We flew into Dallas on Oct. 23rd and flew back to Iowa on Nov. 1st. We had a great time in Texas! In Dallas we would recommend the Sixth Floor Museum and in Ft. Worth The Stockyards. We spent a night in San Antonio at the Drury Inn and Suites on the Riverwalk. We would recommend it! A beautiful room, a rooftop pool, and a big hot free breakfast buffet each morning as well as one hour of free long distance for every night you spend there! Then we drove to South Padre Island which we also loved. We stayed at the La Copa Inn and would highly recommend it. A beautiful view from our gulf front room, reasonable prices, free continental breakfast and then snacks in the early evening, guest laundry, etc. etc. It has a beautiful pool area also...We want to go back!!!

Hi, Brendakay, glad you enjoyed your trip.

By any chance did you visit the Dallas World Aquarium? If not, be sure and check it out when you return. It's actually an indoor jungle as well as an aquarium, and you can easily spend a few hours there. It's just a few blocks away from the Kennedy museum.

Next time see the really great stuff: the Hill Country W of San Antonio and Austin; the Big Bend and the surrounding areas - Gage Hot. in Marathon; the Park; Starlight cafe in Terlingua; Hot in Lajitas; drive W on the River road to Presidio - nastiest place in the US in summer.
However, Marfa, Alpine, Ft Davis are wonderful.
M

Sounds like you had a great trip!

Mikemo, you'd probably be ashamed to know that I am an over-30, native Texan, and I have never been anywhere close to Big Bend...

Big Bend is breathtaking. And the Gage Hotel is oldworld elegance. But alas, there is nothing there. Nothing but miles and miles of absolutely gorgeous mountains and desert, the type of nothing one can never get enough of ><

Go for these wonderful places before there are "gone".
I drove my '91 BMW 850i at 156 mph there.
M

BrendaKay we just came back from Thanksgiving week in South Padre and then San Antonio. Saw La Copa Inn while there and we wondered about it as we saw a great price advertised. We stayed down a bit further down Gulf Blvd. at the Sea Breeze condos, but loved Padre. Some great room rates can be had there right now. It was a close second to some FL beaches for us. It helped that the weather was nice, too. We did Padre first and then back to S.A. which we loved as well. I have to admit the people in Texas are about the nicest people I have encountered anywhere where traveling, and thought the same thing on a trip to Dallas several years ago. The natives are always giving a cheery welcome to Texas, and I have yet to see someone in a bad mood or rude on the highways as you do here in the N.E.

Glad you had a great time in Texas, BrendaKay! Thanks for the report.

ChristieP, like you I am an over-30 native Texan, although I did live out of state for a few years. Nevertheless, I have traveled all over the world, but it is with great shame I must tell you I too have never been anywhere near Big Bend. Someday I will go.

BrendaKay, I'm so glad you enjoyed your visit to Texas. I hope you'll come for another visit sometime.

Hey PM, it's OK. We'll make it out there sometime, right?

My in-laws live in Del Rio, and one of my best friends lives in Odessa, but that is as close to Big Bend as I have ever gotten. If it wasn't such a beastly DRIVE out there, I bet mroe people would go and enjoy it!

ChristieP, I think you've hit the nail on the head when you mentioned the long drive. I am a person who hates road trips and I would love to fly there on SW. The problem w/Big Bend is there is no airport close by. If I could fly there for a long weekend I probably would have done it a long time ago.