South Texas Plains, Texas
Say hello to the Alamo - and adios to the winter blues and the summer doldrums. Soak up some sun in the tropical Rio Grande Valley. Stroll the streets of Laredo. Attend a fiesta, admire a Picasso, and savor a salsa-spiced snack. You will soon find that there is nothing plain about the South Texas Plains. Throughout the year, this fascinating region, from San Antonio to the Rio Grande, offers delights, muy especial!
Explore South Texas Plains
La Borde House
Completed 1899 as home and border store by French merchant-riverboat trader. Converted to hotel operated by family until the 1930s. Designed by Parisian architects;
Rio Grande City, TX Historic HomesSanta Ana National Wildlife Refuge
About 2,000 acres of thick, brushy growth, typical of Valley before agricultural development. Preserves and protects abundant wildlife and plant species, many found nowhere else in U.S. Rare birds prominent during winter season. Interpretive wildlife tram operates late Nov. - mid-Apr.;
McAllen, TX Wildlife RefugesFort Duncan
Established 1849 and occupied by three companies of 1st U.S. Infantry Regiment. During Civil War, post was occupied by Confederate troops of Frontier Regiment. Federal troops reoccupied post 1868; it remained under military authority until 1916
Eagle Pass, TX FortsTexas Travel Information Center
In South Texas at mile marker 18 on Interstate Highway 35, one of the 12
Laredo, TX Information CentersMission San Francisco de la Espada
Established 1731, favorite of many students of Spanish period in Texas, and popular with photographers. The little church building, restored several times, is still in use. Ruins of walls that once surrounded the mission compound; foundations of a granary;
San Antonio, TX MissionsFannin Plaza
City park at S. Market and Franklin Sts. Includes Texas Revolution cannon, memorial shaft and several historical markers. Nearby is hanging tree on courthouse lawn, and Market House Museum. Newly built children's park, "Fort Fun,"
Goliad, TX PlazasOrange Grove Area Museum
Historic artifacts and other memorabilia recall the history and German influence in the area. Exhibits include a replica of an early dry good store, the old post office front from the 1920s, and one of the first pianos to arrive in the area in the early 1800s. (It has only 85 keys.)
Orange Grove, TX MuseumsBotanical Garden
33 acres of display gardens, fountains, and natural areas (Major walkways wheelchair accessible). Included is the Lucile Halsell Conservatory, a 90,000-square-foot complex of below-ground houses that use the earth'
San Antonio, TX Botanical GardensSheriff's Posse Rodeo
Rodeo cowboys demonstrate calf roping, bull-riding, and Quarter Horse racing every Saturday evening at rodeo arena 2 miles south of Edinburg via U.S. 281; 0.5 mile west on Wisconsin Rd.;
Edinburg, TX RodeosNatural Bridge Wildlife Ranch
African safari, Texas style! In the comfort of your own vehicle you can travel through hundreds of acres of picturesque, historical ranch land, viewing more than 50 species of animals from all over the world in a natural environment. Snack bar, picnic area. Exit 175 off I-35;
San Antonio, TX Wildlife AreasNatural Bridge Caverns
One of the world's premier caverns, take 75-minute tour through a half-mile of the largest show cavern in Texas. For the more daring spelunker, the Adventure Tour offers a physically demanding excursion into an undeveloped cavern (reservations are required for the Adventure Tour)
San Antonio, TX Caving