I'm still trying to figure out an anniversary spot for DH and I in Jan. We were in Jefferson last weekend and loved Caddo Lake Park and got to thinking maybe there are some other parts of Texas we might like to see. Not necessarily looking for another park, but curious what's worth visiting in West Texas/Panhandle for a few days. Looking for comfortable lodging, nice scenery, and somewhere to have delicious meals.

Is there such a place?
TIA,
CDG

some people are great fans of big bend park. there is a nice hotel somewhere close, as I recall. Marfa is also an interesting artsy town.

San Angelo is a cute little town with a nice art museum, beautiful riverwalk, fun shops downtown, and a historic fort. There are several B&Bs in town, and some of Texas' best steakhouses. (Lowake, Zentner's, Twin Mountain, Western Skies)

Lubbock has several excellent museums, such as the Ranching Heritage Center, and Cap Rock winery. Lubbock also has nice restaurants, but I can't name any specifically since it's been several years since I was there.

Marfa and Alpine both are supposed to be very charming and fun. Unfortunately, I've never been to either!

Especially in January, the only thing between the Panhandle and the North Pole is a barbed wire fence...and that's blown down. It's the land of the horizontal snows.

If you like the cold, you can visit Palo Duro Canyon, second only to the Grand Canyon. It's gorgeous in the Spring and Summer. Expect snow in January. Palo Duro is roughly 35 miles South of Amarillo.

There is all sorts of history and Western Lore all over the Panhandle. However I'd pick another timeframe for a visit.

Lots of stuff worth seeing in West Texas, but it's an area that you either love or you hate. El Paso should certainly have what you're looking for. I can't give any personal recommendations, but a city of that size should have comfortable lodging and good food somewhere. It's reasonably close to Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mtns. National Park, although the latter would probably be a bit chilly in January.

Big Bend NP and the nearby Big Bend Ranch SP are great. I don't know if you'd find delicious food in Terlingua or Study Butte, but you'd probably find something "interesting", especially if you go to La Kiva. There is lodging within the national park, and the stone cottages are probably your best bet for something nicer than an average hotel room. The Gage hotel in Marathon is supposed to be nice as well.

If you go to the Big Bend NP website, they have a good "Area Travel info" section on their website that has some good links to general and specific info. Click here for that page: http://tinyurl.com/ufdoe

Fort Davis is a decent destination for a day or two - it has a nice state park, a national historic site, and the McDonald Observatory. I also liked Monahans Sandhills SP near Midland/Odessa, but that's only good for a few hour stop.

The Big Bend area (including Ft. Davis, Marathon, Alpine, Marfa) is pretty remote - it's about a 6 hour drive from El Paso, and 3-5 hours from Midland-Odessa, depending on where you're going. If you like solitude and wide open spaces, and can handle the desert scenery, you'd love it. Otherwise, you might be better off going somewhere closer to a big city if you want to bail out.

Odessa has a mini-Stonehenge but scenery is not its drawing card

Alpine has a great cowboy restaurant with gourmet food called Reata.
http://www.bigbendmerchants.com/reata/index.html

Monahans State Park has fantastic sand dunes people sled.
http://www.traveltex.com/driving_tou...35&LS=0&st=107

Big Bend NP and the general area are worth visiting. Carlsbad Caverns is fantastic and worth a trip in itself, though it is rather remote.