When I moved to Texas, I was not happy about it. I had to leave my friends and my life behind and start over in a place that I didn\u2019t think I\u2019d really like. For a while, I was unhappy with where I was, but that was before I started to travel and explore the ginormous state that is Texas.<\/p>\n
And when I say ginormous, I am not exaggerating. When my family takes road trips to our hometown in Georgia, nearly half of the first day of driving there is spent just trying to get out of Texas. It takes at least five hours from where I live to make it to Louisiana, and I don\u2019t even live in the westernmost part of the state.<\/p>\n
All that to say that there is a lot to do in Texas if you know where to look. It can be like exploring a different whole country. After all, it is bigger than and has more national pride than a lot of countries. Looking back over the last five years, these are some of my favorite places and things to do in the Lone Star State.<\/p>\n
El Paso is quite possibly my favorite city in the state of Texas. I have only been there one time<\/a>, but that was enough for me to fall in love. Many people may be surprised to see El Paso on this list because, like me before I went there, most people have either never heard of it or assumed it would be some boring border town in the desert.<\/p>\n Since El Paso isn\u2019t the most popular tourist destination and since it has to compete with the prices in Juarez which are only a short walk away, El Paso is quite affordable. Not only were the restaurants and accommodations affordable, but El Paso has a plethora of museums and activities that are completely free.<\/p>\n My partner and I visited the El Paso Museum of Art, and it had a large and diverse collection with a wide range of cultural representations. It also had unique modern pieces like hyper-realistic sculptures or giant ceiling pieces made of painted tarps suspended in the air. After some time in that museum, we visited El Paso\u2019s Museum of History, which was also free and shed light on El Paso\u2019s rich history\u2014the good, the bad, and the ugly. The museum struck me as fairly honest and thorough, though it was small. It traced all the way back before colonization and all the way up to the end of the civil rights era.<\/p>\n The last free museum that we visited was probably our favorite. That was El Paso\u2019s Holocaust Museum and Study Center. This museum painted an important picture and walked us through history with a blend of artifacts, artwork, and immersive exhibits that put us face-to-face with the realities of the time. The museum also had a tribute to the victims of the holocaust and to the survivors who called El Paso home. It was a touching end to a very emotional museum visit.<\/p>\n El Paso also has some great open park spaces like San Jacinto Plaza and a very walkable downtown area. From our hotel, we were able to walk to a unique coffee shop made from shipping containers, a novelty souvenir store, the main street lined with shops, restaurants, and even a traditional tattoo parlor (which we couldn\u2019t resist getting souvenirs from).<\/p>\n All in all, with my one short trip to El Paso, I have been left wanting much more and knowing that I have just scratched the surface of El Paso. I will certainly be back soon.<\/p>\n By far, Austin is the city that I have visited the most in Texas. Whenever I have a short weekend or want a quick getaway, this city has become my go-to\u2014especially since it\u2019s only an hour and a half drive from where I live.<\/p>\n Every time that I visit Austin there is something new to do or see. I have spent weekends there playing laser tag, visiting interactive museums, and having picnics in the park to let my inner child out<\/a>. I have spent day trips walking around downtown and tasting the different foods, and there is plenty to read about Autin\u2019s nightlife or bar scene. There really is something for everybody to enjoy in Austin.<\/p>\n Some of my favorite things to do in the city include visiting Cherrywood Coffeehouse, which has become my coffee shop away from home. Not only do they serve coffee, but they also serve a wide variety of breakfast and lunch foods. It is a spacious place to relax and plan your day or get some work done if you work on the road. It has become a staple for my trips to Austin.<\/p>\n When it\u2019s time for lunch or dinner, Austin is known for its food trucks. They have a plethora of food truck parks to choose from and you can\u2019t go wrong. They have great selections, and it is really helpful when traveling with other people for everybody to have something they like all in one place.<\/p>\n Another unique way to eat and pass the time in Austin is by visiting a drive-in movie. I went to the Blue Starlite drive-in and they served dinner, snacks, drinks, and whatever else you may need. This drive-in was unique because it had multiple drive-in slots, so my partner and I were able to get our own private movie screen\/parking spot and pick the movie we wanted to see, instead of just pulling into a large parking lot to watch whatever was on.<\/p>\n I could go on and on about unique activities to do in Austin, but that would fill a book. A few of the other things I\u2019ve enjoyed are the many unique museums, a laser tag arcade, walking downtown, and the fact that there is no shortage of antique shops to explore.<\/p>\n Another place that I have been to more than a few times is South Padre Island<\/a>. This slim island is a great vacation spot right next to the US-Mexico border. It is a fun getaway that my family has made almost a tradition.<\/p>\n Sometimes, it is nice to sit back and enjoy a \u201ctraditional\u201d vacation. The main street is lined with souvenir shops with cheesy t-shirts, boogie boards, goggles, and endless little trinkets. There are a few restaurants, including one in the hotel we stayed at, and you are, of course, right on the beach.<\/p>\n The smell of the sea, the sand, and the sunscreen, and the feeling of the heat and humidity in the air gives a feeling like no other\u2014the classic beach trip. Texas may not necessarily be known for its beaches, and for good reason, but this beach is very enjoyable. It is no Cancun, but the water is nice and it is very clean.<\/p>\n There is also a sea turtle conservation organization there called Sea Turtle, Inc., and they let you come in and see the turtles they are rehabilitating, explore their mini-museum, watch lectures about sea turtles and their mission at Sea Turtle, Inc., and they have a cute gift shop.<\/p>\n Overall, if you are looking for a quick and easy vacation, especially if you live nearby, South Padre Island can be a much more affordable alternative to flying to the Bahamas or going to a fancy resort, and nothing can beat that feeling of nostalgia that one can get on this small island in the Gulf.<\/p>\n Though those three places are my favorite travel destinations in Texas, there is certainly a lot more out there worth visiting. After all, Texas is twice the size of Germany. So, I wanted to list some honorable mentions that probably only didn\u2019t make it on the list because I haven\u2019t visited them enough to know just how much there is to discover.<\/p>\n The first place on my honorable mentions list that comes to mind is Brownsville. I have only been to Brownsville once, but the trip<\/a> was for journalism rather than tourism and it had a lot of non-travel-related media<\/a> come out of it. Though I was focused on interviewing migrants and reporting on the situation with the lifting of Title 42, I still got to see much of the city and eat some really good tacos. I feel that if I had more time to stay in Brownsville, there would be much to taste and explore.<\/p>\n Another city that I feel I should put on the honorable mentions list is San Antonio. I live in San Antonio, so unfortunately that makes it boring to me. However, I do think that there are some good things to do here that someone who doesn’t live here would enjoy. We have plenty of museums and restaurants and things to see that I think are worth seeing if you don\u2019t see them all the time.<\/p>\n Lastly, I want to mention two cities that I\u2019ve only visited once or twice before but I think have merits that I just haven\u2019t been able to explore. Those cities are Dallas and Houston. In Dallas, I at least know that there is a free art museum that I have seen part of and enjoyed. I will hopefully make a trip back there soon to see some more stuff and finish my visit to that museum.<\/p>\n I have only been to Houston once, but I went to see a basketball game and I thought the city looked very cool. I was, of course, very young, so the most memorable thing from this trip with my dad was meeting and getting a picture with Charles Barkley. Houston is also very close to a beach I have been to, so I\u2019ve got to give it credit for that.<\/p>\n Texas is a place that I will probably never be done exploring. For many travelers and travel writers, Texas, or domestic travel at all for that matter, isn\u2019t exotic enough, but I believe that in every place there is something worth seeing, experiencing, and writing about.<\/p>\n It may not be my favorite place in the world, but Texas is not without its hidden gems if the right traveler is there to find them. I hope that this article will not only inspire you to travel to Texas but also to explore and live life wherever you go as if it were an adventure and a travel destination of its own. Seeing a place in this way brings new life to them, and perhaps gives new life to us as we experience things from a new perspective.<\/p>\n Planning a trip to Â鶹APP ? Get ready !<\/p>\n These are\u00a0Amazon’s\u00a0best-selling<\/strong>\u00a0travel products that you may need for coming to Â鶹APP.<\/p>\n Bookstore<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Travel Gear<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nAustin<\/h2>\n
South Padre Island<\/h2>\n
Honorable Mentions<\/h2>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n
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