247 Best Sights in Texas, USA

If you've ever had the urge to spray paint graffiti, but don't want to end up in court, this is the place for you. You can simply view this quirky roadside exhibit of 10 Cadillacs buried nose down in the middle of a pasture a half-century ago by an eccentric Amarillo businessman. Or, if you want to add to the graffiti already adorning the exhibit, bring some rubber gloves and a few cans of spray paint. If the wind is blowing—and it usually is in Texas—you might also want to pick up a dust filter for your nose and mouth. Go 4 miles west of Amarillo on Interstate 40 to the Arnot Road exit. Make a U-turn to cross the freeway, then continue on the access road for 1 mile. Because there is no lighting at the display, this is a daytime activity.

A signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, lawyer, legislator, and Tejano civil rights advocate José Antonio Navarro built these three limestone, brick, and adobe buildings in the 1850s for his residence and law office. He had sold his ranch near Seguin and moved to San Antonio to be active on the city council. Open to visitors, the half-acre site in Old San Antonio's Laredito area is now a National Historic Landmark and features period furniture and copies of Navarro's writings—he wrote about the history of Texas from a Tejano's perspective and in the Spanish language. It is San Antonio's only historic site focused on the Mexican history and heritage of Texas from the viewpoint of a native Texan with Mexican ancestry. 

Take a half-mile tour here past awe-inspiring limestone formations, deep caverns, stalactites, and stalagmites; you may even catch a glimpse of the endangered Cascade Caverns salamander. Watch for the impressive 100-foot waterfall spilling into a black pool at the end of the tour.

Adobe buildings and wooden shacks serve as reminders of the farming and military community of Castolon, near the banks of the Rio Grande. Although a 2019 wildfire caused significant damage to the district, including the destruction of the building that housed the Castolon Visitor Center and La Harmonia general store, firefighters saved many artifacts and buildings, including the Magdalena House, which contains historical exhibits. The old Officer's Quarters building now temporarily houses the visitor center, and a temporary building contains the general store. Eventual plans call for relocating these operations permanently inside the historic Garlick House.

Temporarily housed in the old Officer's Quarters building following its destruction during a 2019 wildfire, this visitor center in the Castolon Historic District contains hands-on exhibits of fossils, plants, and implements used by the farmers and miners who settled here in the 1800s and early 1900s. There's also an old adobe gallery displaying poster boards explaining the U.S.–Mexico "transparent border."

A windmill and spring form a desert oasis, a refreshing backdrop to a ½-mile round-trip, hot and flat nature trail; wild doves are abundant, the hike is pleasant, and kids will do just fine. Keep an eye out for the elf owl, one of the sought-after birds in the park. Easy.

This forested 2-mile round-trip romp that begins at 5,400-foot elevation affords sweeping views of the lower desert and distant volcanic mountains. The loop intersects with a few longer trails but offers a good sense of the basin if you have only an hour or so. Easy–moderate, elevation gain 500 feet.

The small but informative center, by the park's only lodge, is one of the better equipped, with an interactive computer exhibit and a bookstore. An adjacent general store has camping supplies and basic groceries. There are nods to the wild, with natural resource and geology exhibits, a map of bear and mountain lion sightings, and a larger-than-life representation of a mountain lion. The center sponsors educational activities here and at the nearby Chisos Basin Amphitheater.

Nature lovers will enjoy strolling the trails through a 100-acre nature center set aside for the conservation of natural grasslands, marshlands, and riverbeds. Educational outdoor workshops and camps are available for kids. At Herff Farm, you can explore community gardens and trails as well as learn about land stewardship.

Most of Austin moves at a relaxed pace, but here, just a few miles outside the city limits, things speed up considerably. Circuit of The Americas was primarily built for Formula One Grand Prix racing—currently the only such facility in the United States—and when the F1 Grand Prix stops in the Lone Star State as part of a 19-country worldwide tour, 500 million pairs of eyes are on Austin. A wide range of other motor-racing events also take place here, and the grounds have hosted ESPN’s X-Games. The on-site 14,000-capacity amphitheater is a venue for countless big-name music acts, from Taylor Swift to the Rolling Stones.

Coffee Station is known for its steak fingers and Texas toothpicks—fried jalapeño peppers and onions—as well as its burgers.

Three Spanish treasure ships that ran aground on Padre Island in 1554 anchor the exhibits at this family-friendly museum. You'll want to schedule several hours to fully explore nine different exhibit areas that cover a variety of subjects, including agriculture, coastal ecology, history of trading, and reptile biology—each in a mind-bending, curiosity-building interactive way that will keep even the most skeptical teenagers engaged. Younger children have a designated area to play with dinosaur puzzles, climb on a two-story lighthouse, or make believe in a farmhouse. Pack a few extra coins to spend in the gift shop. Nerds love it!

Johnson City is becoming a small but mighty natural wine destination thanks in big part to this small mom-and-pop operation in the center of the town. Book an appointment for a tasting with animated winemaker Henry Crowson to experience his unique natural fermentations made without sulfites or filtration. Crowson and his dad craft about 2,500 cases of minimal-intervention wine each year in the adjacent production space, using the best Texas-grown fruit he can find and letting it spontaneously ferment using ambient yeast. Stand-outs include the lively Malvasia Bianca, the complex barrel-aged Sangiovese rosé, and the earthy, juicy Mourvedre fermented in concrete tanks.

This spot may be located a short jaunt from the rest of the traditional Texas Wine Trail, but it’s absolutely worth a visit to experience a winery that’s always done things a little differently. Inspired by his friend and fellow winemaker Tony Coturri, Lewis Dickson began planting grapes and producing natural wine back in 2000. Since 2011, all Dickson’s wines have been made using only estate-grown Blac du Bois and Black Spanish grapes. The winery is named after the old Mexican graveyard cross in the vineyard (ask Dickson for the full story behind it), and the eclectic tasting room is set in a historic house filled with plenty of art, photographs, and relics to marvel at while you sample the wines. Be sure to buy bottles to go because you won’t find them anywhere else but here.

One of four branches of the country's most famous culinary school, the CIA Texas campus in San Antonio attracts food lovers and future chefs with a special interest in Latin American culture and cuisine. Associate and bachelor degrees in the culinary arts are offered here, but if you're just a foodie passing through, you can sign up for one-day classes that range from three to five hours on topics like Mexican desserts, live-fire grilling, holiday pies, and more. Or try a short session on Food and Wine Pairing 101. Longer, more intense boot camps are available on Mexican and Mediterranean cuisine and, of course, grilling and barbecue. If you would rather relax and watch someone else work, check out the one- to two-hour chef demonstrations on a variety of topics, with tastings and take-home recipes included. To skip work entirely, make reservations at Savor, the CIA restaurant, for a meal created and presented by advanced CIA students under the guidance of professional faculty.

Longhorns bleed burnt orange and nowhere is that more evident than at a game at Darrell K. Royal—Texas Memorial Stadium. Originally constructed in 1924, the stadium was renamed after the famed football coach in 1996. Today, it stands as a large reminder of his legacy. Catch a game or tailgate party, and make sure to look ahead: sometimes there are special exhibits in the end zone. The stadium does offer tours, but you'll have to check the website to see when the next one will be held.

The oldest swimming pool in Texas (1915), this man-made, spring-fed swimming hole just off Lake Austin Boulevard was the centerpiece of an early-20th-century resort and was purchased and restored by the Works Progress Administration in the mid-1930s. In recent years, Friends of Deep Eddy, a volunteer community group, led a successful effort to fully restore the long-closed 1936 bathhouse. Today it remains a beloved local institution for all ages and walks of life.

Though most people think Austin’s sports teams only wear burnt orange, a little ways north, the colors are all red, white, and blue. Dell Diamond is home to the Round Rock Express, a minor league baseball team that feeds into the Texas Rangers. And while it’s fun to catch a game under the wide-open sky and bright lights, the stadium itself is worth the trip alone. The state-of-the-art facilities have everything you’d expect—huge jumbotrons and a pool-party area sit behind the outfield—and some things that you might not, like a rock-climbing wall and bungee trampoline. Tours are held year round every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:30, 10, and 10:30, and also while the team is on the road during the summer.

With a helpful staff who can advise you on making the most of your time in Dog Canyon, this small ranger station acts as a gateway to the vast, dramatic high country in the remote northern section of the park.

Founded by doctors Stan and Lisa Duchman, this bucolic vineyard features Italian-inspired gardens, a central villa, and food-friendly grapes like the deep-purple Sangiovese and tart Dolcetto sourced mainly from the Texas High Plains AVA. Sample the award-winning Vermentino white while you stroll the gorgeous grounds before enjoying lunch next door at Trattoria Lisina, where chef-owner Damian Mandola serves up house-made pasta and wood-fired pizzas.

There is a picnic table under the shady cottonwoods off the Dugout Wells Trail loop, plus a vault toilet.

One of the largest Mexican free-tailed bat colonies in the world is found in the hills of Mason County. Managed by the Texas Nature Conservancy, Eckert James River Bat Cave, a maternity bat cave, is home to more than 4 million. Only females inhabit the cave, where they bear and rear their young each spring; they depart in mid-October. You can watch in the evening and morning as the entrance to the cave swarms with female bats leaving and returning from an evening hunt to feed their pups. Stand clear of the entrance, unless you don't mind bat guano or having thousands of female bats buzz by. The best way to glimpse this phenomenon is from a safe distance a few hundred yards away.

Several trails combine to form a popular loop through the low desert. El Capitan skirts the base of El Capitan peak for about 3.5 miles, leading to a junction with Salt Basin Overlook. The 4.7-mile Salt Basin Overlook trail begins at the Pine Springs Trailhead and has views of the stark white salt flat below and loops back onto the El Capitan Trail. The 11.3-mile round-trip is not recommended during the intense heat of summer, because there is absolutely no shade. Moderate–Difficult.

The 19th century lives on at this delightfully eccentric museum, where German Romanticism meets the Texas frontier. The historic home and studio of sculptor Elisabet Ney is a lovely gem in the Hyde Park neighborhood that showcases Ney's life and work, with more than 70 sculptures on display. Ney's studio, where she produced sculptures of historic figures, like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, is set up as she knew it, with sculpting tools, hat, teacup, and other items all in their proper places. The castle-like home is surrounded by native prairie grasses and more outdoor sculptures. Family-friendly art classes and special events are also hosted throughout the year. 

Wild animals—from goats, deer, and kangaroos to buffalo, zebras, and oryx—eat right out of your hand when you take a safari tour of this 137-acre wildlife park. When you purchase your ticket, be sure to buy the pellets so you have something to give the animals.

In 1975, Susan and Ed Auler planted a test plot of grapes in the corner of their ranch, and it quickly grew from one-fourth of an acre to 7½ acres, and is now the oldest winery in the Hill Country. They source Texas-grown grapes from their two estate vineyards as well as a handful of local vineyards, each with its own distinct terroir. On your visit, taste the fruits of their labor in highly rated ExTerra single-vineyard labels, and be sure to check out the winery’s namesake twin waterfalls on the north end of the property.

The 23-acre site in Presidio County contains a thick-walled adobe fort and trading post that dates back to pioneer days. There are exhibits, a ½-mile nature trail, picnic sites, guided tours, and a store. The park is day-use only—no camping is available. The fort also doubles as a visitor center for Big Bend Ranch State Park.