First-time visitors to Texas
 

Hi,
we're a family with two teenage boys, planning a visit to Texas this January.

We intend to spend 10-12 days in the cities of Houston, Dallas or Ft. Worth and San Antonio. Will that be enough to experience the flair of these cities?

Please recommend safe areas of these cities where we can book a hotel, or even better, tell us which parts to avoid, if any.

We'll be renting a car and we don't mind being a bit off the center, especially as we're traveling on a budget.

We want to visit both Dallas and Forth Worth, but I'm wondering where to stay. Both are nice cities, as I've already read, but is there anything that can make me decide easily?

Will we be able to visit a rodeo in January?

We're from Croatia and would very much like to see what Texas is really like.

Thanks
arjana

I'll let the Texas experts answer about the cities. Just wanted to point out that spending 10-12 days in 3 or 4 cities will not let you see what Texas is really like. You'll need to get out of the big cities and visit some of the rest of the state for that - Texas is so much more than Houston, San Antonio and DFW.

Arjana, I'm sure you've done a lot of research for your trip to Texas (my home state), but I think you are missing the best city in Texas, Austin, and the surrounding area called the Hill Country. Austin has some of the best of everything Texas has to offer--music, food, outdoor activities, culture, history, etc. I think you and your teenage boys would love all the things to see and do in Austin.
The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo is from January 16th - February 8th, 2009. If you really want to see a rodeo, this one would be a good one to see. See the rodeo website for details: http://www.fwssr.com/
There are also some good art museums in Ft. Worth which are worth a visit if you enjoy art. I would choose Fort Worth over Dallas for your visit, but if you aren't going to be in Texas during the time of the Rodeo, I'd skip both
Dallas and Ft. Worth and head straight to Austin.
If you can manage 12 days in Texas, you can see Ft. Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston. I would plan on 2 days in Ft. Worth (museums and rodeo), Austin and Hill Country (4 days), San Antonio (3 days) and Houston (3 days).
Hope y'all have a fun time in Texas.

We live in Oklahoma and we go to Dallas several times per year to shop and eat. We have been to all of the major cities that you mentioned in Texas several times. I can't imagine teenage boys enjoying a trip like you have indicated. All of the cities have good shopping and great places to eat. There isn't much to do activity wise at any of these in the winter. Yes, there is Football or Basketball, Professional or Collegiate level. The theme parks aren't open then. Schlitterbahn is great along with a couple of other Theme Parks.

I just don't invision most boys getting into art, museums,shopping for 12 days. Maybe I am wrong.

You might want to consider Big Bend for 3 or 4 days.

In Houston, NASA might be interesting . . it is south of Houston on I-45

From San Antonio to Dallas . . consider stoping at Gruene . . near New Braunfels . . http://www.gruenetexas.com/

Bandera would be another place to get a feel for Texas.

If you are driving between Houston and San Antonio, try the BBQ in Luling at the City Market.

How about Austin and the hill country?

Since you will have a car, I'd suggest staying at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. It has been open less than a year and has an indoor water park. The boys might enjoy that in January. While in Grapevine, you might want to do a bit of shopping at Grapevine Mills....they have some stores like Hot Topic and American Eagle that boys might enjoy. Try the Ft. Worth stockyards. For Dallas, google "American Airlines Center" and see if there is a Mavericks (basketball) or Stars (hockey) game when you are in the area. In January, you might even be able to catch a Cowboys game (American football.) The sixth Floor Museum in Dallas is well done.

Just noticed your question about the rodeo. The Ft. Worth Stock show and Rodeo runs from Jan. 16 to Feb. 8.
http://www.fwssr.com/

Thank you all for your quick responses.

Now I believe I'll have it easier to decide what to do and how long to stay in a city. Also, I'm looking forward to putting Austin into our plans.

As to rodeo, we'll be in Texas in the first half of Jan. Does that mean that we won't see a rodeo? What a pity that would be!

We very much want to and I'm sure we'll find time to visit the surroundings of the big cities I've mentioned.

As to teenagers, I'm not worried about them, I'm sure they'll enjoy themselves - you know, we come from a small country, and visiting Texas will be something completely different, new and certainly entertaining.

But what about the safe areas?

Thanks
arjana

I looked up the season for the Mesquite Championship Rodeo and unfortunately, it is April to September.

If I were you, I'd choose Houston OR Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. Dallas has Ft. Worth, which is where you get the cowboy culture. Houston has the Space Center. But I think just from "looks", the two cities will seem pretty much the same to you.

With all of the devastation in Houston from Ike this past weekend, I might skip it on this visit. 3 months seems like a long time for the region to clean up, but many areas will be without electricity for up to a month! Galveston was devastated, and will be uninhabitable for quite a while.

If you want to see a rodeo, the Fort Worth Stock Show is a MUST!! It is the World's Original Indoor Rodeo, and is truly one of the best in the country. You'd also do well to visit the Fort Worth Stock yards, which are in a different part of town from the Stock Show. The Stock Show draws large crowds so hotels in the immediate area will be very full. I'd try to get a room along I-30 whereever you can get one.

Even though I am a resident of Grapevine, I'd say skip the Great Wolf since you have teenagers. This resort is great for younger kids, but teens will find it too kiddy. (They have "storytime" by the fireplace each night, with the story read by a costumed character...not what most teens would consider "cool!")

San Antonio is always fun, but in the winter, it is a little more sedate. Sea World and Fiesta Texas will not be open. Of course the Alamo and the IMAX theatre will still be open, as will the Riverwalk. If your sons enjoy history, check out the other 5 missions which are national parks. I'd stay as close to the Riverwalk and downtown as possible since this is where the action is!

Since winter is off-season, you should be able to get some good deals on hotels!

Thanks for your suggestions.

Galveston was one of the cities we wanted to see, but now I'm not so sure after Ike. I hope the citizens will return to their homes a.s.a.p.

So it seems no rodeo for us this time, since the first half of Jan. is the only time when we can travel.

arjana

As other posters have said, I suggest Austin. It is IMHO by far the prettiest and most entertaining city in the state. Live music and the best food (and the biggest portions!). Dallas and Houston are interssting but they pale by comparison to Austin.

arjana, we have a son who lives in Houston so we have been there often. It is a huge city, traffic is awful. The Space Center is well worth a visit but other then that IMHO it is just a big, big city with huge traffic problems. Galveston has a lot of destruction, there's a lot of rebuilding to do there.

I agree with putting Austin in your plans, check: http://www.fredericksburgtexas.com/

I second Longhorn's reply to include Austin and the Hill Country. The Texas State Museum tells the story of Texas, but I've never seen it myself. I hear it's great, but I can't get my 16 year old son to go with me! If you want both cowboys and culture, Fort Worth is the choice over Dallas, but they're close enough together that you can really see some of both cities in several days. It's only a 30 minute drive or train ride between them. You have to say you've at least been to Dallas. Stay in downtown Fort Worth near Sundance Square, with restaurants, shopping, movies, etc. all in walking distance. Space Center Houston is boring and geared more to small children-we went last year and were extremely disappointed. There are some very fine museums there and by January, I expect the hurricane damage will be cleared. You will like San Antonio best of all for the beauty, history and ethnic culture and it will be warmer there. But, January in Texas isn't the best time to enjoy the outdoor activities that your boys might be interested in. I've never been to Big Bend, but I hear the scenery is spectacular. That's a long drive, though.

Enjoy your visit! I've only seen pictures of your country and it looks beautiful-such picturesque coasts.

Thank you, centex, for your compliment on my country. Yes, it's beautiful indeed, especially the Adriatic coast, and when you decide to come over, I'd be glad to offer advice.

So Austin it is! After reading all your suggestions and checking all the sites that you've mentioned, I decided to visit the Texas capital and the Hill Country. Really a beautiful region.

We've been to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, and I suppose the NASA center in Houston won't be much different, so I guess we'll skip that too.

We'll probably be flying into Houston, so we'll spend a couple of days there before heading west, where we'll spend most of our holidays. We might fly back home from Dallas, in which case we'd certainly go to both Forth Worth and Dallas.

Please keep your suggestions and recommendations coming. It's so much easier to plan such a trip if you have lots of 'insider' information.

Thanks
arjana

I recommend that you spend one night in Houston, just to get your clocks reset. If you're not doing NASA, move on. San Antonio or Austin are easy drives.

The Fort Worth Stock show starts Jan 11, 2009, if that helps. Sea World in San Antonio is open the second week of January. The countryside West of San Antonio and Austin is attractive in a subtle way, although in winter it will be brown.

San Antonio and Dallas have pro basketball teams and Dallas also has hockey. The boys would likely enjoy any of these games.

Much of the flair of TX in Jan. will be winter dormant--sorry.

How old are your boys and what are their interests? What are your interests?

The reason there aren't many rodeos in January is twofold:
1. The Pro Rodeo National Finals Rodeo is in mid-December. The cowboys take a break after that for Christmas and New Year's, and then Fort Worth kicks off the new season in early January. Fort Worth Stock Show first, then Houston Livestock Show, then the San Antonio Stock Show.
2. The weather in Texas in January can be COLD, so all of the early pro rodeos are indoor. The weather for Fort Worth is notoriously bad...if it is icy and below 20 degrees outside, you know it's Stock Show time!!

arjana, I have lived in Texas for 25+ years, the last 20 in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Houston before that.

I would be very happy to give you more information regarding where to stay in the area (on a budget) and where it is "safe".

My maternal grandfather was born in Karlovac, and I hope to visit Croatia one day to see my family's homeland. :)

Please feel free to email me and I can give you some more information regarding hotels and safe areas. And anything else you want to pick my brain about! :)

[email protected]

Repeat after me: "Y'all come back now, y'here?"

:-))

Paula

you have gotten some great info so far!!!

I would agree to skip the big cities.

please visit the state capitol in Austin.

Texas is big, do your research on driving times.

please try all of our "Texas" food.
Bar-b-que, Tex-Mex, chicken fried steak, and Dairy Queen ice cream.

I hope yall have a great time!!

also, please check out the talk forum on tripadvisor.com there is a lot of "Texas Talk" on it, good info there also!

I received my new Texas Fodor's book (free becauase I was quoted) and since it's brand new, it's really up to date. I'd recommend that you buy a copy.

Thank you all for your advice. I appreciate it very much. Please keep it coming.

I was planning a day trip to Galvestone. However, after reading about Ike, I'm not so sure if this will be possible in January. I'm sorry for all those people there.

We'd certainly like to see the beaches of the Gulf and even go for a swim in January (?).

My boys are 17 and 14 and are into sports very much.

We all want to visit museums where we can find more about the history of Texas. The Alamo is a must.
We want to see a rodeo (but have to go home before January 12) and cowboys and eat local food. A dude ranch, maybe? Dairy Queen sounds great, what about Bluebell Icecream?

DH and I would like to dance in a salloon where everybody is cheerful and happy and wearing cowboy hats and boots, if you know what I mean, but I've seen it in the movies.

I can't possibly leave the States without outlet shopping.

We're open to suggestions.
arjana

When you are driving from San Antonio to Austin, you will pass two HUGE outlet malls in San Marcos.

Someone above mentioned New Braunfels/Gruene (outside San Antonio). There is a place there called Gruene Hall, which is an old-fashioned dance hall. I don't know the hours, but I think they have live music. Also not sure of the dress code. Gruene is also fun for poking around - lots of little antiques stores and boutiques (hand-made jewelry and stuff).

Hi, arjana. So glad you'll be coming to Texas! I live in the Panhandle, but have family in the DFW area and Austin area and previously lived in Houston. My suggestions:

Houston: Taste of Texas Restaurant--one of the best steaks I've ever had and lovely surroundings. http://www.tasteoftexas.com/ It is a little pricey though so might not fall within your budget. I would also skip NASA and Galveston. Outside of Houston is Old Town Spring which is a neat little community. http://www.oldtownspring.com/ Might give you a taste of "big Houston" and quaint towns outside of Houston.

San Antonio: You must have Mexican food and margaritas here--yum! I love the Alamo (it just never gets old to me). Contrary to what an earlier poster said, I do believe Fiesta Texas (large amusement park) is open from January 1-6. Your sons might enjoy this. Definitely walk around the River Walk.

Austin/Hill Country: I'm so glad you're adding this! It's wonderful! The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum is a must! They have an exhibit "Cowboys and Presidents" open until January 4. http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/ There are a lot of dives with great live music you'll want to visit(only some of which your sons will be able to get into so make sure and check). The capitol is wonderful as well. I'm guessing you'll drive from Houston to San Antonio, San Antonio to Austin, then to DFW. If you happen to venture out to the Fredericksburg area (and thought charming, I don't think I would, but if you do), it's not that much more of a drive to Llano, which is home of Cooper's BBQ, one of my all time favorite BBQ spots in Texas http://www.coopersbbq.com/.

DFW area: I'd go with Fort Worth as well. How about the Fort Worth stockyards? http://www.fortworthstockyards.org/

As previous posters mentioned, really study drive times and in all of these metro areas, be cautious of traffic and heavy traffic times. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

Oops! Forgot---I definitely second the poster who mentioned the San Marcos outlet malls--the best in Texas IMHO. There are two: http://www.tangeroutlet.com/sanmarcos
and http://www.primeoutlets.com/cntrdefault.asp?cntrid=1042
You could hit these on your way to Austin from San Antonio.

Also, here is the information on Gruene hall: http://www.gruenehall.com/ It's the "oldest dance hall in Texas" and quite fun.

Taste of Texas is more than "a little pricey" (but it is fabulous steak).

If you do eat there, counter it with BBQ at The Salt Lick outside Austin - inexpensive, delicious BBQ where you sit at picnic tables.

http://www.saltlickbbq.com/

They drain the river in San Antonio early every January. Lsat year, they drained it on Jan. 2 and the Mud Festival was Jan 10-13, so I assume the river was a canal of mud from Jan 2-13th. I can't find the dates for 2009, but you may want to email the city to see if you can find out when it is. It's worth going to San Antonio even if there's no water in the river, but you might want to check into it so you can plan accordingly.

I'm glad they've convinced you to include Austin and the Hill Country. Trying to get the flavor of all of Texas will of course be a challenge with the number of days you have and the distances you have to travel.

If part of what you want to experience is the sheer vastness of the state, here is an imaginary itinerary:

You fly in to Houston. Stay overnight and get over your jetlag, pick a few highlights for the day. If you are a little crazy and need some gumbo, you could take an hour drive east on I-10 to Al-T's in Winnie. (I had to say it, when I'm in the area on the other side I always take a side trip, I don't care that it's an hour). Sorry, I don't know Houston hotels so can't help you with that.

Then, drive to Austin. It'll be about 2 1/2 hours according to triptik. (it may be or less depending where you are leaving from in Houston. Houston is a huge sprawl with a ton of traffic) People who live in Austin can give better details than I, but there is a good music scene there, Barton Springs, and there used to be some freeway bridge where the bats roost (Austin-ites, is that still around? Is it seasonal?). You could stay there, or, an idea is to venture into the hill country and make that your base for a few days.

Several years back when visiting my dad in Wimberly we were able to rent a two bedroom cottage, fully furnished, full kitchen, fireplace, direct TV, the whole deal for a good price. There was a sleeper bed too so the whole family could stay. With something like that you really would be in the heart of Texas and it's a good jumpoff for day trips to Austin, Wimberley itself which is a cool little village, Luckenbach--the song from Willie Nelson Fame, Johnson City, Blanco, Gruene that is mentioned above, Fredericksburg--a very German town that is well-preservered, the sceneic route along Devil's Backbone, and more!

Let's say you stay three days there. Now head towards San Antonio. Stop in San Marcos on I-35 at the outlet malls. If this is really a big deal to you, you honestly could spend a whole day and there are many discount hotels right near there. You could pop over to San Marcos to eat at a steakhouse I think is called Red's and have some of the best steak ever. You could also visit the University there where the very sad event of the shooting took place.

Then it's on to San Antonio. No, you cannot miss the Alamo! I read a great trip report here not long ago on San Antonio with some things I hadn't thought of, I'll have to see if I can find it. Anyway, let's say you have now used up about 6 days of your time. If you want a beach, maybe you could go from San Antonio to Corpus Christi or Port Aransas. Maybe 3 hours.

But, if I really were doing this trip, I would get ready for a really long drive and get to know Texas. I would head for Big Bend. Yes, you will drive for hours and hours, with not much in sight. What better way to understand what a massive state it is? And then Big Bend will be completely unique for you. Maybe 7 hour drive from San Antonio. If you do this, you have now used maybe 7 days. Spend the next two to 3 days in Big Bend, hiking etc. Then either drive to Midland/Odessa and drop your car and take a Southwest flight back to Houstin to fly back home, or make a massive long haul drive back to Houston. Sometimes, the driving is everything that Texas is about.

Okay, that's very long, but it's an idea! If it is an idea you like, maybe we can all start giving you details on places to stay, places to eat, etc.

arjana, if you have a spare day, I would be happy to take your family to my sister's ranch in Bogata.
She has a 3000 acre beef ranch with lots to see and do...
You can email me at [email protected] if you are interested in getting to know me and my sister.
She has hundreds of photos of her life and farm on photobucket.com
I am a travel professional born and raised in Dallas. I live 5 minutes from Southfork, which is not a big deal but often something people from other countries want to see :)

Anyway, let me know if you are interested...

Thank you all,
I've read somewhere that people from Texas are very friendly and this is so true. And hospitable, as well. TxTravelPro, thanks for your offer, but I don't think we'd go that far as Bogata (Northeast of Texas, right?). By the way, bogata is a Croatian word meaning rich.

I have checked all the sites and places you've recommended and my plan is slowly shaping up. I'm thinking something along your lines, Toucan2.

I don't think we'll do Big Bend, though. We should leave something for next time. Then we'll have a reason to come again.

Do dance halls let kids in? They're 17 and 14 year old boys.

arjana

Once you get your itinerary set, check back in and we can recommend restaurants and hotels.

The dance hall mentioned, at Gruene (and there is actually one at Luckenbach) can often be very family oriented. It's not like a honky tonk bar. Depending on the event you'll pretty much see all ages (and I do mean all!) at them. Maybe you'll get lucky and someone will teach you the Texas two-step!

BTW, here's another link with a lot of good information around Gruene.

http://www.touringtexas.com/gruene/

Fort Worth - Cowtown Rodeo in the Stockyards will be going on the early part of January. Visit this website for more detail.
www.cowtowncoliseum.com/news.asp

Billy Bob's or the White Elephant Saloon (both in the Stockyards) will have dancing.

Also, if you visit the Austin/Hill Country area, visit Enchanted Rock - a large granite rock your kids would LOVE to climb. It is near the Fredricksburg / New Braunfels area.

Check out this small B&B in Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth called Etta's Place. It has ties to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
www.ettas-place.com/

Enjoy your visit to Texas - it's a GREAT State!!

There's so much good advice here I don't have much to add but here goes:

It's hard to say if Galveston will be ready for visitors yet even in January. As a plan B you might look at Port Aransas. Please check back with us about Galveston when the time gets closer. I will be in Houston in November and we might take a drive to Galveston so I might be able to answer that question by then.

I think the biggest "don't miss" in Texas is the San Antonio Riverwalk, but unfortunately they drain it for cleaning in January. This year it will be drained from Jan 2-9 so if you can be there outside those dates try to plan that. Here's a bit more info and a great pic of the Riverwalk at night:

http://www.sanantonio.gov/dtops/rive...2&ver=true

Aside from the Riverwalk there are many more attractions in San Antonio:

http://www.sanantoniotourism.com/

I live in Austin which is the capitol of TX and also worth a visit. I am sorry to say this, but if time is limited I must recommend San Antonio over Austin, especially when kids are involved.

I think you are in for a lot of surprises, Texas is not what you see in the movies. :-D You mentioned getting a feel for the real Texas, but what some people don't realize is that Texas is a very large and diverse place and each part can be very different.

Thank you for your interest in Texas and welcome to our state. I sincerely hope you enjoy your visit and take home many great memories.

You've been offered ALOT of great suggestions for Texas, but there is always something to do. If you fly into Houston,there are several "unusual" museums your boys might like:the art car museum (http://www.artcarmuseum.com), the houston fire museum (www.houstonfiremuseum.org), and the funeral museum (www.nmfh.org). Also could catch a professional sporting event here as well. San Antonio is about 3 hours away. If you like driving off the beaten path, you can go from Houston to San Antonio through Brenham, where they make Blue Bell ice cream. There you can take a tour of the creamery and sample new flavors. Just outside Brenham is a small town called Independence, where the Texas declaration of independence was signed. There is a small museum and lots of bed and breakfast homes-some on ranches-where you could stay. Texas really is a friendly place, stop at any small town store and ask the clerk where to go and you might want to change your plans and follow their suggestions. Austin is great, and in their own words "weird". Tour the capital for sure. Around San Antonio are some great old missions if you've got time for those too. Its a lot of territory to cover in a short amount of time, but come back often, we're always happy to see you!!

FYI- outlet malls, I agree that San Marcos is the best, but Just if you need another option, there is Grapevine Mills, In Grapevine, Texas ( which is Dallas) and in Hillsboro, which is south of dallas/Ft. Worth. let us know your itenerary!

Thank you all - your advice is greatly appreciated.

We still don't know when we're coming - the reason being that DH is an airline employee, so we travel when there are open seats, on stand-by. This means that planning our vacation is always a bit more challenging, but we don't complain.

Most of the things we want to visit can fit easily in our itinerary, no matter when we come or where we fly into (Dallas or Houston). However, there are two exceptions:
We must be in San Antonio before they drain the Riverwalk, Jan 2 (thanks P_M) and we should be in the Dallas area on a rodeo day, Fridays and Saturdays, plus New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
(thanks jill-h).

We are free to leave after Christmas and have to be back home on Jan 11, the latest.

arjana