star Flight Museum
- Houston Fire Museum
- Battleship Texas State Historic Site
- Fallen Warriors Memorial.
Sports fans should check out a game with the Houston Rockets or the Houston Texans for an added night of fun.
And just south of Houston is Galveston, a wonderful beach town! You can also catch a cruise on one of the many cruise lines out of Galveston!
5. Dallas
Dallas has many exciting and fun things to check out while visiting there on vacation. Dallas offers plenty of delicious food at a variety of places. You will find many beautiful hotels to stay at or other places to stay.
If museums are your thing, Dallas has quite a few, including these:
- Museum of Biblical art
- Ruth Paine House Museum
- International Bowling Museum
- Museum of Illusions Dallas
- Museum of Memories
- The Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum
- Dallas Holocaust and Human Right Museum
Sports fans might want to catch a Dallas Cowboy game while in Dallas.
Families may wish to explore the Zero Gravity Amusement Park, Ellen’s Amusement Center, or Six Flags. You should also check out the Kenny Wallace Dirt Racing Experience and Ripleys Believe It or Not.
6. San Antonio
San Antonio has much to offer travelers looking for a fantastic place to vacation. They have dozens of places to find great food to eat. You can easily find a great place to stay while in San Antonio. This military town has three military bases, so it has many places to shop and various fun things to do.
You can go to Sea World while in San Antonio or check out their vast San Antonio Aquarium. For more fun, you can go to Morgan’s Wonderland, a unique amusement park designed to accommodate children and adults with disabilities. San Antonio is home to Fiesta Texas, which is a part of Six Flags Amusement Park.
San Antonio has many museums like the:
- Witte Museum
- San Antonio Museum of Art
- McNay Art Museum
- The Briscoe Western Art Museum
- San Antonio Fire Museum
- Fort Sam Houston Museum
- Magic Lantern Castle Museum
- Texas Transportation Museum.
San Antonio is perhaps best known for the Alamo and the River Walk, two spectacular places you will want to see while in San Antonio. There are also several missions you will find quite interesting to explore, including the Mission Conception and Mission Espada.
7. New Braunfels
While New Braunfels is a smaller city than most of the ones in this article, it has many things that make it equally excellent for a vacation spot. New Braunfels is home to many wonderful restaurants, including many that specialize in German cuisine. There are many places to stay.
You will find many fun things to do while on vacation in New Braunfels, including camping and fishing on the Comal River at Landa Park. Many people enjoy tubing on the river and the Comal Springs. You will find the Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo exciting. It has several huge snakes and other reptiles and a zoo and petting zoo for smaller children.
There are museums to visit in the area, including the McKenna Children’s Museum and the Sophienburg Museum and Archives. However, New Braunfels is probably best known for Schlitterbahn, a large water park everyone loves locally and from afar.
8. Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, a city along the Texas Gulf of Mexico, is a great place to go in Texas to explore the beach. It has many great places to eat and lots of places vacationers can stay, including some homes that rent out by the week.
Besides the beach, there are many other things to do while on vacation, such as the Texas State Aquarium and the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center. These both are great places to go as a family.
You can explore several museums, such as the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay and the Art Museum of South Texas. Corpus Christi has places to shop and explore.
Be sure to check out the Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve and the Padre Island National Seashore. You will be glad you did.
9. South Padre Island
The San Padre Island is a favorite of tourists. It offers both hotels and houses you can rent. There are places to eat and many fun things to do while on vacation there.
You will love to go to Sea Turtles Inc while on vacation there, as well as the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. If you like sandcastles, check out the largest Outdoor Sandcastle in the USA while you are there.
Schlitterbahn is very popular at the San Padre Island. Other popular destinations include Gravity Park and the Whaling Wall. There are also many places you can charter trips out to fish in the gulf.
10. Fredricksburg
Fredricksburg is well known for its eating places and wineries. You will find places you can stay while vacationing there, including some bed and breakfast places.
There are over 100 wineries in Hill country, with Fredricksbug the center of it. You can enjoy tastings at many of the wineries while visiting this city. Along with the many wineries, you will want to visit the National Museum of the Pacific War and Pioneer Museum.
To Conclude
Texas is a beautiful place with a variety of vacation places available. Texas has a vast array of activities you can do on vacation. You can go camping in the forest or fishing in the Gulf of Mexico while on vacation in Texas. You can relax on the beach or roaming the plains or exploring the beautiful canyons of the Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo. Plus, it is a fairly cheap place to travel to. No matter what your personal preferences or tastes, Texas offers something for everyone.