Travel Notes: North America: Texas Travel Notes

Also known as the Lone Star State, the solitary star has been a part of Texas battle flags since the early 1830s.

The state capital of Texas is Austin.

Quick Links

Arlington, Around Texas, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Map of Texas, Midland, San Antonio, Texas Hill Country, Texas Municipalities, Texas Outdoors, Texas Travel Guides.

Austin Weather - Texas Weather.

Map of Texas - with TravelNotes Hotel Guide

Zoom in on the map to travel around the state and find where to stay.

About Texas:
Find out more about Texas before you travel there. Order tourist brochures and look at where you'd like to stay.

County Map of Texas:
Colourful map of Texas showing all 256 counties; divided into the regions of Alamo Area, Ark-Tex, Brazos Valley, Capital Area, Central Texas, Coastal Bend, Concho Valley, Deep East Texas, East Texas, Golden Crescent, Heart of Texas, Houston-Galveston Area, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Middle Rio Grande, Nortex, North Central Texas, Panhandle, Permian Basin, Rio Grande, South East Texas, South Plains, South Texas, Texoma, West Central Texas.

Around Texas

Texas is so large, it's more like a country than a state.

The name Texas comes from tejas, the early Spanish version of a Caddo Native American expression meaning friends.

As the Spanish conquistadors found no riches in Tejas, and they didn't know about oil, they left the state for the missionaries.

States neighbouring Texas are: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Texas also borders Mexico.

Anglo-American adventurers appeared in the area in the 1820's and the United States offered to buy Texas from Mexico.

Texas Parks and Wildlife:
Alphabetical listing of Texas State Parks. You'll need a lot of time to visit them all.

Texas State:
The state's public office is open to Texans, future Texans, and visitors to Texas.

Texas Tour Guide :
Ride through the state of Texas on the back of suggested itineraries.

Touring Texas Wineries:
Forget the six-pack and the Stetson, try out the trail of the grape.

San Antonio

San Antonio tastefully blends Spanish, Mexican, and American cultures, and we're not just talking about the restaurants along Riverwalk.

Visiting San Antonio:
The official San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau website can help you with things to see and do after you've been to The Alamo.

Accommodation in San Antonio

Hotels in San Antonio, Texas:
Find hotels in San Antonio, Texas with special online rates.

Sort San Antonio Hotels by: Hotel Price, Hotel Rating, Hotel Name.

San Antonio's Riverwalk

San Antonio's Paseo del Rio, also known as the Riverwalk, is a series of stone walking paths that twist around the downtown area below the street level, following the path of the San Antonio River.

Riverwalk:
Both sides of the river are tough on the wallet, but sidewalk restaurants are a great place to sit and watch the theatre of life. When the riverside lights come on at night, it really is the place to be in San Antonio.

Mission Trail

The Mission Trail begins on S. Saint Mary's St.

The Missions:
The five missions along the San Antonio River, that once brought the Spaniards and the Native Americans together, are preserved in the city's San Antonio Missions National Historic Park.

The Alamo

The Alamo:
The Alamo wasn't a Hollywood creation, but a former Franciscan mission erected about 1722. Later used as a fort it's now a state monument, and the number one attraction in San Antonio -- maybe even Texas.

Houston

Named after Sam Houston, the city is famous for its communications with astronauts in space.

Space Center:
Mission Control gives visitors the chance to get the virtual feel of space.

Hotel Icon:
Luxury Houston hotel features dining in Bank Jean-Georges and The Whiskey, Balance Day Spa, plus nine penthouse suites.

Accommodation in Houston

Hotels in Houston, Texas:
Find hotels in Houston, Texas with special online rates.

Sort Houston Hotels by: Hotel Price, Hotel Rating, Hotel Name.

Corpus Christi

The Body of Christ is laid out on a beach-towel along the sandy shoreline.

Corpus Christi CVB:
The Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau website provides complete visitor, travel, area attraction and accommodation information on the Corpus Christi, TX area.

USS Lexington:
When you're sick of fish restaurants, and your skin is lobster red you can always visit the World War II aircraft carrier that wasn't sunk by the Japanese; as was claimed on many occasions.

Accommodation in Corpus Christi

Hotels in Corpus Christi, Texas:
Find hotels in Corpus Christi, Texas with special online rates.

Sort Corpus Christi Hotels by: Hotel Price, Hotel Rating, Hotel Name.

Dallas

Dallas was first settled by whites in 1841, and later named after US Vice President George Dallas.

Most of Dallas' historical sights are in downtown, and can be easily covered on foot.

Founding father John Neely Bryan's original log cabin has been restored and is now a tourist attraction at Elm and Market St.

Also on Elm Street, is the Texas School Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the fatal shot at President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963; unless you believe the conspiracy theories.

Dealey Plaza is where the President's car was passing when the shots were fired, and nearby is the Kennedy Memorial.

The Dallas Museum of Art (1717 N. Harwood Street) is a short walk along Ross Avenue.

Addison Texas:
The official Addison Texas web site, shows you the best Dallas area shopping, dining and convenient selection of hotels.

Dallas World Aquarium:
An old warehouse at 1801 North Griffin Street, near the Historic West End District in downtown Dallas, became the original site of The Dallas World Aquarium, opening to the public in October 1992.

Accommodation in Dallas

Hotels in Dallas, Texas:
Find hotels in Dallas, Texas with special online rates.

Sort Dallas Hotels by: Hotel Price, Hotel Rating, Hotel Name.

Fort Worth

Fort Worth was once a stopping point on the Chisholm Trail, as herds of cattle were driven to shipping points in Kansas, and is well worth a day-trip from Dallas; to visit the Stockyards District.

Cultural District:
The Fort Worth Cultural District is only minutes from the hustle and bustle of commerce in downtown Fort Worth.

Fort Worth Dining:
Fort Worth serves up a multitude of delicious choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The city is famous for its great steakhouses, barbecue, and Texas cuisine. You’ll also find fabulous restaurants preparing Mexican, Italian, French, Greek, Thai, Pacific Rim, and Southwestern selections.

Fort Worth Stockyards:
The area was designated as an historical landmark in 1976, and is considered one of Texas’ most popular tourist attractions.

The Cowtown Coliseum:
Located in the heart of the Fort Worth Stockyards, the Cowtown Coliseum is home to the world's first indoor rodeo.

Accommodation in Fort Worth

Hotels in Fort Worth, Texas:
Find hotels in Fort Worth, Texas with special online rates.

Sort Fort Worth Hotels by: Hotel Price, Hotel Rating, Hotel Name.

Midland, Texas

The City of Midland is located halfway between Ft. Worth and El Paso. It's also the hometown of President George W. and Laura Bush.

Midland Tourism

The Midland Convention and Visitors Bureau is located in the lobby of the Chamber of Commerce at 109 N. Main.

Airlines that service Midland International Airport (MAF) are American Eagle, Continental Express and Southwest Airlines. Car rental agencies are located across from the baggage claim area.

New Mexico Airlines also provides direct flights from Midland International Airport to Hobbs Lea County Regional Airport (HOB), with connections from Hobbs to various destinations.

Visit Midland:
Visitors to Midland will find a unique contrast between big city amenities and a hometown feel. With its convenient location, numerous transportation options, plenty of dining, shopping and entertainment, Midland is sure to be one stop you won’t want to miss.

Midland Attractions

American Airpower Heritage Museum:
Dedicated to preserving the complete history of World War II military aviation and the memory of the men and women who built, serviced and flew the historic World War II military aircraft.

Museum of the Southwest:
One of the country's most interactive and imaginative blends of art and science: featuring an art museum, children's museum, and a planetarium; located at 1705 West Missouri.

Petroleum Museum:
Located on the museum's 42 acres of land is the open-air Oil Patch, the world's largest collection of antique drilling equipment and modern machinery; at 1500 I-20 West.

Accommodation in Midland

Hotels in Midland, Texas:
Find hotels in Midland, Texas with special online rates.

Texas Hill Country

The Texas Hill Country can be humid and hot in the summer months, reaching into the 100's at times. Fortunately, the hill country is criss-crossed with rivers, creeks and lakes.

You'll find refreshing swimming holes all along your route to cool down and have fun. Texans also know how to have a good time, so you'll find plenty of watering holes where you can grab a cold one.

Pack plenty of sunblock and bug spray so you can focus on the beauty and not on the critters. Don't leave the hill country without going inner tubing down one of our beautiful, crisp rivers.
Sent in by: Vicky Lewis.

Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg, reported to be one of the most visited small towns in the United States, is a must visit Texas Hill Country town.

This quaint old German town has it all. Fabulous shops, cosy bed and breakfasts, horse races, county fairs, craft shows, beautiful scenery and friendly people.

Texas Hill Country Shopper:
A vacation and relocation guide to the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Showcasing Bandera, Boerne, Comfort, Fredericksburg, Kerrville and Medina.

My Texas Hill Country:
One family's wisdom on what to do, see and experience in the beautiful rolling hills of the Texas Hill Country.

Arlington

Arlington Fun Central:
Arlington's attractions include Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor, one of the world's largest water parks.