Top 10 Texas Tourist Attractions
Texas is one of the southern-most American states and shares a border directly with Mexico. It is also the second largest of all the states by area. The sheers size of the state means that there is considerable diversity in landscapes and other natural features.
Texas also has a lot to offer the visitor, from brushing up on local history to learning more about space exploration. For people that prefer the great outdoors, Texas has a number of national parks that any visitor will enjoy. With so much to choose from, we have compiled a list to make it easier for you to decide.
1. Big Bend National Park
Texas is often thought of as a place where everything has to be big and brash, but it is also home to some stunning natural beauty. Visit the Big Bend National Park and you will get to see some of the most impressive natural scenery in the country. Here you will find canyons and mountains in an area that covers an enormous bend in the Rio Grande River. For those that don’t want anything too physical, you can enjoy a leisurely stroll while taking in the sights and the area is a magnet for birdwatcher and campers. You can cool off in the river on a hot day, while there are also activities for more active people to take part in.
2. The Fort Worth Stockyards
Something else that Texas is known for is its large livestock industry and, of course, cowboys and cowgirls. The Fort Worth Stockyards, which was founded long ago in 1866, gives us a glimpse into the industry when it was in its heyday. The Fort Worth Stockyards is the last remaining facility of its type in the United States. Visitors will be treated to a selection of attractions including concerts, rodeo shows and other performance.
Plus, there is also a lot of wild west themed shopping to be had. Those that want to get more hands-on can even take some riding lessons themselves.
3. Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo
For art lovers, a visit to the Cadillac Ranch is an opportunity not to be missed. This ranch is not just any display, however, as these cars are planted head first into the ground with the rest of the chassis sticking up into the air. Each car is very brightly colored, and you can even get the opportunity to add your own mark to the cars.
The cars have been added to layer by layer over the years, and vendors outside the Ranch’s gates sell paint that has been chipped of the cars. These chips are often stunningly beautiful with years of layers of colors on top of each other. They are so beautiful that some have been made into jewelry pieces.
4. Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Another must see attraction for people that love the great outdoors is the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Here, you will find the Guadalupe Mountains and visitors here will be treated by opportunities to see some of the region’s local wildlife. If you are particularly lucky then you might even get to see golden the eagles that live here.
With the four highest peaks in Texas, hikers here get the opportunity to see some incredible views over the region, and the sight has a number of trails to follow. Alternatively, you could choose to take one of the several biking trails in the park.
5. Natural Bridge Caverns
While Texas has lots to offer above the surface, visitors will also find lots to do down below. If you are in the area, make sure not to miss the impressive Natural Bridge Caverns. The caverns boast more than 10,000 stalactites and are a part of a larger extensive underground system. The attraction gets its name from the limestone bridge that spans 60 foot across the entrance to the caverns.
One of the largest of the caverns is known as the Castle of the White Giants, and this cavern boasts a 40-foot wall of stalactites known as the King’s Throne.
6. Galveston’s Beaches & Strand Historic District
For a lot of people, no holiday is complete without a trip to the beach, but not all locations in the United States are coastal. Texas, however, is one of the states that is coastal, and the beaches here are stunning. In the state of Texas, you will find beaches that just seem to go on forever making them a great place for families. In addition to the beach, Texas’s coast does have other attractions to keep visitors occupied.
Make sure not to miss that Moody Gardens and Aquarium. This is a very large complex on which you will find an impressive aquarium, an amusement park, and also a rainforest.
7. Space Center Houston
Space and space travel are just fascinating to people of all ages and from all walks of life. To get to learn more about it, why not visit the Space Center in Houston. Visitors to the center will get to walk through a shuttle carrier and also a replica shuttle. Visitors even have the opportunity to go on a guided to the famous Houston mission control center.
Other attractions include a replica of Skylab, which was the United States’ first space station. There are numerous exhibits to enjoy that give information on past expeditions and future projects. If you are lucky, you might even get to meet a real live astronaut.
8. The Texas State Capitol in Austin
American history buffs will find plenty to keep them occupied at Austin’s Texas State capital. The Capitol building was constructed in 1888 and is an impressive building that stands more than 300 feet tall. The building, located in a 22-acre park, is also a national historic landmark. Visitors can get a guided tour of the building which has numerous displays.
The park is also home to a monument to Vietnam war veterans and also to the soldiers that fought and died defending the alamo. Visitors are also in for an impressive natural sight at dusk when millions of free-tailed bats come to life from underneath the nearby Congress Avenue Bridge.
9. The USS Lexington, Corpus Christi
Aircraft Carriers are very impressive structures and at Corpus Christi, Texas, you get to see one up close. Here you will find the USS Lexington, an aircraft carrier that was launched in 1943 and served in WWII. It is now a floating museum, giving visitors a glimpse into what it would have been like to live and work on one of these enormous vessels.
As a visitor, you will get to see inside the ship and get an idea of the living conditions on board. You will also get to see the bridge and also get close to some of the aircraft that would have been launched from the ship.
10. The Alamo
The Alamo is a name that most people will be familiar with. The building was built in 1744 and was converted into a fort in 1836. The site is the location of a famous battle in which a relatively small number of defenders barricaded themselves in against an enemy that had far superior numbers.
The defenders ultimately lost the battle but their heroics helped to inspire the state and the nation to eventually overcome their enemy, encouraged by cries of remember the Alamo. Today the fort still stands as a museum, giving visitors an insight into the conditions the defenders would have endured.
