Texas Independence Day is March 2. (On that day, back in 1836, the Texas Declaration of Independence was adopted at Washington-on-the-Brazos.) So, to celebrate, the 四虎影院 staff figured we鈥檇 come up with a list of quintessential Texas experiences 鈥� a list of things you should do in the Lone Star State before you kick the bucket.
Pack your bags, fuel up your car, and come take a tour with us across the state 鈥�
1. Visit the in late September and early October. Eat a corny dog (and the fried cookie dough and the funnel cakes 鈥�) Admire the art deco buildings and artwork. Stare up at the new Big Tex. Ride the Texas Star Ferris Wheel, North America鈥檚 largest.
2. Visit a real Texas rodeo with bona fide cowboys and cowgirls ropin鈥� and ridin鈥� wild animals. The in Wichita Falls includes some of the best in the state from the big, legendary ranches.
3. Drink in the bluebonnets and other wildflowers that bloom in springtime. Drive the in Hill Country at the height of the season. Closer to Dallas, visit the in April.
4. Jump into a in Central Texas. Some are spring-fed pools. Canoe or kayak one of the beautiful, clear rivers in Central Texas, such as the Comal or Guadalupe. Or grab an innertube and float away.
5. Head to Padre Island. Watch the rare, protected as they hatch and race to the water. Stay on the beach past sundown to see the Milky Way over the Gulf of Mexico.
6. Attempt to ride the cycling event in Wichita Falls. It鈥檚 in late August! What were they thinking?
7. Go deer hunting in picturesque Hill Country. Did you know Hill Country is known as the 鈥淒eer Factory of Texas?鈥� The area where Mason, Gillespie, and Llano counties converge supports the highest deer density in the country, with one deer for every 2 to 3 acres, according to Take in the beautiful Hill Country views.
8. Camp out with wild and exotic animals at the in Glen Rose. The 1,800-acre center is home to over 1,100 animals and 50 species of native and non-native animals.
9. Go eat some Tex-Mex. A hole-in-the-wall. Or a chain. Or from across the state, or of North Texas eateries. Specifically in Dallas: Don't miss listening to dueling mariachi bands while chowing down on fajitas and schooners of margaritas at in Oak Cliff on a Saturday night.
10. Go to church. Perhaps a mega-church such as Lakewood Church or Second Baptist in Houston or the Potter鈥檚 House in Dallas. Or visit in High Hill, near Schulenberg, which Fox News one of the country鈥檚 most beautiful. With its , paintings and stained-glass windows, it鈥檚 known as one of the .
11. Visit the and take the tour offered several times a day. 鈥淐ompleted in 1888 as the winning design from a national competition, the Capitol's style is Renaissance Revival, based on the architecture of 15th-century Italy and characterized by classical orders, round arches and symmetrical composition.鈥� Then walk several blocks and tour the , which explores the story of Texas. 鈥淔rom the 35-foot-tall bronze star sculpture that greets visitors as they arrive, to the campfire scene in the terrazzo floor in entryway that features a campfire scene with enduring themes from Texas's past, every corner of the Museum proclaims the 鈥楽tory of Texas鈥� in a bold and new way.鈥�
12. Canoe or boat through the cypress trees and enjoy the swampy East Texas bayous that are . Eat some fried catfish while you鈥檙e there.
13. Admire the roses in Tyler. Each October thousands of visitors head to Tyler for the Texas Rose Festival. Tyler is home to the in the United States.
14. Head to , Texas鈥� oldest dance hall, in New Braunfels' historic Gruene district. Built in 1878, the 6,000-square foot hall has a high-pitched tin roof and its original layout. It offers live music every day. Since 1975, Gruene Hall has hosted hundreds of celebrities. In the 1800s, Gruene Hall held weekly dances and hosted traveling salesmen, high school graduations and badger fights.
15. Attend a taping of . The PBS show is the longest-running music program in television history, the only television show to have been awarded the Presidential Medal of the Arts, and was recently recognized by Time magazine as one of the 10 most influential music programs of all time. Watch a bunch of .
16. Catch the battle of the bands during the each fall between the Tiger Band and the Marching Storm 鈥� the marching bands of Grambling State University in Louisiana and Prairie View A&M in southeast Texas. Oh, and there's a too.
17. Museums 鈥� and more museums. There are all sorts of great museums across the state. How to choose? Pick one of these three with great collections that were designed by Renzo Piano: the in Houston; the in Dallas and the at in Fort Worth.
18. Visit Scenic Drive and and the lights come up over El Paso and Juarez.
19. Tour President Lyndon Johnson鈥檚 ranch, home of the Texas White House. It鈥檚 near Stonewall. The LBJ Ranch was where he was .
20. Tour Texas' presidential libraries 鈥� at SMU; at UT-Austin; at Texas A&M.
21. Holy smokes batman! Hang out by the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin and watch : about 1.5 million bats love the bridge because it鈥檚 humid and there are lots of hiding spots.
22. Visit the Inner Space Cavern in Georgetown 鈥� one of the in Texas and home to prehistoric remains.
23. Explore Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site in El Paso. Ancestors used the rainwater pooled in natural rock basins, or . You can hike, climb rocks, admire birds, study nature and stargaze.
24. Catch a Friday night high school football game, preferably the in Odessa, the team that inspired a and network TV show.
25. Make an appointment to see The Hill, artist James Magee鈥檚 giant art project in the desert outside El Paso. Here鈥檚 how his website : For more than 25 years, Magee 鈥渉as been engaged in a massive, largely secret, almost solitary endeavor in the vast plains of West Texas.鈥� It鈥檚 a series of buildings and sculptures on about 2,000 acres. In 2010, 四虎影院鈥檚 Jerome Weeks .
26. Check out the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders鈥� locker room as part of your .
27. Watch in concert when the group tours Texas. Intocable started nearly 20 years ago in Zapata and has become one of the most influential Tejano/Norte帽o groups.
28. Find some peace at a Buddhist temple. Try in Fort Worth.
29. Visit a charming small town with a quaint downtown square 鈥� perhaps in North Texas or or in Hill Country. (Or a bigger town with a charming square, such as .)
30. Head out to , the arts mecca in Presidio County in far west Texas. It has less than 2,000 residents, but NPR has as 鈥渁 blue-chip arts destination.鈥� There are museums and galleries and sculptures. 鈥淰egan food, straw bale houses and funky bars filled with artsy kids clinking Shiner Bocks with famous painters and film directors. Their pearl-buttoned shirts and cowboy boots can make the place feel like a Western-themed outpost of Brooklyn. And for a town of only about 2,000 people, you can amuse yourself nightly with screenings, readings and, of course, gallery shows.鈥�
31. See the spectacular July 4 fireworks show in Addison 鈥� , considered one of the country鈥檚 best fireworks shows.
32. Slide down in Dallas after a snowfall or ice storm.
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33. Spend an afternoon at in Dallas 鈥� soak up the sweeping views of downtown and explore the nearby .
34. Spend the day at the in Fort Worth, then follow it with a night in .
35. On your roadtrip, take a break at . Admire the clean bathrooms 鈥� the one in New Braunfels was once named the in the country.
36. Visit the in Huntsville. The Texas Prison Museum says it offers an 鈥渋ntriguing glimpse into the lives of the state's least-loved citizens.鈥�
37. Stroll along the . Then drive past the beautiful historic homes in the . And (Update: Tour the , too, of course. We meant to include this the first time around!)
38. Stop in Amarillo and look at the , the public art installation that features painted Cadillacs.
39. Consume some Texas-centric foods: ice cream; fruitcake; 鈥� just to name a few. Eat some more Tex-Mex. Then wash it all down with beer.
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Update: We鈥檝e received so many responses from readers that we wanted to add a few of the more popular items we鈥檝e missed. (And there are some places that 四虎影院 staff members insist be added to the list. And there are some we simply forgot to post in the first place.) What else are we missing? Let us know 鈥� contact us at eaasen@kera.org!
40. Join a stargazing party and ponder the universe at the in the Davis Mountains in west Texas. 鈥淭he Star Party program is fun for the entire family, and is open to everyone. Enjoy night sky constellation tours and views of celestial objects through a number of telescopes (varying in size from a 4-inch giant binocular to a 24-inch Ritchey鈥揅hr茅tien telescope) in the at the Visitors Center.鈥�
41. Visit Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas panhandle 鈥� it鈥檚 the country鈥檚 second-largest canyon. says: 鈥淓arly Spanish explorers are believed to have discovered the area and dubbed the canyon 鈥楶alo Duro,鈥� which is Spanish for 鈥榟ard wood,鈥� in reference to the abundant mesquite and juniper trees.鈥� While you鈥檙e at Palo Duro, see , the outdoor musical.
42. Visit one of Texas鈥� national parks. Hike to the highest peak in Texas at , which is home to three species of horned lizards. Raft the Rio Grande through . Big Bend鈥檚 website says: 鈥淏ig Bend National Park in Texas features broad expanses of Chihuahuan Desert shrubland and grassland interspersed with smaller areas of high-elevation woodland in the Chisos Mountains. 鈥� Deep canyons along the river are among the park's most striking features. The black bear, mountain lion, and javelina, along with bats, turtles, frogs, toads, and 450 species of birds, either reside in the park or use park resources.鈥�
43. Venture to and look for Sue Ellen and Bobby or other members of the Ewing clan.
44. Who needs to head into space when you can explore , home of the instead?
45. Stuff yourself silly with some Texas barbecue. Among the places suggested (and we don't mean to start World War III): in Lexington, in Taylor, in Austin, in Lockhart, in Dallas.
And as you think about what you love about the Lone Star State, we鈥檒l serenade you with this rendition of 鈥�.鈥�
Photo credit: Top photo (Texas flag/Texas sunset) by
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This story published March 7, 2014 and has been updated.
